The Message of Acts (Bible Speaks Today) [Paperback]

John Stott (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 1994 | Series: Bible Speaks Today

Replaces the book, The Spirit, the Church & the World, which received a Christianity Today 1991 Readers' Choice Award! The Spirit moves the church into the world. That is how it has always been since the day of Pentecost when the Spirit brought thousands from many countries into the body of Christ. With the breadth and scholarly care that have marked John Stott's years of ministry, this book opens to us the early days of the church as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts. The experiences of the early church have much to say about issues that concern Christians today. What can Acts tell us about tongues and other extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit? How should churches structure themselves--with elders, deacons, pastors or all three? What should a normal Christian conversion look like? And, of course, how should the church reach out into the world with the message of salvation? These and many other topics are handled with a pastoral heart and an unwavering commitment to the authority of God's Word in our lives. As Stott concludes, "The Acts of the Apostles have long ago finished; the acts of the followers of Jesus will continue until the end of the world."

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His books have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. His life is the subject of a two-volume biography by Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott: The Making of a Leader and John Stott: A Global Ministry. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: IVP Academic (February 13, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830812369
• ISBN-13: 978-0830812363
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John R. W. Stott is known worldwide as a preacher, evangelist and communicator of Scripture. For many years he served as rector of All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among evangelicals in Britain, the United States and around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). His many books, including Why I Am a Christian and The Cross of Christ, have sold millions of copies around the world and in dozens of languages. Whether in the West or in the Two-Thirds World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses the hearts and minds of contemporary men and women. Stott was honored by Time magazine in 2005 as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Masterly Treatment of Paul, Missing the Point When It Comes to the Holy Spirit, February 7, 2009

By 

Leslie Richford (Selsingen, Lower Saxony) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Message of Acts (Bible Speaks Today) (Paperback)

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church & the World. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, Illinois, 1994 (originally published in 1990, my edition is the 13th printing 2005), 428 pages (including Study Guide), ISBN 0-8308-1236-9.

I have been a great admirer of John Stott, and in particular of his books, for many years; I have even translated some of them into German. Stott's explanations and commentaries on Scripture are lucid, full of enlightening remarks and overflowing with quotes not only from other Bible books or from the latest theological expositions, but also from the great thinkers and churchmen of the patristic, reformation and, occasionally, Puritan and evangelical periods. On the whole, Stott's book on Acts lives up to this statement pretty well, and his treatment of Paul's missionary journeys and his enforced trip to Rome are masterly, with Stott cleverly combining a re-telling of Luke's text with other historical information normally not so easily available. All during the second half of the book I found myself more or less glued to its pages, always happy to read more than I had originally planned. However, I still want to reduce my evaluation to four stars instead of five because of one point which rather disturbed me. For all his attempts at fairness and balance, Stott here seems to me to miss the mark when it comes to Luke's treatment of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit among the first Christians. Stott is so determined to see everywhere his theory of a "single Christian initiation" that he gets himself caught up in obvious logical problems, as well as missing the exegetical point in a number of passages and glossing over facts which don't seem to suit him in others. It would take too long here to argue this through, so one example will have to suffice. Stott's insistence on a single Christian initiation (something that, in fact, probably no born-again Christian will deny) seems to include water-baptism. And yet (and Stott is an Anglican paedo-baptist!) it would be very unlikely and, today at any rate, unusual for someone to be converted and baptized all at the same time. So what is the problem with a baptism in the Holy Spirit which takes place at a slightly different time from conversion? I found myself disagreeing with Stott's conclusions at all the places where such a work of the Holy Spirit is mentioned in Acts. Stott tries to argue against Pentecostals and Charismatics, but he tends to erect a "man of straw", denying statements that surely only the most unguarded of (neo-)Pentecostals would make. Personally having studied these texts in detail, I must say that I find the broad Pentecostal-charismatic way of expounding these passages to be much more natural and intellectually satisfying than Stott's way of arguing around them (each new case of Spirit-infilling being explained away as the beginning of a new phase of church evangelism among new people-groups, something that doesn't really ring true in Acts 8, is theoretically possible in Acts 10, but which goes against the whole thrust of Luke's text in Acts 19). So, generally, I would say any Bible-loving Christian will gain a lot from this book but should examine the whole Holy Spirit issue with a more open mind than Stott was able to bring to this matter.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable Guide to Help You Understand Acts, April 21, 2003

By 

Gontroppo "Music and Theology Lover" (Bathurst, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Message of Acts (Bible Speaks Today) (Paperback)

John Stott is a thought-provoking writer with dozens of helpful titles in print, from books about his travels [People My Teachers: around the world in 80 years], books about his life-long habit of bird-watching [The Birds Our Teachers] to the many helpful books about Christian teaching, guides to the Bible and commentaries on specific books of the Bible.

His exposition of Acts has been a great help to us in our bible study group, as we are ploughing through Acts. He gives you several interpretations of controversial issues, but also lets you know his own thoughts. If you want a conservative, evangelical treatment of Luke's book about the Early Church, you will appreciate this book.

The study guide is helpful, but bear in mind that it is intended to be a guide to Stott's book, not to Acts itself. As we were not studying Stott's book, but Acts, we adapted the questions to suit ourselves, and did not find this too difficult to do.

Highly recommended. I am also finding Howard Marshall's Tyndale Commentary useful, as I prepare the studies for our group.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Stott classic for the lay Bible student, March 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Message of Acts (Bible Speaks Today) (Paperback)

John Stott provides masterful exposition and commentary on the Acts. The Acts is an important book to master for any serious Bible reader; Stott's book may be the best one available for the lay student. Easy to read, non-technical, full of practical and insightful commentary. See my review of Stott's Romans commentary also. Complete the Study Guide at the back of the book and you will come away with a deep practical knowledge of Acts.