Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Acts

A bridgeTony Merida does an excellent job spanning the gap between Acts and us in his commentary Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary: Exalting Jesus in Acts.

Spans timefrom good but brief historical background and explanation of the apostles and the missionary journeys, to todays day and age and our questions and concerns.

Spans heaven and earthfixes our eyes on Jesus yet is down to earth, grounded in practical application.

Spans the book of ActsMerida does a good job of breaking down the book in thematic, united, and manageable chunks. As the series claims, this helps make it great for sermon preparation and/or personal and small group study.

Spans hermeneuticswhile Merida obviously did his exegetical work, you wont find the verse-by-verse exegesis as in some commentaries. Rather, it is primarily expository, as the title states.

Span of diversitythis book does a good job of highlighting the various different contexts the gospel visits, from Jerusalem, to Judea, to the ends of the earth; from the temple courts, to far-off Jewish synagogues, to the Areopagus; from rich Lydia, to the slave girl, and the middle-class jailer of Acts 16.

Spans passionfrom Pauls heart to Meridas heart to our heart, there is passion in this book. The excitement for the gospel that opens eyes, turning people from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God, for the forgiveness of sins and a place among the saved (Acts 16:18), the gospel that turns the upside-down world upside-down-right-side-up (Acts 17:6).

I have listened to many sermon series on Acts and read several commentaries on the book, and while I found a few new nuggets and insights in Meridas work, a lot of it was similaryet a valuable, passionate reminder.

Read my personal impact at my blog http://astonescry.blogspot.com/2017/07/prevail.html

"I received this copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review."