Literary Context

Acts 11:25-26

Outline of Acts

      • 1:1-3 – Prologue
      • 1:4-5:42 – The Witness to the Jews in Jerusalem 
      • 6:1-11:30 – The Wider Witness
        • 6:1-7 – The Selection of the Servants and the Advancement of the Word
        • 6:8-7:53 – The Arrest and Preaching of Stephen
        • 7:54-8:3 – The Stoning of Stephen and the Persecution of the Church
        • 8:4-40 – The Preaching of the Persecuted Believers in Samaria and Beyond
        • 9:1-31 – The Conversion of Saul
        • 9:32-11:18 – Peter Joins the Wider Witness
        • 11:19-30 – The Beginning of the Church in Antioch
          • 11:19-21 – The Church Born
          • 11:22-24 – The Church Encouraged
          • 11:25-26 – The Church Matures
          • 11:27-30 – The Church Gives
      • 12:1-25 – The Transition from the Witness of Peter to Paul
      • 13:1-15:35 – The First Journey of Paul
      • 15:36-18:22 – The Second Journey of Paul
      • 18:23-21:16 – The Third Journey of Paul
      • 21:17-26:32 – The Witness of Paul in Jerusalem and Beyond
      • 27:1-28:31 – The Witness of Paul in Rome Unhindered

      The Literary Setting of Acts 11:25-26

      Acts 11:25-26 is a smaller section of the sub-narrative chronicling the beginning and maturity of the Antiochian Church. This sub-narrative is itself a part of a section of narrative in which the Church’s witnesses spread to a broader audience than the Jews in Jerusalem. This church is significant in Acts because it became the first church reportedly to have a membership constituted by both Jewish and Greek believers (v. 21) and is where an even broader mission to the “ends of the earth” originated (13:1-3). Therefore, this passage bears application to the church today primarily by providing an example of the significance of the public teaching ministry in the life, growth, and ministry of a local congregation.

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      Genre Analysis
      Historical Context
      Translation & Notes
      Word Study
      Exegetical Outline
      Preaching Outline

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