Michael Lawrence on Acts

In this episode of Help Me Teach the Bible, I talk with Michael Lawrence, senior pastor of Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon, or “the ends of the earth” as Lawrence calls it in context of the book of Acts. In this episode you’ll not only hear the sounds of a church office building under construction, you’ll also hear about how God is going about building his church as recorded in the book of Acts. Topics include:

epic moments in redemptive history in Acts
Acts as part two of Luke’s Gospel
the main character of the book of Acts
the structure of the book of Acts
the cinematic sweep of Acts
the Spirit falls on unexpected people
questions about tongues
sermons in the book of Acts
implications and applications of the crucifixion and resurrection
whether the early church is a model for the church today
resources for teaching Acts.

Here are some additional audio resources that you may find helpful in preparing to teach Acts:

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For further study, here are some books you may find helpful, including titles from Crossway, the sponsor of Help Me Teach the Bible:

Perspectives on Pentecost by Richard Gaffin
The Spirit, the Church, and the World: The Message of Acts by John R.W. Stott
The Acts of the Apostles, Pillar New Testament Commentary by David Peterson
Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament by Darrell Bock
The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus by Alan J. Thompson
Acts: The Church Afire, Preaching the Word Commentary series by R. Kent Hughes
Acts, The St. Andrews Expositional Commentary by R. C. Sproul
Acts: A 12-Week Study by Justin Holcomb

Subscribe to TGC’s podcast in iTunes or for other devices to get this and subsequent interviews in Help Me Teach the Bible with Nancy Guthrie. You can also download the interview here or stream it above.

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Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.

Michael Lawrence (PhD, University of Cambridge; MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; BA, Duke University) is lead pastor of Hinson Baptist Church in Portland, Oregon, and is a Council member of The Gospel Coalition. He is the author of several books, including Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church, Conversion: How God Creates a People, Ezekiel: A 12-Week Study (Knowing the Bible), and with Mark Dever, It Is Well: Expositions on Substitutionary Atonement. He and his wife, Adrienne, have five children and two daughters-in-law.