Acts

Synopsis: Most commentaries on Acts are written by Western scholars for a Western audience. This book comes out of more than forty years of teaching in the Majority World. It is aimed at the new breed of emerging missionaries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The apostles in Acts faced a hostile world. Yet in that context, the Holy Spirit gave them incredible courage. The scenes of Peter, Stephen, and Paul facing angry mobs and the fury of the Jewish Sanhedrin are being played out in India, China, and Eritrea today. Acts teaches us how to have a "courageous witness in a hostile world." Further, this work addresses the powerful forces that assault the worldwide church--particularly the racism that splits the church all over the world. Acts: Courageous Witness in a Hostile World will thrill you as you see how God's Spirit overcomes every obstacle and keeps the church on track, even when we think all is lost. Read this book for yourself and become courageous. Endorsements: "I am not aware of a more practical, accessible, or teachable commentary on the book of Acts. While this commentary will be of value to any mission-focused pastor or teacher in the West, it is the Majority World evangelists, church leaders, and missionaries whose ministry is carried out in daunting hostility who will find here a treasure trove of insight and encouragement." --Jonathan J. Bonk, Executive Director, Overseas Ministries Study Center "Many missiological treatises have been written, but I find Acts: Courageous Witness in a Hostile World in a different class. I highly recommend it as a necessary resource book for every mission leader, trainer, counselor, and missionary. It should be appreciated for its uniqueness and appropriated for its incisiveness." --Reuben Ezemadu, Continental Coordinator, Movement for African National Initiatives (MANI) "Howard Brant has lived the book of Acts as few have--immersed on the cutting edge of the global church. His perspective is that of a reflective practitioner whose compass is set to the Word, the Spirit, and the church. Brant works his way through the book explaining and applying the book of Acts with faithfulness and relevance. It is a classic narrative of mission from the margins." --William Taylor, Senior Mentor, WEA Mission Commission "With forty years in the mission fields in Africa and Asia, Brant writes a superb commentary giving the missional message from global perspective. Missionaries from the East and West will find relevant solutions from the book of Acts as expounded here, as they face hostile and challenging issues in their many emerging missionary movements." --Joseph Shao, President, Biblical Seminary of the Philippines "Howard's vast experiences on the field and at all levels of leadership within and without his mission organization (SIM) have built the kind of foundation necessary to make this book possible--and most helpful. It is sprinkled with practical illustrations and applied in a clear, simple way. It covers core biblical issues that come into play as the church is birthed in new places like it was in Acts." --Greg H. Parsons, Global Director, US Center for World Mission Author Biography: Howard Brant grew up riding on the back of his daddy's mule as he evangelized in the mountains of southern Ethiopia. He studied missions in Bible school, college, and earned a doctorate in missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. In 1996, he and his wife took the first Ethiopian missionaries to India. As a mission executive with SIM, he has traveled the world teaching Acts to Majority World missionaries.