Acts 1:8

1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts ¹  of the earth.”

Acts 5:20

5:20 “Go and stand in the temple courts ²  and proclaim ³  to the people all the words of this life.”

Luke 24:46-48

24:46 and said to them, “Thus it stands written that the Christ ⁴  would suffer ⁵  and would rise from the dead on the third day, 24:47 and repentance ⁶  for the forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed ⁷  in his name to all nations, ⁸  beginning from Jerusalem. ⁹  24:48 You are witnesses ¹⁰  of these things.

¹ tn Or “to the ends.”

² tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

³ tn Or “speak.”

⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

⁵ tn Three Greek infinitives are the key to this summary: (1) to suffer, (2) to rise, and (3) to be preached. The Christ (Messiah) would be slain, would be raised, and a message about repentance would go out into all the world as a result. All of this was recorded in the scripture. The remark shows the continuity between Jesus’ ministry, the scripture, and what disciples would be doing as they declared the Lord risen.

⁶ sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.

⁷ tn Or “preached,” “announced.”

⁸ sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta eqnh) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.

⁹ sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.

¹⁰ sn You are witnesses. This becomes a key concept of testimony in Acts. See Acts 1:8.