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One of the most respected Bible teachers of his generation guide us through Luke s record of the growth of the church from Pentecost, throughout Asia Minor, and beyond.

784 pages, Hardcover

First published March 28, 2011

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About the author

Derek W.H. Thomas

59 books65 followers
Originally from Wales, Dr. Derek Thomas is the John E. Richards Professor of Systematic and Practical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi. After pastoring for 17 years in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Dr Thomas returned to the USA in 1996 where, in addition to his work at the seminary, he serves as the Minister of Teaching at First Presbyterian Church in Jackson.

In addition to serving in the pastorate, Derek has served as editor of the Evangelical Presbyterian, a monthly denominational magazine. A 1978 graduate of RTS, he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales, Lampeter, in Calvin’s preaching on the book of Job. He has written numerous books, including The Storm Breaks: Job Simply Explained, Wisdom: the Key to Living God’s Way, and God Strengthens: Ezekiel Simply Explained, Making the Most of Your Devotional Life based on the Ascent Psalms, and Praying the Savior’s Way, based on the Lord’s Prayer. Recently he published Let’s Study Revelation (Banner of Truth), Let’s Study Galatians (Banner of Truth), and Calvin’s Teaching on Job: Proclaiming the Incomprehensible God (Christian Focus). He also co-edited, Give Praise To God: A Vision for Reforming Worship (P & R).

His interests include the music of Anton Bruckner, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler as well as a passion for good coffee.

He has been married to his wife, Rosemary, for almost 30 years. They have two adult children, Ellen and Owen.

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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
25 reviews
September 28, 2023
For those who try to find this book , it’s not being published. Apparently it has some plagiarism . Apparently he quotes a particular man and forgot to include it in the footnotes . With all that said , if you want an excellent reformed point of view , this one is for you !!
Profile Image for Rachel Menke.
288 reviews4 followers
July 3, 2018
I really enjoy the Reformed Expository Commentary series as a devotional supplement (I highly recommend them as a commentary series) so when our church started working through the book of Acts last fall I started to follow along by reading through this commentary as we went. I’d say my thoughts about it are pretty close to my thoughts about Acts in general. The first 12 chapters or so are phenomenal and amaIng and then as we get into the Paul’s journeys things begin to feel a bit redundant until the big adventurous journey to Rome at the end of the book.
While our church finished Acts a few weeks ago I really had to rush thorough to keep up as Thomas took these last chapters at a painstakingly slow pace sometimes making me wonder if he was grasping at straws to find a new application point from the message before. However, overall reading through this book helped me to better understand the timeline of Acts and also encouraged me in ministry and I how I interact with others for the sake of the gospel both inside and outside the church.
53 reviews
March 12, 2025
Really enjoyed reading through this commentary as I wrote my sermon series on Acts. Very pastoral focus.
146 reviews
October 17, 2025
Outstanding commentary even though the author got caught plagiarizing the material in the book. My pastor did a series on Acts and I used this commentary along with his preaching for added insight.
269 reviews
May 22, 2012
Acts

Derek W. H. Thomas

In Acts professor of Practical Theology and Reformed Theological Seminary Derek Thomas examines the book of Acts section by section highlighting specific points of historical and theological interest. Lucid, succinct, and eminently accessible, Thomas' writing brings the history of the early church to life through unpacking their teaching and charting the events that so defined the apostolic church and their faithful witness to Christ.

This is a great series. Derek Thomas is a great source of Biblical thought and understanding. I have enjoyed everything that Rev. Thomas has written. This is book is no exception. This was a great walk through a book of the Bible that details the start of the Christian Church since Jesus lived and died. It is a powerful reminder of the trials that these men went through and the place of woman in the church. It was a detailed walk through how the church was built upon Christ. It was exciting to turn the page to discover some forgotten and some new gems of the this book that Dr. Thomas brings out.
Profile Image for Sassa.
284 reviews6 followers
March 12, 2016
Though I disagree with some theology .
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews

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