The return visit to these cities was to strengthen the believers (literally “strengthening the souls of the disciples”) and to encourage them to remain true to the faith. The faith is used in a way similar to its use in 6.7 and 13.8. Strengthened the believers must, of course, not be understood in a literal sense. Rather, it means “caused the believers to believe more firmly” or “caused those who believed in Jesus to be strong in their faith.” To remain true to the faith may need to be somewhat recast in certain languages as “to remain faithful to what they had believed” or “to continue true in their trust in Jesus.” Here faith is to be understood in this active sense of personal trust in the Lord.

We must pass through many troubles to enter the Kingdom of God is direct discourse in the Greek sentence structure (see Jerusalem Bible), though a number of translations reproduce this as indirect discourse (see Revised Standard Version, New English Bible). We includes both the apostles and their hearers and hence is inclusive. In a more general sense, of course, the pronoun could be applied to all the believers. Paul meant, “All who believe must pass through many troubles in this life in order to enter the Kingdom of God in the age to come.”

The phrase Kingdom of God is to be understood in terms of the rule of God, not some particular place (see also 1.3). It is related to time, and not essentially to space. In some languages the closest equivalent to the latter part of this admonition to the believers may be rendered as “in order that we may enjoy at last God’s ruling over us.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .