Index/Table of Contents
Old Testament
and New Testament
Credits and Copyright
ACTS
JESUS ASCENSION AND PENTECOST
LECTURE 19
Content of Lecture
Purpose of Acts:
The Book of Acts could be described as the Acts (actions)
of the Apostles or The Acts of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps, even better, it is the Acts of
the Apostles empowered by the Holy Spirit.
The "apologetic tendency" of Acts refers to the organization and presentation of material in Acts in such a way that Christianity is vindicated of the accusation that it is Rome's enemy. When an impartial Roman official examines the charges brought against Christians, the followers of Christ are acquitted. (TN1)
Author: The traditional author is a gentile physician named Luke. That would make him the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament.
Sources of Information
Note the research implied in Luke 1:1-4. The author used wri Len sources and eye witnesses. A similar process can be assumed for Acts. "We passages" are the sections in Acts where the first person plural pronoun "we" indicates the author traveled with Paul and, therefore, would have been an eye witness to these events. (TN2)
Outline of Acts
Introduction: The preparatory events of the Christian mission.
A. The Resumptive? Preface (1:1-5) 3
B. The Mandate to Witness (1:6-8) 4
C. The Ascension (1:9-11)
D. The Full Complement of Apostles (1:12-26)
Part 1: The Christian Mission to the Jewish World (2:1-12:24)
1. The Earliest Days of the Church
A. The Coming of the Holy Spirit (2:1-41)
1. The Miracle of Pentecost (2:1-13)
a. Significance of the Festival -- Pentecost was a festival of the first fruits celebrated on the seventh Sabbath after Passover (Lev. 23:15-16). The Greek expression translates "fiftieth."
b. Three phenomena
(1) "Sound of a mighty wind" (2:2)--The Greek word for wind and Spirit is the same (Pneuma). The Spirit's activity is characterized by that which is mysteriously powerful, invisible, yet intimately experienced (Note John 3:8).
(2) "Tongues of Fire" (2:3)--Fire had become a well-known Jewish symbol for the presence of God. (Note the burning bush, Ex. 3:2-5, the pillar of fire, Ex. 13:21, and the fire which hovered over the tabernacle, Ex. 40:38).
(3) Inspired Communication (2:6-12)
2. Peter's Sermon (2:14-41)
a. Apologia Section (2:14-21)--Here Peter defends the activities which were taking place.
b. Kerygma Section (2:22-36)--In the book Apostolic Preaching, C.H. Dodd isolates six themes which are consistently found in the early Christian proclamation (Kerygma).
(1) "The age of fulfillment has dawned."
(2) ""This has taken place through the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus..."
(3) "By virtue of the resurrection, Jesus has been exalted at the right hand of God..."
(4) "The Holy Spirit in the Church is the sign of Christ's present power and glory."
(5 "The Messianic Age will shortly reach its consummation in the return of Christ."
(6) "The kerygma always closes with an appeal for repentance, the offer of forgiveness and the Holy Spirit, and the promise of salvation.
Except for the emphasis upon Christ's return, all of the above themes are found in Peter's sermon. They are also observable in sermons attributed to Stephen (Acts 7:2-53) and Paul (Acts 13:16-41). The central theme of early Christian proclamation was the death/resurrection of Christ.
c. A call to repentance and a promise of blessing (2:37-41).
Assignment
Read Acts 2:42-6:7 and characterize the early Christian
movement.
What were their major goals/priorities?
What were three or four significant characteristics of the church in Acts?
What were the main elements of their message?
Were the greatest challenges to the church's mission external or internal? Base your
answer upon passages in Acts.
| DISCUSSION QUESTIONS DQ Does contemporary Christian preaching have the same emphasis as the first apostles of Jesus? What are the similarities and differences? How much of the Christian message is negotiable or capable of being adapted to a new environment or culture? DQ What do you think should be essential to the 2 1st century Christian proclamation? Are any of the elements of the first-century proclamation less crucial in our culture? DQ Why would one avoid using Acts 2 as a model for the "baptism of the Holy Spirit?" What is meant by the expression, "Acts is descriptive not prescriptive?" Why is that important? |
| TEACHER'S NOTES TN The thirteen lectures on Acts and Paul's letters incorporate the letters into the historical setting when each may have been written (i.e. Galatians is presented after the discussion of the first missionary journey and the Jerusalem Council. First and Second Corinthians and Romans are covered after the lecture on the third missionary journey.) The lectures on Paul's letters can easily be moved to the end of the presentation on Acts. The Lectures on Acts/Paul are divided as follows:
TN1 For example, Paul receives a public apology in Philippi because he had been unfairly abused and jailed (Acts 16:35-40). In Corinth, the official named Gallio refused to go forward with the trial of Paul when he saw the petty charges brought against him (Acts 18:12-17). In Caesarea, Felix leaves Paul in prison, not because he thinks he teas committed a serious crime, but to appease the Jews and secure a possible bribe (Acts 24:24-27). Governor Festus seemed embarrassed to find Paul in prison. When Paul surprised him by asking to be sent to Rome, Festus had to secure the help of a vassal king (Agrippa 11, great grandson of Herod the Great who would be familiar with local customs) in order to develop charges which would justify sending Paul to Rome (Acts 25:23-27). Yet after Agrippa 11 listened to Paul, he stated that Paul "could have been set free had he not appealed to Caesar" (Acts 26:30-32). The apologetic nature of Acts probably reflects the fact that Christians were being persecuted in the latter half of the first century. The author demonstrates that frequently the charges against Christians were without substance. The distrust of Christians and fear that Christianity posed a threat to the state were not justified. TN2 Acts 16: 10- 17 is the first "we passage;" Acts 20:5-15 is the second. It begins when missionaries revisit Philippi. TN3 Emphasize how Acts is related to the Book of Luke and the earthly ministry of Jesus. TN4 Note how verse eight can function as an outline for the remainder of Acts. |
RESOUIRCES
Updated Thursday, February 24, 2000
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