By comparison, the pauline epistles have 2,032 verses and the johannine writings have 1,407. The apostles understood the life and ministry of jesus in the context of the story of israel. Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. Luke showed in acts 1 that the qualifications for an apostle were that he had spent three years with jesus and that he had been a witness of the resurrection acts 1. As the third column on our charts reveals, salvation in luke acts is frequently based simply on the inexplicable and unmotivated initiative of god.
The gospel was first preached in jerusalem because it had been so prophesied isaiah 2. Acts of the apostles bible study notes, commentary, and comments. Whereas jesus is the chief character in the gospels, the holy spirit, working through the apostles. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. They use jewish titles for jesus messiah, lord, savior, lamb of god. Sundays sermon was based on something i had never noticed previously there is a reference to money on almost every page of the book of acts. The author of acts had written a former account of jesus life. Holy spirit is the cornerstone of the acts of the apostles, attributed to the apostle luke. The book of acts tells how the multiethnic, international. The book acts has been described like a drama with two main characters, peter and paul. The holy spirit in the book of acts essay 1715 words.
If the book was just before or after pauls release, then it was likely written around 63 a. The theme of witness in the acts of the apostles jonathan w. The same logic that had persuaded the jews earlier persuaded them now. For the following reasons, luke is generally considered to be the inspired author of acts. The basis of salvation in luke acts in luke acts, salvation is of god luke 3. Acts of the apostles 4 imprisonment in rome are 6062 a. T he book of acts in the bible, written around 6263 a. Bradd words in boldboldbold and underlined are the answers to the blanks on the acts study guides acts 1 the book of acts was written by luke to a man named theophilus. Three great themes in the book of acts sermon by rick. The book of acts is clearly not about the acts of the apostles, for if it were, it has the wrong ending. John bright thinks it presents as complex a literary problem as any book in the bible. Theological themes in the book of joshua preaching source. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament.
The title acts of the apostles is a bit misleading. The book contains only a few of the acts of some of the apostles, primarily peter and paul. We come to the conclusion of our introduction to the book of acts today by looking at its purpose and theme. The acts of the apostles, or simply the acts, is the second part to the gospel of luke in the new testament. Of the 27 books that make up what we know as the new testament, the one called the acts of the apostles is unique in the information it contains. But ye shall receive power, after that the holy ghost is come. They continued to preach, and the church at antioch. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. The gospel being preached to all nations beginning at jerusalem 2.
Major themes in the book of acts the debate over the historical accuracy of the book of acts is important, in no small measure because as i have pointed out already it provides us our one and only narrative of what was happening among the followers of jesus in the years immediately after his death. The number and importance of the theological themes touched upon are impressive. The book of acts presents a rich theology of the holy spirit. Pdf the theme of witness in the acts of the apostles. As a result, the preaching of the gospel and the witness of the newly formed church sparks a flame that spreads across the roman empire. Acts of the apostles executable outline study resources. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. The book of acts ends just as it begins, emphasizing the apostles role as those who expanded gods kingdom on earth, through their proclamation. Christian life occurs in a community oriented with a vocation for the kingdom of god. Peter is not mentioned in acts after the account of the council.
We believe that it is by the grace of our lord jesus that we are saved. As his gospel ends, luke introduces the themes reiterated here in acts 1. The book of genesis records the origin of the physical universe. On one level, as is true of most literary works, luke had many purposes and acts has many themes. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. Acts records the origin of the spiritual body which we designate as the church. Both were probably written by luke, an early christian who traveled with the apostle paul. As it is expected, the book of acts has a similar literary style as the gospel of luke because it is the second volume of lukes account. While there are some areas of great detail of the acts of the apostles, many times you must use cross references to the gospels of matthew, mark, luke and john as well as some other epistles in the new testament to get the full picture of what was. It reads more like a developed theological essay than a letter. One magnificent product of the computer age is being able to put this work in pdf format. It ends without revealing how pauls trial before caesars tribunal turned out, a certain necessity if the theme of the book were about the apostles, their ministries, and what happened to them. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the world.
Lessons on the acts of the apostles becoming closer. It records that he performed many signs and wonders to validate the ministry of the apostles and other early church leaders. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. It is more a story of the expansion of the church from jerusalem to rome. This is the third lesson of our series the book of acts, and we have entitled this lesson major themes. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. Our interest here is to highlight lukes overarching purpose and theme. The new testament describes the christian identity and vocation in many different ways, but in the acts of the apostles the dominant focus is the theme of witness. The book of acts, also called the acts of the apostles, is the companion volume to the gospel of luke. Themes in the book of acts the book of acts begins with the outpouring of gods promised holy spirit on the day of pentecost.
As we approach the book of acts, we must always keep in mind that luke wrote out of his background in the old testament and first century beliefs about the kingdom of god in christ. In the following essay, the lukan theme of witness in acts is explored with the. As we mentioned earlier this week, acts is technically a sequel. The theme or key to the book of acts is found in 1. The disciples being empowered by the holy spirit to be missionary witnesses 3. It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. The debate over the historical accuracy of the book of acts is important, in no small measure because as i have pointed out already it provides us our one. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes twovolume work can. Lo in the following essay, i wish to examine the relationship between christian identity being. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul being held under house arrest. Bock introduction of the 7,947 verses in the new testament, luke acts comprises 2, 157 verses, or 27. This title may be a bit misleading, because 11 apostles are barely mentioned, while the book concentrates almost exclusively on the early work of peter chapters 112 and the short but influential ministry of paul chapters 28. John bright, the book of joshua, in the interpreters bible, ed.
As gentiles, we can be tempted to study the life of jesus apart from the old testament narrative, but the book of acts wont allow us to do this. The theme deals with the spread of the gospel from jerusalem the city. The acts of the apostles major themes gospel renewal. Grayson baptist church may 12, 20 indianapolis pastor russ blowers was a member of the rotary club. The prologue is a literary recapitulation of the last paragraphs of the book of luke. Realm of god is the main theme of the book of acts.
The mission of god part 1 themes while acts is a record of history, luke weaves many theological themes into these stories to teach us about god and his mission. It records the establishment of the early church under the leadership of the apostles, and the activity and growth of the church during the middle of the first century. God takes the initiative using a variety of creative means, and. Purpose of the book as indicated previously, the original purpose of both the gospel and acts may have been to assist. In this lesson, we will look at three major concepts that luke addressed time and again as he.
Luke had written to him before and had told him about the things that jesus did and taught. Pdf versions of past issue contents, and encourage them to request. I wish to reflect on the thesis that a major theme of acts is. The book of acts books of acts christian inconnect. Martyrdom, or persecution resulting in death because of ones religious or political beliefs, was an. At the club meeting each week, a different member told a little about his job. There are different ways to divide the book of acts. Jesus followers received the holy spirit on pentecost and became filled and equipped to spread the good news that would restore gods kingdom over the world. Another major, and unsurprising, theme of acts is martyrdom. Major themes in the book of acts the bart ehrman blog. A second theme is the validity of pauls apostleship.
It describes the establishment and growth of the lords church throughout the mediterranean world through the work of the apostles and other christians under the direction of the holy spirit. On the surface, paul of tarsus did not fit these qualifications. According to lee, the book of acts refers to the formative history of the early church, while establishing luke as a charismatic theologian who demonstrates that baptism in the holy spirit is an experience of empowering to facilitate the mission of the church. This was an overview series rather than a detailed versebyverse exposition, looking to pick up the broad themes of different sections of the book. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul. An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles.
This would indicate it was matthew, mark, luke, or john. Furthermore, god not only restored the community of jesus followers but filled them with the holy. In the modern church, christians often turn to the book of acts to explore questions related to the charismatic. The book of acts records the beginning of the church, the birth of the church.
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