Introduction To Acts Continued (Wednesday Evening Bible Study)

Introduction to Acts Continued

• Theme of Acts
  • Acts opens with a statement from Jesus which seems to set the tone for the entire work. Jesus promises the Apostles that they will receive power in the form of the Holy Spirit. He then tells them that they will  “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This theme of being a witness for the gospel is carried throughout the Book of Acts
  • Consider the following verses:
    • 1:22; the replacement for Judas had to be a witness of Christ’s resurrection
      • 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day he was taken up from us—from among these, it is necessary that one become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
    • 2:32; Peters sermon on Pentecost emphasized that the apostles were witnesses of the resurrection
      • 32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this.
    • 3:15; after healing the beggar Peter proclaimed the resurrected Christ and that the apostles were witnesses
      • 15 You killed the source of life, whom God raised from the dead; we are witnesses of this.
    • 4:20; the apostles told the Jewish authorities they could not help proclaiming what they had seen and heard
      • 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
    • 5:32; when the apostles were again persecuted they said they must obey God because they were witnesses along with the Holy Spirit
      • 32 We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
    • 8:25; Peter and John went to Samaria where they “testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord”
      • 25 So, after they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they traveled back to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.
    • 10:39; Peter proclaimed to Cornelius that he was a witness to the ministry of Jesus
      • 39 We ourselves are witnesses of everything he did in both the Judean country and in Jerusalem, and yet they killed him by hanging him on a tree.
    • 13:31; Paul told the crowd in Pisidian Antioch that Jesus’ followers had witnessed Christ’s resurrection
      • 31 and he appeared for many days to those who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
    • 22:15; Ananias went to Paul with the message that Paul would be a witness to all men of what he had seen and heard
      • 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.
    • 23:11; God appeared to Paul encouraging him that he would testify in Rome concerning the Lord
      • 11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Have courage! For as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so it is necessary for you to testify in Rome.”
    • These references don’t include the numerous passages in which individuals are found witnessing falsely
  • As witnesses for Christ carried the gospel toward the far reaches of the world, the church advance everywhere. This them is also important in Acts. The expansion of the church is presented in a historical context. Luke even dates some of the events in his record by using key Roman names and events as reference points.
  • As Acts 1:8 indicates, Luke shows how the gospel prevailed wherever it was proclaimed. In Jerusalem, huge numbers were baptized on the Day of Pentecost. Later, thousands were added, even though the believers were being persecuted by the Jewish authorities. Such incidents as the striking down of Ananias and Sapphira and the dissension over the ministry to the Hellenistic widows did not slow down the rapid increase of converts to the gospel
  • Beyond the walls of Jerusalem, the gospel also found fertile ground for growth. After the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, the church in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced peace and saw its numbers increasing. Peter’s work in Lydda bore rich fruit and his raising of Tabitha in Joppa brought many to believe in the Lord
  • The ever-widening influence of the gospel was felt beyond Judea and Samaria as well. Antioch saw increasing numbers of believers especially among the Gentile populations. The cities of southern Galatia felt the gospel’s impact as Paul and Barnabas evangelized in places like Lystra, Iconium, and Derbe. Later, Paul and Silas revisited these cities and more growth came. On this same missionary journey Paul and Silas even crossed into Macedonia where the results were the same. The gospel continued to conquer hearts and minds for Christ with each passing day
  • Through all of Luke’s record, the role of the Holy Spirit is highlighted. From the Day of Pentecost when He was poured out, the Spirit was essential to God’s purposes for the proclamation of the gospel. When the men were chosen administer the benevolence to widows, Stephen was appointed because he was a man full of “faith and of the Holy Spirit”. In Samaria the new converts received a visit from the apostles who placed their hands on them, granting them the power of the Holy Spirit. This was a power which Simon the Sorcerer wanted to buy. Philip heard from the Spirit that he was to go to the chariot of the Ethiopian. While Peter was preaching to Cornelius, the Holy Spirit came on the listeners, interrupting Peter’s address. Barnabas and Saul were first selected as missionaries at Antioch when the Spirit spoke to the church. Their travels were guided by the Holy Spirit and in Ephesus Paul rebaptized believers who had not received the Spirit. When Paul addressed the Ephesian elders, he reminded them that they had become leaders because of the Spirit’s ministry
  • While Acts emphasizes that the apostles received the power of the Spirit, it also emphasizes how they used this power. They faithfully bore witness for Christ. Acts underscores the work of the apostles, or at least some of the apostles
    • Roughly speaking,  1-12 focuses on the work of Peter. His role in the choosing of a successor for Judas and the preaching on the Day of Pentecost open the book. Almost every chapter which follows contains some report on the work of Peter. He and John heal the lame man, and then stand before the Sanhedrin. He confronts Ananias and Sapphira and Simon the Sorcerer. He experiences the vision which results in the preaching to Cornelius and the conversion of his family. He then defends his actions before the church leaders in Jerusalem. Finally, he miraculously escapes imprisonment by Herod
    • With Acts 13 the spotlight shifts to Paul. Paul and Barnabas are sent from Antioch as missionaries. Their report at the Jerusalem conference is crucial, and though they cannot agree any John Mark, a second missionary journey is undertaken by Paul and Silas. The second journey is followed immediately by a third, and then comes the account of Paul’s tragic visit to Jerusalem and his arrest in the temple 
    • The rest f the book describes the series of hearings Paul endures and his transport to Caesarea and on to Rome. Paul’s ministry as a Roman prisoner is the focus of the final comment in Acts. For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ
• The Purpose of Acts
  • For years scholars have puzzled over why Luke produced Acts. Comparing the opening of Acts with that of Luke’s Gospel shows that a particular disciple named Theophilus was central to Luke’s motives. But we mentioned last week that we don’t know anything about Theophilus
    • We can only speculate who Theophilus was. Luke 1:3 calls him “most honorable Theophilus”. The phrase literally means “Your Excellency” and indicates a man high up in the service of the Roman government. There are three possibilities
      • Theophilus may not be a real name at all
        • In this time, it might have been dangerous to be a Christian. Theophilus comes from two Greek words—theos, which means God, and philein, which means to love. It may be that Luke wrote to someone who loved God, whose real name he did not mention for safety’s sake
      • If Theophilus was a real person, he must have been a high government official
        • Perhaps Luke wrote to show him that Christianity was a lovely thing and that Christians were good people. Maybe his writing was an attempt to persuade a government official not to persecute Christians
      • Based on the fact that Luke was a doctor, there is another theory
        • Doctors in these days were often slaves. It has been suggested that Luke was the doctor of Theophilus, and that Theophilus had been healed by Luke’s skill. Then Theophilus, as a thank you, gave Luke his freedom. Then, it may be, that Luke wanted to show how grateful he was for this gift; and since the most precious thing he had was the story of Jesus, he wrote it down and sent it
  • Luke implies in the opening of the gospel that he had carefully researched his material. He was concerned to provide a proper sequence of events. He shows awareness of other accounts which have been written concerning Jesus 
  • One purpose often noted is a historical one. Luke wanted to provide a historical record of the events of Jesus’ life and the progress of the first-century church. Though some scholars argue that his reasons had to do with his concerns  about the return of Christ, it is possible that he saw the end of the apostolic age coming. Perhaps Luke wanted a written record of the apostles’ work in carrying on the ministry of Jesus
  • The immediate purpose of Luke may be indicated in his words in the opening of the gospel. He tells Theophilus that he writes so that this believer will know the certainty of things he had been taught. This comment may indicate that the two-volume work was meant for Christian instruction
  • The apologetic value of Acts has often been noted. Some have wondered if Luke’s work was intended to serve as a defense brief for Paul as he stood before Caesar. The problem with this suggestion is that Luke includes so much material that has nothing to do with Paul’s defense. Why wud he include the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord? Why would he focus on the Apostle Peter in the early chapters of Acts? Acts would be very tedious reading if the main purpose were a defense of Paul
  • Nevertheless, it is true that much of Acts emphasizes that the believers posed no threat to the Roman Empire. When the apostles are summoned before  the Jerusalem authorities, their only crime is healing the lame man. When Stephen is martyred, his only fault is his zeal for the faith. Peter’s imprisonment at the hands of Herod Agrippa I is due to no fault of the Apostle. Paul’s hearing before Gallio is a matter of questions about the Jewish Law. The series of trials experienced by Paul repeatedly emphasizes his innocence. The cumulative effect of these statements establishes that the church was never any real threat to Caesar
  • Beyond these purposes, Acts has a theological purpose. Luke intends to show how the apostles began the work Jesus initiated on the earth. Acts 1:1 describes Luke’s Gospel as an account of all that Jesus began to do an teach. Acts intends to describe how the apostles continued this this work of Jesus. The Gospel begins in Jerusalem and fans out over the whole Roman world to the Imperial City itself. The salvation of the Lord is, in Paul’s language, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Acts records how God used human means to send out the divine message of salvation in Christ