Themes in the book of acts

Jesus knew from the begging that he was going to be betray by judas jesus said it was better for him judas not to be born. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul. 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. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament.

So, if we hope to grasp the significance of the book of acts, we must pay careful attention to these repeated themes. This is the third lesson of our series the book of acts, and we have entitled this lesson major themes. We preached through the first twelve chapters in acts last fall, and after a seven week break to teach on marriage, we jump back into the narrative. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the world. This sunday, i pick up in chapter of the book of acts. The book of genesis records the origin of the spiritual body which we designate as the church. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. Acts, as it is commonly called, is a second volume of the gospel of luke. The acts of the apostles is a unique and therefore crucial book of the new testament. The mission of god part 1 book structure spanning roughly thirty years of early church history and covering dozens of unique stories, geographical locations, and complex theological realities, the book of acts is what john calvin called a kind of vast treasure calvin, the acts of the apostles. Watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. He shows us how god is working and speaking in this story and our own stories.

Themes in the book of acts the book of acts begins with the outpouring of gods promised holy spirit on the day of pentecost. What is the theme of acts of the apostles in the bible. Major themes in the book of the acts published by webmaster on february 16, 2019 february 16, 2019. Acts, as it is commonly called, is a second volume of the. But ye shall receive power, after that the holy ghost is come upon you. The theme verse of the book of acts is found in chapter 1, verse eight, and rightly so, since it illustrates key themes of this historical account written by. It describes the coming of the holy spirit at pentecost in acts 2, the spread of the gospel outside of jerusalem in acts 8 and to the gentiles in acts 10, how the church made decisions in regards to doctrine acts 15, and more. The holy spirit empowers believers to declare the gospel among both jews and gentiles. When reading about the key themes in the book of daniel the esv study guide explains the first key theme in this statement, it is possible to live a faithful life in exile, surrounded by pagan influences and propaganda if one sets ones mind to serving the lord wholeheartedly esv, 1582. It continues to be a major festival day in the life of the church nearly 2,000 years later. The book of acts gives a unique glimpse into the life and practice of the early church. 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. Analysis of acts of the apostles themes by phd students from stanford, harvard, berkeley. Traditionally, the theme of the book of acts is the story of the unfolding of acts 1.

While acts is a record of history, luke weaves many theological themes into these stories to teach us about god and his mission. Having these themes in mind can help to bring the events of this book to life. Major themes in the book of acts the bart ehrman blog. 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. Two of these were especially important to the earliest christians, and a third is vital to the followers of jesus christ today. As you know, there are four accounts of jesus in the new testament. The book of acts presents a rich theology of the holy spirit. This summary of the book of acts provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of acts. Particularly striking is that in many places in acts, when luke evidently joins the company of paul during his travels, the narrative stops saying that they did such and so, and says that we did such and so see acts 16. Grayson baptist church may 12, 20 indianapolis pastor russ blowers was a.

For, if the theme of the story be what christ did, then the book is, not the acts of the apostles, but the acts of jesus christ through his servants. The theme is the work of christ through the ages, of which each successive depository of his energies can do but a small portion, and must leave that portion unfinished. Luke showed in acts 1 that the qualifications for an apostle were that he had spent three years with jesus and. 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. It records that he performed many signs and wonders to validate the ministry of the apostles and other early church leaders. That is exactly what the acts of the apostles book is. Some of you will recognize that i have written on the book of acts before. Here are some of the key themes that luke highlights for. The book ends quite abruptly, suggesting to some scholars that luke may have planned to write a third book to continue the story. You will receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you. The book of acts records the beginning of the church, the birth of the church. That luke and acts are companion books can be seen in many ways.

This time, i would like to approach this matter from a slightly different perspective. 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. The purpose of the book of acts is governed by the jews response to peter and paul. In acts, jesus sends the holy spirit to empower his disciples as they carry. Lets look at the main themes of acts one at a time. Andreas praefcke, wikimedia commons read the introduction one of the most well known events detailed in the book of acts is the pentecost episode and the gift of the holy spirit to the church. Book of acts versebyverse bible study and indepth commentary of the acts of the apostles in plain english for everyone to understand. Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. Key verses and themes in acts bible commentary theology of. In the latter portion of acts, luke recorded three rejections of the jews to pauls overtures of salvation. Scholars may find various themes in the book of acts. Both books are addressed to one named theophilus luke 1. The genre of the book of acts is narrative history with several sermons.

The book of acts ends just as it begins, emphasizing the apostles role as those who expanded gods kingdom on earth, through their proclamation. Acts covers some of the most important events that occur in the history. As i have been reading back through acts this week in. David spoke about judas concerning his betrayal in the book of psalms. The overall theme of the book of acts the source of a. As you read acts, keep your eyes open for the following themes. The acts of the apostles major themes 1 jesus, who was crucified, is alive. A second theme is the validity of pauls apostleship. There are several major themes in acts, and here let us consider three of them. Acts of the apostles is ostensibly a history of the early church, but an important, well disguised theme is the primacy of st peter over st paul, drawing them together in a number of subtle. I believed judas was predestined to betray jesus as in acts 1. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the.

Without this historical record, little would be known about the expansion of the church. We come to the conclusion of our introduction to the book of acts today by looking at its purpose and theme. Luke recorded three rejections by the jews to peter and the apostles associated with him to the message of repentance and proclamation of the kingdom. With acts, we are particularly well positioned to use the thematic approach because we can trace the development of particular ideas from the gospel through the history of the church.

Three great themes in the book of acts sermon by rick. This paper will show the connection between these two works, will explore each books general message and themes, and discover how acts builds upon luke as the second of the companion books. Our interest here is to highlight lukes overarching purpose and. The theme or key to the book of acts is found in 1. The acts of the apostles major themes gospel renewal. Luke, being the author of the acts, has written it in order to give a historical account about the impact of the gospel message and the spread of gods kingdom in the days of the early church. This seminarylevel study also retains its depth and uses an engaging interactive format. The purpose of god and the fulfillment of scripture. Johnson 1992 lists four theological themes present in the book of acts. Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with defending christianity against accusations and error. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. Christian life occurs in a community oriented with a vocation for the kingdom of god.