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Reflection on the book of Acts
Reflection on the book of Acts
Introduction to the book of acts in the bible
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Who is the author?
• It has previously been determined that the Book of Acts was written by Luke.
• Acts is intended to be the second part of a so called two-part book, the first of the two parts being the Gospel of Luke. The book of Acts begins with a summary of Luke.
• Lukan authorship of the Book of Acts explains the connection between it and the Gospel of Luke. It also provides details Luke included about the church in Antioch, the city which he hailed from.
First Source
• The Book of Acts is a sequel to Luke’s Gospel, continuing his story of Jesus, and how he built the church. Luke is credited with the authorship of Acts because he was a Greek and was the only Gentile Christian writer of the New Testament.
• It is know that Luke was a faithful companion and friend of Paul. In later chapters of Acts, the writer uses “we” when talking about more than one person, indicating that he was present with Paul.
• Luke wasn’t named in the Book of Acts as the writer; however he was credited with authorship of the book as early as the 2nd century A.D.
Second Source
• It is confirmed that Luke was the author of the Book of Acts; the tone of Acts is very similar to that of Luke. Certain themes left out in Luke are included in Acts by design to provide closure. (Acts 6)
• The prologue to Luke-Acts provides for Luke to have participated in some of the events of Acts, as described in Luke 1:3.
• Both Acts and Luke refer to Theophilus at some point and the later chapters of Acts speak of the former Luke.
• The earliest of the external testimonies appears in the Muratorian Canon (c. a.d. 170) where a statement is made that Luke was the author of both the “Acts of the Apostles” and the third Gospel.
What is the date of the original writing?
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... middle of paper ...
...• The Book of Acts ends with the words “this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; and they will listen”. This statement ends the book with a feeling of abrupt failure for the Jews and helps support the concept that Luke wrote Acts to record the downfall of Israel.
Source
• The Book of Acts has been broken into four different purposes, all of which have been considered main purposes of the book. These four purposes include:
1. To present a history
2. To give a defense (Acts 4:8-12, 25:8-11)
3. To provide a guide
4. To depict the triumph of Christianity
• Acts helps show how the early church coped with the Roman government, along with pagan and Jewish thought.
• It is apparent that Luke had faith the church would continue on for some time. This makes it easy to believe that as long as the church thrives on this earth, Acts will be one of its major guides.
Acts describes the continued spread of the gospel to new peoples and land. God’s love is not for any one race or ethnic subgroup a love, but for all who will respond to the gospel call.
Kodell, Jerome. "Luke." In The Collegeville Bible Commentary. Edited by Dianne Bergant and Robert J. Karris. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1988.
Luke was a Roman catholic before he converted over to Christianity. Luke was an eyewitness of the ministry, teaching, and life of Jesus. He made it his mission to teach the knowledge of Jesus and spread the religion Christianity. He wanted to reach the people in his communities and beyond. The Evangelist Luke wanted to tell the goods news that Jesus would return for his people. Luke’s concern was whether or not Christians could be good citizens of the Roman Empire, seeing that Jesus their founder had been killed for being a “political criminal”. Many people would have preceded them as revolutionaries (“From Jesus to Christ”). Christianity became a dominant way of life and worship in Europe many years after Luke wrote his gospel. In Medieval Europe, Luke’s gospel had greatly influenced the creators of many arts and dramas such as the Everyman play. Luke’s gospel opened many doors to help spread Christianity in Medieval Europe.
In the Bible’s New Testaments the book of Acts is of Narrative genre and is also called the Acts of the Apostles. It is written by Luke who happens to be the author of Gospel of Luke. This book tells a story of first Christians. After the death of Jesus (as mention in “Matthew”) as he went to heaven the Christians waited in Jerusalem. After Holy Spirits were sent by God, the first Christians were given the power by them. And they end up telling the people about Jesus. It was the Christians who explained t...
The book of Acts is known as 'the birth of the church'. Acts recounts the story of
He makes the point that Acts develops the themes of the gospel, one reason for this is because Luke is the first to extend the story of Jesus to the apostles. Luke seems to extend on Marks gospel but in a different way then what Mathew does. Luke seems to focus on Jesus’s disciples, his calling of them, and his teachings to them. It seems that the reason Luke did this was to set up for the new church. However the most convincing reason that shows Luke believed his books ought to be read together is his writings in Luke 1:1-4 and in Acts 1:1-3. This is when in both books Luke gives us an intro stating that Acts is his second book to
Jesus claimed to be the divine Son of God and settled His claims by living a sinless life, His death on the cross, and His resurrection. Jesus’ life was recorded in the four Gospels, and has been historically accurately proven and witnessed by first century writers. Since Jesus is God incarnate, anything opposing his teachings if false, because what He taught was true. The authority of both the Old and New Testaments have been declared. Jesus named the prophets and the canon of the Old Testament. Abel was named the first prophet in Genesis, and Zechariah the last prophet in 2 Chronicles. The Old Testament is referred to as the commands of God in Mark 7:8-9. Jesus made it clear throughout His ministry that His teachings corrections and actions were unchanging from the Old Testament. Jesus affirmed historical disputed stories of the Old Testament. He professes as true the accounts of Adam and Eve (Matthew 19:4-5), Noah and the Ark (Matthew 24:39), and many more. Jesus proved the Old Testament and promised the Holy Spirit would inspire the apostles in the preservation of His teaching and writing of the New Testament (John 14:25-26). The apostles displayed the authority of God through the wonders they performed as Jesus and the Prophets did before them. The book of Acts, also proven to be historically accurate record written by first century eyewitness, records the miracles of the
Luke was a doctor and a co-worker with Paul (Colossians 4:14; Philemon v24). Because some spurious stories about Jesus were circulating, Luke decided to interview local eye-witnesses and people who had followed Jesus closely. Luke collated all the interviews into a single account, recording details not mentioned elsewhere, for example regarding the conception and birth of Jesus and Mary's extended family, as you might expect of a doctor.
The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. Acts emphasis the importance of the day of Pentecost and being empowered to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministry gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. When reading the Book of Acts many of the readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the many miracles that were being performed during this time by the disciples Peter, John, and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s Word and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those that rejected the truth that the disciples preached about in Jesus Christ. Power, greed, and many other vices of the devil or evidenced in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles being Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the surrounding world.
The four gospels are detailed accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Each portrays a unique story and angle of Jesus, who is the savior of the Jews and the world. Apostle Matthew’s writings are to prove to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah. Mark stressed the humanity of Jesus and also his deity. Luke wanted to show that the gentile Christian in God’s kingdom is based on the teachings of Jesus. John speaks of Jesus as one sent from God to reveal His love and grace to man. The four gospels work together to elaborate on the several key themes; salvation, spreading His word, and the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.
We are greatly protected from false doctrine when we understand the various divisions of God’s Word. We can compare any teaching to the revealed Word, and if it harmonizes with the Bible, we are safe in accepting it as truth. But if it is not in harmony with the Bible when dealing with the doctrine of the New Testament church, particularly with the teaching of Acts and the Epistles, we can reject it, knowing we are not turning away a truth.
begins to develop in Acts 1 and 2, as we are introduced to the leading
Without doubt this book provides a good account of the origins of the Christian church. Luke was both a writer and a historian and so with the Book of Acts he managed both to give
Dorcas’ work of making clothes and helping the poor may sound insignificant when compared to the outstanding works of the apostles. Yet, her deeds were so widely known that God inspired Luke to include them in the book of Acts.
A response to the interpretation of Acts 4:32–36 as an endorsement of a type of communal living as being normative for the Christian church.