Book Of Acts

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Book of Acts: Features of the Church Upon reading the longest book in the New Testament, one soon discovers the book of Acts is a narrative of great historical value, while acquainting the reader with the key characters within the story. It highlights their critical acts that are crucial to understanding the beginnings of the early church (Wenham and Walton, 2011). When examining the historical facts of leadership, geography, language and culture, mission, ministry and evangelism in Acts and then analyzing those facts and their relation to the kerygma the church is sending to the world, will influence how the reader interprets the book of Acts.
Historical Facts on Acts
Leadership
The book of Acts gives little detail in regards to the governance …show more content…

As Luke began the second volume of his Luke-Acts works, he summarizes to Theophilus the work and teaching that Jesus began and how, through the Holy Spirit, the apostles would receive instructions to carry on his ministry (Acts 1:1-2). In his final meal with the eleven before being taken up to heaven, Jesus spoke these words, “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV). Having received authority, the eleven chose Matthias to replace Judas, completing the twelve (Acts 1:26). Initially, the twelve apostles assumed sole leadership responsibilities in the early church, including oversight of the finances as is noted in Acts 4:37 and 5:2 (Shaw, 2013). The number of believers increased greatly, to the point that “the Hellenistic Jews among them complained (…) their widows were being overlooked” (6:1). Realizing the necessity to delegate duties, the Twelve had the disciples choose seven men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (6:3) to carry out the administrative tasks and the care ministry (Shaw, 2013) while the Twelve focused on “prayer and the ministry of the word” (6:4). Of …show more content…

Once again, looking at Jesus’ final message to his apostles prior to his departure to heaven, he calls them to be his “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). Earlier in verse 4, he commands them to stay in Jerusalem, and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, hinting that they had more to do. Expansion of the church in Acts had its beginnings in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost. With so many Jews present from every nation (2:5), the coming of the Holy Spirit caused an uproar providing the perfect opportunity for Peter to begin preaching to the crowd, converting about three thousand new believers (2:41). The church continued to grow in Jerusalem as the apostles proclaimed the message in the “temple courts and from house to house” [5:42] (Wenham and Walton, 2011). The next significant movement of the church was in Judea and Samaria, in the Syria-Palestine region (Wenham & Walton, 2011). The impetus for this was the martyrdom of Stephen, one of the seven, (his killing was approved by Saul), when on that day the church in Jerusalem was persecuted and forced to scatter throughout Judea and Samaria (8:7). Philip, another one of the seven, preached to those scattered in Samaria (8:4-8) and also traveled south along the coast and is credited with the conversion of the first gentile, the Ethiopian official [8:26-40] (Shaw, 2013). Finally, Jesus’

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