An Overview of New Testament

The Luke-Acts Volume

Part II:  Acts

 

Key Thought:   

Acts provides a "living" history and life and story of the early church.

 

Background

·        See notes on Luke-Acts Part I

·        Review of geography (see map)

·        Luke's purposes for writing Acts:

-         Historical:  to provide an account of the story and life of the early church

-         Christological: the continuing work of Jesus in the church

-         Mission:  Acts 1:8 – the gospel would spread from Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, to the ends of the earth

·        Luke's title could be, the "Acts of Jesus"—as His Spirit works in the lives of people.

·        We have a significant amount of material in Acts, which shows the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church.

 

The Spread of the Gospel

·        How the gospel spread geographically

-         Began in Jerusalem on Pentecost (Acts 2 – Acts 7)

-         Spread through persecution to Judea and Samaria (Acts 8)

-         The conversion of Saul  / Paul  (Acts 9)

-         The gospel taken to the Gentiles (Acts 10-12)

-         The gospel taken to the "ends of the earth" (Acts 13-28)

Ø      Paul's three missionary journeys (Acts 13-21)

Ø      Paul's imprisonment and his trip to Rome (Acts 22-28)

 

·        Establishments of early churches

-         The first converts:  Acts 2:37-47

-         Philip in Samaria:  Acts 8:1-25

-         Ethiopian Eunuch:  Acts 8:26-40

-         Saul / Paul:  Acts 9

-         Cornelius:  Acts 10-11:18

-         The church in Antioch:  Acts 11:19-30

-         The Philippian church:  Acts 16:6-38, Acts 20-21:1-15

-         The Thessalonian church:  Acts 17:1-9

-         The Berean church:  Acts 17:10-15

-         The Corinthian church:  Acts 18

-         The Ephesian church:  Acts 19

 

Ø      What elements do these stories share in common?

Ø      What elements do these stories not have in common?

Ø      What elements in these stories do we share with them?

Ø      What elements of these stories do we not share with them?

An Overview of New Testament

The Luke-Acts Volume

Part II:  Acts

page 2

 

 

The Life of the Church

 

Describe the fellowship life of the church from the following narrative portraits.  What key words describe:

1.      How the church was behaving towards each other

2.      How the church was viewed by outsiders

3.      How are these accounts similar to our experience of Jesus and his church?

 

·        Acts 2:42-47

 

 

 

·        Acts 5:1-9

 

 

 

·        Acts 6:1-7

 

 

 

·        Acts 9:31

 

 

 

·        Acts 11:19-21

 

 

 

 

·        Acts 12:12-19

 

 

 

 

·        Acts 13:1-3

 

 

 

·        Acts 15