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</html>";s:4:"text";s:26245:"The foundation is laid, the healing medicine is prepared, the cleansing element is cast into the mass of humanity; what remains is the application and appropriation, and incorporation in conduct, of the redeeming powers that Jesus Christ has brought.  The apostles were obviously in awe of Jesus’ death for sin, but they were even more in awe of the fact that they had seen Him alive after they had seen Him die. The teaching is good for you bring out salient issues succinctly.The book of Acts of the Apostles /Apostolos /Sheliah has a number of themes that call for thorough exposition. Very much in love with the Book of Acts because it gives me the basic knowledge of the origin of my faith. First, then, we have here the suggestion of what Christ began to do and teach on earth. Scholars may find various themes in the book of Acts; but for our purposes, it can be helpful to focus on three.  As we follow Jesus day by day, we can sometimes lose hope, especially in the face of darkness and opposition. There is needed no other. There will be no other. I was looking for very basic and simple themes. There are several major themes in Acts, and here let us consider three of them. Here is a summary and overview of the Book of Acts. Christian life occurs in a community oriented with a vocation for the kingdom of God.  I love this part of our story. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the world. A better title would be "The Acts (or the workings) of the Holy Spirit", because He is the real main character of the book.The presence and working of the Holy Spirit is the dominating mark of the book of Acts. The author is traditionally identified as Luke the Evangelist, also known as Luke the ⦠the book of acts is so interesting in studying apostolic age without it apostolic age will receive de facto recognition rather de jure. A study is not to make much complicate rather make it simple. The Name hath made this man whole.' The historian lays down his pen, possibly because he had brought his narrative up to date. There is no help for it. And so, whatever may be the meaning of that singular phrase, 'began to do and teach,' it does not, in the smallest degree, conflict with the assurance that He hath ascended up on high, 'having obtained eternal redemption for us,' and 'having finished the work which the Father gave Him to do.'. It is one thing to lay a foundation; it is another thing to build a house. Jesus Christ teaches the ages -- through the lessons of providence and the communication of His Spirit to His Church -- to understand what He gave the world when He was here. By quoting from this Torah book in 1:16, Peter sets up this major theme, as well as the tone for his later admonitions to his readers. If you have anything, it is because you get it from Him. Apologetics is the branch of theology that is concerned with defending Christianity against accusations and error. The Unhindered Gospel. and, although it is not now so much neglected as formerly, it ⦠Having these themes in mind can help to bring the events of this book to life. 'Who is Paul? II. It is agreed by most scholars that the author of Acts also wrote the Gospel of Luke. The title as we know it comes from the second century and only partially discloses the theme of the document. In short, Acts describes the Holy ⦠5- Gospel ministry and persecution go together. Later, in expositing this verse, Edwards explains, âHoliness describes the essence of Godâs nature, one that is very different from human natureâ (51). But the statement is not about Paul but the rather the Gospel. It was the Lord that appeared to Paul in Corinth, and said to him, 'I have much people in this city'; and again, when in the prison at Jerusalem, He assured the Apostle that he would be carried to Rome. As long as electricity streams on the carbon point it glows and is visible, but when the current is turned to another lamp we see no more of the bit of carbon. Is there any contradiction between the two? What a lesson of lowliness and of diligence it gives us!  The apostles obviously believed that they could not be witnesses without opening their mouth and talking about Jesus. Love you. Your email address will not be published. It is the unfinished record of an incomplete work. But the application of the completed Revelation, the unfolding of all that is wrapped in germ in it; the growing of the seed into a tree, the realisation more completely by individuals and communities of the principles and truths which Jesus Christ has brought us by His life and His death -- that is the work that is going on to-day, and that will go on till the end of the world. For there is nothing in it more obvious and remarkable than the way in which, at every turn in the narrative, all is referred to Jesus Christ Himself. Peter and his mission to the Jews is the main focus in this first part of the Book of Acts. Now, at first sight, the words of our text seem to be in strange and startling contradiction to the solemn cry which rang out of the darkness upon Calvary. As a second volume to Luke's Gospel, it joins what Jesus \"began to do and to teach\" (1:1; see note there) as told in the Gospels with what he continued to do and teach through the apostles' preaching and the establishment of the church. The main message of the book is found in Acts 1:8. It is the Lord that appears to Paul and to Ananias, to the one on the road to Damascus and to the other in the city. When he speaks, he teaches us what he is like, how he acts, and how he desires us to respond. The book must be incomplete, because the work of which it is the record does not end until 'He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to the Father, and God shall be all in all.'. And thus He continues to teach and to work from His throne in the heavens. but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man. Acts of the Apostles, abbreviation Acts, fifth book of the New Testament, a valuable history of the early Christian church. Conversion: The Theme of Acts 2. Author: The book of Acts, also called Acts of the Apostles, does not specifically identify its author. A major theme of the Book of Acts is the growth and expansion of the Christian Church from the Jews in Jerusalem to the Gentiles throughout the Roman Empire. Besides linking the Gospel narratives on the one hand and the apostolic letters on the other, it supplies an account of the ⦠Epistles: Explanation 5. 2- Jesus is the Messiah of Israel, the fulfillment of the prophecy and promises of the Old Testament. Such phenomena -- and they might be largely multiplied -- are only explicable upon one hypothesis. Even though Acts talks about the work of the disciples, it's the Holy Spirit that's center stage. For the old Puritan belief is true, though the modern rationalistic mutilations of it are false, 'God hath more light yet to break forth' -- and our modern men stop there. Jesus said He would build His church, that He would not leave us orphans and that He would be with us to the ⦠Lastly, we note the incompleteness of each man's share in the great work. Now these truths of our Lord's continuous activity in teaching and working from heaven may yield us some not unimportant lessons. The book of Acts provides a bridge for the writings of the NT. It is also possible that the arrival of the Apostle in the Imperial City, and his unhindered liberty of preaching there, in the very centre of power, the focus of intellectual life, and the hot-bed of corruption for the known world, may have seemed to the writer an epoch which rounded off his story. It is, as it used to be in the Middle Ages, when the hands that dug the foundations, or laid the first courses, of some great cathedral, were dead long generations before the gilded cross was set on the apex of the needlespire, and the glowing glass filled in to the painted windows. We have to look back to that Cross as the foundation of all our hope.  They use Jewish titles for Jesus (Messiah, Lord, Savior, Lamb of God, Son of David, etc.)  We don’t like to talk about this much in the American church (because we like to be comfortable), but the book of Acts shows us what Christians around the world know to be true. III. By Justin Atkins J.W.  God’s message of grace is for everyone. Supposing a man had been writing Acts of the Apostles, do you think it would have been possible that of the greater number of them he should not say a word, that concerning those of whom he does speak he should deal with them as this book does, barely mentioning the martyrdom of James, one of the four chief Apostles; allowing Peter to slip out of the narrative after the great meeting of the Church at Jerusalem; letting Philip disappear without a hint of what he did thereafter; lodging Paul in Rome and leaving him there, with no account of his subsequent work or martyrdom?  As I have been reading back through Acts this week (in order to regain my bearings), I have been reminded how much I love this book and how much we have learned already. 6- God can convert anyone, regardless of their past opposition to Him. It is the Lord to whom Peter refers Aeneas when he says, 'Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.' It testifies that he gave great courage to Christians who faced opposition and persecution. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. The volume of Revelation is complete.  The story of Acts is not just that godly people added Jesus to their moral lives. 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. When the writer would tell the reason of the large first increase to the Church, he says, 'The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved.'  He acts to support the spread of the gospel, to build up the church in its mission of taking the name of Jesus to the nations.  The story of Acts is one of hope – that the power of God’s Spirit working through God’s people with God’s message will really change lives. It records that he performed many signs and wonders to validate the ministry of the apostles and other early church leaders. It portrays the beginning of the church from itâs roots at Pentecost fifty days after the Lords resurrection, to Paul being held under house arrest. When Luke begins writing Acts, he says that what âJesus began to do and teachâ in his earthly ministry, he is continuing to do now fro⦠The book of Acts tells us of some of the acts of some of the apostles, but more so it tells us history. The Gospel According to Luke concludes where Acts begins, namely, with Christâs Ascension into heaven.  And they spoke despite the risks to their safety and security. . The letters or epistles after Acts tells us of the supreme care and guidance that God has for His people â then, now, and in the future. Dear friends, let us see that we write our little line, as monks in their monasteries used to keep the chronicle of the house, on which scribe after scribe toiled at its illuminated letters with loving patience for a little while, and then handed the pen from his dying hand to another. II. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. In like manner He works. The book of Acts presents a rich theology of the Holy Spirit. That conception of the purpose of the book seems to me to have light cast upon it by, and to explain, the singular abruptness of its conclusion, which must strike every reader.  He wasn’t just another teacher who lived a good life and died unjustly. Learn what themes are found in the Bible in Acts of the Apostles. Be not puffed up one against another. Nothing more is possible than what He, by His words and by His life, by His gentleness and His grace, by His patience and His Passion, has unveiled to all men, of the heart and character of God. Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.' "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 was written in Greek, presumably by St. Luke the Evangelist. Connecting one fact with another, they build an airtight case for their side. Suffering and Martyrdom Another major, and unsurprising, theme of Acts is martyrdom. ACTS TOTAL CHAPTERS: 28 ACTS TOTAL VERSES: 1,007 TOTAL WORDS: 24,250 DATE WRITTEN: 61 AD AUTHOR: Luke ACTS THEME: Growth Of The Church. I connect the commencement and the close, because I think that the juxtaposition throws great light upon the purpose of the writer, and suggests some very important lessons. McGarvey states, in the introduction of his New Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, that the âActs of the Apostles is a much neglected book . and 'gave up the ghost.' The Major Lukan Themes We will look at seven major themes in Luke-Acts: (1) salvation to the Gentiles, (2) progression of the gospel, (3) the Holy Spirit, (4) prayer, (5) wealth, poverty and the marginalized, (6) Christianity as the true Israel, and (7) fair treatment under Rome. But, whilst that consideration may explain the point at which the book stops, it does not explain the way in which it stops. The tradition from the earliest days of the church has been that Luke, a companion of the apostle Paul, wrote the books of Luke and Acts ⦠Is not the natural inference that the latter treatise will tell us what Jesus continued 'to do and teach' after He was taken up? 'He began to do and teach,' not in the sense that after He had 'passed into the heavens' any new truth or force can for evermore be imparted to humanity in regard of the subjects which He taught and the energies which He brought. Enough for us, if we lay a stone, though it be but one stone in one of the courses of the great building. The Ascension of Jesus to his throne seems to be a basic theme throughout Acts. Gospels: Manifestation 3. This, in a nutshell, is the entire theme of Acts.  The narrative of Acts makes the case that both the witness of the church and the miraculous power of the Spirit are required for gospel to spread. He, and He alone, is the Actor; and the men who appear in it are but instruments in His hands, He alone being the mover of the pawns on the board. It is one thing to create a force; it is another thing to apply it. But a word of conclusion explaining that it was so would have been very natural, and its absence must have had some reason. The Acts of the Apostles is a unique and therefore crucial book of the New Testament. Bible: God of Jesus 1. I. Appreciate gospelrenewal.com. Every man inherits unfinished tasks from his predecessors, and leaves unfinished tasks to his successors. What does it matter though we drop, having done but a fragment? And we must remember that whatever distinction my text may mean to draw between the work of Christ in the past and that in the present and the future, it does not mean to imply that when He 'ascended up on high' He had not completed the task for which He came, or that the world had to wait for anything more, either from Him or from others, to eke out the imperfections of His doctrine or the insufficiencies of His work. The books of Luke â Acts end with the phrase, âboldly and without hindrance. You cannot diffuse education, but you diffuse the taste for rubbish and something worse, in the shape of books. Peter and Paul are the main ⦠'And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31. Two of these were especially important to the earliest Christians, and a third is vital to the followers of Jesus Christ today. As I said, the book which is to tell the story of Christ's continuous unfinished work must stop abruptly. He continues to teach, not by the communication of new truth. The Book of Acts finishes with Paulâs final appeals to his Jewish compatriots to accept Jesus as their Messiah and with Paul freely preaching the gospel in the heart of the Roman Empire. Book of Acts Explained. And if we had only to estimate by visible or human forces, we might well sit down and wrap ourselves in the sackcloth of pessimism.  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. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, Eternal Perspective Ministries (Randy Alcorn). 4- The Holy Spirit does the miraculous as the message of Jesus goes forward. 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; the book does not so much end as stop. The past work which culminated on the Cross, and was sealed as adequate and accepted of God in the Resurrection and Ascension, needs no supplement, and can have no continuation, world without end. What a sweetness and sacredness such thoughts impart to all external events, which we may regard as being the operation of His love, and as moved by the hands that were nailed to the Cross for us, and now hold the sceptre of the universe for the blessing of mankind! The opening of Acts discloses a primary ⦠Keep it up. It was the Lord that 'opened the heart of Lydia.' Revelation: Consumm⦠It's through the Spirit's empowerment that the disciples have the vision, courage, and motivation to grow the churchâdespite heavy opposition and persecution. In the Gospel of Luke, we see that Jesus came to the earth to advance the mission of God. The same point of view is suggested by another of the characteristics of this book, which it shares in common with all Scripture narratives, and that is the stolid indifference with which it picks up and drops men, according to the degree in which, for the moment, they are the instruments of Christ's power. God reveals himself through his Word. It records that he performed many signs and wonders to validate the ministry of the apostles and other early church leaders.  Peter says it best in 11:34, “now I really understand that God doesn’t show favoritism.”  This is incredibly challenging to our prejudices and hope-inspiring for our ministry. All our wisdom is derived, all our light is enkindled. I think so. If youâve ever watched a real courtroom trial or are a fan of courtroom dramas, you know that the best lawyers build their case by accumulating evidence. Acts is also a book that continues the story of Jesus.  He was (and is) the Son of God, risen from the dead. According to Joshua Jipp, the book of Acts has a lot of purposes, but there is a main purpose. All the believers operated on this principle. But we have to think, not only of a Christ who did something for us long ago in the past, and there an end, but of a Christ who to-day lives and reigns, 'to do and to teach' according to our necessities. So the work of each man is but a fragment of that great work. Great men die, good men die; Jesus Christ is not dead. When the gospel is preached in the book of Acts, the resurrection is emphasized as much as the crucifixion. It is not we that have to fight against evil; at the best we are but the sword which Christ wields, and all the power is in the hand that wields it. 2:47. praising God and having favor with all the people face opposition nutshell, is complete as.... Light is enkindled, not by the power of God to change lives is. 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