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Exploring the Book of Acts

Feb 11, 2025

Lecture Notes: The Book of Acts

Introduction

  • Speaker: Pastor Adam Mabry
  • Audience: Every Nation Seminary
  • Focus: Introduction to the Book of Acts, foundational facts, and geographical sections.

Basic Facts about the Book of Acts

  • Authorship: Written by Luke, a physician and possibly a Gentile.
  • Provenance: Likely Rome, around 62 AD, after the Gospel of Luke.
  • Audience: Primarily Theophilus, reflecting both Christian and non-Christian audiences.
  • Purpose: To create or confirm faith by giving a theological interpretation of early church history.
  • Connection to Gospel of Luke: Acts was written needing the Gospel of Luke to explain and form its foundation.

The Structure of Acts

  • Traditional Outline: Some divide it into sections on Peter (chapters 1-12) and Paul (chapters 13-28).
  • Geographical Outline (Preferred):
    • Jerusalem (Chapters 1-7)
    • Judea and Samaria (Chapters 8-12)
    • Ends of the Earth (Chapters 13-20)
    • Paul's Journey to Rome (Chapters 21-28)
  • Other Proposed Outlines:
    • Growth of the Word of the Lord
    • Work of the Holy Spirit

Key Themes in Acts

  • Holy Spirit:

    • Prominent from the beginning.
    • Related to the gospel's advancement, miracles, and empowerment of believers.
  • Missiology:

    • Study of how the gospel spreads from a small group to the world.
  • Universality and Particularity:

    • Gospel for all nations.
    • Connection of the universal gospel to Jewish origins.

Detailed Walkthrough

Jerusalem Section (Acts 1-7)

  • Acts 1:

    • Introduction of the Holy Spirit.
    • Jesus' teachings post-resurrection.
    • Ascension of Jesus.
  • Acts 2: Pentecost

    • Holy Spirit's arrival on the Day of Pentecost.
    • Reversal of the Tower of Babel (languages united).
    • Birth of the Church.
    • Peter's defense and interpretation of Pentecost:
      • Old Testament Fulfillment: Referred to Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110.
      • Eschatological Hope: Sign of the end times and Messiah's coming.
  • Acts 3-5: Tale of Two Temples

    • New Temple: Peter's healing, sermons, and the community life of early Christians.
    • Old Temple Guard: Resistance to the Jesus movement, arrests, and persecution.
    • Holy Spirit's Filling: Different instances of filling for empowerment.
  • Acts 6-7: Stephen's Martyrdom

    • First persecution of Christians.
    • Stephen’s speech highlighting resistance to the Holy Spirit.
    • Stephen's death parallels Jesus's crucifixion.
    • Outcome: Christians scatter, spreading the gospel further.

Conclusion

  • The Book of Acts shows the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in advancing the gospel.
  • The geographical outline aligns with the thesis statement: "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."