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."