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. Another overriding theme in the book of acts is opposition. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the. The debate over the historical accuracy of the book of acts is important, in no small measure because as i have pointed out already it. In just the second chapter of the book, the holy spirit plays a. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul. Luke showed in acts 1 that the qualifications for an apostle were that he had spent three years with jesus and. The holy spirit empowers the church to continue the ministry and mission of jesus acts 1. Doc chapter 6 key themes of lukeacts charles puskas.
We will explore three major themes that are introduced in the opening of the book of acts and developed throughout its chapters. The work of the holy spirit is so prevalent in acts that many commentators have suggested the book should be titled the acts of the holy spirit rather than the acts of the apostles. Perhaps the most pervasive theme of acts in the role of the holy spirit in the lives and journeys of the disciples. Christian life occurs in a community oriented with a vocation for the kingdom of god. Who doesnt like sequels to their favorite books or movies. Rejection of the gospel and persecution of its messengers, however, worked to accelerate the churchs growth. The purpose of god and the fulfillment of scripture. The book of acts records the spread of the gospel from jerusalem to rome. It describes him as the one that empowers the church to live transformed lives and to evangelize the. Acts tells of the witness of the early church to the truth of the gospela theme first. This summary of the book of acts provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of acts. It portrays the beginning of the church from its roots at pentecost fifty days after the lords resurrection, to paul being held under house arrest.
Purposes of the book of acts reformed bible studies. As you read acts, keep your eyes open for the following themes. Acts of the apostles is ostensibly a history of the early church, but an important, well disguised theme is the primacy of st peter over st paul, drawing them together in a number of subtle. Second, we will focus on the apostles, the men called to testify to christ and authorized to lead and to serve. A second theme is the validity of pauls apostleship. Major themes in the book of acts the bart ehrman blog. Crump, an introduction to the gospel and acts, investigates the key themes, e.
Luke showed in acts 1 that the qualifications for an apostle were that he had spent three years with jesus and that he had been a. That is exactly what the acts of the apostles book is. The theme verse of the book of acts is found in chapter 1, verse eight, and rightly so, since it illustrates key themes of this historical account written by luke, one of pauls traveling companions. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. First, we will look at the theme of the holy spirit, who empowered the church to expand christs kingdom. Major themes in the book of acts the debate over the historical accuracy of the book of acts is important, in no small measure because as i have pointed out already it provides us our one and only narrative of what was happening among the followers of jesus in the years immediately after his death. The book of acts presents a rich theology of the holy spirit. We come to the conclusion of our introduction to the book of acts today by looking at its purpose and theme. We read about imprisonments, beatings, stonings and plots to kill the apostles. Although discouraging, resistance to our witness for christ is to be expected. Key themes in the book of acts by joel garcia submitted on october 20, 2010 the theme verse of the book of acts is found in chapter 1, verse eight, and rightly so, since it illustrates key themes of this historical account written by luke, one of pauls traveling companions. What is the theme of acts of the apostles in the bible. Acts, as it is commonly called, is a second volume.
1051 637 727 274 203 936 1531 1072 1517 1411 1055 1561 652 1131 14 685 1404 559 872 1091 1399 1293 1486 1427 997 285 266 940 1107 425