In preparation for the Women's Gathering (for Bible Study, Prayer and Friendship) that will be starting at our church next week, I have been reading through Acts and have begun studying it more deeply than ever before. As I have prepared questions to discuss with the women, as well as optional extras for them to study further at home, I am seeing many things more clearly myself. It has been quite eye opening to realise that Acts isn't just a historical account of the actions of the apostles, it is also a detailed theological treatise based upon the actions of the Holy Spirit (without sacrificing historical accuracy). While there are specific passages in other places in the New Testament that teach explicitly about the Holy Spirit, Acts is the book where we can see Him most openly at work.
As well as reading the text of Acts several times and making my own connections, I have also begun reading the earlier chapters of a few commentaries on Acts. I began with The Communicator's Commentary series volume on Acts by Lloyd J Ogilvie (thinking it would be helpful for someone seeking to teach others) but found it had not enough substance and was a bit undisciplined for my taste. Then I tried the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries volume on Acts by I Howard Marshall and found it wonderfully rich but unfortunately just a bit too heavy for me at this time, although I would love to read through it another time if I can find enough of it! I have finally settled on The Message of Acts by John Stott, from the BIble Speaks Today commentary series. This is a great mix of explanation of the Biblical text and helpful connections to present-day Christian life, and matches well to my present needs for helpful teaching.
I am also getting help from Jeff as he reads my draft questions and helps me refine them. He has shown me where I have gaps in what I have brought out from the passages, or where I have missed the mark by a long way, going off on a tangent rather than focussing on the main emphasis of the text itself. It has also been helpful to have him giving me handy hints from his knowledge of the original Greek. Yesterday, for example, he explained to me that the word used for "other tongues" in Acts 2:4 is completely different from the word used later by Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:1) which speaks of "tongues of angels", so the two should not be confused.
Main Lessons from Acts 1:1-14
~ Luke wrote Acts as the second volume of his "orderly account" for Theophilus, which began with The Gospel of Luke. (See also Luke 1:1-4.)
~ Jesus promised that His apostles would be baptised with the Holy Spirit, the gift of God the Father.
* Jesus told the apostles that with the power they would gain when the Holy Spirit came on them, they would go out to the world as His witnesses.
~ The angels explained that Jesus had gone to heaven and promised that Jesus would return again.
Main Lessons from Acts 1:13b-2:41
~ Jesus called and chose the 12 apostles for a specific apostolic ministry: to be witnesses of Jesus' time with them and His death and resurrection.
~ The three dramatic signs of Pentecost (wind, fire and speaking in other languages) indicated the commissioning and equipping of the apostles by the Holy Spirit for this apostolic ministry.
~ God was in control of Jesus' death and resurrection, according to His own previous plan, and it was God who exalted Jesus to the judgement seat of heaven.
~ It is God who calls people to Christ, granting the gift of the Holy Spirit.
* The fourth sign of Pentecost - the ability to confidently and clearly state that Jesus is Lord (having authority over the believer's own life) and Jesus is Christ (aka Messiah, the promised Saviour, who has saved the believer from the consequences of their sins) is the defining evidence of the Holy Spirit's presence within all Christians, including those of today. (See also 1 Corinthians 12:3 and Romans 10:6-13.)
For more of what I am learning from Acts, you can check out my other blog, Following the Star.
Tuesday 21 April 2009
I'm studying Acts
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3 comments:
The first time I learned that "Pentecost" is actually the Greek term ("Fiftieth") referring to the Feast of Weeks--seven weeks/50 days after Passover--I found it very interesting. It seems that everything Christ did was meaningful, even the time that He did it. The early believers of Pentecost were the firstfruits of the New Covenant. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the firstfruits of the harvest (the Feast of Booths celebrated the later harvest), and was meant to remind the people that all of the harvest was provided by God. See Lev. 23, Num. 28.
How wonderful to have your husband/pastor as a close resource! What a blessing! And what a testimony to see that you are responding to God in obedience by serving Him in using the knowledge He has given you!
Thanks for this insight, Amy. I knew there was some connection here between Pentecost and knowing the date from the Jewish festivals, but I haven't got that far through any of the commentaries yet to find out, so it was helpful to have you know already!
I am really enjoying seeing how all these connections make everything make sense. The combination of OT prophecy, OT "types" and OT festivals all being fulfilled through Christ really bring home the knowledge that God had everything planned from the very beginning.
~ Sharon
One more thing: The Feast of Weeks instructions in the Books of the Law say that this is one of the feasts in which the offering must be made "at the place of the LORD's choosing," meaning the tabernacle/temple. If my understanding is correct, this meant that Jewish people from all over the region gathered to give their firstfruits offering in Jerusalem. Again, it is amazing to see how God's timing in the Pentecost is significant also in the way that there were more people in Jerusalem to hear Peter's life-changing message.
Can you tell that I really enjoyed the "BSF Life of Moses" study? We only have four more weeks, which is hard to imagine. So many people shy away from plodding through the Pentateuch but I try to encourage people to realize that it is chock-full of teachings about Jesus and illuminates the Gospel.
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