Slides: Evangelism and Introduction

 

Slide 1 continued from lecture 5

 iii. Relational networks

-       Believers shared message as they traveled (8:4; 11:20)

-       Apart from synagogues, organic: following up with individuals

-       “house to house” (Ac 20:20, as well as publicly)

-       households: relatives, clients (e.g., Lydia’s household- servants, workers?; Cornelius’s relatives)

-       Reached patrons with clients; householders

Leatherworking: became part of culture (though accepted supported when available; 18:3)

Variety; women in Philippi through monotheism connection; jailer through earthquake and preaching

 

Slide 2

iv. Healings: “power evangelism”

Mabel Cooper

Getting attention in Acts:

-       Pentecost: tongues

-       Acts 3-4: healing

-       Acts 4:29-30: prayer

-       Acts 14:3: signs and wonders confirm message

Summary of coming slides:

Acts 1:8: power

Signs leading to conversions I history and today

 

Slide 3

What Luke means by “power” in the Gospel:

-       Lk 4:36: with power Jesus casts out demons

-       Lk 5:17 power was present for healing

-       Lk 6:19: power was coming from Jesus to heal

-       Lk 8:46: power came from Jesus to heal

-       Lk 9:1: Jesus gave the Twelve power over demons

 

Slide 4

In Acts:

Acts 3:12: not by our own power or holiness was the man healed

Acts 4:7: “By what power, or in what name,” was this man healed?

6:8: Stephen, “full of grace and power,” was doing wonders and signs

10:38: Jesus, anointed with the Spirit and power, was healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

 

Slide 5

Power from the Spirit

OT often (and early Judaism especially) associated the Spirit with prophetic empowerment

As if to say to the disciples: “The same Spirit who spoke through the prophets will speak through you”

 

Slide 6

Drawing attention through signs

Paul maybe grew in this during ministry (esp. 19:11-12)

Attention for the gospel, not for us

Signs make gospel harder to ignore: both reception and persecution (14:3-4)

 

Slide 7

v. Sometimes God just arranges things

Parallel visions: Cornelius and Peter

-       (obey quickly)

-       and then God interrupts Peter’s sermon!

African official reading the Bible (Acts 8:28-34)

Our church picnic

 

Slide 8

vi. How we live

Effective evangelism (2:41)

Shared worship, meals, and prayer (2:42)

-       shared possessions (2:44-45)

Shared worship, meals, and prayer (2:46)

Effective evangelism (2:47)

Cf. John 13:34-35; 17:33

 

Slide 9

Where to GO

Balance various factors

 

Slide 10

a.    Where God leads

-       Even in a moment: 8:29; 10:19

-       Spirit said No to Bithynia (16:7) and Asia (temporarily, 16:6)

-       Night vision for Troas (16:9), interpretation (16:10); had to persevere based on that

-       Open doors (left Macedonia for Achaia)

-       Led to suffering (Acts 21- despite prophetic warnings)- gospel in temple; gospel in Rome

-       When no particular connection, commission remains (Acts 1:8; cf. 13:2)

Slide 11

b.    Starting with the connections God provides

-       The Twelve in Jerusalem

-       Diaspora Jews: Phoenicia, Cyprus, Antioch (11:20)

-       (“Friendship evangelism”- relational evangelism with coworkers, target group/common interest groups)

-       Barnabas in Cyprus

-       Paul in Cilicia (Gal1:21; Ac 9:30)

-       Acts 13: Sergius Paulus’s connections with Pisidian Antioch

 

Slide 12

c.     Paul went where distinctively equipped

-       Urban areas: Antioch

-       Educated, Roman citizens

-       Where will the gospel not be preached if I don’t do it?

 

Slide 13

d.    Centers for disseminating popular culture

-       Multicultural: Antioch (team leaders there)

-       Goal within empire: Rome

-       Today?

-       Maybe internet, although not congregationally-oriented, where a lot of people congregate intellectually (at least till the power grid goes down)

 

Slide 14

4. Logistics a-d

a. Homes- not public buildings like most synagogues

b. Team ministry: Acts 13, etc (on my own- but beaten more)

c. Leadership structure: elders, overseers

d. Trust what God is doing:

- delegate (Ac 6:1-7); Exod 18; Deut 34)

- install leaders (Ac 14:28)

- HS empowerment (Ac 8:15-17)

 

Slide 15

Logistics e-h

e. People with economic resources (Lk 8:3; Ac 18:7): valuable gift

f.  People with teaching resources (Crispus, 18:8; Apollos,18:24-28)

g. Do report back to home base/ supporters (Acts 14:26-28; 15:35)

h. Legal, publicity apologetic: Acts 24-26

 

Slide 1

Logistics

i. Don’t be naïve: Problems will come (e.g., persecution, Acts 5: internal division, Acts 6:1;15:39)

 

Slide 17

Introduction background on Acts 1

Recapitulation

In 2-vol. works, often recapitulated theme and or end of 1^st vol. at beginning of 2^nd

Lk 24:36-53 recapitulated in Acts 1:1-14, repeating many points in greater detail

Historians had freedom to rearrange, paraphrase; difference of wording not accidental oversight!

1:1, customary to formally dedicate to sponsor (Theophilus as patron)

1:2-3, Sample evidences Luke 24

1:4, “ate together”- why important?

Physicality: in many Jewish traditions, angels would not genuinely eat human food

 

Slide 18

1:15-20. Replacing an Apostate Apostle

1:20

Lk’s point may just be that the upper room was totally packed

1:20 qal vaomer: Ps 69:25, 109:8 prominent accusers of the righteous sufferer (par excellence)