Slides: Acts 1-2
Slide 1
Acts 1-2 introduces an emphasis on empowerment for cross cultural witness
Acts 1:8 is central:
You will be witnesses... to the ends of the earth once the Spirit comes on you.
Slide 2
Acts 1-2 recapitulates Lk 24- pivot between Lk and Acts
1. The Promise of Pentecost (1:4-8)
2. Preparation for Pentecost (prayer, leadership) (1:12-26)
3. The Proofs of Pentecost (2:1-4)
4. The Peoples of Pentecost (2:5-13)
5. The Prophecy of Pentecost (2:17-21)
6. The Preaching of Pentecost (2:22-40)
7. The Purpose of Pentecost (2:41-47)
Slide 3
1 The Promise of Pentecost (1:4-8)
Don’t leave home without it:
“Stay in Jerusalem, wait for what the Father promised.” (1:4)
We cannot succeed in Christ’s mission without Christ’s power
Slide 4
Disciples ask the obvious question (1:6)
Talk about the “kingdom” (1:3)
Talk about the Spirit (1:4-5)
The outpouring of the Spirit was associated with the end-time restoration of Israel
E.g., Isaiah
Ezekiel
Joel
Slide 5
The Promise of the Future (1:6-7)
The Spirit as an end-time gift (Joel 2: Is 42, 44, 59, 61; Ezek 36, 37, 39; Zech 14)
So the disciples; are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel? (1:6)
Slide 6
Jesus answer
The consummation of the kingdom will come (1:7)
But the Spirit is given now (1:8)
To prepare the world beforehand
The Spirit was associated with the end-time
Thus Jesus’ followers must display the life of the future age
Slide 7
1:8: You will receive power when the Spirit comes….
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 8
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 9
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 10
“Witnesses to … the ends of the earth”
The language reflects Isaiah
Lk 24:44-48: this commission is grounded in Scripture (24:44-46)
“Witnesses” for YHWH (Is 43:10; 44:8)
Here, for Jesus
Because of Spirit (e.g., Is 44:3)
“Ends of the earth”: esp. Is 49:6
Quoted in Acts 13:47
Slide 11
The gospel’s spread: summary statements in Acts
2:47: The Lord added to their number daily
6:7: the word of God spread
9:31: the church grew in numbers
12:24: the word continued to increase
16:5: the churches grew daily in numbers
18:20: the word spread and grew
28:31: without hindrance he preached
Slide 12
These reflect the following growth of the church:
2:47: in Jerusalem
6:7: across class boundaries
9:31: in Judea and Galilee
12:24: in Judea
16:5: in southern Asia Minor
19:20: in urban
26:31: in Rome
Slide 13
Better yet, Acts 1:8 (very rough outline for Acts)
Jerusalem: chs. 1-7
Judea, Samaria: chs. 8-9
To the ends of the earth: 10:28
Gentiles (10-11, foreshadowed in ch. 8)
Cyprus, S. Turkey (13-14)
Theological center (15)
Asia, Greece (16- )
En route to Rome via Jerusalem and Caesarea (21-28)
Slide 14
Luke’s Gospel:
Begins and ends with the Temple in Jerusalem
Slide 15
But Acts moves from Jerusalem to Rome
Slide 16
Where are the “ends of the earth”? #1
Slide 17
“Where are the ends of the earth”? (#2)
West: Spain and River Ocean
East: Parthia, India, China
North: Scythia, Germany, Britain
South: Africa south of Egypt
Trade ties as far S. as Tanzania
Nubian kingdom of Meroe (8:27)
Thus does not end with Rome
Important for Luke’s audience
But proleptic, like Acts 8
The mission is open-ended- it continues today
Slide 18
Another biblical allusion in Acts 1:9-11
Elijah ascended to heaven
And left for Elisha a double portion of his spirit
Again: the same Spirit who empowered the prophets
Slide 19
2. Preparation for Pentecost (1:12-26)
Politics: Reestablishing leadership
After scandal
Preparing in faith that God will use them
Prayer before HS (1:14, cf.2:4)
Slide 20
Prayer before HS
A frequent theme in Luke- Acts
Spirit on Jesus “praying” (Lk 3:21-22)
Prayed, filled (Acts 4:31)
Prayed for Samaritans to receive (8:15)
Saul praying (9:11), filled (9:17)
Cornelius praying (10:30), filled (10:44)
Slide 21
3. The Proofs of Pentecost (2:2-4)
Wind (2:2)
Evokes theophany
Ezek 37: End-time Resurrection Life
Fire (2:3)
Evokes theophany
End-time judgment
Tongues (2:4)
Slide 22
Tongues is most significant of the three for Luke
Repeated at initial outpourings in 10:46; 19:6
Provides catalyst
For multicultural audience (2:5-13)
For Peter’s message (2:16-17: “This is what Joel meant”
Relates to Acts’ theme I 1:8:
Inspired speech (prophetic, 2:17-18)
Cross-cultural witness
Slide 23
History of past century or so of discussion
Late nineteenth- century radical evangelicals
Emphasized holiness, missions, and healing
Many sought “baptism in the Spirit”
Many were praying for “missionary tongues”
Background of earliest Pentecostals
Slide 24
Yet (I believe) they were right about the connection
Luke emphasizes the power of the Spirit to speak for God across cultural barriers
Tongues not an arbitrary sign
What greater sign could God give for this than to enable His servants to worship in other people’s languages?
Tongues as “evidence” of this empowerment
Not necessarily of every individual
But of what the experience was about
Slide 25
4. The People of Pentecost (2:5-13)
Diaspora Jews “from every nation under heaven”
Foreshadows mission to nations (1:8)
Just like African “ends of the earth” (8:26-40)
And Rome (28:18-31)
Slide 26
Allusion to Babel
List of nations (2:9-11)
Evokes Bible’s first list (Gen 10)
Followed by God coming down to scatter languages (Gen 11)
Here God scatters languages to bring new cross- cultural unit in the Spirit
Slide 27
Early Pentecostalism again…
Time of outpourings
Welsh revival
Panita Ramabai’s orphanage
Azusa Street
Headed by William Seymour
“The color line was wshed away by the blood” – temporarily
Conflicts with Charles Parham
Seymour’s new emphasis in Acts 2
The Spirit and ethnic reconciliation
Slide 28
5. The Prophecy of Pentecost (2:17-21)
The disciples’ tongues (2:4) fulfilled Joel’s prophecy about prophetic empowerment (2:16-18)
They heard this (2:6) They asked, “What doe this praise in many languages mean?” (2:11-12)
“This fulfills what Joel said” (2:16)
Slide 29
The Prophecy of the Pentecost (2:16-21)
Afterward IN THE LAST DAYS I will pour out My Spirit on all people
Sons and daughters will prophesy
Old men and young men; dream dreams and see visions
I will pour out my Spirit; AND THEY’LL prophesy
signs, WONDERS in heaven and earth
Whoever calls on the Lord will be saved
Everyone the Lord will call
Slide 30
Empowered as End-Time Prophets for Christ
Peter adapts Joel’s wording
“afterward” becomes “in the last days” (context)
Peter adds a line: “And they shall prophesy”
Joel already has:
Prophecy, visions, dreams
Both genders, all ages, slave and free
And “all flesh” – implications for Gentiles
Slide 31
6. The Preaching of Pentecost (2:22-40)
Peter breaks off Joel’s quote, then picks it up again:
Joel 2:32: “whoever calls on the LORD’s name will be saved…
Acts 2:21: “Whoever calls on the Lord’s name will be saved”
Joel 2:32: “The survivors whom the LORD has called”
Acts 2:39: “as many as the Lord our God has called”
Slide 32
Get Altered not just altered. Repent and be Baptized
Radical for Jewish people (who normally baptized Gentiles) in the name of Jesus (used with passive voice) i.e. calling on His name
Slide 33
The Purpose of Pentecost (2:41-47): The New Community
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)
Slide 34
The Purpose of Pentecost (2:41-47)
Conversions- followed by discipleship
People participated in prayer, “Bible study”
Witness with signs (3:11)
Spirit’s fruit: People parted with possessions, valuing people more than property
The church kept growing
Slide 35
God empowers us with the Spirit
To cross cultural barriers
To worship God
To form one new, multicultural community of worshipers
Committed to Christ and to one another
Last modified: Sunday, April 7, 2019, 2:31 PM