In the introductory lecture, I noted that the main theme of this course is the investigation of one of the most important turning points in history, the transition from Pagan Rome to Christian Rome. The years right after the time of Jesus are critical in understanding that period, and that's what we'll be concentrating on for the next 1/3 of the course. The Book of Acts is a good place to start, giving us a good overview of this period. Please skim the first 12 chapters of Acts, then go back and read more carefully one or two chapters. Pick out three or four things in the section you read that seem to you worth discussing in class as we talk about the surprisingly rapid growth of the church. What's going on that helps the church grow? What obstacles to growth you see here?
The first thing that is worth discussing in class is when Peter said, "...us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." (Acts 10:41) This helped the church grow by saying that the Jews are basically the chosen people of God because they had the opportunity to eat with the risen Lord. The obstacles I see here are the fact that some people will not agree with/come to terms with the fact that the Jews are the holy chosen people of God. The second thing I saw was, "While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles." (Acts 10:44-45) This would have helped the church grow because it would show that everyone will be given gifts by the Holy Spirit and because it shows that everyone is going to be saved by God, even the Gentiles. The obstacles I see here is that the Jews would not be happy that they were not the only ones being saved by God since they are his chosen people. The third and final thing I saw was, "So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcision party criticized him, saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." (Acts 10:2-3) While this verse keeps going on, it shows that even the uncircumcised men of the earth will be saved by God. This will help with the churches growth because it gives parents the decision whether or not they want to circumcise their male children or not which will draw more people to the faith. The obstacles I see here is that many people will see this as unclean by not circumcising their male children.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 8, Philip was sent out to the Gaza Strip, which is close to Africa. There Philip meets an Ethiopian who, is later baptized. This man is said to have continued praising God after Philip left him. Since he is from Africa, it is very likely that he told people back home what he had learned from Philip. (8:26-40)
ReplyDeleteThe persecution of the early Christians, especially from people like Saul, was an obstacle in its grown. Saul would go into the houses of Christians and have them thrown into prison. Who would want to convert to this new religion, if in doing so they had to fear for their own safety? (8:1-3)
However, Saul is later converted in chapter 9. The man who had been persecuting Christians was suddenly confronted by the Lord. Saul’s conversion story shows that the Lord has a plan for everyone. It also likely gave hope to anyone who had a difficult past, that they could still change and be part of this new church. (9:1-9)
One of the things I think worth discussing is the conversion of Saul. (Acts 9:3-6) Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And he said, "who are you Lord?" And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do." Another thing worth discussing is (Acts 9:20-22) And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues saying, "He is the Son of God." And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is it not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?" But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. The final thing I think worth discussing is (Acts 9: 28-31) So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him of to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Saul joining the apostles in spreading the good news about Jesus helps build the church and helps convert more people. The main obstacles are the people who refuse to believe that Jesus is the Christ and are looking to kill Saul and the Apostles. And continue persecuting the church.
ReplyDelete- Eathen Erck
Probably the First thing i thought was important was Gamaliel's advice when the Apostles were on trial again.
ReplyDelete"34 Then one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in respect by all the people, and commanded them to put the apostles outside for a little while. 35 And he said to them: “Men of Israel, [a]take heed to yourselves what you intend to do regarding these men. 36 For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, [b]joined him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were scattered and came to nothing. 37 After this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were dispersed. 38 And now I say to you, keep away from these men and let them alone; for if this plan or this work is of men, it will come to nothing; 39 but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
He is saying that if this really if from God. There is nothing we can do to stop it. This is also foreshadowing what will happen with the Churches spread in the Hostile Roman Empire.
Secondly i think the career of Saul/Paul is very important. Also i think what happens after his conversion is interesting as well. Acts 9:20-25 "20 Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.21 Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?”22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.
23 Now after many days were past, the Jews plotted to kill him. 24 But their plot became known to Saul. And they watched the gates day and night, to kill him. 25 Then the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket." Right away we see Saul is being hunted by the same people he was freinds with a couple of days before.
Thirdly i believe Peters escape from Prison is intreasting Acts 12:12-16 "12 So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. 13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. 15 But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.”16 Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place."
They are interceding aka praying so hard they dont realise there prayer has been answered.
-Austin Dreyer
Acts 2:42-47 talks about the fellowship of the believers. I think this is a great topic for discussion because it focuses more on the aftermath of Jesus' ascension to heaven and how the believers interacted with one another. They were not all divided. This is a great example of church growth, as well. The believers fellowshipping together is evidence of God's word being spread throughout the land.
ReplyDeleteActs 6:1-7 (especially verse 7) focuses on the seven men being chosen to spread and preach the word of God. Verse seven says, "And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith." This passage is an obvious example of the growth of the church and disciples.
Acts 7:54 discusses the stoning of Stephen. This passage is an example of obstacles faced when trying to spread the word of God. Even if the church is expanding, we must not forget that it was (and is) still a very dangerous duty to uphold. Many people continued to hate Jesus and his teachings long after he left Earth, and they would do anything and everything to prevent the spread of His word--including murder. This is something a lot of people had to realize and prepare themselves for before they decided to pick up the cross and spread God's word, and it was no doubt a difficult obstacle to overcome for many Christians.
-Lauren Bland
Acts 5:1-6 I think this passage would be interesting to talk about because I think this story is something that happens all the time today in the modern world. People commit crimes such as theft all the time and some go unpunished and some do go punished. I think the story does a good job of showing how an example can be made to others when someone gets caught in the act of a crime such as Ananias.
ReplyDeleteActs 5:17-26 I think this story is interesting to discuss because it again shows a good real life example. Many people who are sent to prison in the modern world today find Jesus and the Bible as a way to better themselves when they are in prison. This story is a little different compared to that story but they share a similar premise.
Acts 5:12-14 This story is interesting to be discussed in class especially following the pandemic that we experienced. In this story the sick were brought into the streets in hopes that they would be healed and they were. If you look at many hospitals across the nation they are places in which the Lord and a religious presence exists. During anytime people are in the hospital they are in a holy place in which they are in good hands and surrounded by prayer in similar hopes that they are healed.
-Dawson Pfister
Acts 2:1-41
ReplyDeleteThis passage shows why the church grew so fast in the beginning. A huge problem for spreading a message in the cultural hub that is Jerusalem is a language barrier. Think of how hard it is to talk to someone that speaks a different language today, now go back to a time without google translate. There would be no way to get a message to someone. But this immediate jumpstart in numbers of a church would have been extremely helpful.
Acts 7:54-59
The stoning of Stephen. One of the earliest recorded martyrs for christianity. A huge obstacle for a growing church would be intense lawful persecution. But also this would have been a good way to make christians way more devout. If someone is willing to die for something, wouldn't you want to know what they would die for? Well the same holds true in the time of the early church. When someone is being dragged out of town and stoned to death for their faith, wouldn't you want to know why? Well so would other people when it was happening.
Acts 9:1-19
A man raised from birth in the jewish church, suddenly becomes one of the most devout followers of the faith he was once persecuting. Probably one of the greatest reversals in the entire bible. People would have taken notice of this transition. But what else does this do? It removes one of the biggest hurdles in the way of spreading christianity. The leadership for the persecution of christians was just decapitated.
Acts 2:1-41
ReplyDeleteThis passage shows why the church grew so fast in the beginning. A huge problem for spreading a message in the cultural hub that is Jerusalem is a language barrier. Think of how hard it is to talk to someone that speaks a different language today, now go back to a time without google translate. There would be no way to get a message to someone. But this immediate jumpstart in numbers of a church would have been extremely helpful.
Acts 7:54-59
The stoning of Stephen. One of the earliest recorded martyrs for christianity. A huge obstacle for a growing church would be intense lawful persecution. But also this would have been a good way to make christians way more devout. If someone is willing to die for something, wouldn't you want to know what they would die for? Well the same holds true in the time of the early church. When someone is being dragged out of town and stoned to death for their faith, wouldn't you want to know why? Well so would other people when it was happening.
Acts 9:1-19
A man raised from birth in the jewish church, suddenly becomes one of the most devout followers of the faith he was once persecuting. Probably one of the greatest reversals in the entire bible. People would have taken notice of this transition. But what else does this do? It removes one of the biggest hurdles in the way of spreading christianity. The leadership for the persecution of christians was just decapitated.
Walker Larson
There were some parts of Acts that helped the church grow in many ways and were worth discussing. Two passages worth discussing are Acts 5:1-10 and 9: 1-17 these two chapters conflict with one another because Ananias and his wife both died early on in acts for withholding the proceeds of a sold property and laying the rest before peter. I don't understand how Saul was healed from his loss of sight. By those people who died early on in Acts and I feel that's worth discussing.
ReplyDeleteWhat's even more worth discussing is what happens in Acts Chapter 6 and 7. How God chooses seven and Stephen shortly dies afterwards. He dies within those two chapters by Saul’s approval, I'm looking to find an answer to why was Stephen death important. Why does God support Stephen relaying the story of Israel with so much spirit and conviction. The story reveals that Israel has ignored the spirit time after time. He says it in this one good verse. Acts 7:51 It says “you stiff-neck people, Uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your father's did, so do you. Then goes on to saying how prophets have always been persecuted and treated badly, and there are times where people have turned their backs on what the prophets have said in the past.
The next is Acts 9:1-31. I feel that this helps the church grow past the current beliefs in the church at that time. I believe it also shows that anyone can be a follower of Christ when he changes his heart to serve. I’m talking about Saul and his contributions to the faith. Paul was a Roman, but also a Hebrew as well. God uses him for his grand plan in spreading news about the church. The restored or renewed version of the church that led to the growth of the church. Paul did so many things that helped the church, yet he was one of the obstacles in their path at first. My question is why choose Saul. I think the reason why Saul was chose was because he was faithful to the old faith.
Acts 10: 9-43. Peter's vision was crucial to the growth of the church because it fought against the common ideal. At first it was a little conflicting because I didn't understand what the voice was saying to Peter. In verse 13-15 it says and there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; Kill and eat.” But Peter said “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything unclean.” And the voice came to him again the second time. “What God has made clean, Do not call common.” I really wondered about what this verse really meant. That was until the vision became clear in the text. Verse 34-35 explains what Peter’s vision Peter opened his mouth and said, “truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” Peter's vision brought about a realization shortly after His dream he ran into another person who also had visions. He wanted to know Peter's story and what it was all about and what was true. Peter got that chance to talk to him and lead him into the right direction. To top it off there was a common belief amongst the people that it was unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit anyone of another nation. But Peter has shown them that they should not call any person common or unclean.
Acts 2:1-41
ReplyDeleteThe coming of the Holy Spirit
This passage adds a lot of incitement into the rapid growth of the Church as it is here that we are told the story of the Holy Spirit descending down upon the apostles in tongues of flames. Immediately after having received the Holy Spirit in this way they began to speak in all the tongues of the people who were crowded into Jerusalem for feast and pilgrimage. While Jerusalem was already a big city of well renown it was usually pretty busy but with the feast of Pentecost the crowds were at a peak. It was because of the large crowds present in Jerusalem at the time that many new people heard the good news of Jesus being preached through the apostles allowing for rapid growth.
Acts 9
The Conversion of Saul
The conversion of Saul the prosecutor of christians is a well known story in the Bible that adds well to the rapid growth of the Church. Saul was a man who had done many evil things and persecuted many Christians but after having an encounter with Jesus from Heaven his eyes were opened to his atrocities and he converted to the very religion that he had hurt so many. I also like how we hear of Ananias's hesitation to see Saul as he is afraid of him, but how he trusts God enough to go against his fear and help Saul finish his conversion. This story is good for the growth of the church because it showed people that no matter who you are or what you have done in the past God still wants you and loves you.
Acts 10:34:48
Gentiles Hearing the Good News
This is a good chapter to talk about when speaking of the rapid growth of the Church because Gentiles of the time were a big part of this rapid growth. In the past the Jews had been very closed off, convinced that they were the chosen people and that only they would be saved because of their lineage. Jesus had a very different plan and began his whole ministry by preaching to Gentiles rather than Jews. Because of the fewer rules, stories, and traditions than the Jews, the Gentiles seemed to accept Jesus, his ministry, disciples, and apostles much faster than anyone else.