Podcast: Interpreting the Acts of the Apostles

In Acts 12:25-13:12, from the church of Antioch gospel mission to Gentiles begins, being initiated and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 12:1-24, two stories sharing the common factors of King Herod and an angel present for us the ongoing struggle between the power of man and the power of God.

In Acts 11:19-30, the first report of a church plant of Gentiles in the major urban city of Antioch provides a widow into an early, healthy Christian community suggesting principles to apply in our own communities.

In Acts 11:1-18, Peter reports back to the believers in Jerusalem concerning the events at Cornelius’ household, raising questions for us about the modern day understanding of the gift of tongues and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 10:1-48, Peter is shaken by the implications of the New Covenant when God forces him to acknowledge the end of the ceremonial cleanliness code and to consider his own inner prejudice against non-Jews.

In Acts 9:32-43, we begin the third major part of Acts with two brief stories of healing that Luke uses to build a balanced structure and to communicate the continued spread of the gospel among the Jews in Judea.

In Acts 9:1-31, God sovereignly chooses the lead persecutor of the young Christian movement as his ambassador to the Gentiles.

In Acts 8:25-40, God sovereignly directs Philip to a man doubly excluded from the people of God and by his immediate baptism shows us the full inclusion of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In Acts 8:1-24, the gospel is propelled forth from Jerusalem by the persecution following Stephen’s death and into the unorthodox soil of Samaria. In this first occasion of cross-cultural witness, Samaria receives the word of God.

In Acts 7:1-53, we consider Stephen’s speech, the longest speech recorded in Acts, as a response of the gospel to traditional religion.

In Acts 6:8-15 and 7:54-60, we begin the second major section of Acts (6:8-9:31) with a clash between the gospel message of the New Covenant community and first-century Jewish orthodoxy.

In Acts 5:17-6:7, we consider another external threat from the establishment and another internal threat concerning the distribution of goods among believers. Tension heightens in Jerusalem as we reach the end of the first of six major sections of Acts.

In Acts 4:32-5:16, we consider the sharing of common property among the first Christians and take note of how seriously and severely God deals with the internal threat of hypocrisy.

In Acts 4:1-31, the leaders of Jerusalem strike out against the new, vibrant Christian community. We consider these questions. What motivates the antagonism of the establishment? What enables Peter to stand so boldly in witness? How does the Christian community respond?

In Acts 3, Luke reports on one of the many miraculous signs being performed by the Apostles during the Jerusalem Awakening, giving us a second opportunity to consider Peter’s gospel message as he again follows up the miracle by speaking to the gathered crowd.