Now after this the lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two ahead of him to every city and place where he himself was going to come. He has written numerous articles and a widely acclaimed commentary on acts in the new american commentary. It is the purpose of this essay to identify and explore twelve principles, methods, or ideas found in the book of acts that relate to the carrying out of gospel proclamation. Acts 24 niv bible five days later the high priest ananias.
Church growth in the book of acts a church of christ can and will grow spiritually and numerically when it is faithful to the word of god. The holy spirit continued to bless the churchs evangelism and discipleship. Are you the only visitor to jerusalem who does not know the. The apostles were commanded to go to jesus was presented alive acts 1. There is nothing that is typically found in a study bible date, authorship, destination, etc. Acts chapter 24 explained discover the 66 books of the bible. Based on the above statistic, for 52 consecutive weeks. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. He does take credit for the nature of his exemplary life. Ludlowthe book of acts was written by luke after his gospel as the second part of a great twovolume work on jesus christ and the early christians. Tertullus began to accuse him there are three parts in this oration of tertullus. Chapterbychapter bible studies acts kathleendalton. Sure enough, i read those chapters and realized i had the material to teach for both sermons on evangelism. The second is to serve as preparation for urbana96.
In the book of acts, the apostles, the twelve, were key leaders in the church, and in the evangelism of many of the jews e. Although many would suggest other titles, this one has merit because. As he shares the good news, paul frankly states that to this day i have had the help that comes from god acts 26. But when the church is forced to flee jerusalem acts 8. For example, peter throws down a fantastic spiritinspired sermon in acts 2. So far, we have confined our survey of biblical evangelism to the book of acts because it is the spiritinspired revelation of firstcentury biblical evangelism. Strategies from heaven in the war for souls then this study guide is a must. But reading the book of acts, one finds that paul used many methods to. Its not a hopeless cause to evangelize englandor anywhere the christian basis has been lost. If two sermons were preached each sunday then 1,144,000 sermons would have been preached during that. As we study acts 812 we will learn how people come to christ and are changed through conversion.
To prove this point, let us take a quick look at church growth in the book of acts, with a special view to the church in jerusalem. In this article i have organized every evangelistic teaching or encounter in acts into the following types of evangelism. Whereas the old testament depicts evangelism as people coming to god, the lucan perspective demonstrates that gods servants will go to his people. Acts begins with jesus teaching the apostles about the kingdom of god outside jerusalem, and ends, about thirty years later, with paul teaching gentile christians about the kingdom of god in rome. This study covers topics such as preparing your life for evangelism, presenting the gospel, persuading and leading people to faith, and strategies for outreach. How modern evangelism might differ from biblical evangelism. Paul preached in the strategic port city of ephesus for two years, so that all the residents of asia. Drusilla, the wife of felix, was the daughter of herod agrippa i chapter 12, and the sister of agrippa ii and bernice 25. The book of acts tells the story of the beginning of the church of jesus christ. But reading the book of acts, one finds that paul used many methods to share the gospel with people. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. One is simply to strengthen believers as witnesses to the work and life of jesus, both in history and in their lives. Whereas the gospel of luke focuses on the life and ministry of jesus christ, the acts of the apostles builds upon what jesus did and taught see acts 1.
And today the life blood of the church is evangelism. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Let us never be driven from any good way by its having an ill name. The evangelism we find in the book of acts, at its mature level, ruled no one out. The methods of the first century are basic to effective evangelism. The agency connects leaders with needed resourcing, training, consulting, and networking that support spiritual. What acts teaches us about the advancement of the gospel. The book of acts is a key historical record of what the early church believed and practiced. Principles of evangelism from the book of acts truthonlybible.
This types of sermons are clearly for the purpose of evangelism. Rainer green valley baptist church birmingham, al 35226 wth the exception of m. Acts to action jesus first disciples and modernday christians face the same question. Nineteenyearold drusillas father was the king herod of acts 12. Evangelism in the book of acts the church of christ in the book of acts was an evangelist church. Acts 20 niv bible when the uproar had ended, paul sent.
As you plant a church yourself or help to equip planters, this should be helpful. Gospel preaching in acts here on the apostle peters sermons in the book of acts. A campaign for revival, renewal, and evangelism 9 reality check in the year 2000 more than 11,000 southern baptist congregations reported no baptisms for the entire 12month period. This is the third lesson of our series the book of acts, and we have entitled this. The types of sermons in the book of acts think theology. It will help you squeeze the very best out of this book and ensure you don. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. For instance, in acts chapter 3 verse 22, peter appealed to the words of moses to prove to the jews that jesus was the longawaited messiah.
The book of acts part 24 the greatest evangelism strategy. It drew the circle of compassion large enough to include every person and every kind of person. Acts chapter 24 commentary northwest college of the bible. William neil, the acts of the apostles, the new century bible commentary, page 233. Acts shows what the early church believed and practiced. We have defined biblical evangelism, we have seen that god authorized it, and we have seen that god authorized only one message for it. Paul, by michael morrison a theological look at evangelism. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in greece. The beautiful, amazing, powerful, weak, dysfunctional church a chapter by chapter bible study of the book of acts 2 acts. The first gospel sermon, preached by the apostle peter, is found in this chapter of acts. Christian magic often takes the thoughts, methods, and means of secular. Without a doubt, one of the greatest preachers this world has ever known was the apostle paul.
In addition, there are topical studies on issues such as spiritual leadership, gods redemptive plan, and old testament character studies. Sep 01, 2005 this study covers topics such as preparing your life for evangelism, presenting the gospel, persuading and leading people to faith, and strategies for outreach. Each chapter focuses on a passage in acts, identifies the evangelistic principles and methods, and concludes with a relevant and practical application to. It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. To evangelizego into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation b. Acts tells us how the christian movement came into beginning. Even the resurrection chapter of 1 corinthians 15 doesnt discuss the.
In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. My naturally good natured and spiritual response was to cover my head with my blanket and say, its too early. While experiences like pentecost the initial outpouring of the holy spirit are unique, many of the activities provide models that we can wisely transfer into our campus context. A better title would be the acts or the workings of the holy spirit, because he is the real main character of the book. Evangelism the teaching and promotion of the good news of jesus christ for the purpose of conversion. The acts of the apostles, the second volume of lukes twovolume work, continues lukes presentation of biblical.
Paul goes to rome via storm and shipwreck, chapter 27 o. Mission and evangelism ajith fernando sri lanka mission and evangelism express the outward impulse of christianity. An agency of the united methodist church, discipleship ministries helps local church, district, and conference leaders fulfill the shared dream of making worldchanging disciples. Acts one provides a brief, but powerful look at christs ascension into heaven. Were finding that as more of gods people are equipped with our bibleaffirming website and other creation materials, theyre reaching out to others with the gospeland the results follow. This promise provides the structure for the book of acts, as the word of god spread through jerusalem.
The first time i taught through the book of acts in a college class, i asked the students to write an essay describing pauls missionary strategy, with illustrations from the book of acts. It furnishes a challenging example for southern baptists and for all contemporary christians. Finally, in acts 1819 we will learn about different strategies and means for sharing our faith with others. The acts of the apostles church leadership resources. Acts 24 a study guide by kevin scott executable outlines. As we look at acts 17 we will learn how to answer objections and how to make a case for the truth of christianity. Chapter 24 baptism and evangelism evangelism unlimited. When the uproar had ended, paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for macedonia. Content includes book studies on luke, ephesians, thessalonians, james, 1 samuel, john, and acts. Acts 24 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. This article presents the concept of church growth alongside evangelism mainly in the book of acts.
But the book of acts offers us some principles, methods, and ideas to consider as we carry out our mission work. Chapter by chapter bible studies acts the beautiful, amazing, powerful, weak, dysfunctional church bible studies by kathleen dalton. Acts of the apostles final exam flashcards quizlet. The exordium contains the praise of felix and his administration, merely for the purpose of conciliating his esteem, acts 24. The book of acts 1 personal evangelism the book of acts. Chapters 19 are expositions of key narrative accounts of the apostles evangelism from the book of acts. Jesus strategy for evangelism began with jerusalem, spreading to judea, samaria, and. Forest hills bible chapel exists to glorify god through worship, edification, evangelism, and social action. In each case, prime uses the theological truth of the bibles teaching as the foundation for the very practical advice he gives in each chapter. Lets look first at the rhetorical strategy of the book of acts. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. Choose the number of leader and participant guides needed below. In chapter four, we see the power of the holy spirit on display in the apostles lives. Studies in the book of acts previous page next page.
This book is titled the acts of the apostles, or more literally acts of apostles. The book of acts provides us with numerous glimpses of the unfolding early church. In the pauline letters there is sometimes a reference to the book of acts for context, but not always 1 thess mentions acts 17, 1 corinthians does not. And in acts chapter 23 verse 6, paul appealed to the jewish belief in the resurrection of the dead that derived from old testament scriptures. Strategy and method the first time i taught through the book of acts in a college class, i asked the students to write an essay describing pauls missionary strategy, with illustrations from the book of acts. The gospel of jesus christ, by its very nature, refuses to be bottled up. Now after five days ananias the high priest came down with the elders and a certain orator named tertullus. Of the twenty sermons that are included in acts, seven of them are clearly related to missional preaching.
But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. Polhill is the james buchanan harrison professor of new testament interpretation at the southern baptist theological seminary. This is the third in a series of three smallgroup bible study discussion guides luke 19, luke 1024 and selected portions of acts which explore the meaning of witness. Gamaliel, in chapter 5 verse 34, felix, in chapter 23 verse26, and festus, in chapter 24 verse 27, all of. There are at least two reasons why we should concern ourselves with pauls methods of evangelism. How do we share the good news of christ that we have experienced with the people we meet in the course of our daily lives. Acts has been called a transitional book because it serves as a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. The acts of the apostles is the historical account of the initiation of this process.
The book of acts details how the early disciples overcom. Derek prime shows that we need look no further than the book of acts for our model of evangelism. The presence and working of the holy spirit is the dominating mark of the book of acts. Greens evangelism in the early church,l the subjects of evangelism and church growth in the book of acts have been unaccountably neglected in recent years. Acts 24 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. A chapterbychapter bible study of the book of acts 2 acts the beautiful, amazing, powerful, weak, dysfunctional church table of contents scripture passage page 1. While there are countless ways to describe the strategies the apostles and. Christians have often assumed that evangelism means verbally sharing the entire saving gospel message with a person. The book of acts also describes the work of the two apostles peter and paul.
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