Revised by F. Scott Spencer, 4/23
• BaptismJesus was baptized (literally, "dipped") in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer, at which time he was acclaimed from heaven as God's Son, the Beloved. Much later baptism became one of the sacraments of the Church, the action by which a person is incorporated.... In Acts, baptism in the name of JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity. is an important event in the lives of new believers, connected to the gift of the HolyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine Spirit and experience of joy. Baptism functions as an initiation rite into the “saved” community of believers in Christ.
• Boldness. Jesus’ disciples, even those who are untrained or poorly educated (4:13), receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to speak powerfully about God’s resurrection of the MessiahThe Messiah was the one who, it was believed, would come to free the people of Israel from bondage and exile. In Jewish thought the Messiah is the anticipated one who will come, as prophesied by Isaiah. In Christian thought Jesus of Nazareth is identified.... In the Greco-Roman world, persuasive public speech was considered a fine art, the goal of a person’s education. In LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul. 21:14-15, Jesus promises his disciples the ability to articulate persuasively their convictions about God’s in-breaking reign. The Spirit’s outpouring at PentecostPentecost was originally a Jewish harvest or pilgrimage festival that fell on the fiftieth day after Passover. It was during this festival that the Holy Spirit visited Jesus' followers in tongues of fire and caused them to speak in many languages, as reported in Acts... (Acts 2) equips Jesus’ followers to become dynamic witnesses and interpreters of Scripture for mission in a new world.
• Christians in society. Acts presents a tense relationship between adherents of Christ and the wider society. On the one hand, Christians seek to be law-abiding and peaceful neighbors with non-Christ-believing Jews and Gentiles. On the other hand, the charge that they are “turning the world upside down” (17:6), though extreme from a political perspective (they were not calling for Caesar’s death or dethronement), has some validity: proclaiming the crucified Christ as the risen Lord of all challenged the status quo. The kingdom of GodThe kingdom (reign) of God is a central theme of Jesus' teaching and parables. According to Jesus this reign of God is a present reality and at the same time is yet to come. When Christians pray the Lord's Prayer, they ask that God's kingdom... in Christ, while transcending the present world order and envisioning “universal restoration” (3:21), was not anti-worldly. It aimed to transform the world in alignment with God’s righteousness, justice, and peace. Such a revolutionary (though not violent) vision inevitably threatened the current powers that be.
• Friendship and Christian community. It is definitive of Christ’s followers that they gather for meals, feed the poor, and have all things in common (2:44‒46; 4:32‒35). Such behavior characterized friendship in the ancient world, understood as a relationship among equals who cared about one another’s well-being. Friends were expected to speak the truth with one another and to provide material assistance when needed. This concept of a community of friends reflects Acts’ understanding of the practical outworking of God’s kingdom (rule, realm) in the world.
• Friendship and the Holy Spirit. Friendship in the ancient world was typically limited to a small number of people because of the intense obligations it entailed among social equals. In the Christ communities in Acts, the Holy Spirit empowers close friendship and fellowship across class lines and also strengthens the people to meet the obligations of friendship.
• Future hope for all humankind. Peter’s words in Acts 3:18-25 express a vibrant hope for all persons who belong to the Lord. Jesus’ return will signal the “universal restoration” that God has long promised, not least to Israel as conveyed through the prophets.
• God and other powers. The God of Scripture, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus are more powerful and beneficent than any other forces in the universe. The stories in Acts make the case that all so-called powers, spirits, and deities—seen and unseen—are subject to the sovereign rule of the one God, the God of the Jews and the Jewish Messiah Jesus.
• God’s faithfulness. Acts is intent on showing continuity among AbrahamGod promised that Abraham would become the father of a great nation, receive a land, and bring blessing to all nations., MosesProphet who led Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land and received the law at Sinai., the prophets, DavidSecond king of Israel, David united the northern and southern kingdoms., and the work of Jesus and his followers. Acts thus continues the biblical story of God’s merciful and faithful calling of humankind. God does not abandon the people of Israel, but, instead, God in Christ and the Holy Spirit fulfills promises made long ago, not least that Israel should be a light to the Gentiles (IsaiahIsaiah, son of Amoz, who prophesied in Jerusalem, is included among the prophets of the eighth century BCE (along with Amos, Hosea, and Micah)--preachers who boldly proclaimed God's word of judgment against the economic, social, and religious disorders of their time. 42:6; 49:6; Acts 13:47; 26:17‒18) and that all the earth should honor God.
• Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, present from the beginning of Luke’s Gospel, is poured out by Jesus after his ascension in Acts 2. The relationship of the Spirit to Jesus and the Father connects the experiences of the earliest Christ communities with God’s life and power embodied in Jesus. The Spirit’s activities resemble Jesus in “doing good and healing all who were oppressed” (10:38). .
• Inclusion of the Gentiles in the people of God. A major theme of Acts is the complex process of including Gentiles among the saved people of God. The Ethiopian eunuchAn eunuch is a castrated male, often in the service of a person in power. While the Bible mentions eunuchs many times, the most memorable eunuch is the one who was baptized by Philip in Acts 8. (8:26-39) may be the first GentileA gentile is anyone who is not Jewish. The term, which is derived from words that the Bible uses to denote the "nations" of the world, reflects beliefs that God had designated Israel as a nation that would be distinct from others, and a blessing... baptized, but the main spotlight falls on the repeated story of the baptism of CorneliusAn early Gentile convert to the Christian faith., a Roman centurionA centurion was a Roman officer who commanded a military unit made up of one hundred men. Jesus healed a centurion's servant, and a centurion, at Jesus' crucifixion, acclaimed him to be God's Son., and his householdA household is a living unit comprised of all the persons who live in one house. A household would embrace all the members of a family, including servants and slaves. In the book of Acts, stories are told of various persons and their households, like... (10:1-11:18; 15:6-11). This story marks the developing community’s acceptance of Gentiles on the basis of faith in Christ, without requiring them to be circumcised and adhere to the whole Jewish law.
• Mission and hospitality. The nature of Christ-centered mission in Acts is consistent with the commands that Jesus gives in Luke 9-10, where he instructs his followers to announce the nearness of God’s reign by entering a village or house and staying there, if welcomed.. Part of God’s good news in Jesus has to do with believers’ willingness to set aside their fears in order to minister to people different from themselves. In Acts, believers bear witness–as Jesus did, in word and deed–via “entering” and “staying” in people’s homes. They cross social boundaries, not to judge people but to honor their lives, customs, and social locations.
• “Not done in a corner” (Acts 26:26). Acts emphasizes that Jesus and his followers have never been a secret cult with a sinister agenda. Faith in Christ is a public commitment with public consequences, consistent with God who openly created and redeemed the world and encourages love and care for neighbors and strangers alike.
• The prevailing word of the Lord. Acts’ final statement emphasizes that PaulThe Apostle Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was the author of several New Testament letters and the founder of many Christian communities. continues to preach “without hindrance” in spite of all the difficulties that have beset him and brought him finally to Rome (28:30‒31). From beginning to end, Acts reflects confidence that, no matter how things look, human history belongs to God. God will not be overcome by any other power, and the promise of “universal restoration” will be kept.
• Reorienting the center of the world. The expectation that Jerusalem would be the center of God’s renewed reign was embedded in the hopes of Israel and its prophetic texts. Jesus expands this expectation in Acts 1:6-8 when he declares that the Spirit of God will send Jesus’ followers from Jerusalem to the very “ends of the earth” to witness to God’s power. Acts begins in Jerusalem, but, by the end of the book, extends to Rome, where Paul continues bearing witness to Christ even while under house arrest.
• SalvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. and the end of time. Acts declares that God’s promises of salvation and blessingBlessing is the asking for or the giving of God's favor. Isaac was tricked into blessing Jacob instead of his firstborn Esau. At the Last Supper Jesus offered a blessing over bread and wine. To be blessed is to be favored by God. have been and will be kept in Jesus Christ, who generates “times of refreshing” (3:20) for those who repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching. All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins. The Hebrew word for repent means to "turn away" from sin. The Greek word for repentance means to "change on'e mind," more specifically, it means... and share in Christ’s gracious community (2:43-47; 4:32-37). A time of “universal restoration” (3:21) remains to come, when Jesus will return and all families of the earth will be blessed.
