The Acts of the Apostles?

     The title the church has used to refer to the "Acts of the Apostles" is interesting, especially when we consider that of the 12 only Peter, and to a lesser extent John, are mentioned with any frequency by name in the first half of the book, Then they all but disappear in part 2 where Paul becomes the primary human character during the missionary journeys and his journey, as a prisoner, to Rome (though there is a little "reunion" at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15!). Dr. Luke really wants us to understand that Acts is presenting God's continuing story. Jesus is building his church, and has sent the Holy Spirit to empower his followers to carry out that mission. The abrupt ending of Acts is also an invitation to the reader to consider his own part in the continuing story.
       We can avoid a lot of confusion in interpreting and applying the book of Acts by remembering that it is describing a transitional period in the history of God's people. The charge Jesus gave to his disciples in Acts 1:8 is exactly what we see unfolding in the story. After the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost we see the witness bearing activity of the church moving outward towards the "ends of the earth." The early conversions in Jerusalem (Acts 2-3), the continued growth through tests from within and without (4-7), the persecution intensifies to the point that the believers are "scattered [like seed]" but God is still at work (8:1,4).  The shocking ministry to the Samaritans (8) followed by the unexpected conversion of a lone Ethiopian eunuch, the conversion of a young persecutor named Saul (9), the first gentile and his family believe (10), a cosmopolitan church is planted in Anitoch (11). James is martyred and Peter departs "to another place" (12), the missionary journeys, etc. (13 ff.). God is at work, and despite the circumstances and challenges nothing is going to stop what he is doing!
      As we seek to interpret and apply the book of Acts it is important to ask what was unique about the situation "then and there." What has changed by the time we get to the end of the story?  Was there something unique and foundational about the ministry of the apostles? What principles have continuing validity as God continues his mission today?  These and other questions will guide us in understanding God's Word to the church today, and hopefully, will lead us to a better understanding of our place in God's Story. What do you think?

Spiritual life week, a lesson on grace

This week, since we have no class for spiritual life week, is a great opportunity to get caught up on your reading of the New Testament for this class. As I mentioned in class I am using this as an opportunity to illustrate grace concerning one of our class assignments: the weekly on time reading of the assigned chapters in the New Testament, and the weekly reports you are writing answering the two questions from requirement #1 on the course syllabus.  If  you are behind and can get caught up by the time we meet next week, you can claim "on time" reading of the assignments to this point.  We are still a couple of weeks away from our midterm exam but you have also made great progress in reading our textbook, ENT (if you have been up to date on your reading you are half through the book!).  Remember, this blog is where you can post your questions (or observations/insights) over the weekly assignments in both the NT readings and ENT. Remember that ten "comments" will earn a perfect quiz grade score that can replace a low quiz grade. Don't miss out on this opportunity to help your grade and in the process encourage one another.  Let's learn together!
Dr. Nash

The Gospels, and the Maverick Gospel

We anticipate enough of a break in the weather to meet on Wednesday, and hopefully we'll be able to get caught up on our course calender, as we finish our overview of the synoptic Gospels and take a look at the fourth Gospel, called by one writer the "Maverick Gospel," John.  I regret having only a day to talk about John as I worked on this Gospel for several years as it was at the heart of my doctoral dissertation, and also preached a two year series working through John at Boothbay Baptist Church.  You might enjoy reading the final sermon in that series, which was presented as a first person overview from the perspective of John. Here is the link: http://boothbaybaptist.blogspot.com/2013/07/johns-story.html
Keep reading as per the class schedule, and remember that the quiz from this week will be taken from chapter 7, and chapters 10-12 in the textbook. They will be lifted directly from the practice quizzes on the text website, so if you are prepared on those you'll do fine. By the way, remember to be reading through the NT weekly, and journaling your progress by answering the questions as noted in course requirement 1 in the course syllabus. God willing, I'll see you on Wednesday!
Dr. Nash

Four Gospels, One Jesus

       As we continue reading the Gospels perhaps you are asking, "Why did God give us four parallel, complementary accounts of Jesus' life, ministry, and teachings, and not a single, more comprehensive volume presenting his complete biography?" We need to remember that these too are occasional documents, written to specific audiences with definite pastoral concerns and theological interests. We have talked a little about the importance of context in interpretation, and the Gospels are an excellent example of this principle. We need to look at the historical situation of Jesus, and appreciate what his actions and teachings revealed to his disciples, to the Jewish leaders, and to the multitudes. We also need to think about the historical context of the gospel writers, years after the cross and resurrection. The writers used selectivity in bringing together and arranging their accounts of the teachings and works of Jesus in order to teach and minister to the needs of their audiences. The Gospels are reliable accounts of what Jesus did and said, but they are not exhaustive biographies. They have a message. They teach theology. We need to read each of the four as complete narratives, and study them carefully to understand what the writer was teaching his original readers. Having done that, we can ask how the principles taught relate to us in our 21st century context. As we continue our survey of the gospels over the next couple of weeks pay attention to the unique perspective, emphases, and message of each one. Each contributes to our understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done. Each one also challenges us to live as his disciples. 

Keep reading, and don't forget to record your reactions to the biblical text. Feel free to post questions in the comments section below, if you are wondering about something it may be a question that someone else is thinking about as well! 

Snow day, but keep reading!

NTS class,
Our class today has been cancelled due to the snow, but that doesn't mean the work stops! Continue reading according to the class calender. Our quiz at the start of class next week will be based on the chapters that were due today, 3-5, in our text book. Continue reading the New Testament books as per the calender, and remember, you need to be recording your reactions to these reading week by week as outlined in the course syllabus. If something stands out in your reading of the Bible or the text book that you would like to share with me or the class you can publish it as a comment below this post. Don't worry if it doesn't immediately appear, I have to approve comments before they appear online. God willing I'll see you next week!

The Culture and Context of the New Testament

Today we will be talking about the religious, political, geographical, and cultural climate in which the New Testament was written. Do you think of reading the Bible as an exercise in cross-cultural communication? It really is!  As a missionary needs to learn the culture of the people among whom he or she will live and work, we need to immerse ourselves in the study of the culture(s) of the biblical world. Though we have excellent translations of the Bible into our language, it is still challenging to “hear” these documents as the original readers would have heard them, since we are not immersed in the same cultural context.  Chapter 2 in our text book is a good starting place, but as students of the Bible we need to be life-long learners of the biblical world and its culture. The better we understand the setting and context in which these documents were written, the better we will hear their message(s) as the writers intended. In reading the Bible we need to seek to discern the meaning that the writer intended to communicate to his original audience. Only after we understand what it meant "then and there" can we ask the questions about its meaning "here and now."

Why did the Pharisees have such a problem with the teaching of Jesus? And why is it in Acts that the Sadducees are the ones who seem to have the biggest objection to the preaching of the apostles? Understanding the religious context helps us to grasp what is happening and why. Other examples that would impact a first century reader differently than they do us include the relationship between Jews and Samaritans. Why was it so shocking for Jesus to have a conversation with a Samaritan woman (Jn 4), and why would he make a Samaritan the “hero” of one of the stories He told (Luke 10)?  Why does Luke point out that of ten men who were healed, the one who returned was a Samaritan (Luke 17)? 

The apostle Paul says that God sent His Son when the “fullness of time had come” (Gal 4:4,5). How did Jewish history in the centuries before the coming of the Messiah prepare the way for his arrival and the unfolding of God’s plan? The messianic hope was dynamically alive in the first century, but was it complete and balanced?

I hope you read this chapter carefully, and that you are intrigued enough to continue your study of this important background to the most important Book you will ever read. Your comments are invited below, what stood out to you in this chapter?

Companion Web Site

By the way, Baker Academic has a companion web site for our textbook "Encountering the New Testament." It is strongly recommended that you take advantage of the video overview and outlines, as well as the practice quizzes, in your study and preparation.  The address is...
http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/encountering-the-new-testament-3rd-edition/274454/esources
 (you may have to copy and paste the link to your browser).
SN