Introduction

Why Study Acts?

A study of Acts can seem daunting at first – Luke and Acts, taken together, make up something like 25% of the New Testament and describe many different people, places and events. But Acts is the best bridge we have between the ministry of Jesus and the history of the early church. It was not until I took a class on Acts that I realized that you could connect the actual events described in the missionary journeys of Paul to the founding of the churches to whom he later wrote his letters. We should study Acts if only because it is the vital connecting point of the Pauline epistles that figure so prominently in Lutheran theology.

Another reason to study Acts is that the story it tells is a compelling one. In the night Jesus was arrested, his disciples scattered in fear, and the movement seemed permanently broken – even Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. The frightened followers of Jesus were country people - far out of their element in Jerusalem - yet Acts tells us that they stayed on in the city and continued to preach the Word. How could this be? How did the church continue to grow despite persecution? What challenges did the early church face and how were these challenges addressed? What are the lessons in Acts for our contemporary church? I hope we can all understand the answers to these questions by the end of the study.

We will begin with the Passion narrative of Luke’s Gospel to give a sense of continuity between the conclusion of the ministry of Jesus and the events described in Acts. Luke and Acts were written by the same author and were intended to be read sequentially. This will also provide a good review as we enter the Lenten and Easter seasons. Each week we will study 3 to 5 chapters, so be prepared to read!

Anyone with access to the Internet can participate in this study and perhaps you have distant relatives who might be interested in following along . With any luck we might attract some new people from across the country, or even further!


How the Study Works

Each week a new posting on this blog will introduce a section of scripture to read. A list of study questions will follow. You are invited to respond with your answers by commenting. Simply click on the “comments” link at the bottom of the post and a box will appear for you to write in your thoughts.

You can comment on as many or as few of the questions as you like, and you can make more than one comment on a topic. You can comment anonymously, with a pseudonym or you can use your own name. Hopefully we can generate some interesting discussions.

You can join the study at any time – or catch up if you fall behind. The postings and comments will always be available.


Etiquette

Everyone is encouraged to add to the discussion with comments, but please remember that we should act like we are all part of the same family. It is sometimes easy to get carried away with our rhetoric, but we don’t want to insult anyone even if we strongly disagree with what they may have written. Don’t be shy, but don’t be rude!

Comments will be reviewed before they appear – this is a precaution so that the blog is not defaced or vandalized by passers-by. (The Internet can still be a bit crude at times.) I will not edit any comments but I may ask you by e-mail to revise a questionable comment before it is posted.

I can be reached by e-mail at ulx@linuxmail.org if you spot an error, something that needs correction or you just want to communicate without using a comment.

I hope this on-line study proves successful so that we may continue to offer adult education at Trinity in as many ways to as many people as possible.