A Biblical Vision, Part II: Mastering the New Testament Witness to Christ

Ses s i on 5: The Ac t s of the Apos t l es : The Propagat i on of Chr i s t

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b. With great power they gave testimony to the reality of Jesus’ resurrection , Acts 4.33 – And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. c. This is the heart of accountability for those who hear and refuse the good news of God’s grace, Heb. 2.3 – how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard.

4. Notice the expanding geographical framework : in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

III. The Propagation of the Risen Christ to the World

Generally speaking, Acts 1-13 focuses on the ministry of Peter, while Paul’s work is featured in Acts 14-28. While there are a host of differing ways that the Acts of the Apostles can be divided up, the nature of the historical propagation of Christ to the Roman empire, the Acts 1.8 framework is helpful. Its framework can be divided up into six “frames,” each of which concludes with a summary statement of the propagation to that point.

A. Frame 1, 1.1-6.7: The Apostolic Witness to Jesus of Nazareth as the risen Lord and Messiah in Jerusalem

1. The choosing of Matthias and the preparation for the coming of the Holy Spirit, ch. 1

2. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and the birthing of the Church of Jesus Christ, ch. 2