Transcript The Missiological Character of Acts Definition • Missiology is the area of scholarly study that concerns itself with an understanding of the biblical.

The Missiological Character of Acts
Definition
• Missiology is the area of scholarly
study that concerns itself with an
understanding of the biblical and
philosophical foundations of missions,
and then seeks to apply that
understanding to the actual practice of
mission in the field.
Definition
(cont.)
Missiology combines disciplines:
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Theology
History
Sociology
Anthropology
Psychology
Missiological Emphasis of Acts
• In Acts, Luke’s theology and his
historiography are both eminently
missiological.
• Acts is an account of the missionary advance
of the first century church and a presentation
of how that advance was accomplished.
Missiological Emphasis of Acts
• Missiological themes dominate the book.
This truth is evidenced by Luke’s repeated
interest in the Gentile nations, the ethne.
• Luke’s missiological character of Acts
offers an important clue as to Luke's
primary intent in writing the book.
Historical Intent of Acts
• Luke obviously wrote with historical intent.
He felt it important that his readers have a
clear understanding of the beginning of the
church (Acts 1:3-4).
• Luke’s historical intent is also implied in
Acts 1:1: “The first account I composed,
Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do
and teach…”
Theological Intent of Acts
• Luke wrote so that his readers might know
the “exact truth about the things they had
been taught (Luke 1:4) and to emphasize,
not only the “doings,” but also the
“teachings” of Jesus and the early church
(Acts 1:1).
Evangelistic Intent of Acts
• A major theme running through Luke-Acts
is the nature and importance of salvation.
• Luke repeatedly emphasizes God’s offer of
salvation to all humankind: Jew and
Gentile, man and woman, young and old,
wealthy and poor. (Luke 2:30-32; Acts
2:17-21).
Pastoral Intent of Acts
• Luke sought to encourage and strengthen
the Christians by ensuring them that they
could triumph over opposition and
persecution as did the first Christians.
• Through the power of the Spirit they could
not only stay true to Christ, they could be
powerful witnesses of His grace.
Apologetic Intent of Acts
• Why did Luke include the lengthy trial
episodes in Acts? (Acts 22-26)
• While encouraging the persecuted
Christians to endure, and even triumph in
the power of the Spirit, Luke is also calling
on the Roman authorities to stop
persecuting them.
Chief Purpose
• Luke’s chief purpose is set out in the words
of the Risen Christ in Acts 1:8.
• “You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the
earth.”
Roland Allen
• “St. Luke makes the revelation of the Spirit
clear to us by setting before us the acts of
those men in the early Church whose lives
were devoted to what we, today, call
‘missionary work.’ If he had dwelt upon the
labors of those others who were not engaged
in this special missionary work the revelation
would have been less clear…
Roland Allen (cont.)
• …If He had written at length of church
organization we should probably have missed
the revelation of the Spirit as the Spirit which
labors for the salvation of the world. When by
the insistence of St. Luke upon the missionary
aspect, we have learnt to know the Spirit as
the Spirit who inspires active zeal for the
salvation of others.”
As quoted by Paton and Long
The Compulsion of the Spirit: A Roland Allen Reader, 92-93.
First Jerusalem Outpouring
Acts 2:1-4
Results of Dramatic Outpouring
• Immediate Spirit-empowered witness in the city
(vv. 5-36)
• A great harvest of souls (vv. 37-41)
• The birthing of a dynamic prophetic community
(vv. 42-46)
• Vigorous ongoing witness (v. 47)
• With this episode, Luke illustrates his
empowerment-witness motif introduced in
Acts 1:8.
The Second Jerusalem Outpouring
Acts 4:31
Results of Second Outpouring
• Immediate and powerful witness
• Second key example of Luke’s empowermentwitness motif.
Samaritan Outpouring
Acts 8:14-17
• As a result of persecution, the church in Jerusalem
was scattered.
• When the apostles in Jerusalem heard about these
events, they sent Peter and John to pray with the
new believers to receive the Holy Spirit.
• As a result of these believers receiving the Spirit a
new center of missionary outreach was born, and
the gospel continued to spread to the region and
beyond (Acts 8:40; 9:31).
Damascus Outpouring
Acts 9:15-17
• Saul of Tarsus (later to become Paul the
apostle) was filled with the Spirit (9:17-18).
• True to his mission-pneumatic intent in
writing Acts, Luke notes that, Paul
“immediately…began to proclaim Jesus in
the synagogues” of Damascus (vv. 20-22).
Caesarean Outpouring
Acts 10:44-47
• Bore witness to the church in Jerusalem that
the door of salvation had been opened to the
Gentiles.
• Served to empower the newly-birthed
Caesarean church for its own Spiritempowered missional witness.
Two-fold Message
1. Gentiles can receive the gospel and be
saved
2. Through the empowering of the Holy
Spirit, Gentiles become full participants in
the mission of God to proclaim the gospel
to the nations.
Antiochian Outpouring
Acts 13:1-4
Results of the Antiochian Outpouring
• This powerful move of the Spirit in the
church in Antioch resulted in the launching
of Paul and Barnabas into their first
missionary journey
• Luke includes this special move of the Holy
Spirit to reemphasize the Spirit’s role in
empowering and directing the missionary
enterprise of the early church.
Ephesian Outpouring
Acts 19:1-7
Result of the Ephesian Outpouring
• The Ephesian church is empowered for
witness, and the gospel spreads quickly to
the entire province of Asia.