The Book of Acts of the Apostles by Dr. Luke

The Book of Acts of the Apostles by Dr. Luke

Introduction

The Book of Acts is the sequel to the Gospel of Luke. As such, it continues the narrative of Jesus Christ through his disciples. The disciples continue to multiply and form communities. These communities form the basis for the local church structure(s) that continue today.

Mission Principles

Local-Global Progression of Missions

The Book of Acts is centered on the theme of continuing God’s mission (begun by Jesus Christ His Son) to bring everyone into His family. The church is called to be a “witness” to the entire world (Acts 1:8). The mission of Jesus is international in scope. The spread of that mission would begin locally and end with the entire world hearing about Jesus Christ. While Jesus shared this pattern in Acts, He defined this pattern in His ministry. Jesus began His ministry in Nazareth, and it reached the entire nation of Israel. Beginning with Jerusalem (the capital of the people of Israel and thus the people of God), Jesus expected His disciples to finish the work He started (John 17:18, 17:20, 17:23, 17:26).

The Book of Acts follows this local-global progression. This progression for mission is defined (Acts 1:8). The characters in this progression also follow the pattern. The mission starts with Jesus, continues with Peter, John, and Philip who were part of the original group of disciples. Each of these men were Jewish, yet they started to reach out to people in a local and global scale. The story moves to Paul, a Jew who is called to reach out to the Gentiles of the Roman Empire (Acts 9:15-16). Paul helps spread the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome, from the center to the periphery.

International Scope of Missions

From the very beginning in which Jesus left the Earth, He intended His church to have an international scope in missions. This is reflected in many places throughout the letter. The disciples meet in Jerusalem during the Feast of Pentacost, in which many people from around the world came to participate (Acts 2:5). From the first sermon and conversion of Christians, the make-up of the church was international (Acts 2:41-42). Some of the Jewish leaders were perceptive to recognize the international scope this mission, even when they persecuted against the Christian movement (Acts 5:33-39).

The selection of deacons was based on a cross-cultural problem (Acts 6:1), which could only happen in an international church. Two different groups of Jewish Christians spoke Greek and Hebrew. Men were appointed to help the Greek-speaking widows, who were overlooked during the daily food distribution. When one looks at the names of the men who were chosen, it becomes clear that the men were chosen based upon cultural needs. While they were filled with the Holy Spirit, they were also all Greek (Acts 6:5). The church chose Greek men who could speak the same language as the widows who were in need. In this way, they could relate to the widows and relieve the cross-cultural tensions that were beginning to happen in an international church.

Finally, the Book of Acts broadens to an international scope through a severe persecution which broke out in Jerusalem. This caused the local church in Jerusalem to take the message of Jesus to the world in a way they never expected. The scattering of the church caused its international reach by forcing a change in the model of their church growth. Before Acts 8, the church movement was based in Jerusalem. The growth of the church was primarily in the people who came to the temple to meet with other Christians who lived in Jerusalem. After Acts 8, the church is forced to go out into the world and reach out to others. In essence, the early church used an attractional method for church growth. After Acts 8, the early church was forced to use an incarnational method for church growth.

This naturally led to the development of church planting as the model for church growth. This church planting model progresses throughout the rest of the Book of Acts.

Church Planting Methods

Progression of Church Planting in the Book of Acts

Church planting was the primary focus of the church after the wave of persecution that came to Jerusalem. The primary role model for church planting was the apostle Paul. After his conversion (Acts 9:1-3), baptism (Acts 9:18), and time of reflection and growth (Galatians 1:17-18), Paul began preaching in Damascus to the Jews in their synagogues. He went where the religious Jews could be found. After being persecuted by the Jews, he stayed in Tarsus until the first Gentiles were converted (Acts 9:30). After the conversion of Cornelius, the church began to see the international mission of Christ as clearly God-inspired (Acts 10:44-48).

The persecution that caused the Christians to go out into the world first took root in Antioch. Here, disciples were reaching out to Jews (Acts 11:19), but also to non-Jews who spoke the local language of Greek (Acts 11:20).

Barnabas and Paul were sent out to provide physical relief against the famine. Churches reached out to people first by providing for their physical needs. The principle is still true today. Church plants go into a community and provide something that the community needs. After they have gained the trust of the community, they can share the gospel.

Church Planting is a Team Ministry

The ministry of Paul clearly shows us that effective church planting occurs through a series of networks of churches and groups of people committed to the task. The church at Antioch commissions the church planting team (Acts 13:1-3). Paul teams up with Barnabas. The church planting team selects elders (Acts 14:23). The team reports back to the sponsoring church after the initial work is completed (Acts 14:27-28).

Receptivity of the Gospel

The pattern for church planting in the Book of Acts is to reach out to people who are receptive to the Gospel. At first Paul spends time reaching out to Jews. According to Paul, the Jews have the first right to hear the gospel. However, the Jews become hostile to the message of Jesus Christ. As a result, Paul shifts his strategy. He begins to reach out to the Gentiles because they are willing to listen.

Paul also changes his venue in which he shares the Gospel. The medium he uses enhances the message. When he spoke to Jews, Paul would go to the Temple. As he changes his strategy, he changes his location. He uses the Hall of Tyranneus. He speaks at the Aeropagus. He uses homes, ships, and prison cells.

Contextualization

Another pattern for church planting is the idea of contextualization. The gospel is shared in a way in which the local people could relate. For example, Paul referred to Greek poets and complimented the spiritual nature of the people at Athens (Acts 17:22). Yet in other places, Paul and Barnabas used methods which did not match the context. In Athens, speaking about unknown gods received an audience. In Lystra, healing a man caused the people to think that Paul and Barnabas were Greek gods. As a result, the could not effectively speak about Jesus (Acts 14:14-18).

Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit for Direction

As the church planting movement began to grow and move, Paul and his companions were taught to be more sensitive to the direction of the Holy Spirit. A night vision and spiritual influence revealed to the team where they should present the gospel (Acts 16:6-10).

Origin and Implementation of Leaders in the Ministry

The focus of leadership in the Book of Acts is on five different people (Peter, John, James, Philip, and Paul). The leadership changes depending upon the location of the ministry. Peter and James stay in Jerusalem.

The Book of Acts also challenges the prejudices of its leadership. God challenged each leader in the church to change in order to reach out to others with the Gospel. It took Peter a dream revealed three times before he could understand that his ministry was not just to Jews, but also Gentiles (Acts 10:9-16). James was confronted with the question about how to deal with Gentiles who wanted to become part of the faith.  James was very clear that the Gospel should spread without causing divisions among the Jews or the Gentiles (Acts 15:19-21, 21:15-25). Philip encountered an Ethiopian and has to listen to the Holy Spirit so that he could engage him in conversation (Acts 8:29-35). Paul had to undergo a complete transformation in order to overcome his obvious pro-Jewish bias (Acts 9:1-9).

Role of Laity and Missionaries in Church Planting

The Book of Acts reveals that there is no one method for church government. While it is possible that some churches operated with a single pastor, in many cases a plural-elder model was used. As such, a team approach to ministry can be seen.

Paul would go with his companions to start churches. Then he would appoint elders (or have other apostles appoint elders) to lead the church. Along with these elders, some churches used deacons to serve the church. Other churches used a five-fold ministry model.

As the Book of Acts progresses, different churches are planted with different church government models. Some have a pastor-led church model. Some use a plural-elder model. Some have deacons, and still others used a house-church model. Church planting in the Book of Acts was a team effort. Paul often spoke of other people who helped him in his church planting efforts. In the Book of Acts, there are thirty-six persons associated with Paul in nine designations. Paul is hardly ever found without any companions. While few are in his working circle, even fewer worked with him on a long-term basis. So it is with most church-planting efforts.

What one notices as the pattern for church planting is the importance of partnership missions. Whether it is two missionaries working together (Barnabas and Paul), or churches in partnership (like the church in Jerusalem and Antioch in Acts 11:20-24), partnership missions is the method of church planting. Church planting is not for solo Christians. It takes a team. Not only are there missionaries, but there are other people who come together to help in the work of the church. The entire church (clergy and laity) are involved in the work of the church’s mission(Acts 2:41-47; 4:32-37).

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Baucham, Richard J. Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2003.

Ellis, E. Earle. Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book, 1995.

Frost, Michael and Alan Hirsch. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st-Century Church. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003