Acts focuses on the growth and expansion—geographically and ethnically— of the early church. While much of the narrative seems to focus on Paul, formerly Saul, the primary person who advances the gospel is the Holy Spirit as indicated by the opening verses of Acts. Though Paul was educated in Jerusalem as a student of Gamaliel, his background as a diaspora Jew gave him insight and credibility to the Jews he preached to in the diaspora. As Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul did not focus just on converting Jews to the way of Jesus the Messiah but also preached to the Gentiles during his journeys. Acts ends with Paul in prison, but even imprisonment does not derail him from his mission to carry the gospel to the Gentiles.
Upon successful completion you should be able to:
Explain how Acts 1:7–8 provides both the theme and structure of Acts
Describe how the gospel moves both geographically and ethnically in Acts
Identify two important conversion stories in Acts
Describe the calling and mission of Paul
Explain the importance of the conversion of Cornelius
Explain in what way Peter was converted in the Cornelius story
Describe how Paul understood his calling
Explain how Paul’s early life made him effective in this calling
Describe the purpose and focus of Paul’s missionary journeys
Describe how Paul responded to his imprisonment
Acts
1. Introducing Acts and the World of the Early Church
2. The Structure and Key Verse of Acts
3. The Growth of the Gospel in Acts
4. The Conversion of Paul
5. The Conversion of Cornelius
6. Themes in Acts
7. Paul’s Life before Christ
8. Paul’s Life after Christ
Acts Quiz
Course Quiz
An objective exam will consist of multiple-choice and true or false questions. Use of a Bible or any other tool is not permitted for objective exams.
Title: Bible Survey Video Series: Acts
Instructor: Lynn H. Cohick
Publisher: Lexham Press
Publication Date: 2021
Product Type: Logos Mobile Education
Resource Type: Courseware, including transcripts and video resources
Courses: 1
Video Hours: 1
Dr. Lynn Cohick is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and coauthor of The New Testament in Antiquity.
Dr. Cohick is interested in studying how average Jews and Christians lived out their faith in the ancient settings of Hellenism and the Roman Empire, as well as how Jews and Christians today can better appreciate and understand each other. She also studies women of the ancient world—especially how they celebrated their religions—and the impact of feminist thought on New Testament studies. She also enjoys studying the Apostle Paul and his epistles within their larger Jewish and Greco-Roman milieu.
Dr. Cohick had the privilege of teaching overseas at the Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Nairobi, Kenya for three years, and was challenged by the students’ dedication and sharp intellect.