Bible Discussion — Acts 2

August 13, 2008, 6:00 pm; posted by
Filed under Bible, Chloe, Connie, Erin, Josh J, Steve  | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com moves on to the second chapter of Acts.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10
Acts: 1

 
INTRODUCTION:
Connie:
I think the day started out the same as quite a few others the apostles had been having, but something was different in the heavenlies — and suddenly, something was quite different in the Upper room… then throughout Jerusalem… until the whole world was different.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
Josh:
“…and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

These verses to me seem a fitting response to those who believe the full power of the Holy Spirit was only available to those present at Pentecost.

Erin:
Peter used a great excuse for the Apostles to not be drunk: “It\’s only nine in the morning!”

Connie:
There must be a difference between old wine and new wine?

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Drunk in the Morning
Erin: Phrygia and Pamphylia
Steve: Fear Came
Chloe: Blood Moon

 
STORY IT REMINDS YOU OF:
Josh:
The Pentecost was like a reverse Tower of Babel.

Chloe:
This summer I briefly attended a home Bible study. I say briefly because they were all upper-middle class, over 60, and thoroughly evangelical without entirely knowing why. It was, to say the least, difficult for me to relate to them. What really got me, though, was that they insisted they were emulating the early church simply because they met at this guy\’s house and ate dinner afterwards (“breaking bread together”). It was as if they had never read Acts, and had never realized the sacrifices of time, money, and privacy the early believers made.

 
WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS PASSAGE?:
Erin:
Physically, as a part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit is the presence of God/Jesus. Symbolically, Jesus was the reason Peter spoke, and the subject about which he spoke.

Josh:
Fulfilling a promise.

Connie:
In the message of the prophet Joel: “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved!” They didn’t even use that term until the New Testament!

 
DEEP THEOLOGICAL MEANING:
Chloe:
The way the believers lived in Acts is so enticing — it truly is a body of believers to depend on, which in my experience is a rare discovery in an American church. But back then there weren\’t as many believers, and selling everything to give to the poor is no longer wise, and our society doesn\’t permit such a lifestyle, and, and, and”¦

What about New Monasticism?

Erin:
I find it interesting that v. 24 says that God raised Jesus from the dead — emphasizing Jesus\’ manhood rather than His deity. Perhaps Peter mentioned this to make the point that God came to earth as Christ out of love, and in His becoming fully human, dying a human death, and raising/being raised, the sacrifice and redemption was complete.

 
RANDOM THOUGHT:
Erin:
What did the ”˜blowing of a violent wind\’ sound like?

Chloe:
Three times in Acts, Peter blames the Jews for killing Jesus. These passages have long been justification for Christian anti-Semitism, but in all three passages, Peter spoke not just to Jews, but specifically to Jews in Jerusalem. It was literally those very men who called for Jesus to be killed — not the Jews in general.

Steve:
This passage — the response of the disciples after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, their Lord and leader — is one of the most persuasive to me when it comes to the truth and accuracy of the Gospel account. If what the Bible says about the life and death of Jesus were not true, nothing in this chapter — nothing in the rest of this book — would make any sense whatsoever.

Connie:
Peter mentioned being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit at the same time as being saved, which set the stage for many future complicated doctrinal issues. I’m not disagreeing with my man, I’m just saying…

 
VERSE TO REMEMBER:
Josh; Chloe:
2:36 — ” ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.’ ”

Connie; Steve:
2:38-39 — “Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.’ ”

Erin:
2:12 — “So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘Whatever could this mean?’ ” (It\’s so important because it shows how the Holy Spirit opens the doors for followers of Christ to give an answer for the reason to believe).

 
PORTION YOU WOULD MOST LIKE EXPLAINED IN HEAVEN:
Erin:
Is the “fellowship of believers” from Acts (vv. 42-47) the best way to live as Christians, and should we imitate it more today?

Steve:
Any difference between the gift of tongues given to the apostles at Pentecost and the one available to Christians today, explained by Paul? If so, what’s the difference and why?

And was Peter’s sermon translated by God too?

 
LESSON TO TAKE AWAY/GENERAL RESPONSE:
Josh:
We should not be surprised when we are mocked and discredited for bringing forth the message of the Gospel. Here at Pentecost, the most visible and powerful display of the Spirit was still dismissed by many as drunkenness.

“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18)

Connie:
The Apostles must’ve been flyin’ high that day: finally some decent forward motion! 3000 response cards, on just the first day — before they worked the kinks out at the debriefing.

 
CONCLUSION:
Steve:
One of the most glorious days in the history of the Christian church. What a wondrous miracle, to translate the Gospel into the languages of all the Jerusalem visitors! But the sign of success in the Kingdom is persecution, and it is just that which we see on the horizon.


Comments

1 Comment to “Bible Discussion — Acts 2”

  1. Capt. Steve on August 14th, 2008 11:15 am

    Erin:
    I find it interesting that v. 24 says that God raised Jesus from the dead — emphasizing Jesus’ manhood rather than His deity. Perhaps Peter mentioned this to make the point that God came to earth as Christ out of love, and in His becoming fully human, dying a human death, and raising/being raised, the sacrifice and redemption was complete.

    Right on Erin

    I get myself introuble some times when I point out that Christ was really dead therefore could not raise himself. His Sacrifise was real. this when coupled with Jesus last words “My God, My God why have you forsaken me” from the Gospel account could imply that something specific happened within the trinity. essently the unchanging creator actually allowed his very nature to be effected for humanity. We will never fathom the depths of God’s Love

    (alright Josh come attack my “Open Love theology” I dare ya…

Leave a comment!