Acts Final
What was the belief among Jews, and thus the earliest Jewish Christians, regarding the salvation of the Gentiles?
Jewish Christians did believe that God had a saving purpose for the Gentiles, but it would be fulfilled at the very end of time.
While Luke does not report why John Mark deserted from the first missionary journey, nor why Barnabas was so insistent on taking John Mark on the second journey, what three (3) possible motives for Barnabas does Larkin offer?
1) Is it that this encourager's sympathy reaches out to restore the deserter? 2) Is it Barnabas's sympathy with the viewpoint of the strict Jewish Christians, which he may share with Mark, and which may have occasioned Mark's earlier defection? 3) Is it simply the family tie between them?
As Larkin explains it, what are the two extremes that we must avoid in relation to the role of the miraculous in evoking saving faith?
1) Rather than despising the role of the miraculous in evoking saving faith, we should recognize its legitimate role in giving credence to the preached word. 2) Saving faith must rest not on the impression the miracle has made but on the truth of the message to which it points.
In what two ways do the Bereans demonstrate "noble character"?
1) There is great eagerness to receive the message. 2) The people's enthusiasm is not gullibility, for they subject Paul's message, the word of God, to thorough scrutiny.
The response of Barnabas and Paul to the citizens of Lystra who were attempting to worship them (Acts 14:8-18) yields some the elements of effective Christian witness to adherents of non-Christian religions. What are five such elements as Larkin outlines them?
1) We must assume common ground with the person, our humanity. We are both made in the image of God with an ability to reason and evaluate experience. 2) We must have a flexibility of approach in presenting the gospel. 3) We must be familiar enough with the person's religious beliefs to know what they are substituting for the one true God and his ways. 4) We must correct them, but just as important, we must figure out how the gospel is "good news" so we may tell them how to truly fulfill their religious aspirations. 5) We must witness with urgency, making the person aware of the consequences. Since we are all accountable before God, our dialogue with non-Christians is not a simple exchange of religious opinions but a discussion of life-and-death issues.
What was the Areopagus and why was Paul brought to appear before it?
Areopagus is Athens's chief legislative and judicial council. This body licensed traveling lecturers, and Paul's hearers want to see whether he should be given freedom to continue to teach. They want to understand this new teaching, for some strange ideas are coming to their ears.
In addition to "strengthening the churches" (Acts 15:41), what else did Paul and Silas do as they traveled through the towns (16:4)?
As Paul and Silas traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
In the third proof statement in Paul's testimony to the non-Christian Jews at the temple, who embodied the "continuity and discontinuity" of Jewish Christianity?
Ananias embodies the continuity and discontinuity of Jewish Christianity, for the man of such renowned piety was also the Lord's instrument and mouthpiece for equipping Paul in the first steps of his newfound faith and mission.
Larkin thinks that Luke's description of Apollos as "fervent in spirit" refers to
Apollo's own spirit
How should we understand Apollos's spiritual state, according to Larkin?
Apollos is a knowledgeable, fervent but unregenerate disciple of John the Baptist who believes Jesus is the Messiah but does not understand the present saving significance of his death and resurrection.
How did the "edict of Claudius" in AD 49 contribute to Paul meeting Priscilla and Aquila in Corinth?
Aquila and his wife have recently arrived from Rome, having been expelled with all the Jews by Claudius. The Jews constantly made disturbances at the instigation of Jesus Christ. Through the Roman Jews' resistance to the gospel and an emperor's edict, God's sovereign care worked to bring Paul and this couple together.
Who did Barnabas recruit to help him teach the rapidly growing church in Antioch?
Barnabas recruited Saul to help him teach the rapidly growing church in Antioch.
In agreeing to go on separate journeys to do their follow-up work, where does Barnabas go with John Mark, and where does Paul go with Silas?
Barnabas takes John Mark and goes to his home area, Cyprus. Paul choose a new partner, Silas, and goes to Syria and Cilicia.
Ironically, after a major treatise on church unity (Acts 15:1-35), Luke records that Paul and Barnabas had a "sharp disagreement." What was the issue (15:37-39)?
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them to visit the brothers and sisters in the churches they have planted, but Paul did not think it was wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
What indicates to Larkin, that the Christian witness to Gentiles in Antioch probably came after Peter's preaching to Cornelius's household?
Because Luke sees Peter as the inaugurator of the witness to the Gentiles, and the church sends Barnabas and not the apostles to investigate the Gentile mission at Antioch, it appears that this witness follows Peter's preaching to Cornelius.
Larkin compares first-century Christianity with what other Jewish movement from that era, which also used Isaiah 40:3 ("prepare the way for the LORD") as their mandate? In what way were the two movements different?
Both the Dead Sea Scroll community and the New Testament church via John the Baptist's ministry used as their mandate Isaiah 40:3, "prepare the way for the Lord." The Dead Sea Scroll community prepared "the way for the Lord" through the study of the law, but Jesus' teaching set his followers on a more eschatologically imminent, ethically radical, profoundly personal and dynamically evangelistic "way."
Who preached the gospel of Jesus to not only to the Jews at Antioch but also to the "Greeks"/Gentiles there (Acts 11:20)?
Hellenistic Jewish Christians evangelized Gentiles while continuing the outreach to Jews.
By juxtaposing the judgment against the sorcerer Elymas Bar-Jesus to the faith response of the governor Sergius Paulus, what does Larkin say Luke clearly shows?
By juxtaposing the judgment to Sergius Paulus's faith response, Luke clearly shows how the gospel's power is greater than the power of the occult.
While it is easy for us to assume that Jerusalem was the capital city of Israel, what city was the administrative capital for Roman control of Israel in the first century?
Caesarea on the coast was the administrative capital.
Larkin comments on Paul's concern to care for new believers; how frequent does Larkin suggest this as Paul's practice (see Acts 14:21-23; 18:23; 19:21; 20:1-6)?
Caring for new believers was always Paul's practice.
What label for believers does Larkin suggest may actually have been invented at Antioch (Acts 11:26) as a term of derision?
Christianoi, partisans of Christ
What was the medical condition that caused Herod's death?
Herod experiences pain in the heart and stomach - peritonitis from a perforated appendix, combined with intestinal roundworms, ten to sixteen inches long.
Why does Herod receive immediate judgment from God?
Herod receives immediate judgment from God because he does not give "glory" (praise) to God. In receiving the worship of people who are economically dependent on him, Herod made himself the object of false worship, violated the first two commandments and justly earned God's immediate judgment.
When some men from Judea (Acts 15:1)—believers from "the party of the Pharisees" (see v. 5)—came to Antioch, what naturally Jewish "proselyte model" (Larkin's phrase) were they telling the Gentile Christians was necessary for them to be saved?
Circumcision and obedience to the law of Moses
The four specific prohibitions that the Jerusalem Council places on the Gentiles coming into the church each has precedent in Leviticus 17-18. To whom were these originally addressed and what were they intending to promote?
Each of these prohibitions was originally addressed not only to Jew but also to Gentile aliens living alongside them in the land. The rules' specifics and their rationale show they are given to promote table fellowship between uncircumcised Gentile converts and Jewish Christians who observe the dietary laws.
What happens at Troas that is the "last recorded" of its kind in relation to Paul?
Eutychus falls into a deep sleep, loses his balance, falls out the window, and is picked up dead. Paul threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him, and the boy's life returns. The resurrection is the last recorded miracle of Paul as a missionary moving about in freedom.
What evidence does Luke offer in Acts 11:27-30 that the church in Antioch was an authentic church behaving like the church in Jerusalem (cf. Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35)?
For Antioch to model fully what it means to be Christians, it must demonstrate orthopraxy by meeting physical needs.
According to Larkin, the fact that there were Asiarchs among those trying to dissuade Paul from going into the theater at Ephesus to address the riotous crowd, shows what?
For Asiarchs (aristocrats) to be Paul's friends and take such an interest in him shows not only the high levels of society to which the gospel had penetrated but also that Christianity evidently was not yet viewed as a threat to the imperial cult.
What does Larkin mean when he says that "orthopraxy" is for Luke (and Paul) just as important as "orthodoxy" in relation?
For Luke, orthopraxy - in this case the messenger's character and manner of ministry - is just as important as orthodoxy, the message.
Even though Luke at first calls them "disciples" (Acts 19:1), Larkin says that Paul's questions to them reveal what about the group of twelve at Ephesus (19:2-7)?
From Paul's diagnostic questions and the response of the Ephesian disciples we quickly learn what Paul evidently suspects: these persons are not truly regenerate. Also, they have not heard of the Holy Spirit's presence. They are living without either the truth or the power of the Christian gospel.
What "valuable lesson" do we learn from the mouth of the demon in Ephesus?
From the mouth of a demon we learn the valuable lesson that Jesus will not allow his name to be reduced to a magical formula. Only those with a personal relationship with Christ and who invoke his name in humble faith are in the correct position to see God act to drive out demons.
What does Larkin identify as the "two essential and complementary means" by which God sends a missionary?
God sends the missionary through two essential and complementary means: the personal, inward call to the individual and the outward confirmation through the church.
Larkin notes that the description of Cornelius points to what group of Gentiles?
Group of monotheistic Gentiles who worshiped the God of the Old Testament, kept the Old Testament ethical code, attended synagogue, observed the sabbath and practiced the main requirements of Jewish piety.
According to Larkin, what phrase in Luke's description inclines us to think that Apollos was not yet a Christian at Acts 18:24-25?
If Luke had not added the qualification, he knew only the baptism of John, we would be inclined to think Apollos was a Christian, for he knew the gospel, the way of the Lord, which is to be identified with "things about Jesus."
"If extended, fervent, united prayer is not a church's first resort in a time of crisis," what is revealed, according to Larkin?
If extended, fervent, united prayer is not a church's first resort in a time of crisis, the church reveals that it is ultimately depending on something or someone other than God.
According to Larkin's count, what percentage of effective preaching of the gospel in Acts are accompanied by miracles or some kind?
In Acts, miracles accompany about half (50%) of the occasions of effective preaching of the gospel.
Who summons Peter to go to Joppa (i.e., what word does Luke use to describe them in Acts 9:36-38)?
In Joppa, there was a disciple named Tabitha (Dorcas) who became sick and died. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, "Please come at once!"
If the apostle James is dead already (Acts 12:2), who is the "James" to whom Peter makes reference before he leaves the house church to go to another place (12:17)?
James the half-brother of Jesus had some form of administrative leadership with the apostles by the mid-thirties, presided at the Jerusalem Council in A.D. 49 and by the late fifties was head of the Jerusalem church.
In today's debate about whether or not "signs and wonders" should be part of evangelizing people of other religions, some say such deeds must occur and others say such deeds are no longer possible? What is the "middle position" that Larkin finds Luke presenting in Acts? How should we evaluate claims regarding "signs and wonders" today?
John Wimber concluded that "Rarely was church growth attributed to preaching alone...[Signs and wonders] were the catalyst to evangelism." Others would limit the working of signs and wonders to the apostolic age. Luke takes a middle position that gives exclusive support to neither of these options. While Luke gives no evidence that miraculous gifts will necessarily cease with the close of the apostolic age, he does not present them as essential to the church's advance. When miraculous deeds and gospel proclamation occur together, proclamation is primary. Miraculous deeds in and of themselves cannot produce faith. Indeed, they may be misinterpreted. Proclamation - the proper interpretation - is needed to declare the source and purpose of miraculous deeds. What miraculous deeds do accomplish is to manifest the divine power of God's Word and to authorize the preacher.
According to Larkin, how does Luke normally present Christian baptism?
Luke normally presents Christian baptism as the outward sign that the inward reception of the Spirit at conversion has taken place.
After the miraculous healing of Aeneas through Peter (Acts 9:33-34), Luke reports that the news spread and what resulted (Acts 9:35)?
Luke points to the great impact this miracle has for the advance of the church. All who see Aeneas in Lydda and the coastal plain of Sharon, stretching from Joppa to Mt. Carmel beyond Caesarea, [turn] to the Lord.
After the miraculous raising of Tabitha through Peter (Acts 9:40-41), Luke reports that the news spread and what resulted (Acts 9:42)?
News of the resurrection leads many to saving faith in the Lord, and Peter remains quite awhile in Joppa, in the house of Simon the tanner.
The debate that occurred in Antioch was sharp. What balance between doctrinal purity and peace does Larkin suggest is seen by the appeal to the Jerusalem church?
No local church or denomination should settle for politically expedient peace at the expense of doctrinal purity. At the same time, Antioch's decision to appeal to Jerusalem shows us that doctrinal purity maintained in an atmosphere of contentiousness - at the expense of peace - is an equally wrong situation.
In what ways does Paul's stress on the fatherhood of God "challenging good news" to the Epicureans and Stoics?
No longer need we settle for the reductionistic explanation of humankind and its activity. We are not simply a complex interplay of electrical impulses, chemical processes, subatomic DNA and environment. And for Stoics, this good news makes us both less and more than they understand us to be. Pantheism or the "God within" is revealed as false, but in its place is the person made in God's image, living in conscious dependence on God.
When Peter states that anyone who fears God and does what is right "is acceptable to Him," does this imply that such people throughout the world already have a right standing with God and do not need to hear the gospel?
No, they must worship the one true God and Jesus Christ, repent, and receive salvation.
The events in the Cornelius episode convinced Jewish Christians of the soundness of Gentile conversions, but Larkin suggests that the sequence of the events should also call into question what kind of theories or views?
Not only does the events in the Cornelius episode convince Jewish Christians of the soundness of Gentile conversions, it also links the Spirit's coming to conversion so as to call into question any view of baptism of the Spirit as an experience subsequent to conversion/regeneration.
Once the Jews in the Ephesian synagogues rejected the gospel, where did Paul begin to lecture daily?
Paul begins to lecture daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
In what way is Paul's declaration of God's role as Creator and Sustainer of the created order "good news" to his Epicurean and Stoic listeners?
Paul brushes aside the necessity, let alone appropriateness, of idolatrous worship servicing the divine nature by affirming that, conversely, it is God who gives all men life and breath and everything else. What good news Paul had for the Epicureans and Stoics living as they did under impersonal chance or inexorable fate! Behind or within reality stands neither of these but rather a gracious, personal Creator, Ruler and Sustainer of all.
Larkin identifies four proof statements in the body of Paul's testimony ("probatio"). What does Paul want the non-Christian Jews to know in the first of these proofs?
Paul simply wants the non-Christian Jews to know his zeal, and he appeals to the records or the memory of high priest and Sanhedrin as testimony to the fact.
Why is Paul's circumcision of Timothy (Acts 16:3) not "inconsistent" with the circumcision-free gospel recently affirmed by the Jerusalem Council?
Paul's circumcision of Timothy reflects Paul's higher consistency. For Paul never denied his religious heritage or its practices as an appropriate way to live out his Christian commitment, yet he could treat circumcision as a matter of indifference and use it as a means of cultural adaptation to further the gospel.
How does Larkin resolve the apparent contradiction between the Spirit's "compulsion" to go to Jerusalem, and the Spirit's "warning" regarding what was going to happen once Paul arrived there?
Paul's steps are in obedience to the Spirit's compulsion. He says he goes to Jerusalem "having been bound by the Spirit." There may be a play on words here, for the same verb is used for the divine necessity that compels and guides Paul and the binding of being handcuffed and incarcerated.
Rather than making a public show of power and reciting a magic formula, what does Peter do that results in Tabitha coming back to life?
Peter fell on his knees in prayer and asks the risen Lord to apply his resurrection power to the corpse. Then turning toward the dead woman, he issues the simple command Tabitha, get up. Dorcas opens her eyes and, seeing Peter, sits up.
After much debate (Acts 15:6-7a), Peter delivers a speech (vv. 7b-11) that causes the assembly to fall silent (v. 12). What had Peter's words strongly challenged?
Peter strongly challenges the Jewish view that the only acceptable outward evidence of the conversion of Gentiles is their willingness to be circumcised and live as Jews.
What is the idiom that is underneath the translation, "God does not show favoritism"?
Peter uses an idiom reflecting ancient Near Eastern practice. Literally the concept is "to receive the face." To greet a social superior, one lowered the face or sank to the earth. If the one thus greeted raised the face of the greeter, it was a sign of recognition and esteem. Such favoritism may have been welcome to those who experienced it, but it was not to be found in a judge (compare the Old Testament picture of God as impartial judge).
Who does Peter visit in the city of Lydda according to Acts 9:32? Does Luke mean OT-style Jews or Christians (cf. Luke's use of the same word in Act 9:13)? How might they have become believers?
Peter visits the saints who were converted under the witness of pilgrims returning from Pentecost or of Hellenistic Jewish Christians dispersed by persecution or of Philip.
What is the likely reason Paul refuses release from incarceration in Philippi on the morning after the earthquake?
Providing a peaceful environment for the fledgling church is more important to him than pursuing personal peace.
The Old Testament mandated exclusion of Ammonites and Edomites from the assembly of the Israelites (Deut. 23:3-4), which Nehemiah extend to all Gentiles (Neh. 13:3). How had rabbinic law extended this further?
Rabbinic law extended the separation by proscribing Jewish social contact with Gentiles, particularly accepting hospitality in their homes.
As Larkin discusses it, what is the "key issue that determines the nature of the continuity and discontinuity between Jews and Christians as part of the true people of God," that is, what issue demonstrates that Christian belief is in direct continuity with the Old Testament people of God and that, ironically, the Jews who did not believe in it were discontinuous with the new people of God?
Resurrection, especially the resurrection of Messiah Jesus, is the key issue that determines the nature of the continuity and discontinuity between Jews and Christians as part of the true people of God.
What prevented Paul from being flogged by the Roman interrogators?
Roman citizenship
Luke notes when Herod took this action against the apostles (Acts 12:3). When?
Seven-day Feast of Unleavened Bread
According to Larkin, why is Silas well suited for the task of going with Paul on the second missionary journey?
Silas is well suited to the task because he is spiritually gifted, a prophet, and he embodies the church's commitment to a Gentile mission with the law-free gospel, for he was one of the envoys bearing the council's letter. Also, as a Roman citizen, he can move about easily within the Empire.
What is the significance of the ending of the "we" section at Philippi?
Since the "we" sections of Acts stop after the Philippi episode and do not pick up again until Acts 20:5, again at Philippi, many have conjectured that Paul leaves Luke here to strengthen the church.
What were the specific charges that the law-zealous Christians levied against Paul?
Specifically, Paul is alleged to have instructed Jewish believers to stop having their children circumcised and to stop walking according to the customs.
How was the Syrian city of Antioch on the Orontes river ranked in the first-century world by Josephus?
Syrian Antioch was the largest and most prosperous with a population of over 500,000, including a Jewish colony of 70,000, and a thriving economy because of its strategic position at the crossroads of trade routes south to Palestine and Egypt, east to Persia and west to the Asia Minor peninsula, Antioch was justly called "Antioch the Great, Queen of the East." Josephus ranked it as the third greatest city of the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.
True or False: According to Larkin (and to Demetrius in Acts 19:25-27), the gospel message preached by Paul was a threat to the culture of Ephesus and Asia Minor.
TRUE
What is the "more light" principle that Larkin describes?
The "more light" principle is about God's redemptive mercy. Cornelius has responded in faith and obedience to the "light" he has received, as evidenced by his piety. God grants him "more light" by which he and his household may be saved. God's response is embodied in a command to send for the messenger who carries the gospel, the essential "more light."
In Luke's literary artistry, what recommences at Acts 20:5, and what does it imply?
The "we" sections that left off in Philippi recommences at Acts 20:5 and implies that Paul and Luke rejoin the party at Troas.
What is it that the Asian Jews assume that Paul did which eventually resulted in Paul's arrest? Why is this "ironic"?
The Asian Jews assumed, wrongly, that Paul whose preaching so effectively has torn down barriers between Jews and Gentiles would not hesitate to take a Gentile beyond the court of the Gentiles into the court of women, even the court of Israel. It is ironic indeed that Paul is arrested while doing the very opposite of what he is accused of. In the process of seeking to show his respect for Jewish ethnic identity within the church by practicing ritual purification, he is arrested for allegedly defiling the temple.
Who did the Roman commander initially think Paul was?
The Roman commander initially thought Paul was the Egyptian false prophet who, some four to five years earlier (A.D. 54), had raised up a large following, four thousand terrorists, taken them into the desert and returned to the Mount of Olives. From there, he had promised his band, he would command the walls of Jerusalem to fall flat. The Roman garrison would then be an easy conquest, and the Egyptian could be installed as ruler.
Larkin suggests that the Jerusalem church's action reflects a concern for what two things?
The Jerusalem church's action reflects a concern for continuity and accountability in the advance of the church's mission.
What does Larkin suggest is "the best analogy" to Apollos today?
The best analogy to Apollos today is a nominal, cultural Christian raised in the liberal theological tradition of the West.
What are the two key issues addressed in the Council's letter to the churches?
The body of the letter communicates the decisions on two key issues: the spiritual status of uncircumcised Gentiles who have joined the church and regulations for their table fellowship with Jewish Christians.
What is meant by the phrase "repentance toward God" (Acts 20:21)?
The brief phrase "repentance toward God" captures the whole process of conversion, which Luke elsewhere describes as "repent and turn to God and prove...repentance...by deeds." What is in the forefront is turning to God with all one's being, an absolutely serious reckoning with him as one's God in all one's decisions, as the Old Testament prophets called for.
Larkin suggests that in Luke's account, the church's evangelists consistently encounter what kind of opposition whenever they enter new ethnic or geographical territory? Do we have any reason to expect it to be different for missionaries today?
The church's evangelists consistently meet overt demonic opposition through practitioners of occult arts when they first thrust into new ethnic or geographical territory. There is no culture today where, to one degree or another, such a spiritual battle is not joined.
Larkin points out that Luke is often faulted by scholars for not presenting Jesus' death as one of substitutionary atonement. What is Larkin's response to such critics?
The critics fail to take into account that when Luke notes Jesus' death as an innocent sufferer, he is presenting the objective conditions of vicarious atonement. For unless his death was a waste, a perverse miscarriage of justice, Jesus had to be suffering the penalty for someone's sins. So here Paul maintains Jesus' innocence: no proper ground for a death sentence.
When does Larkin suggest the dietary regulations of the "apostolic decree" letter come into play today?
The decree's prohibitions still come into play today, either universally in the case of sexual practices or particularly in the case of dietary regulations - wherever Gentile Christians encounter Jewish Christians who are keeping a kosher table.
While Acts 15 and Gal. 2:1-10 discuss the same topic (i.e., whether or not Gentiles must become Jews first in order to be Christians), Larkin does not see Paul's Jerusalem visit in Gal. 2:1-10 as the same Jerusalem visit as Acts 15. Which of Paul's trips to Jerusalem in Acts does Larkin equate with Gal. 2:1-10? Why? (see the footnotes on Larkin, pp. 180-81 and 218)
The deliverance of the famine-relief collection by Paul and Barnabas in Acts 11:30 is equated with Galatians 2:1-10. For Acts 15 and Galatians 2:1-10 to be in harmony, they have to rely on arguments that make Peter act out of character or make Paul choose to keep silent about certain aspects of the apostolic decree.
What is the reason that Larkin gives to explain why the testimony of the demonized girl (Acts 16:16-18) could hinder Paul and Silas's ministry in Philippi?
The demonized girl followed Paul and his team day after day, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." To polytheistic pagans, who were henotheists as opposed to monotheists, there were many "highest gods." A pagan hearer would understand the term "Most High God" to refer to whatever deity he or she considered supreme. Also, for the pagan, the phrase, "a way of salvation" meant release from the powers governing the fate of humankind and the material world. So though initially this declaration may seem a help to Paul as it attracts crowds and provides a good starting point for discussing the gospel with pagans, it has to be corrected each time and thus soon becomes an annoyance.
Luke says that, when they saw the crowds attracted to Paul and Barnabas, the Jews in Pisidian Antioch were jealous and began to oppose Paul's message (Acts 13:43-45). What does Larkin suggest is the "main issue" provoking the Jews against Paul?
The main issue seems to be Paul's willingness to receive Gentiles directly into the people of God. He offers them an equal share in the spiritual blessings of the Messiah's kingdom simply based on faith, without requiring that they become Jews first.
Earlier in Acts, Jewish leaders were afraid to harm the apostles for fear of the response of the people (see Acts 5:26). Now when Herod Agrippa 1 kills James, this this pleases the Jews, so Herod imprisons Peter intending to kill him as well (Acts 12:1-4). What might have caused this change of public opinion (cf. Acts 8:1)?
The hearts of the Jews became hardened after hearing Stephen's sermon before they killed him for speaking the truth.
As Larkin phrases it, why is it that the Law can never justify anyone from sin?
The law could never "justify from" - that is, acquit of sin - since it could not produce perfect obedience in the one who observed it.
What is the initial motive for the second missionary journey (see Acts 15:36, 41)?
The plan of the second missionary journey is follow-up nurture, then further outreach.
As Larkin expresses it, according to Peter's report in Acts 11:4-17, who is the "real hero" of the Cornelius conversion narrative?
The real hero of the Cornelius conversion narrative is God.
What is the implied reason for Peter's deliverance, in contrast to James's martyrdom, according to Larkin?
The reason that Peter is rescued while James was executed may be found in the term rescued. Acts 26:17 uses the word to describe God's protecting hand on his witnesses to make sure they fulfill their responsibilities. As long as it is necessary that a particular servant of the Lord be actively deployed in accomplishing Christ's mission, he or she will be rescued.
In his comments at the Council, James quotes from Amos 9:11-12 about the rebuilding of David's fallen tent. Rather than simply the whole Christian church, what does Larkin suggest this image refers to?
The rebuilt Davidic tent refers to a restored Israel, which in the person of Jewish Christians God chooses to inaugurate the Gentile mission. That was the purpose of Israel's restoration: that the remnant of men may seek the Lord.
As Paul discusses them at the Council, what is the significance of the "miraculous signs and wonders" that accompanied the Gentile mission?
The significance of the "miraculous signs and wonders" is the confirmation to Jews of God's approval of the Gentile mission.
What does Larkin identify as the two aspects of Paul's gospel preaching that excites Jewish opposition?
The two aspects of Paul's gospel that excite Jewish opposition: the offer of salvation to Gentiles, on the same basis as Jews, and the resurrection of the body.
In Acts 13:40-41, Paul references Hab. 1:5 and draws an analogy between God's surprising work in Habakkuk's day (i.e., judging Israel via the Chaldeans) and God's surprising work now (i.e., salvation through faith in Jesus). What two things remain the same between these two works of God?
The warning is the same: Take heed lest you miss what God is doing. And the remedy is still the same: repentance.
Upon hearing the news of conversions in Antioch, who does the Jerusalem church send to Antioch? How does this compare with the Jerusalem church's actions in Acts 8:14 and 11:1-3?
Though Luke does not tell us the Jerusalem church's motive for dispatching Barnabas, the circumstances and church's disposition are probably not unlike what we find in Acts 11:1-3. The church as a whole is sympathetic, which their choice of Barnabas indicates, but a segment, "those of the circumcision," are not so sure and need to be placated.
The manifestation of the Spirit in the form of "tongues" challenges what basic Jewish assumption?
Though it is difficult to be certain about the nature of the "tongues," what the early believers conclude from this manifestation is certain: salvation blessings have been poured out on uncircumcised Gentiles. This challenges the Jews' basic assumption that a holy and pure God would not pour out his Holy Spirit on profane, common and unclean Gentiles, unless they became holy and ritually pure through becoming Jews.
At Acts 16:5 Luke gives a progress summary statement: "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily" (ESV). Why does Luke give such a conclusion at the beginning of the second missionary trip?
To show that qualitative growth is matched by quantitative growth. With reaffirmation of the Gentiles' full acceptance by faith alone and instructions on how to fellowship with scrupulous Jewish Christians, it is not surprising that the churches grew daily in numbers. So today God's hand of blessing, manifesting in quantitative growth, will be seen where Christians proclaim a gospel of grace without additional cultural requirements and promote multicultural unity. And this fruit will remain when we choose the right purpose: nurture.
Acts 11:19 reflects back to what passage/event (kind of a "Meanwhile back at...")?
To show the origin of the direct mission to the Gentiles, Luke picks up the thread of the story from Acts 8:4 and notes the geographical progress of Hellenistic Jewish Christians who spread the life-giving seed of the word even as they were scattered by "affliction" brought on by Stephen's martyrdom.
As he is speaking to the gathering in Cornelius' home, what are the two themes that run throughout Peter's account of Jesus' life and ministry (Acts 10:37-41)?
Two themes that run throughout Peter's account of Jesus' life and ministry: historical verifiability and divine accomplishment.
In Larkin's opinion, what do unique occurrences at the conversion of some people in Acts (like apostolic laying on of hands and the extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit's presence) demonstrate?
Unique items, given to demonstrate to various groups and to Jewish Christian observers the direct incorporation of various groups of non-Jews into the body of Christ, are the apostolic laying on of hands and the extraordinary manifestations of the Spirit's presence, speaking in other languages and prophecy.
In Acts 9:32 we read about Peter traveling "here and there"; where did we last read about Peter and what was he doing?
We last saw Peter evangelizing Samaritan villages in Acts 8:25.
Why was Paul in such danger for this accusation?
When we understand the Jewish view of Paul's alleged crime, we will know the mortal danger he was in as the temple police proceeded to beat him. The penalty for defiling the temple sanctuary was summary execution.
Larkin says, "Christianity is a way of life, a new belief system with a new Lord at the center, and a new set of mores and behavior patterns-in short a new ________."
culture
Larkin says, "At the very center of each culture is a ______, whether sacred or secular, expressed in a set of myths of origin, power and destiny."
religion
Larkin suggests that Luke intentionally juxtaposes the power of the state, ________ with the power of church, _______ (Acts 12:5).
so Peter was kept in prison; prayer - but the church was earnestly praying to God for him
What are the two principles of church-state relations that Gallio articulates that would help pave the way for the gospel's unhindered progress?
· By saying that Paul is not accused of a misdemeanor or serious crime, Gallio declares Christianity's innocence before the state. Missionary activity is not illegal. · By refusing to adjudicate an intramural religious dispute, Gallio declares that religious questions do not fall within the competence of secular state powers.
