The great commission, part iv the great commission. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament. Acts reading guide devotional reading plan youversion. From what we can see in the book of acts and in pauls letters, the answer to that question is yes. After the death of christ the disciples were wellnigh overcome by discouragement. Because the lord gave final instructions for his followers to go to all nations and that he would be with them even until the very end of the age, christians of. Acts was written by luke, the beloved physician colossians 4. The book of acts is a key part of gods plan to reach the whole world. They must spread the good news of jesus resurrection and offer of salvation to everyone who will listen. Study and obey bible studies for small groups and leaders.
In the great commission the eleven were to disciple all nations. An immense amount of apostolic service is left unrecorded, and mention is made of just a few incidents which serve to show the way the spirit of god operated in bearing witness to the risen and exalted jesus, and in conducting the disciples into the fulness of christian blessing. What is the great commission and why is it so controversial. Luke as a second installment to what we call the gospel of luke, was written and intended to be a history of the church from the time of jesus death until late in the age of the original apostles of christ. Luke records many examples of conversion in the book of acts e. Provide two examples of the apostles living out the great commission in the book of acts of the bible. Their master had been rejected, condemned, and crucified.
The great commission fulfilled by churches and for. The great commission is important because it serves as a guide for christians who do not know what to do with their lives. Matthew outlined the age long pattern for making disciples, mark adds to the scope by saying every creature in the whole world, luke stressed the message along with the power needed, and john clarifies the job of each individual believer as being identical with the purpose he had in coming to this world. Another grid would be to think of the book of acts in terms of its leading personalities. Through the name of jesus, peter and john had healed a man born lame at the gate called beautiful, consequently, this attracted a big crowd. The ultimate motivation for proclaiming the gospel and making disciples is not rooted in sociology. He addressed the book of acts to theophilus, the same person to whom he had addressed the book of luke acts 1. The acts of the apostles chapter 3 the great commission. The book of acts is simply a continuation of the book of luke. Over and over they went, preached the gospel to make disciples, baptized, and taught people how to obey god. As we study the book of acts we will see how the apostles did just as jesus asked. If he be the king of israel, let him now come down from. The book of acts is the only authoritative and inspired account of the early beginnings of church history.
The acts of the apostles is a book in the new testament of the bible. The acts is an historical book, but it is not mere history. When we read the book of acts, it is quite obvious that the disciples and, indeed, the saints in jerusalem were not quick to carry out the great commission. Seven years after the great commission was given it was unlawful for a christian jew to come to one of another nation.
We can thus see that our lords great commission in acts 1. This also allowed them to speak exactly the words jesus wanted. The historical reliability of the acts of the apostles, the principal historical source for the apostolic age, is of interest for biblical scholars and historians of early christianity as part of the debate over the historicity of the bible archaeological inscriptions and other independent sources show that acts contains some accurate details of 1st century society with regard to the titles. People from many nations were beside themselves with wonder at hearing gods amazing acts in their own languages. As jesus is ascending into heaven he reminds his disciples that they must be his witness in all the earth. Houston, tx chronicle, 2202 readers looking for a howto guide will not be disappointed. Discussion in fundamental baptist forum started by billyshope, jan 15, 2011.
It is normally placed immediately after the four gospel books and follows the early ministry of the apostles after the. Latest was a journey through the book of acts part 1, week 1. The priests and rulers had declared scornfully, he saved others. Did the original apostles fulfill the great commission. The book of acts, which continues the narrative that luke began in his gospel, is especially important because it was the first written history of the christian church. The apostles began to fulfill the great commission on the day of pentecost following christs ascension acts 2. This the great commission bible study on the great commission bible study verse looks at the great commission bible study verse message and asks what is the great commission bible verse meaning, who gave the great. The great commission in the book of acts the new cruse. The great commission bible verse study christianity oasis ministry has provided you with this great commission bible study on the great commission bible study event. The new testament without the book of acts leaves a great yawning gap. Provide two examples of the apostles living out the great. The author of the book of acts is luke, the beloved physician col. The great commission refers to several passages in the gospel of matthew, where jesus christ urges his apostles to make disciples of all the.
Read one chapter each day and spend time with god using the devotionals and questions provided. One of the underlying and dominating themes of the acts is the great commission. Our mission is to glorify god through the fulfillment of the great commission matt 28. And he taught us to teach those disciples to obey all that he commanded us. Its subject and intention is nicely summarised by the words of the lord in chapter 1. The great commission is the foundation for evangelism and crosscultural missions work in christian theology. While there are some areas of great detail of the acts of the apostles, many times you must use cross references to the gospels of matthew, mark, luke and john as well as some other epistles in the new testament to get the full picture of what was.
There is a difference between the great commandment and the great commission matt. How was jesus occupied during the time between his resurrection and his ascension into heaven. How would these things prepare the disciples for his. This reading guide was written by newspring staff and volunteers to guide you through the book of acts in 28 days. Great commission and ascension of jesus mission bible class. Acts records the apostles being christs witnesses in jerusalem, judea, samaria, and the surrounding world.
Shortly after jesus gave the great commission, god the holy spirit, on the day of pentecost, transformed and empowered the lives of the same disciples who, during his trial and crucifixion, had denied our lord and for the most part had. The great commission and salvation in the book of acts. Peter is not mentioned in acts after the account of the council. When the holy spirit overpowered the upper room with the sound like a roaring windstorm, history changed forever. If the book of acts were gone, there would be nothing to replace it the last recorded fact about jesus in the gospel of matthew is the resurrection. Indeed, one could almost say that gentile evangelism took place in spite of the disciples and the early jerusalem church.
Through the apostles, the lord performed this miracle and opened a way for peter to share gods message, as a result, five thousand came to believe in the lord 4. We read of the evangelistic methods and message of the early apostles and preachers 3. Our vision here at study and obey is help you make disciples in small group bible studies and to help those disciples learn to not just head knowledge, but obedience. In the book of acts, peter also considers samuel to be the first of the prophetsafter moses, that is ac 3. In acts, jesus promises the disciples that the holy spirit will inspire them. But ye will receive power, the holy spirit having come upon you, and ye shall be my witnesses both in jerusalem and in all judaea and samaria and to the end of the earth. The book of acts was written to provide a history of the early church. The book of acts was likely written between ad 61 and 64. Samuel isnt the first person to be called a prophet in the bible moses is both earlier and greater, but as far as we can tell, he lead an order of prophets in israel 1 sa 19. This is the situation we find jesus in when he gives the great. If we were to give an accurate title to this account we would call it, the acts of jesus christ by the holy spirit through the church. Paul did preach the gospel to lost people who had not heard it. The great commission has been fulfilled biblical notes.
In acts how did the apostles fulfill the great commission. T he book of acts in the bible, written around 6263 a. The book of acts is unique in that it traces the birth and history of the early christian church starting in jerusalem of judea and spreading to samaria and other parts of the roman empire, asia minor, asia and europe. The emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission. In fact, todays verse from the first chapter of acts records a restatement of christs command and functions as a practical outline of the book i. Luke tells us what happened after the apostles received the great commission matthew 28. In my former book, theophilus, i wrote about all that jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions. Historical reliability of the acts of the apostles wikipedia. Bruce rylands professor of biblical criticism and exegesis, university of manchester, england introduces this exellcent commentary on the book of acts with a fitting discussion on the canonicity of the new testament, aptly noting that marcions canon did not compel them to create the canon of holy scripture which has ever since, with minor variations, been accepted by the church.
The book of acts is the link between the gospels and the epistles. In the great commission, jesus commanded us to make disciples. That was more than seven years after pentecost or after the great commission was given. The book of acts tells how the early church began fulfilling the great commission. Show examples from acts that demonstrate how the apostles fulfilled it. Following the geography that jesus laid out, his disciples took the gospel to first jerusalem, then judea, then samaria, and then to the rest of the world. In this new devotional series, we are going to survey the book of acts to see how the early church obeyed the great commission. Payne has become known as an expert in church missions and growthwith the publication of his book reclaiming the great commission. Great commission bible verse great commission bible. Throughout the book of acts, we see how the apostles began to fulfill the great commission, as outlined in acts 1. For assurance of our own salvation, we can compare our own conversion experience with those in acts. This short book uses the great commission as a model of evangelism. It is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Acts concerns the very vital period in christian history between the resurrection of jesus and the death of the apostle paul, the time when christian ideas and beliefs were. A great book on the historical data is the search for the twelve apostles, by william steuart mcbirnie. Acts 1the great commission and the ascension of christ.