Days 78 & 79 ~ Acting out

Wow, I haven't posted in four days. I got stuck in Acts. Trying to absorb and think and comment on so much has nearly defeated me, but last night, laying in bed and reading to Grace, I completed the book of Acts. What follows is my limited scrawlings as I reigned in my wandering mind and tried to get through the task. According to most, the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are written by the same author, Luke, and Acts is almost like a second volume to Luke.

• Acts 1:1 - Jesus will return like He left
• 1:13 - yet another list of apostles names with alternate names sent me looking for a chart of all the names assigned to each of the twelve. Two Judas? Two James? I found an interesting blog that contained the following list at http://p099.ezboard.com/fsabdiscussionboardcontradictions.showMessage?topicID=1558.topic

1. Simon Peter Cephas
2. Simon Zeolotes the Canaanite
3. James the son of Alphaeus
4. James the son of Zebedee (son of Thunder)
5. Judas Lebbaeus Thaddeus the brother of James
6. Judas Iscariot
7. Thomas Didymas the twin
8. Bartholmew Nathanel
9. John the son of Zebedee (son of Thunder)
10. Andrew
11. Philip
12. Matthew Levi

• 1:20 - the apostles chose another to fill Judas Iscariot's spot per Ps 109:8. I'm assuming that whomever they chose had spent quite a bit of time with them and with Jesus.
• 1:26 - they cast lots to determine whom would be chosen. Casting lots has occurred many times in the Bible, sometimes by a sorcerer, but also by the priests and others. Remember Urim and Thummin? I think they might be involved in casting lots. Why don't we cast lots now? What was God's role in this?
• 2:1 - Pentecost was the "Feast of Weeks" which occurs 7 weeks after Passover for the completion of the harvest as an offering of "first fruits". The city is very crowded, and the "first fruits" of the new church was 3000.

2:4 - my personal take on "tongues" in this passage is that the Holy Spirit equipped those who would be spreading the gospel to speak in languages that they had not been taught but were spoken by those that they would be witnessing to. They would need to fulfill verse 1:8 to be witnesses to the ends of the earth. It was like a reversal of the tower of Babel. Although many main-stream religions would claim that this is the introduction of a holy language for glorifying God, a prayer language of sorts, that would be understood by God, in context, I don't see that in this passage. But on in 8:47, Peter is in Caesarea preaching to the Gentiles in Cornelius' house, and the Holy Spirit fell upon the believers and the Jews who were there were astonished "For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" - was this a prayer language of sorts? How would people know what they were saying - they were described as magnifying God - how would one know unless at least one person understood the language.

2:38 - "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." Pretty clear. But it doesn't always happen in that order - the Holy Spirit is not limited or tied only to baptism. We've seen the Holy Spirit "drop in" in several instances, especially when miracles occur. He also returns to fill those who have already been baptized (like 4:31). Compare this also to 8:14-17, where believers in Samaria had been baptized but did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came and prayed and laid hands on them. Was this a lesson for Peter and John? Also see 8:44-48, where the Holy Spirit came first and the baptism second.

• 4:6 - I thought Annas was the father of the High Priest - apparently they are under a different High Priest. We are also dealing throughout the book with different Roman rulers - there is Claudius, and two Herods. Acts goes through at least 6 years of time just in the asides like "they spent one year and six months in the city".
• 4:8 - As Jesus said, don't worry what to say under pressure, the Holy Spirit will give you the words.
• 4:22 - what is the significance of the healed man being over 40?
• 4:31 - stress - prayer - refreshing indwelling
• 5:38,39 - wise words, not followed (vs. 40 - they beat them)

Chapter 6 - a Hellenist is a Greek-speaking Jew. The council (Sanhedrin) is the hightes ruiling and judicial body of Jews, but they are under the ultimate political authority of Rome. The council consists of 71 members including Pharisees, Saducees, scribes, preists and elders (leading men). The council had it's own police force, but were prevented by Rome in exercising capital punishment (which we saw with Christ and will see with Paul). So there was division among the council (Pharisees/Saducees), division amongst the Jews (Hellenist/Hebrew speaking), division politically (under Roman rule), and religiously (Greek gods, Roman gods, Christianity, Judiasm).

• 6:15 - how did Stephen's face look like the face of an angel? And they stoned him anyway?
• Chapter 7 - Stephen delivers a good overview of the history of Israel for the New Testament readers.
• 7:58 - Saul, who would become Paul
• This stoning of Stephen seems to have opened the door widely to sprad the Word across the surrounding areas, as the people scattered.
• 8:39 - the Spirit moved Philip physically over geographical boundaries.
• 9:2 - the new religious movement is called "the Way" - followers of Christ.
• 9:5 - what does "kick against the goads" mean?
• 9:15 - Saul is a chosen vessel by God to the Gentiles
• 10:15 - The vision shows Peter that "the Way" is not just for Jews, but for Gentiles as well.
• 11:15 - as at the beginning - at Pentecost?
• 11:18 - woo hoo! "Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life"
• 11:26 - first called "Christian"
• 12:17 - back to the names of the apostles - James - when I read this I wondered if Peter didn't know that James was dead (12:2), but apparently he must have been referring to the other James, not the son of Zebedee.
• 12:24 - I wonder how Roman history records the death of this Herod
• 14:19 - Paul is first worshipped as a god, then quickly the mob turns and he is stoned, but he lives.
• 14:23 - they appointed elders in every church
• 15:20 - When the argument comes up that the gentiles should have to follow Mosaic law and be circumcised if they convert to "the Way", the apostles say it is not necessary. However, they do come up with four rules that the gentile converts need to follow: abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. Seems like an interesting combination, given everything else they could have chosen. Avoid idol pollution: check. Avoid sexual immorality: check. Avoid blood: I'm assuming you mean eating blood, like it says in Moses' law: check. Avoid things strangled: I don't get it.
• 16:3 - why was Timothy circumcised? They just said it wasn't necessary. And if his mother was a Jew, why didn't that occur a long time ago?
• 18:2 - Jews were being kicked out of Rome by Claudius. Persecution of the Jews.
• 18:21 - Paul says he must have Passover in Jerusalem, but he goes to Israel and then heads north and spends 2 years in Ephesus.

So, other than Peter and John, who we see traveled to Caesarea and preached to the gentiles there, and Philip, who explained Isaiah to the Egyptian fellow, and James, who is killed, what are the other Apostles up to while Paul is roaming around spreading the word. Apparently Luke is pretty well connected to Paul because he writes this account. But Luke wasn't an apostle.

• 21:8 - Philip - one of the 7 - one of what seven?
• 21:26 - why would Paul offer up a sacrifice of purification? Wasn't he no longer under that law of sacrificing and purification? He had made a vow in 18:18 and cut off his hair then, too.

Paul was well equipped to get out of situations - he could play the "Pharisee" card the "Jew" card, the "Roman" card - and he didn't hesitate to do so.