Reconstruction: 1052502

Acts of the Apostles which is formally known as the book of acts is also the fifth book of the New Testament. This book focuses and tells the story of the Christian Church being founded and the spread of the message of Christianity to the Roman Empire. This paper will be focusing on how the thematic development occurs in this book.

The first part is about the gospel of Luke. This tells the readers about how god fulfilled the plan he had for the world’s salvation through life, and death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the messiah that was promised. What follows is the story of Christianity that happened in the first century. This began with the ascension of Jesus to heaven. The first chapter are based on Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit coming on the day of Pentecost and the establishment of the church in Pentecost.

The Holy Spirit is a prominent theme in the Book of Acts. He is described as the very power that is responsible for empowering the church to live a life that is transformed. It also records that various miracles were performed by him that validated the ministry of the Apostles. He is the one responsible for the great courage within the Christians. He is symbolized as the giver of great power to people who live in a Godly way.

This was talked about by Jesus, in acts 1:6-8, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” This develops the theme of geographical/ethnic advance when it came to the proclamation of the Gospel.

The theme of the participation is evident in the acts, when it came to the Christians. Here the theme of redemption plays an important role as it is said that whoever calls the name of the lord shall be saved. Christianity, in the acts is how the people is supposed to save themselves by becoming a part of God’s new world. The theme of giving is also prevalent. As peter had said, “I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” Power, resources and status were to be utilized for the greater good of the community.

If Peter’s sermons are read along with his evangelistic address when the lame man was healed at the beautiful gate, it is evident that he is talking of salvation throughout. His sermons end with an appeal. He talks of the guilt felt by the Jewish for crucifying Jesus and the resurrection of Jesus. He says that if we all declare his name, all will be saved as everyone needs salvation. Two recurring themes are standing out, one being that God is Omnipresent and that he will never be tied down to one place and that the people closest to him are the ‘pilgrim people’. He also focuses on Israel constantly being a resistive force and their constant rejection will harm them and they can only be redeemed if they take the name of the Messiah.

The prevalent themes of Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin is are related to the Holy place or the temple and the law. His focus was on his belief that God does not limit himself to the temple and that he is present everywhere. He even focuses on the disobedience of the people of Israel when it came to law. This speech thematically fits within the course of the book as it is similar to whatever peter had preached. They are of the same belief that God is everywhere and watching over everything. These themes are non-negotiable throughout the book. It is the only way they could preach the fact that God is watching over everything nd fates are being decided, however, he is all forgiving and that recognizing him is the only path to salvation.

In conclusion, it is evident that the first movement solely focuses on the theme of God as a sovereign system of power, above everything and all other systems of power. He is an omniscient and omnipresent entity that watches over whatever is happening in this world. He is all powerful and has the ability to grant people salvation.  

References

Acts of the Apostles. (n.d.). .