The book of Acts is an exciting and fascinating book for
Christians to study, as it displays the characteristics, environment, and
excitement of the early church. Much can be learned by analyzing how the early
church conducted itself and how they lived. As Gundry (2012) states, it is
believed that the historical events that are written about in the book of Acts
took place in the mid 60’s A.D. This was a mere 30 years after Jesus’ death and
resurrection.
For
this assignment, we will be looking at the apostles’ mission to share the
Gospel with the Gentiles. You will do a study of one of the geographical areas
described in the book of Acts during the very beginnings of the Church’s spread
of Christianity to the Gentile nations. You will also analyze why this mission
was controversial, dangerous, and significant for the early Christian church.
Start out by reading Acts 10-15.
Once
you have finished your reading, select one of the following areas mentioned in
the reading:
Caesarea
Jerusalem
Antioch
Iconium
Lystra
Construct
a PowerPoint presentation with detailed notes in the Notes section or a
voiceover, based on the following criteria:
Do some additional research to identify the
cultural context and geographical location of this area during the time
that the book of Acts took place.
Analyze and articulate the significance of this
location in the spread of Christianity.
Looking at the entirety of Acts 10-15, identify
the various “parties” in the argument over the spread of
Christianity to the Gentiles.
Describe each “party’s’” point of view and how the
early church finally settled the issue.
What do you think was ultimately at stake in the
argument?
