Acts: History for history's sake?

So, what do you think? Are some bits of Acts just there because it's helpful for us to know what happened in some parts of the early church? Or is every event there trying to get across some truth that will instruct and change the hearers?

In essence, what is the rhetorical force of the more 'difficult' bits of Acts? Some don't seem to readily give up application. It's a discussion which brings up all sorts of things, including what you expect that God would have included in Scripture, and why.

Debate. Discuss. Rant!

I'll join in soon. Or when no-one else does.

aha! #2

So, picking up on my previous post, I've realised that I didn't use Paul's sermon well as the basis for my gospel appeal.

Though perhaps with reasonable excuse, as Nathan graciously said, I didn't exegete the things about God's imminence in Acts 17 sufficiently. There is so much in there about both being created for God and His desire to be known by us. Coupled to this Paul's appeal to repent of ignorance and come to know God truly, there's great beauty in the grace of God as expressed here.

Who cares? Well, I think the problem is that my talk's appeal for response was primarily based on not being found to be opposing God. Now this is a good motivation, but would have been far stronger when coupled with the appeal of the God who created me to know him and wants all people everywhere to know him.

Hmm... I'd have to do some more thinking if I was going to really develop this one properly. Ideally, I'd have preached the passage in 2 or 3 talks. We do what we can.

The theme verse of Acts?

Ok, so it's not the theme verse of Acts, but then it would have been a whole lot less exciting to announce the possibility of having discovered only one of the many verses in Acts which pick up on its theme, now wouldn't it?

Still, I think this is exciting.

In my judgement, Luke-Acts is about the fulfilment of the plan that God had all along, to bring blessing to the whole earth through Jesus. (Luke 2:32 (citing Isaiah 42:6) Luke 3:6 (citing Isaiah 51:10 and Psalm 98:2-3), Luke 24:46-8, Acts 1:8, 10:15) Luke-Acts is designed to show that the missionary work in Acts is valid. Huzzah! I've not believed in vain.

But a sub-theme to this is the irony that many of the Jews actually end up standing in God's way and trying to thwart His purposes. Stephen's speech in Acts 7 shows that this, too, is what had been happening all along, throughout the history of Israel. In reality, a number of Jews resisting God's plans is business as usual.

Note well, then, that 90% of the trouble that Paul gets into in his missionary journeys is instigated and funded by the Jews, not the gentiles. Luke uses the word jealousy to describe their motivation. (Acts 17:5)

The message? Summed up in a man who may well have been speaking even better than he knew: Paul's old Pharisee mentor, Gamaliel.

"If this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!"

Let us make sure that we're never being jealous people who think that we have the inside running with God. Let us make sure we're not smugly sniping or actively hindering anyone from hearing the gospel. Especially, let's not attack a member of Christ out of jealousy.

It's just possible that we may be found to be opposing God.