Kerygma: Week Two Follow-Up

Week Two: The Gospel According to the Early Church

Welcome to week two of our study on the message of our faith! Last week, we took a look at some problems with ways atonement (literally, at-one-ment) has been popularly talked about and took a look at a parable of Jesus that challenges these popular explanations. This week we will try to lay aside typical ways of relating the good news and instead look at how the early apostles shared the Gospel in the book of Acts.

Preaching in Acts

Since the book of Acts is filled to the brim with examples of the apostles sharing faith with folks, I will not take up space plumbing the details of each instance. However, here is a brief list of these passages with links for you to explore for yourself!

1. Peter at Pentecost, Acts 2:14-40
2. Peter to crowds/before Sanhedrin, Acts 3:11-23, 4:10-12, 18-22
3. Stephen to before high priest, Acts 7:2-56 (specifically 52-56)
4. Philip's roadside conversation with Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8:26-40
5. Peter and Centurion, Acts 10:34-46
6. Paul preaches in Antioch, Acts 13:16-48
7. Paul and Barnabas attempt to correct folks attempting to worship them, Acts 14:14-18
8. Peter argues against circumcision at Jerusalem Council, Acts 15:7-18
9. Paul reasons in the synagogues in Thessalonica, Acts 17:1-4
10. Paul in Athens, Acts 17:22-34
11. Paul speaks to Ephesians about the Holy Spirit, Acts 19:1-7
12. Paul gives testimony in front of angry crowd in Jerusalem, Acts 22:1-21
13. Paul defends himself before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, Acts 24:14-16; 26:2-29

With the exception of a few instances where Paul tries some inventive ways of speaking to pagans (non-Jews) or gives his personal conversion testimony, we see some common threads running through these gospel presentations:

• The patriarchs, kings, and prophets of Israel have all been looking forward to the coming of the Messiah, who has been made known in the person of Jesus.
• Jesus was the Righteous One who performed miracles and signs, bringing peace to many.
• Despite these signs, he was rejected and crucified. His own people disowned him, though they could prove no fault in him, and gave him up in favor of a murderer.
• Yet God raised him from the dead three days later and exalted him above all other names. 
• He appeared to those whom God had chosen and commanded them to preach repentance in his name. All those who repent and are baptized in his name will be saved and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, living in the hope of the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus.

Bridging the Gap

Now there are some obvious differences in the way the early apostles shared the story of Jesus. First off, the apostles lived in a world in which the problem was assumed: The world is messed up and we are in need of a savior. They did not feel the need to convince people of their sin or the fallen state of the world. People were very aware that the world needed saving (most were just looking to the wrong places for a savior - idols and/or the empire). Second, we notice that Jesus' death is never once spoken of as an intentional sacrifice for the payment of our sins. In fact, the apostles go out of their way to note the injustice of Jesus' death and the miraculous power displayed as God exalts Jesus through the resurrection. Salvation comes as a result of repentance, baptism, and faithfulness to the risen Lord.

The gospel displayed in Acts could be paraphrased and applied this way:

Humanity has been in a mess for a long time, but the long-predicted savior has come! Jesus of Nazareth came as the Righteous One and Messiah, performing miracles and bringing peace to many. But we got scared and conspired to put Jesus to death in order to calm our anxieties about all this being too good to be true, nailing him to a cross along with all our fear and shame. But this death could not contain Jesus! He was raised from the grave, and in his resurrection Jesus confronts us with forgiveness. If we turn away from our sin and proclaim Jesus as Lord and Messiah, then we can experience a new life and restored intimacy with God never before imagined.

Isn't this fantastic news!? We have a God who has drawn near to us and overturned all our faulty notions of power and justice in the world. He transforms death into life! He takes all our fear and anxiety and vindictiveness and absorbs it into his steadfast love and mercy! We no longer need to fear because the one with power over life and death speaks peace to us.

Hopefully you've found this helpful and challenging. May we continue to search out the scriptures to find what God has to say to us. Check in next week as we look at the Romans Road and ask what Paul was really saying...

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