Impact Ministries
Bible Institute
|
Masters Degree
|
30 hours credit
|
Students
applying for a Masters Degree must have completed BTCP and Bachelors Degree
with Impact Ministries Bible Institute or the equivalent. All registration and class fees must be
paid
|
1.
Summarize
each of the following Bible books: Acts
and Ephesians
A.
Write a
comparison of the church in these two Books
Acts tells the story of the Early Christian church, with particular
emphasis on the ministry of the apostles
Simon Peter and Paul
of Tarsus, who are the central figures of the middle and later
chapters of the book. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, discuss Jesus' Resurrection, his Ascension, the Day of Pentecost,
and the start of the apostles' ministry. The later chapters discuss Paul's conversion, his
ministry, and finally his arrest, imprisonment, and trip to Rome. A major theme
of the book is the expansion of the Holy Spirit's
work from the Jews, centering in Jerusalem, to the Gentiles
throughout the Roman
Empire.
Equipping: This claim to
purpose states that the author was writing to equip the saints to handle trials
that they may face and to encourage them to emulate Jesus and his disciples
when faced with similar situations.[15]
Many who side with this view disagree that Luke portrays Christianity or the
Roman Empire as harmless and thus reject the apologetic view because “Acts does
not present Christians as politically harmless or law abiding for there are a
large number of public controversies concerning Christianity, particularly
featuring Paul.”[15]
For example, to support this view Cassidy references how Paul is accused of
going against the Emperor because he is “saying that there is another king
named Jesus.”[15]
(Acts 17:7) Furthermore, there are multiple examples of Paul’s preaching
causing uprisings in various cities (Acts 14:2; 14:19; 16:19-23; 17:5;
17:13-14; 19:28-40; 21:27). By picturing Roman authority negatively proponents
of this view believe that it is emphasizing the fact that Christian’s should
obey and submit to Christ’s authority (Acts 4:19-20; 5:29). Cassidy proposed an
‘allegiance-conduct-witness’ theory to explain how Luke’s purpose lines up with
the equipping claim. He believes that Luke’s purpose was to share his faith in
Jesus, to provide guidance for living under Roman role and to inform believers
of how to act if put on trial.[15]
Furthermore, Cassidy believes that Luke’s work serves to “equip his readers to
handle such trials” by providing examples of the disciples’ suffering and to
encourage them to “show the same faithfulness of testimony when under trial as
Jesus and the leading disciples.”[
The structure of the book of Luke[38] is closely
tied with the structure of Acts.[39]
Both books are most easily tied to the geography of the book. Luke begins with
a global perspective, dating the birth of Jesus to the reign of the Roman emperors in Luke 2:1 and 3:1. From
there we see Jesus' ministry move from Galilee (chapters 4–9), through Samaria
and Judea (chs. 10–19), to Jerusalem where he is crucified,
raised and ascended into heaven (chs. 19–24). The book of
Acts follows just the opposite motion, taking the scene from Jerusalem (chs.
1–5), to Judea and Samaria (chs. 6–9), then traveling through Syria,
Asia Minor, and Europe
towards Rome (chs. 9–28). This chiastic structure emphasizes the
centrality of the resurrection
and ascension to Luke's message, while emphasizing the universal nature of the
gospel.
This geographic structure is
foreshadowed in Acts 1:8, where Jesus says "You shall be My witnesses both
in Jerusalem (chs. 1–5), and in all Judea and Samaria (chs. 6–9), and even to
the remotest part of the earth (chs. 10–28)." The first two sections (chs.
1–9) represent the witness of the apostles to the Jews, while the last section
(chs. 10–28) represent the witness of the apostles to the Gentiles.
The book of Acts can also be broken
down by the major characters of the book. While the complete title of the book
is the Acts of the Apostles, really the book focuses on only two men: The
Apostle Peter (chs. 1–12) and St. Paul (chs. 13–28).
Within this structure, the
sub-points of the book are marked by a series of summary statements, or what
one commentary calls a "progress report". Just before the geography
of the scene shifts to a new location, Luke summarizes how the gospel has impacted
that location. The standard for these progress reports is in 2:46–47, where
Luke describes the impact of the gospel on the new church in Jerusalem. The
remaining progress reports are located:
- Acts 6:7 Impact of the gospel in Jerusalem.
- 9:31 Impact of the gospel in Judea and Samaria.
- 12:24 Impact of the gospel in Syria.
- 16:5 Impact of the gospel in Asia Minor.
- 19:20 Impact of the gospel in Europe.
- 28:31 Impact of the gospel on Rome.
This structure can be also seen as a
series of concentric circles, where the gospel begins in the center, Jerusalem,
and is expanding ever outward to Judea & Samaria, Syria, Asia Minor,
Europe, and eventually to Rome.
The main theme of Ephesians is “the Church, the Body of
Christ.”
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I
urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely
humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every
effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
The Church is to maintain the unity
in practice which Christ has brought about positionally. According to New
Testament scholar Daniel Wallace, the theme may be stated pragmatically as
“Christians, get along with each other! Maintain the unity practically which
Christ has effected positionally by his death.”[5]
Another major theme in Ephesians is
the keeping of Christ's body (that is, the Church) pure and holy.
Therefore be imitators of God, as
beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for
us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
From Ephesians 4:17-6:20 the author
of the Epistle to the Ephesians gives practical advice in how to live a holy,
pure, and Christ-inspired lifestyle. Many devotional thoughts and sermons that
are addressed to the practically minded individual have been drawn from this
section of the New Testament, due to its nature as being good for application
studies.
The major theme of the letter is the unity and reconciliation of the whole
of creation through the agency of the Church and, in particular, its foundation
in Christ as part of the will of the Father.In the Epistle to the Romans Paul writes from the point of view of the demonstration of the righteousness of God — his covenant faithfulness and saving justice — in the gospel; the author of Ephesians writes from the perspective of union with Christ, who is the head of the true church.
Ephesians contains:
- 1:1,2. The
greeting
- 1:3–2:10. A
general account of the blessings that the gospel
reveals. This includes the source of these blessings, the means by which
they are attained, the reason they are given, and their final result. The
whole of the section 1:3-23
consists in the original Greek of just two lengthy and complex sentences (
1:3-14,15-23).
It ends with a fervent prayer
for the further spiritual enrichment of the Ephesians.
- 2:11–3:21. A
description of the change in the spiritual position of Gentiles as a result of the work of Christ.
It ends with an account of how Paul was selected and qualified to be an apostle to the Gentiles, in the
hope that this will keep them from being dispirited and lead him to pray
for them.
- 4:1–16. A
chapter on unity in the midst of the diversity of gifts among believers.
- 4:17–6:9. Instructions about ordinary life and different
relationships.
- 6:10–24. The
imagery of spiritual warfare (including the
metaphor of the Armor
of God), the mission of Tychicus,
and valedictory blessings.
2.
Write a
3point outline and 6 page paper based on Matthew 11:12
3.
Write a 3
point outline and 6 page paper based on Luke 16:13
NOTE: The instructor
may lecture on the following for class time:
I.
Book of
Acts
II.
Book of Ephesians
III.
Matthew 11:12
IV.
Luke 16:13
4.
Each
student must complete “The Cypress Project.”
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