(DOWNLOAD) "Preaching on Acts for Mission Formation." by Currents in Theology and Mission # Book PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Preaching on Acts for Mission Formation.
- Author : Currents in Theology and Mission
- Release Date : January 01, 2004
- Genre: Politics & Current Events,Books,Religion & Spirituality,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 245 KB
Description
When someone in the church wants to talk about mission, it's a good bet that the book of the Acts of the Apostles will soon come into the discussion. This seems natural, since Acts is all about the mission expansion of the early church. Yet in the first few centuries of its existence Acts was not generally used to teach and preach on mission. Even today, it is difficult to preach on Acts from the lectionary. The brief reflections that follow are meant to challenge preachers to think creatively about how Acts might be used to preach, particularly with the goal of forming the faith of the people of God for mission. This focus is appropriate in an issue that honors Robert Smith, for some of his early writing was on Acts, (1) and readers of Currents know well his contributions in this journal to the art of preaching. It may seem strange to us now, but Acts apparently did not find much of an audience for a hundred years or so after it was written. It is impossible to be certain why this was so, but the best guess is simply that it was not found to be useful for preaching or instruction. (2) Acts was separated from the Gospel of Luke because of its different content and had to prove its own value in the churches. Because Acts was neither a Gospel that contained the words and deeds of the Lord nor an Epistle with the teachings of Paul or other apostles, it had an uncertain status through most of the second century. At the end of the second century, however, Acts suddenly sprang into prominence in the writings of Irenaeus and Tertullian, largely because Acts proved very useful in the doctrinal and ecclesiological struggles against Marcion and the Gnostics. Acts became an important witness to apostolic unity and support for the "rule of faith" of the Great Church. (3) The historical and doctrinal functions of Acts were far more prominent than its use for instruction and preaching on mission.