Acts of the Apostles Session Four

Chapters 6-9
Stephen, Saul, Peter and the power of forgiveness
Quiz time!
1. What was the wise counsel of the Jewish leader concerning this new “Jesus movement”
and what does it tell us about how God has been working in His Church?
2. At what hour did Peter and John heal the beggar at the entrance to the Temple? What is
the significance of that hour for us today?
3. What did Ananias and his wife Saphira lie about that led to their dramatic deaths?
*answers given at the end.
Chapters 6-9, brief overview:
 Growth of the Church
 Divergence among language groups
 Discernment by apostles and disciples, calling and ordaining of first deacons
 Stephen’s ministry and accusations against him
 Stephen’s trial and exposition of the story of salvation (7:1-53)
 Stephen’s martyrdom
 Scattering of the Church (“…in Judea and Samaria…”) and furtherance of the mission.
 Simon the Magician: a cautionary tale.
 Saul: persecutor who encounters the Risen Lord, on the road and in Damascus
 Saul: new follower of Jesus, always stirring up trouble
 Miracles of Peter
Deacon Mike Theobald (and Deacon Wilson): reflections on St. Stephen
 Centrality of service: the “dusty ones”
 Charity
 Martyr: Greek word for “witness”. We are all called to bear witness to Jesus in our daily
lives
 Stephen: model of forgiveness
Acts 7: 1-53-Stephen’s Discourse: model of how to read the Bible (typology)
 Luke 24:25-27
 6:12-14…they brought him before the Sanhedrin. They presented false witnesses who
testified, “this man never stops saying things against [this] holy place and the law…Jesus
the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down
to us.”
 “face was like the face of an angel” (Transfiguration)
 Is Stephen against the Temple?
 A continuation of Luke’s account of Jesus’ trial
 Martyrs and in persona Christi
 Abraham and the promise of God
 (7:9-16) Jesus the New Joseph. “Although the Joseph story (Genesis 37-50) is mentioned
only rarely in the New Testament, Joseph is one of the most striking biblical types of
Jesus.” (Kurz, 120). Beloved son, rejected by brothers, sold for silver, stripped of his
robe, cast down, taken off in chains, conspired against, falsely accused, his “death”
 brings life (to Israel, to Egypt and to the world), ransoms his people, raised to High
honor, forgives his brothers. The savior of the Sons of Israel.
 The two rejections of Moses
o Moses as a “prophetic savior who is twice disowned by his people…Stephen’s
account emphasizes the biblical theme of the rejection of prophets by God’s
people.” (Kurz)
o Cleaned up version of the Moses story
o First Rejection-7:27 “who appointed you ruler and judge over us?”
o 7:30 “Forty years later, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai
in the flame of the burning bush…”
 Angels, spirits, and the Resurrection of the Dead
o Second rejection: 7:39—Take Israelites out of Egypt, but not Egypt out of them
(Idolatry)
o “Our ancestors…our ancestors…You stiff necked people…You received the law as
transmitted by angels, but you did not observe it.”
The Vision of the Son of Man: Daniel
 Acts 7: 56; Luke 22:69-67, Daniel 7: 13-14
Power of Forgiveness- Acts 7:60
Scattered Church
 Philip goes to Samaria, “…there was great joy in that city.”
 Simon the Magician (Acts 8:9-13, 18-24)
 Peter and John: Confirmation. 8:17-“Then they laid hands on them and they received
the Holy Spirit.”
 Model of evangelization: Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26-40)
o Open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit (Lord, give me an opportunity to
evangelize)
o Runs along side
o Starts with questions
o Answers question the eunuch is actually asking
o Familiarity with Scripture and the “great story” and can share it in words he can
understand (like Jesus on road to Emmaus, like Stephen)
o Leads to Baptism and joy
Saul the persecutor: account of Conversion will be relayed three times in Acts
 “why are you persecuting me?”
 The Church as the body of Christ
 Ananias: another model of Evangelization
o “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before
Gentiles, kings and Israelites, and I will show him what he will suffer for my
name.”
 Saul’s eyes are opened—Remember Emmaus and Genesis!
o Jesus to Jesus.
o Baptized and eats (Sacramental life)
 Saul’s preaching and escape
  The Church at peace (9:31)
Peter’s miracles
 Aeneas-“all the inhabitants of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they returned to the
Lord.”
 Tabitha/Dorcas raised to life
 leading to next week…
Answers to Quiz!
For next Week, read Acts 10-12 and Galatians 1:11-17
Small Group Discussion Questions
1. What is one aspect of today’s lesson that stands out to you?
2. What does Stephen accuse his listeners of in Acts 7:51-53?
3. How is Stephen’s death reminiscent of Jesus’ death?
4. Stephen forgives: how has forgiveness played a role in your life? Where have you
experienced being forgiven? Where has God called you to forgive someone else?
5. Why was Simon wrong in his request of Peter? Where can we be tempted to treat God
in a “magical” way?
6. How can you model the evangelization of Philip to the Ethiopian this upcoming week?
(go back through the notes and see the outline of his “model”).