Acts 15 V.7b

Exegeting Acts 15 v.7b * PCJB PP Presentation devised and prepared at Gujranwala Theological Seminary may be copied for non-commercial use only February 2005

Acts 15 v. 7b

“…God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.”

Step 1 PRAY Ask GOD to SPEAK to you first (with a personal message for you!) and then ask Him to guide you as you study this passage in order to expound it to others

Step 2 Note the GENRE Do we know who wrote the book in which this passage occurs? What form did the writer use here to express his thoughts?

The GENRE used by the AUTHOR Luke who was both a doctor and a historian He was writing an account of what happened from the time Jesus ascended into heaven to Paul’s imprisonment in Rome In this passage he is reporting an explanatory speech by Peter

Step 3 List the IDEAS God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe

Step 3 List the IDEAS God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe

Step 4 Observe the STRUCTURE Re-arrange the lay-out of the verse to show its structure by indenting the text Underline the actions

Acts 15 v. 7b

WORKSHEET

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe

Acts 15 v. 7b (1st Draft) God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe

Structure Shape (2nd draft) God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

Acts 15 v. 7b (best version?)

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and [might] believe. Note:  Relationship between “hear” and “believe” (Conjunction “and” is consequential (links cause with effect)  Toggle (inter-change) structure of “from my lips” and “the message”

Step 5 – Analyse the CONTENT Ask QUESTIONS (Kipling‘s “six serving men“) God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and [might] believe.

Analysis:  Who was involved in this activity? – “God” – “you” – “the Gentiles” – Peter (“my”)  From where did God make a choice? – “among you”  How did the Gentiles hear? – “from my lips”  What did they hear? – “the message of the gospel”  When did they believe? – after they heard this message?  Why did God choose Peter? – “that Gentiles might believe”

Note the ACTION God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

Who is doing what? God makes a choice of a messenger The Gentiles hear the gospel and respond

Step 6 Check the CONTEXT When they arrived in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported on what God had been doing through their ministry. But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood up and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and be required to follow the law of Moses. So the Apostles and church elders got together to decide this question. At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. God, who knows people’s hearts, confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he gave him to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he also cleansed their hearts through faith. Why are you now questioning God’s way by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the special favor of the Lord Jesus.” There was no further discussion (Acts 15:4-12- NLT)

Situation (Context before the passage)

What has been happening beforehand? Peter is speaking to the Council of Jerusalem about whether Gentiles need to undergo the rite of circumcision to be accepted as true believers

Situation (Context after the passage)

What follows on afterwards? Peter asks the former Pharisees why they want to question God’s way of doing things by burdening the Gentile believers with requirements that even they themselves could not bear END OF STORY! – No further discussion!

Step 7 Decide the over-all SUBJECT What is the subject of the passage that covers all the topics / ideas? God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

Preaching

Step 8 Identify the TEACHING Key Points (about the Subject)

What does the text say about this subject preaching? God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

Key Points (about the Subject)

We can see how God’s sovereignty works out in preaching….

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

…when we consider:

    

The preacher (Peter chosen from “among you”) The audience (“the Gentiles”) The method (“hearing from my lips”) The message (“the message of the gospel”) The outcome (“believe”)

Step 9 Check for CONSISTENCY Biblically Sound?

Is your interpretation of the passage so far in agreement with the rest of Scripture? Refer to Commentaries Check a doubtful point with a Concordance (or with the NIV Thematic Study Bible Index)

Step 10 Expose the HEART-BEAT

God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.

The HEART-BEAT of the text

God has chosen preaching as an effective way of bringing His truth to the world

Acknowledgements are due to J.A.Motyer whose Preface to Haddon Robinson‘s “Expository Preaching“ provided the inspiration for the lay-out of Frame 27 Also to Toni William for the Urdu translation and its computer setting

Step 11 Apply the LESSON

 Without preachers who preach God’s own message (not their own) people will not be able to hear and respond to the Gospel

 So pray for more God-chosen preachers (not simply man-appointed) to answer the call to the Ministry of the Gospel

 Pray for your own ministers that they bring God’s message (not their own thoughts) each Sunday when they preach

Step 12 Get a RESPONSE!

The End