Acts: Preaching the Gospel of Jesus to the World - Essay Sample

Introduction

The book of Acts occupies an essential position in so far as the understanding the gospel of Jesus is concerned and the role the New Testament plays in fulfilling the promise of salvation to humanity. From its necessary title, it denotes the activities that were conducted by the apostles to preach the gospel of Jesus to all corners of the world. The book covers the period between the time Jesus was crucified and later ascended to heaven and the time of apostleship of Paul during his sojourn in Rome where he sought to preach the gospel to the citizens of the empire. Before his ascension to heaven, he required the apostles to spread the gospel to those that had not learned about the gospel of Jesus and eternal salvation. This is what the book explores. The question, however, arises is: what is the main theme of the book of Acts? The central message of the book of Acts is the call to use prayer and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to spread the Christian message from its point of origin to other parts of the world despite the presence of the threat of persecutions.

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Since the birth of Jesus and his ascension to heaven, the ministry of Christian faith was confined to the Jewish region. Since Jesus came to rescue everyone from sin, the gospel needed be spread to all corners of the world so that all and sundry would get the message of salvation. For this reason, the next phase of the gospel after the death and ascension of Jesus was to deliver his letter to the Gentiles (Stenschke 67). For instance, the gospel spread through Jerusalem (as recorded in Acts 1-7), Judea and Samaria (as noted in Acts 8-13), as well as the rest of the region as covered in the subsequent chapters of the book of Acts. Such calling was not only the expectation Jesus Christ but also the imperative that all peoples shall receive the word of God so to acquire the everlasting kingdom. At the center of the spread were the theme of witnessing, church, prayer, the Holy Spirit and the growth of the gospel.

The Holy Spirit occupies an essential part of the Christian faith. It is significant in the mission in that it helps Christian to sustain their efforts in spreading the gospel. This was meant to take the place of Jesus Christ after he ascended to heaven. According to the book of John (14:26), Jesus is recorded to have prepared his disciples about his departure. However, this was a physical separation since Jesus promised them that He would send the Holy Spirit to accompany them in whatever they were supposed to engage during the ministry. Such helper was to remain permanently with the apostles while they prepared for his second coming. As Luke notes, "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues as it enabled them (Acts 2:4). In this respect, the Holy Spirit plays can be considered to have taken the place of Jesus after his ascension to heaven. In other words, the Holy Spirit is a different form of Jesus which was to help the disciples with the strength to carry on with the mission. In the absence of the Holy Spirit, the connection between the apostles and Jesus would not be possible hence their understanding of the need to spread the gospel would have been undermined.

Prayer is also a critical ingredient in the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to the neighboring areas of the city and beyond. Through prayer, we communicate with God in matters relating to salvation and our existence. Jesus often prayed to seek the guidance of God during his mission on earth. It is a way of receiving God's intervention in things that human beings cannot do on their own as well as an opportunity to receive grace. Through prayer, humankind creates the opportunity to serve and praise God for what he has done in our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:18). During the spread of the gospel in the early days of the church, prayer made it possible for the apostles to proclaim the name of Jesus and spread his message of salvation. As noted in the book, when they prayed, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with fearless confidence"(Acts 4:31). In this case, engaging in prayer is depicted as vital character apostles needed to have to build the connection between themselves and Jesus. As such, it is through prayer that the apostles could receive the Holy Spirit to enable them discern the real expectations of Jesus in so far as the spread of the message to other parts of the world and its relationship with the second coming.

The Holy Spirit and prayer played a significant role in motivating the apostles to spread the gospel. The book of Acts details the various persecutions that the apostles had to undergo for the sake of the gospel. During these challenging periods, the presence of the Holy Spirit among them and the use of prayer enabled the apostles to sacrifice their lives, as Jesus did, for the mission. The stoning of Stephen is a classic illustration of the role of the Holy Spirit and prayer in the spread of the word of God outside Jerusalem. As an Apostle, Stephen annoyed the Pharisees, who accused him of blasphemy. Even when he was on trial, he appeared unbowed by the efforts of the Pharisees to stop him from proclaiming the exact message of Jesus Christ. As the Pharisees expressed their anger and intention to condemn him to death, Stephen invoked prayer and the Holy Spirit. It says, (But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God"(Acts 7:55). As they stoned him Stephen prayed "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them" (Acts 7:59-60). In this incident, the prayer and Holy Spirit touched the heart of Saul (later to be known as Paul) of Tarsus, who took over the mission of Stephen. In this sense, prayer and the Holy Spirit ensured that there as continuity of the gospel in the face of persecution through the intervention of Jesus. In his letters and sermons Paul urges Christ-followers to be firm in the time of suffering since such experiences promote hope and endurance in the spread of the gospel (Rosell 1-2). Thus, pain is emphasized to ensure that the mission to spread the gospel outside the Jewish territory was sustained as the book of Acts seeks to communicate.

Witnessing is further used as an essential tool for the spread of the gospel to all corners of the world by the apostles. Seeing is a responsibility for all Christians to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ to serve the purpose of making others know about the love claimed in the gospel. According to the book of Corinthians (5:20), Christians are urged to be ambassadors for Christ so that God can appeal to the gentiles through us. That way, the Christians act as agents of God by sharing faith with people that have not yet received the gospel. Such mission is well-covered in the book of Acts. For instance, Apostle Paul urged the people of Rome to be witnesses of Jesus as that was the only way they could spread the gospel through character. He says, "Now these Jews were nobler than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with eagerness" (Acts 17:11). Such message seeks to proclaim the name of Jesus is the driver of the gospel outside Jerusalem. In this case, the apostles tried to emulate the character of Jesus as well as communicate the love of God for all humanity as two essential tools for the spread of the gospel. Witnessing represents acceptance of the character of Jesus and informing others about its contribution to their salvation. It was vital to witnesses as it helped the growth of the church by reflecting the values of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion

As a conclusion, the central message that is carried throughout the book of Acts is the idea of promoting the gospel to people outside the Jewish region where Jesus was born. It is in this region that the mission was confined. However, following the death of Jesus, the apostles were tasked to spread the gospel to all corners of the world as a way of proclaiming salivation. The message was delivered in many ways; praying, teaching, preaching, and witnessing.

Works Cited

Rosell, Sergio. "Loving God... unto death: The witness of the early Christians." HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies, vol. 66, no. 1, 2010, pp. 1-9.

Stenschke, Christoph. "Mission of the Book of Acts: Mission of the Church." Scripitura, vol. 103, no. 2010, 2010, pp. 66-78.