| Preface to the ASM Series | xiii |
| Acknowledgments | xiv |
| Contributors | xv |
| 1. | Introduction: Background to Acts | 1 |
| The Unique Genre of Acts | 2 |
| Introduction to Luke-Acts | 3 |
| Authorship and Date | 4 |
| Luke's Audience | 6 |
| Setting and Purpose | 7 |
| Three-Part Structure | 8 |
| Six-Part Structure | 9 |
| Two-Part Structure | 10 |
| The Structure of the Two Volumes, Luke-Acts | 10 |
| The Journey Motif | 12 |
| The Nature of the Reader | 13 |
| 2. | The Launching of Mission: The Outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost Acts 2:1-41 | 18 |
| The Need for Empowerment | 18 |
| The Nature of the Empowerment | 20 |
| The Symbols of Pentecost | 21 |
| The Crowd's Response | 22 |
| Prophetic Utterance | 23 |
| The Triumphant Presence of the Crucified Christ | 24 |
| Convicting Power | 26 |
| Community Incorporation | 26 |
| 3. | Dismantling Social Barriers through Table Fellowship Acts 2:42-47 | 29 |
| Table Fellowship in Social Perspective | 29 |
| Biblical Context for Acts 2:42-47 | 30 |
| Table Fellowship in Acts 2:42-47 | 31 |
| Christian Caring is Christian Sharing | 32 |
| Contextual Observations and Conclusions | 33 |
| 4. | Holistic Ministry and the Incident at the Gate Beautiful Acts 3:1-26 | 37 |
| The Healing Incident | 38 |
| The Apostles and Setting | 38 |
| The Man Lame from Birth | 39 |
| The Healing at the Gate Beautiful | 40 |
| Peter's Explanation of the Healing (3:12b-16) | 42 |
| Peter's Appeal for Repentance (3:17-26) | 42 |
| Implications for Practitioners Engaged in Holistic Ministry | 43 |
| 5. | From "Doingness" to "Beingness": A Missiological Interpretation Acts 4:22-31 | 45 |
| Context of the Scene | 46 |
| Interpretation of Acts 4:23-31 | 47 |
| Sovereignty over Creation | 48 |
| Sovereignty over Humanity | 48 |
| Sovereignty over the Present Situation | 50 |
| Results of the Prayer | 52 |
| Application of Acts 4:23-31 | 54 |
| 6. | Cross-cultural Mediation: From Exclusion to Inclusion Acts 6:1-7; also 5:33-42 | 59 |
| Acts 6: Dealing Openly with Conflict | 60 |
| Growing Pains and Intergroup Conflict | 61 |
| Heightened Otherness during Cultural Change | 61 |
| Hebraic Suspicion of Hellenized Jews | 65 |
| The Challenge of Preserving Hebrew Identity | 66 |
| The Mediated Mediate | 67 |
| Pentecost as Source of Unity and Division | 68 |
| Gamaliel's Mediation | 68 |
| Contemporary Emergence of Conflict | 69 |
| Implications for the Immigrant Church Today | 70 |
| 7. | Dynamics in Hellenism and the Immigrant Congregation Acts 6:8--8:2 | 73 |
| Stephen and Hellenism | 74 |
| Crucial Turns in Stephen's Speech and the Immigrant Church | 76 |
| The Journeys of Landless Abraham | 76 |
| Joseph and Moses: Aliens in Foreign Lands | 77 |
| The Rejection of Moses and God's Presence in the Wilderness | 77 |
| The Tension between Old and New in Hellenism | 79 |
| The Tabernacle and the Temple | 79 |
| Resident-Alien Status of the Patriarchs | 81 |
| The Living Law | 82 |
| The Ramifications of Stephen's Martyrdom | 82 |
| The Journeys of the People of God | 83 |
| Stephen's Message and the Immigrant Church | 83 |
| 8. | Preaching for Mission: Ancient Speeches and Postmodern Sermons Acts 7:2-53; 13:16-41; 14:15-17 | 87 |
| Stephen's Speech to the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem (7:2-53) | 90 |
| Paul's Speech to the Synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (13:16-41) | 93 |
| The Speech of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles at Lystra (14:15-17) | 95 |
| Ancient Speeches and Postmodern Sermons | 97 |
| 9. | The Magical Mystery Tour: Philip Encounters Magic and Materialism in Samaria Acts 8:4-25 | 103 |
| Simon the "Great" | 104 |
| Form and Meaning | 106 |
| Contemporary Blend of Faith and Money | 107 |
| The Misuse of Power | 108 |
| The Second Pentecost | 109 |
| Conclusion | 111 |
| 10. | The Ethiopian Eunuch: A Key Transition from Hellenist to Gentile Mission Acts 8:26-40 | 114 |
| An Ethiopian | 115 |
| A Minister of Candace and a Eunuch | 117 |
| The Role of the Story | 118 |
| Conclusion | 120 |
| 11. | Worshiping, Working, and Waiting: Exploring Paul's Call to Mission Acts 9:1-22 | 123 |
| Paul's Missionary Call | 125 |
| Nature and Description of Paul's Missionary Call | 125 |
| How God Communicated the Call to Paul | 127 |
| How Paul Responded to the Missionary Call | 128 |
| Applications to Latin American Involvement in the Missionary Movement | 129 |
| 12. | Peter's Conversion: A Culinary Disaster Launches the Gentile Mission Acts 10:1--11:18 | 133 |
| The Relevance of Peter's Conversion | 135 |
| The Focus of Peter's Conversion | 136 |
| The Discourse-Level Narrative Structure | 137 |
| The Heart of the Story | 138 |
| The Implications of the Story | 140 |
| Conclusion | 141 |
| 13. | The Church at Antioch: Crossing Racial, Cultural, and Class Barriers Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3 | 144 |
| A Global Challenge | 144 |
| The Antioch Model | 146 |
| Evangelism through Lay Leadership | 146 |
| Every Member a Minister | 148 |
| Care for New Believers | 149 |
| Witness to Oneness in Christ | 149 |
| Compassion for the Poor | 150 |
| Balanced Leadership | 151 |
| Elimination of Racial and Ethnic Barriers | 151 |
| Mission for Others | 152 |
| Radical Christians | 153 |
| 14. | Hope in the Midst of Trial Acts 12:1-11 | 157 |
| Background of Acts 12 | 158 |
| Persecution of the Jerusalem Church: Acts 12:1-5 | 158 |
| Peter Released from Prison: Acts 12:6-11 | 161 |
| Conclusion: The Prognosis | 164 |
| 15. | The Cursing Paul: Magical Contests in Acts 13 and the New Testament Apocrypha Acts 13:6-12 | 167 |
| What Happened in Paphos? | 168 |
| Magic in the Greco-Roman World | 168 |
| Paul's Use of Magical Language | 172 |
| Paul Confronts Elymas (Bar-Jesus) | 174 |
| Implications for Mission Today | 176 |
| 16. | Success in the City: Paul's Urban Mission Strategy Acts 14:1-28 | 183 |
| A New Vision | 183 |
| Where and How to Begin? | 184 |
| Surprise Direction | 184 |
| Contact Points in the City | 185 |
| Spread of the Jewish Religion | 186 |
| Enough Time to Plant a Church? | 188 |
| God Ahead of Us | 188 |
| God's Hand in Contemporary Movements | 189 |
| The Apostles' Strategy | 189 |
| Accountable to the Church | 193 |
| 17. | The Jerusalem Council: Some Implications for Contextualization Acts 15:1-35 | 196 |
| The Importance of Acts 15 | 196 |
| Lessons from the Setting | 197 |
| Conflict and Resolution | 200 |
| Gospel of Grace | 201 |
| Fellowship and Testimony | 203 |
| Characterization | 205 |
| Conclusion | 206 |
| 18. | Finding the Will of God: Historical and Modern Perspectives Acts 16: 1-30 | 209 |
| Divine Interruption | 210 |
| Divine Guidance in the First Century | 211 |
| Divine Guidance in the Early Church | 212 |
| Divine Response to the Jailing of Paul and Silas | 216 |
| Conclusion | 217 |
| 19. | Paul's Speech on the Areopagus: A Model of Cross-cultural Evangelism Acts 17:16-34 | 221 |
| The Setting of the Speech | 223 |
| The Form of the Speech | 226 |
| The Content of the Speech | 230 |
| The Reaction to the Speech | 232 |
| Conclusion | 233 |
| 20. | The Art of Finishing Well: Paul as Servant Leader Acts 18:1-28 and 20:17-38 | 239 |
| Paul Served alongside Ordinary People (Acts 18:1-23) | 242 |
| Paul Reproduced Servant Disciples | 243 |
| Paul Empowered Male and Female Disciples as Servant Leaders (Acts 18:24-26) | 243 |
| Servant Leadership Gives Credibility | 245 |
| Conclusion | 246 |
| 21. | The Fourth Pentecost: Paul and the Power of the Holy Spirit Acts 19:1-22 | 248 |
| The City of Ephesus | 249 |
| The Church at Ephesus | 249 |
| The Context of Paul's Visit to Ephesus | 250 |
| The Full Gospel: From Repentance to Power | 251 |
| The Results | 254 |
| Conclusion | 255 |
| 22. | For Missionaries and Leaders: Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders Acts 20:17-38 | 257 |
| Paul's Farewell: Modeling the Spirit of Mission (Acts 20:17-38) | 258 |
| Paul's Personal Example (Acts 20:18-27) | 259 |
| Paul's Final Exhortation (Acts 20:25-35) | 265 |
| Epilogue | 270 |
| 23. | Do the Right Thing--But Results Are Not Guaranteed Acts 21:17--22:36; 24:10-21 | 274 |
| Paul Reports and the Jerusalem Elders Respond | 275 |
| The Elders' Plan | 277 |
| Solution to the Problem | 278 |
| Paul Victimized by the Rumor Mill | 279 |
| Implications for Mission | 281 |
| 24. | The Contextualization and Translation of Christianity Acts 9:1-9; 22:3-33; 26:2-23 | 283 |
| Contextualization | 284 |
| The Translation Model | 285 |
| Acts 9:1-9 | 285 |
| Acts 22:3-22 | 287 |
| Acts 26:2-23 | 291 |
| Conclusion | 294 |
| 25. | The Apostle Paul's Acts of Power Acts 22-28 | 297 |
| The Kingdom of God and Power | 297 |
| The Transformation of an Urban Slum | 298 |
| Power for the Sake of the Gospel | 300 |
| Paul before the Temple Leadership | 301 |
| Paul before the Roman Tribune | 303 |
| Building Relationships | 303 |
| Paul before Caesar | 304 |
| Paul before Agrippa and Festus | 307 |
| Sharing the Gospel with Power | 307 |
| Reflections on Paul's Use of Power | 310 |
| 26. | The Ending Is Prelude: Discontinuities Lead to Continuities Acts 1:1-11 and 28:23-31 | 313 |
| Acts--A Threefold Dynamic | 315 |
| A Three-Dimensional Narrative | 316 |
| Ending as Prelude | 320 |
| Intersecting Horizons | 321 |
| Index | 324 |
