Acts Discussion Questions: Chapters 1-2
The book of Acts was written by Luke, one of the companions of Paul. Most scholars believe he wrote the book no later than about 60 A.D., since there is no mention of the Neronian persecution of Christians (64 A.D.) in which Paul and Peter were executed. So Luke wrote about 30 years after the death of Jesus. Luke wrote the account for “Theophilus”, who we guess by his title (“most excellent”) was a Roman official and a convert (“what you have been taught”).
The Bible gives us four different descriptions of Jesus’ life, but only one of the early church. But the author, Luke, was more than a historian. He was also a teacher. His great theme is not simply the history of the early church, but the history of the mission of the early church. He does not give us a complete description of all the dimensions of the life of the primitive church. He is primarily interested in showing us the spread of Christianity — how it broke through barriers of all sorts to change lives, families, cities, peoples. So Luke a) uses real history, to b) teach us about being men and women in mission. Therefore, when we look at the introductory words of Acts, we should study these two issues. First, Luke claims to be giving a historical account — not a fabricated or fanciful series of stories. Second, Luke immediately shows us how Jesus prepared the first disciples for mission before he sent them out. No one doubts that the “former book” of Acts 1:1 is the gospel according to Luke. They are so closely tied that some have called them “Luke-Acts”. In order to understand their character and purpose, it is important to read the two introductions together.  ~Timothy Keller
Read Luke 1:1-4. How do these words help assure us of the historical accuracy of the events of the book of Acts (and the gospel of Luke)?
Acts 1:3-8. Why do you think Jesus prepares the apostles’ minds (v.3) before he sends them power (v.4)?
Acts 1:9. Why do the angels tell the disciples not to “stand… looking into the sky”? What should the ascension mean to them and us?
Jesus told them to not begin their mission until they receive the gift  of the Holy Spirit (1:4-5). What do they do to prepare for this gift in Acts 1:13-14?
Acts 2:1-13. What is the significance of the multi-lingual proclamation of the gospel on the day of Pentecost? Why do you think God did it that way?
Acts 2:5-13. vv.5-13 What evidence is there that this was a worship service that the crowd came to? What is the significance of that fact for us today?
Peter’s sermon (Acts 2:14-36) focuses on two historical events — Christ’s death and resurrection. And he appeals to two witnesses — the prophets (Biblical evidence) and the apostles (historical evidence). As we can see, Peter’s gospel presentation is simply showing people the life and work of Christ. And also, we see that Peter weaves “apologetics” (evidence) into his gospel presentation. ~Timothy Keller
Acts 2:14-36 is Peter’s gospel presentation. In the verses below, outline his basic points:
v 22
v 23
v 24-32
v 33-36
vv.37-40. What does Peter say in response to this second question? This is a description of how to receive Christ — outline its basic points. What kind of impact does this have on the audience?

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Design an experiment to test a question that you have about some aspect of visual cognition.
Your actual experiment will need to be very concrete, so for each question that you brainstorm, think about what sort of experiment would most effectively answer that question. What different stimulus conditions will subjects see? What task will they perform, and what will be measured? What would different patterns of results tell you about the visual factor or process that you are interested in? Is it possible to answer the question with just one experiment, or is a control experiment also required to rule out someconfounding factor?
The final paper should have 4 main sections (please delineate thesewith section headings, and don’t be shy about subdividing these into further subsections with their own subheadings!): (1) A section motivating the question that you are asking, and why it is potentially interesting and important to everyone; (2) A review of previous theories and experimental research on such questions from the relevant literature (both what we have discussed in class, and perhaps also what you have found on your own); (3) A detailed description of the methods you propose using to test your question (these needn’t be as detailed as a journal article, but should clearly describe the experimental design, the subjects’ task, and the type of data which will be collected); and (4) A discussion of each possible pattern of results, and what theoretical implications it would have.  The paper should be 8-10 double spaced pages, plus references.  To keep your readers entertained and engaged with your ideas, try to write clearly and with flare, and to avoid typos and formatting inconsistencies wherever possible.

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