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Class Notes on Sacred History
Volume IV: Acts of Apostles
J. W. McGarvey (1893)
Table of Contents
PART SECOND. SPREAD OF THE GOSPEL IN JUDEA AND ADJACENT COUNTRIES.
viii. 5-xii. 25.
§ I. THE LABORS OF PHILIP (viii. 5-40).
1. HE FOUNDS A CHURCH IN THE CITY OF SAMARIA, 5-13.
- Present condition of Samaria? L. of B. 295.
- Why does Luke follow Philip first? See i. 8.
- Trace the effects of Philip's miracles. 5, 6, 8, 12, 13.
- What were Simon's pretensions? 9.
- Why did the people so promptly desert him, and turn to Philip? 11, 12.
- What caused Simon himself to yield?
2. MISSION OF PETER AND JOHN TO SAMARIA, 14-17.
- Purpose of sending them? 15.
- What advantage now [15] seen of the Apostles remaining in Jerusalem?
- In what sense had the Holy Spirit not yet fallen on any of them? 16, 18, cf. ii. 38.
- Why did not Philip impart the Holy Spirit?
3. A WICKED PROPOSAL BY SIMON, 18-24.
- Did Simon repent? 24.
- Was he a real or a pretended believer? 13.
- What prompted his proposal?
- "Part nor lot" in what matter? 21.
- Meaning of "gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity"? 23.
4. OTHER LABORS OF PETER AND JOHN, AND THEIR RETURN, 25.
- Extent of these labors?
- What now accomplished among the Samaritans?
5. PHILIP IS SENT TO AN ETHIOPIAN EUNUCH, 26-31.
- In what sense a desert? 26, L. of B., p. 246.
- Why this remark?
- Of what blood and religion was the man? 27, 28.
- What access had he to the temple? Deu. xxiii. 1.
- Why need the Spirit's command? 29.
- Why ask the eunuch whether he understood? 31.
6. PHILIP PREACHES TO THE EUNUCH, BAPTIZES HIM, AND
THEN PREACHES IN PHILISTIA, 32-40.
- Why was the eunuch unable to answer his own question? [16] 34.
- How was the sermon derived from the text? 35.
- What suggested the question about baptism? 36.
- Was the eunuch reading the Hebrew text, or the Septuagint? 32, 33, cf. Isa. liii. 7, 8.
- Could the word "sprinkle" (Isa. lii. 15), have suggested baptism? See the Septuagint.
- Is it right to quote verse 37, as found in the E. V., as Scripture?
- What evidence for immersion in this baptism?
- At what point the eunuch's joy, and why? 39.
- Trace and distinguish the human and the divine in the work of this conversion.
- What the region of Philip's next labors? 40.
- Extent of Philip's work thus far?
§ II. THE CONVERSION AND EARLY LABORS OF
SAUL (ix. 1-31).1. THE JOURNEY TO DAMASCUS, 1-9.
- What meant by "breathing threatening and slaughter"? 1.
- What right to make prisoners in Damascus? 2.
- Meaning of "the way"?
- What did he learn from the vision? 3-6.
- What prevented him from thinking it an illusion? 7, 8.
- Why neither eat nor drink? 9. [17]
2. HIS BAPTISM BY ANANIAS, 10-19.
- Was Ananias a preacher, or a church officer? 10.
- Was he one of the refugees from Jerusalem? 13.
- How had he heard of Saul's present mission? 14.
- What of the street called Straight? 11, L. of B., 555.
- Explain the figure of "a chosen vessel." 15, cf. II. Cor. iv. 7.
- Connection of thought in 16?
- How, that he might be "filled with the Holy Spirit"? 17.
- Nature of his blindness? 18.
- What told to do, and what done? 18, cf. 6.
- Why nothing more?
- What followed his baptism, and why? 19.
3. HE PREACHES JESUS IN DAMASCUS, 20-22.
- Why admitted to the synagogue? 20.
- Increased in what strength? 22.
- Show the force of his testimony for Jesus.
- Meaning of "confounded the Jews"? 22.
4. HE FLEES FOR HIS LIFE, 23-25.
- Why wish to kill him? 23.
- How dare such an attempt? See II. Cor. xi. 32.
- How did he get through the wall? 25, II. Cor. xi. 33.
- Can the "many days" of 23 include the "three years" of Gal. i. 18? [18]
5. HE IS PERSECUTED IN JERUSALEM, AND SENT TO TARSUS, 26-30.
- Why not believe that he was a disciple? 26.
- Had they heard the particulars of his conversion? 27.
- Whence the correct conclusion of Barnabas? 27.
- How many Apostles were present? Gal. i. 18, 19.
- Why the Hellenists so hostile? 29, cf. vi. 9-11.
- What known of Cæsarea? 30, L. of B., 276.
- Why to Tarsus? 30, cf. 11.
§ III. THE BAPTISM OF GENTILES BY PETER
(ix. 31-xi. 18).1. THE CHURCH ENJOYS PEACE AND PROSPERITY, 31.
- How the word church here used?
- Difference between "edified" and "multiplied"?
2. PETER EVANGELIZING, COMES TO LYDDA, 32-35.
- How were there saints already in Lydda? See viii. 4, 40.
- Why did one cure effect so much? 35.
- Describe Lydda and Sharon. L. of B., 22, 274.
3. HE IS CALLED TO JOPPA, AND RAISES TABITHA, 36-43.
- Meaning of the name? 36.
- Purpose of sending for Peter? 38.
- Why widows, rather than others? 39.
- Purpose [19] of raising Tabitha?
- Why many days in Joppa? 43, cf. 42.
- Who planted the church in Joppa? 38; viii. 40.
4. CORNELIUS, A GENTILE, DIRECTED TO SEND FOR PETER,
X. 1-8.
- What the "Italian band"? 1.
- What were his virtues, religiously? 2.
- How had he acquired them?
- When, in addition, his prayers were heard (4), what did he lack of being a Christian?
- What was the answer to his prayer? 4, 5.
- Should such prayers receive an audible answer now, what would it be?
- How had the soldier become devout? 7, cf. 2.
- The distance and direction to Joppa? L. of B., 275.
5. PETER DIRECTED TO GO TO CORNELIUS, 9-23.
- Why on the house-top? 9.
- How dare to say, "Not so"? 14.
- Why perplexed about the meaning of the vision? 17.
- As he was in a trance (10), how did he know that the vision had a meaning? Cf. 19, 20, 22.
- How did the messengers find the house? 17, 5.
- In what sense had the Spirit sent them? 20.
- State all the reasons Peter now had for going.
- Why did he need such directions?
- Why not know his duty by inspiration? [20]
6. THE MEETING OF PETER AND CORNELIUS, 23-33.
- Why not start till the morrow? 23.
- Why did Cornelius worship Peter? 25, 26.
- Who made it unlawful to enter a Gentile's house? 28.
- How does Peter now understand the vision? and why? 28.
- How was it "four days ago"? 30, cf. 3, 7, 9, 23, 24.
- Who the audience, and why assembled? 24, 27, 33.
- Why had they been called in?
7. PETER'S SERMON TO THE UNCIRCUMCISED, 34-43.
- What his introduction, and why? 34, 35.
- Of what is God a respecter? 35.
- What facts does Peter state in the career of Jesus? 37-41.
- How many of them were already known to the hearers? 36-39.
- What proofs of the resurrection does he present? 41.
- Why to "witnesses chosen before"? and not to all the people? 40, 41.
- What charge to preach is referred to? 42; Mark xvi. 16.
- Whence Peter's knowledge that Jesus was ordained as Judge? 42, cf. Jno. v. 22.
- How does the believer receive remission "through his name"? 43, cf. 48. [21]
8. THE UNCIRCUMCISED RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ARE
BAPTIZED, 44-48.
- What gift of the Holy Spirit was it? 46.
- What use did Peter make of the fact? 47.
- What, then, was the purpose of it?
- Was this gift ever connected with forgiveness of sins? See Acts ii. 1-4; viii. 15, 16; xix. 5, 6.
- When were these Gentiles forgiven?
- Does Peter's question imply affusion? 47.
- What had Cornelius lacked of being a Christian? and how was it supplied?
9. PETER'S DEFENSE FOR THESE PROCEEDINGS, XI. 1-18.
- Why make the visiting and eating the ground of complaint? 2, 3.
- Conclusiveness of Peter's argument? 12-14, 17.
- Why mention the six brethren? 12, cf. x. 23, 45.
- What convinced the complainants? 18.
- What difference between this and the way Peter was convinced?
- Why did not these know, by their inspiration, that Peter was right?
- What advantage in this mode of revelation in both cases?
- How had God "granted repentance" to the Gentiles? 18. [22]
§ IV. A CHURCH FOUNDED IN ANTIOCH, AND
ANOTHER PERSECUTION IN JERUSALEM
(xi. 19-xii. 25).1. BEGINNING OF THE WORK IN ANTIOCH, 19-21.
- Starting point of this section? 19, cf. ix. 1; viii. 4.
- Why the three localities in the order given? 19.
- When the preaching to Greeks? 20, cf. 19; xi. 1-3.
2. BARNABAS SENT TO ANTIOCH, 22-24.
- Who sent him, and for what purpose? 22, 23.
- Why he selected? 24.
- Effect of his exhortations on sinners? 24.
3. BARNABAS BRINGS SAUL TO ANTIOCH, 25, 26.
- Why go after Saul? 25.
- Why remain in Antioch so long? 26.
- By whom called Christians? and why? 26.
4. BARNABAS AND SAUL SENT TO JUDEA, 27-30.
- What confidence had they in the prophet? 29.
- Why send relief to Judea, when the famine was to be in Antioch as well?
- Why send such men? 30.
- When had the brethren in Judea appointed elders? 30.
5. JAMES IS BEHEADED AND PETER IS IMPRISONED, XII. 1-11.
- What Herod was this? See Jos. Ant. xviii. 5, 6; xix. 5-8. [23]
- Why this information not given by Luke?
- How many were four quaternions? 4.
- Cause of this persecution?
- At what season was it? 4.
- Why send help from Antioch so near the harvest? xi. 28-30.
- In what way was Peter guarded? 6, 10.
- Why so many precautions? Cf. 5.
- Why think it a vision? and how was this thought corrected? 9, 11.
6. PETER LEAVES THE CITY, AND THE GUARDS ARE SLAIN, 12-19.
- Why to Mary's house?
- To what other person was she related? Col. iv. 10.
- Why say, "It is his angel"? 15.
- For what had they been praying? Cf. v: 18-23.
- Why to James? and what James? 17.
- Why were the guards put to death? 19.
- What defense did they make?
- How should Herod have regarded the case?
7. THE DEATH OF HEROD, AND THE RETURN OF BARNABAS
AND SAUL, 20-25.[CNSH4 15-24]
- What is a chamberlain? 20.
- How was their country fed from the king's? 20.
- In what way smitten by the angel? 23.
- Give Josephus' account of Herod's death. Ant. xix. 8, 2.
- Why did the word now grow and multiply? 24.
- When the return of Barnabas and Saul? 25.
- Why take Mark with them? [24]
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