ACTS

Syllabus: Page 1


Syllabus ACTS
Instructor: David S. Wilson

Acts is a pivotal book in the New Testament. It is in Acts that the disciples witness
Jesus ascending into heaven, and it is Acts that tells about the coming of the Holy
Spirit. Acts documents the beginning of the church and shows it grow, evangelize, and
undergo persecution. Many key individuals are introduced in Acts. First is Peter. Only a
few months earlier he had denied knowing Jesus, but at Pentecost he becomes the
leader of the fledgling church. Paul, a once outspoken persecutor of the church, is
converted and becomes missionary to the Gentiles. Stephen, Philip, Barnabas, Silas,
John Mark, and Timothy, among others, are also highlighted in Acts. Acts is a book of
firsts. It tells of the first meeting of the church and of its first persecution, documents
the first case of church discipline, explains the calling of the first deacons, records the
events around the first martyrdom in the church, and highlights the calling of the first
missionaries. In essence, Acts is the history book of the early church and is an
important building block in understanding the rest of the New Testament.

COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course will be taught at a college level. After completing the course you will have
a strong understanding of the main events of the book of Acts, a better understanding
of the early church and an insight to the power of the Holy Spirit. After completing this
course, you should be able to:
identify the chapter in which any of the major events of Acts are located.

explain the significance of the following, giving factual evidence to support your
viewpoint: the beginning of the church at Pentecost (Acts 1-2), the gift of tongues
(Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19), Stephens speech (Acts 7), the conversion of Cornelius
(Acts 10), the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), Pauls sermon before the Areopagus at
Mars Hill (Acts 17), and the place and purpose of baptism (Acts 2, 8, 10, and 16).

trace Pauls three missionary journeys on a map, noting the major visits he
made and the New Testament books he wrote.

discuss the viewpoints held on: the date Acts was written, the historical accuracy
of Acts, and the purpose of Acts.

demonstrate your ability to apply the material in Acts by developing specific,
practical applications from any major incident or passage in the book, and thus
show how the material relates to the church today.

ACTS
Syllabus: Page 2




Background
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Lesson 1 Acts: Background and Introductory Material
Acts 112
Lesson 2 The Birth and First Steps of the Church (Acts 1:12:47)
Lesson 3 Advance of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 3:13:26)
Lesson 4- Advance of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 4:1-4:37)
Lesson 5 Advance of the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 5:1-Acts 6:7)
Lesson 6 Advance of the Gospel in Judea and Samaria (Acts 6:89:31)
Lesson 7 Advance of the Gospel to Antioch (Acts 9:3212:25)
Acts 1328
Lesson 8 Advance of the Gospel in Asia (Acts 13:114:28)
Lesson 9 Advance of the Gospel in Asia (Acts 15:116:5)
Lesson 10 Advance of the Gospel in Europe (Acts 16:619:20)
Lesson 11 Opposition in Jerusalem (Acts 19:2123:35)
Lesson 12 Advance of the Gospel to Rome (Acts 24:128:31)
ACTS
Syllabus: Page 3



REQUIREMENTS
I plan to invest much in this course, to include studying, writing, discussing, and meeting. I
would ask that you do the same. There will be some writing assignments in the course
because it is imperative that as we progress through the understanding of Gods Word, we
also develop the ability to communicate it. This type of study is not for everyone, but it will
follow down the Biblical mindset of to whom much is given, much is expected.
COMMUNICATION
1. Open Discussion Participation. One of the many advantages of an online course
over a traditional course is the ability to communicate and share ideas. You
will be required to participate in a number of regular discussions on select topics.
You should check the Chalk Talk on the course website daily and participate in any
open discussions. My expectation of you would would include the following:

You post at least one new message of your own for any open topic, during the week
it is being discussed.
You read the messages posted by others and reply to at least one of them on a
weekly basis.
Your postings should be thorough and thoughtful. Just posting an I
agree/disagree with your comment or an I think the same to someone
elses thoughts is not considered to be an adequate response.

2. E-mail. At times we will need to communicate via e-mail. Please make sure you
have an active e-mail and one you check regularly, as updates will often be sent out
using this format.

READING ASSIGNMENTS
One of the essential aspects of each course is the reading assignments. It is expected that
you complete all the required reading by the date due (if specified), so that you are able to
effectively participate in the online discussions and be able to grasp the concepts being
taught in each lesson and open discussion on Chalk Talk.

LESSON ACTIVITIES
There will be smaller activities assigned in any given week; these activities are designed
to help you further understand the concepts or applications being taught. You are
expected to complete these activities as you progress through the course.

GEARING UP
At the end of each lesson, we will have a couple of study questions, which are
designed to guide you in your understanding. You will be asked to write one to two
paragraphs regarding these questions and many times share these as posts with the group.
ACTS
Syllabus: Page 4


DROP BOX
Assignments and Papers must be submitted electronically, in a Microsoft Word-
compatible file or as instructed on the course website. Many assignments will be
submitted via the course websites, while some assignments will be submitted via
Dropbox. If you do not have a dropbox account please sign up for one. It is free and can
be completed at www.dropbox.com. I will send you information on how to do this.

prefaced with a separate title page, which should include the title of the paper; the
name of the course; the date; your name
on 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper
font size: 14 points
1.5 spacing
bordered by a one-inch margin on all sides


PAPER
Choose one of the three paper options listed below. Note that during the course of the
semester you will need to have completed two of the three paper options.

Option 1: A Topical Study of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts.
Prepare a 3-page topical study of the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts.

Use a concordance to look up the major references or, if you do not have a
concordance, use the references in the margin of your Bible, starting with Acts 1:2. You
may use the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version, the English
Standard Version, the New King James Bible, or the King James Bible. After
collecting the material for your paper, arrange it in a topical outline with main points
and subpoints that explain their significance. Be sure to include the Scripture references
(not text) for each point in your outline. Conclude the paper by applying what you have
learned: explain three areas or ways in which the Holy Spirit can work in the believers
life today.

Option 2: Principles of Evangelism from Philips Ministry.
Philips ministry in Acts 8 gives us a picture of a believer doing the work of
evangelism.

Select from the account what you consider to be the five most significant principles
for a balanced evangelistic thrust today. Explain how you feel these principles should be
applied in Christian work. Be sure to include the Scripture references (not text) for
each point you make. Your paper should be approximately 3 pages in length.

ACTS
Syllabus: Page 5



Option 3: Principles of Missionary Strategy.
Develop a 3-page paper on missionary strategy from Acts 13:119:20.

Study these chapters and take from them five principles that you consider the most
important for missionary work today. Then, show how each of them can and should
affect missionary strategy. Be sure to include the Scripture references (not text) for each
point you discuss.

All written assignments should be turned in with the following appearin in the upper right
hand corner:
ACTS;
the date;
your name

on 8 1/2-by-11-inch paper
font size: 14 points
1.5 spacing
bordered by a one-inch margin on all sides

EXAMS AND QUIZZES

All of the exams/quizzes will be available online. You can complete the exam
anytime during the week that it is to be completed. Exams are simply a way for you to test
yourself regarding content covered. They are to help you see what you may have missed
and reexamine certain topics for clarity. I suggest you take the exam without the use of
reference materials first, then go back and complete the test as an open book exam.

PROCEDURES
Each week you are expected to visit the course site a minimum of 2 to 3 times. What
specific day or time is really up to you, unless you receive an email or text that informs
you otherwise. Each time you visit the course site you should do the following:

Read any new Announcements that have been posted

Read any new messages in the Chalk Talk

Respond to these new Announcements and Messages appropriately

At some time, each week, you should study the lesson(s) assigned, actively read any
reading assignments, complete and submit any exams or assignments if there are any due
ACTS
Syllabus: Page 6


for that given week. Also, in preparation for the paper, I recommend you look at the 6
options provided and pick a topic. As we move through the course we will touch on
information that will be very beneficial for writing your paper.

GROUP MEETINGS
We will meet approximately 5 times during the course on TBD dates and times so that we
can meet everyone schedule in the course. Obviously there well be some conflicts so I
have asked everyone to sign up for a fuze account, located at www.fuze.com I will send
additional info on this process. These meetings will be about two hours long and will
discuss the major topics of the course.

TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS

All written assignments should be turned in with the following appearing in the upper right
hand corner:
ACTS;
assignment title;
the date;
your name

All assignments should be as follows:
font size: 14 points
1.5 spacing
bordered by a one-inch margin on all sides

Example:



ACTS
Discussion Questions
8/25/14
David S. Wislon