So how do we engage the Australian culture today. Let’s compare these two sermons preached in Acts 2: 14-36 and Acts 17:16-34.

Complete Exegesis of both passages using Three Worlds of the Text Scaffold.

Answer the following question in the quiz.

1. The World Behind the Text

A. Open your Study Bible to the Introductory Notes for Acts. Identify information about who, what, where, and when, and record any relevant information about the book of Acts generally.

• Who is it written to:
• What was happening:
• Where is it written:
• When was it written:

B. Who authored, edited, and or translated this text? Is there more than one author?

2. The World of the Text

A. Within the book, where does this passage take place? How do they relate to the Big Picture?

B. What keywords, phrases, or themes need further exploration?

C. Using the reference and index sections, who was Peter preaching to in Acts 2, and who Is Paul preaching to in Acts 17?

D. Identify other Christian sources (Websites, books, people, videos) to help you answer the following questions. Reference the sources you have used. You can start here.

Acts 2:14-36.

• What are some key features that you notice about how Peter preached the gospel?
• After hearing this sermon, how did they respond?
• Why would this method have been effective for this audience?

Acts 17: 16-34.

• Do you notice anything different in Acts 2? What was the response?
• Read Acts 17:22-27, how does Paul engage with the Greek culture?

E. Locate specific passages in the Old Testament and New Testament that provide meaning to some of the words and themes.

Acts 17: 16-34.

• Read 1 Corinthians 1: 23, Why was it foolishness to the Greeks?
• The Israelites adopted the false religions of surrounding nations and often added to their beliefs to the Jewish faith. What happened?  Examples Deuteronomy 9: 7-29; 1 Samuel 8

F. Locate at least 2 different types of sources that could be used to understand this passage. List some below.

Citing Sources:

A source may be physical or electronic content (e.g. article, video, sound recording, image) or a person, a book, or a location.  Examples: Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, commentaries, concordances, various Bible translations and paraphrases, lexicons of original Greek and Hebrew words, Bible atlas, systematic theology textbooks, Bible study computer programs, scholarly articles, Books, Websites, videos, a person, etc.

When citing your sources, you need to:

1. Identify the source i.e. who or what is the source and how can I find them? (Book name, URL, person’s name, and where they are from, e.g. John Smith, Minister at New Life Christian Church)

2. Establish the credibility or authority of the source i.e. Who is the publisher? What are their qualifications? What community or tradition are they part of? What is their place in their community? (e.g. Joe has a degree in History and has been a minister for five years).

E. Acknowledge the sources that you have used by referencing them below.

Examples:

Website: You Must Be Born Again, The Gospel Coalition, Timothy Keller, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/conference_media/you-must-be-born-again/

Website: What Does ‘Born of Water and the Spirit’ Mean in John 3:5?, The Gospel Coalition, Carson, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/conference_media/you-must-be-born-again/

Book: Exposition of the Gospel of John by A. W. Pink; August 2011, https://hopecollege.com/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2014/12/Exposition-of-the-Gospel-of-John.pdf

Person: Glenn Dillon, Pastor of New Life Christian Church, NSW, Bachelor of Ministry

Video: https: Book overview John 1-12, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/john-1-12/

 produced by The Bible Project

F. Explain the different information they provide and how each source has helped you to understand this text

G. Under each reference, identify different quotes found in each source that capture the theological view.

H. Describe in your own words, what the current theological view on this passage is.

3. The World in Front of the Text

A. What could be the ancient reader’s response to this passage?

B. What might this passage be saying to the modern culture with reference to its context?

C. Why did this happen in Acts 2, but not in Australia today? (Why don’t we see more gatherings where thousands of people are seen falling on their knees before a Holy God, repent of their sin, be saved, and go and influence the culture with the Christian message?)

D. Looking at the way Paul interacted with people in the Athenian culture, what can we learn about how to effectively engage and communicate with those in our Australian culture?

E. What does this passage mean for the Church? What does it teach me about God and about Jesus? What does it teach me about humanity? What is it saying to me personally?

• How do we see this happening in the Church today? 
• How is this similar to the Australian culture today? 
• What happens when our thinking is not based on God’s Word?

F. Was this approach helpful in helping in interpreting the passage? Which biblical tool did you find most useful?