Evaluating the Earliest Christian Sermons

What kinds of sermons did the Apostles preach? Did they tell amusing stories while keeping the focus on practical matters such as how to have a better marriage? Did they give instructions about creating better communities through political activism? Or did they preach about Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection? On this program Shane Rosenthal discusses this subject with Dennis Johnson, author of Him We Proclaim and The Message of Acts in the History of Redemption.

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Acts is the one book of the New Testament in which one of the gospel writers, namely Luke, has carried the story of Christ inaugurating the Kingdom forward. As Luke says, “I wrote a former book about what Jesus began to say and do, and the implication is, ‘Now I’m going to tell you what Jesus continues to say and do as the risen, ascended, exalted Christ as he pours out his Spirit on the church.'” So, it’s about Jesus’ agenda after his suffering and exaltation.

Dennis Johnson