As Paul's ministry unfolds we see echoes of what happened in Luke with Jesus. The gospel message is proclaimed first in synagogues as we see in Luke 4 with Jesus and then throughout Acts. We discuss Luke's literary techniques and the importance of understanding authorial intent in understanding meaning. We point out that the false idea that the reader determines the meaning would make valid communication impossible. We must understand the Biblical categories as revealed by the Biblical authors and not create category errors through equivocation. We explore the pattern of Jesus going a synagogue to announce the fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1-2 which resulted in His claims being rejected in His hometown. We show how the pattern of going first to the synagogues continues through Acts. The class discusses why the true gospel offends people but God uses it to save those who by God's grace believe the truth. We end with a discussion of repentance and salvation.

Class handout and slides available under the Downloads tab.