Jack Berger
Chapter 6 Journal, Called to Community Acts of the Apostles

1. The main idea stressed in this chapter is that of being called to community. One example of this in the chapter is Pentecost. The apostles and other disciples were gathered in the Upper Room as a kind of community when the Holy Spirit came upon them. The forming Church was gathering communities in many cities as well. Paul started many Christian communities through his missionary work. These communities helped to spread the word after he had left. Franz Jaegerstaetter is another example. He set an example for his community by sacrificing his life for what he believed in.

2. The first idea I want to remember from this chapter is the Council of Jerusalem. It was called to resolve rising tensions of whether or not converting gentiles had to follow many Jewish rules such as circumcision and dietary laws. They decided that all new Christians had to do was not eat meat that was sacrificed to idols or animals that were strangled, abstain from blood, and from fornication. Although the issue wasn't entirely settled it did settle it for most people. I want to remember this because is was the first Church council and handled the problem very well.

The second thing I want to remember is how the Gospel of Luke resembles the Book of Acts. The two works share many themes such as Mary as our model for discipleship, accepting all people as the children of God, etc. As the gospel showed the birth of Jesus, Acts shows the birth of the Church. Another thing is that both begin with a greeting to Theophilus, or one who loves God. Another idea is that as the gospel moved toward Jerusalem, Acts moves away from the city. I want to remember this because by understanding both works share the same ideas and writing styles so I can make more connections and better understand them both.

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4. It seems that Paul was perfectly suited for his job in the Church, was this just coincidence or part of God's plan?

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