Acts begins with the disciples in a state of confusion. Following his entrance into Jerusalem, the disciples expected Jesus to set up his earthly kingdom. Instead, he was arrested, put on trial, and crucified. With his resurrection, they again were excited by the prospect of a messianic kingdom.

At the beginning of Acts, Jesus told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem to “wait for the promise of the Father.” They asked, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” They would not understand his response until later.

“It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”[1]

This commission provides one way of viewing the structure of Acts: the gospel in Jerusalem (1-7); the gospel in Judea and Samaria (8-12); the gospel to the uttermost part of the earth (13-28).

The Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7)

The center of activity in Acts 1-7 is Jerusalem. The narrative includes the story of Pentecost, a picture of life in the early church, and the martyrdom of Stephen.

Pentecost: The Birthday of the Church

Following the Ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.”[2] They were there on Pentecost, the “Feast of Weeks” observed seven weeks after Passover.[3] Pentecost celebrated the gift of the Law. Today, Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. In his Pentecost sermon explaining the miraculous signs of that day, Peter reminded his audience that Joel had prophesied a day when God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost.[4]

Life in the Early Church

► How is the early church a model for today’s church? What aspects of Pentecost should we experience today?

The picture of life in the early church raises an important question for interpreting the book of Acts. Acts is a book of history, not a theological epistle such as Romans. A historical book includes both description (“this is what they did”) and prescription (“this is what you should do”). When reading about life in the early church, the reader should ask, “Is Acts telling us that this characteristic should be a part of today’s church life?” or “Is Acts simply describing one period in church history?” One way to determine the answer is to ask, “How does this fit with the rest of biblical teaching? Is this commanded elsewhere in Scripture?”

Two examples demonstrate the difference between prescription and description in Acts.

According to Acts 2:42, first century Christians devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship with other Christians, and to prayer. Bible study, assembly for worship, and prayer are commanded throughout Paul’s epistles. We can determine from this that those activities are commanded for us today; they are not simply a description of an historical period.
According to Acts 2:45, the early Christians sold their belongings and “had all things in common.” Since this practice is not commanded elsewhere in Scripture, we can infer that this is a description of life at that time, rather than a prescription for today.[5]

► Before going further in this lesson, consider some activities of the early church. For each item, consider, “Is this activity commanded for today or is it a description of life in the early church only?” Your answer should be determined by looking at all of Scripture, not by asking, “What do I like?”

Study of the apostles’ teaching
Daily worship at the temple
Selling their possessions
On-going evangelism
Fellowship with other believers
Signs and miracles to authenticate the Spirit’s work
Praise to God
Speaking in other languages

Stephen: The First Christian Martyr

After Pentecost, the church continued to grow rapidly. Many people were converted, including a “great company of the priests.”[6] In spite of efforts by the Jewish leaders to hide the truth of the resurrection, these priests knew the facts: the tearing of the Temple veil, the missing body at the tomb, and the conspiracy to hide the truth. Signs and miracles continued throughout the early days of the church, authenticating the ministry of the apostles as a continuation of Jesus’ ministry.

In such a setting, opposition was inevitable. After false witnesses accused Stephen of blasphemy, he was stoned to death. Facing martyrdom, Stephen preached a powerful sermon in which he traced God’s activity from Abraham through Jesus. Acts introduces Saul with this sentence, “And Saul was consenting unto his death.”[7] Paul, who will become the church’s greatest missionary, is first seen as Saul, making “havoc of the church” by delivering believers to prison.[8]

The Gospel in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12)

In Acts 8-12, the gospel moves beyond Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. Persecution was a prod that pushed the early believers out of Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. As they fled, they carried the gospel. God used persecution to accomplish the command of Acts 1:8. In Acts 8-12

Philip, a Greek-speaking Jew, preaches in Samaria with great results (8:4-25).
Philip preaches to an Ethiopian official who had traveled to worship (8:26-40).
Saul, traveling to arrest believers in Damascus, is converted (9:1-22).
Peter preaches to Cornelius, a Roman military commander (10:1-11:18).
Barnabas ministers in Antioch, the capital of the Roman province of Syria (11:22-30). This ministry is important for two reasons:
- Barnabas introduces Saul to the church at Antioch. Saul’s ministry there plays an important role in his development.
- Antioch becomes the primary missionary-sending church of the mid-first century. Each of Paul’s missionary journeys starts from Antioch.

The Gospel to the Uttermost Parts of the Earth (Acts 13-28)

The First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14)

The last half of Acts records the ministry of the Apostle Paul. Following his conversion, Paul spent time in Arabia, Damascus, and Cilicia. He was then recruited by Barnabas to teach at the church in Antioch, a church started by Christians driven from Jerusalem by the persecution of Saul.

From A.D. 47-49, Paul and Barnabas, with Barnabas’ cousin John Mark, traveled to Cyprus (Barnabas’ home) and Asia Minor. Much of this trip was devoted to planting churches in Galatia, a Roman province in Asia Minor. From this journey forward, Saul was known as Paul. Saul was a Hebrew name; Paul was a Roman name. This change of name signifies Paul’s special calling to the Gentiles.

While they were at Perga of Pamphylia, John Mark left the team and returned home.[9] After traveling as far as Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps, revisiting churches they had planted before returning to their home base at Antioch.

The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-35)

The conversion of Gentiles through the ministry of Paul raised a difficult issue in the church. There was division between Jewish Christians who insisted that Gentile Christians observe all aspects of the Mosaic law[10] and those who insisted that the Mosaic law was not binding on Gentile Christians.

In A.D. 49, church leaders gathered in Jerusalem to settle the dispute. Those who wanted to require circumcision for the Gentiles spoke first. Peter then spoke regarding his experience at the house of Cornelius where God “put no difference between us (Jews) and them (Gentiles), purifying their hearts by faith.”[11] Paul and Barnabas pointed to evidences of God’s work among the Gentiles.

James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, concluded with the council’s judgment that Gentiles would be required to avoid four things:

Meat offered to idols
Meat that has been strangled
Meat with the blood in it
Sexual immorality

This was not a list of rules by which Gentiles earned salvation. Instead, it was a model for unity among Christians of vastly different backgrounds. The requirements related to food allowed Jews and Gentiles to eat together, an important symbol of unity in the early church. The emphasis on sexual morality was necessary because of the promiscuous background of many new Gentile converts.

The Jerusalem council sought to balance two principles. The principle of freedom prohibited Jewish Christians from putting “a yoke upon the neck of the disciples” with unnecessary stipulations.[12] The principle of fellowship required that Gentiles abstain from practices that were unnecessarily offensive to their Jewish brothers.

► How should we apply these two principles today? How can we allow freedom of conscience in areas where Scripture does not give clear commands? How can we avoid offending those who have convictions that are different that our own?

The Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36-22)

Not every conflict in the early church involved theological principles. Paul and Barnabas parted ways over a personal disagreement regarding John Mark.[13] This disagreement shows God at work even through difficult personal circumstances. Silas became a valuable worker; the efforts of Paul and Barnabas were doubled by their separate work; and Paul was later reconciled with John Mark.[14]

Paul and Silas began this second missionary journey by revisiting churches planted by Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey. Paul and Silas also ministered in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. On this journey, the gospel was preached on European soil after Paul saw a vision of a man from Macedonia pleading for help.[15] Young Timothy joined Paul’s team at Lystra; and Luke joined Paul at Troas.[16] Paul spent about eighteen months planting a church in Corinth. The team returned to Antioch after more than three years of travel (A.D. 50-53).

The second missionary journey shows the opposition Paul faced in preaching. They were jailed in Philippi; the home where they were staying in Thessalonica was attacked by a mob; enemies from Thessalonica followed them to Berea; and Paul was put on trial in Corinth.[17]

The growth of the church came at great cost. Satan does not yield territory without a fight. However, Acts shows the power of the Holy Spirit and the triumph of the gospel as churches were planted throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia.

The Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18:23-21:15)

Paul spent only a short time in Antioch before leaving to revisit churches in the region of Galatia and Phrygia. The first part of this journey was devoted to strengthening believers in churches planted on earlier journeys.[18] The third missionary journey lasted from A.D. 53-57. The longest period of time (three years) was spent in Ephesus. While in Ephesus Paul wrote both Corinthian letters, addressing problems in this difficult church.

After leaving Ephesus due to opposition from enemies, Paul traveled to Macedonia and Achaia. He raised a collection from the predominantly Gentile churches in this region to support needy Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. This demonstration of the unity of the church showed that Jews and Gentiles were fellow members of Christ’s church.

Arrest and Imprisonment (Acts 21:15-28:31)

Returning from the third missionary journey, Paul stopped in Caesarea where the prophet Agabus warned Paul that he would be arrested in Jerusalem.[19] The last section of Acts tells of Paul’s arrest, his imprisonment at Caesarea, his appeal to Rome (the right of a Roman citizen), the dangerous voyage to Rome (including a shipwreck on the island of Malta), and two years ministry of Rome while under house arrest.

The ending of Acts shows that Jesus’ commission to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and “the uttermost parts of the earth” was being fulfilled. While under house arrest, Paul was able to minister freely, “Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.”[20] Regardless of the opposition of Jewish leaders (in the first part of Acts) or the Roman government (in the latter part of Acts), the Holy Spirit was empowering the church to fulfill Christ’s commission.

Timeline of Paul’s Ministry (dates are approximate)
Date	Event
c. A.D. 33	Paul’s conversion
c. A.D. 35-46	Paul in Arabia, Damascus, and Cilicia
c. A.D. 47-49	1st journey (with Barnabas)
c. A.D. 47-49	Galatians written
c. A.D. 49	Jerusalem Council
c. A.D. 50-53	2nd journey (with Silas)
c. A.D. 50-53	1 & 2 Thessalonians written
c. A.D. 53-57	3rd journey (with Silas)
c. A.D. 53-57	Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians written
c. A.D. 57-59	Paul imprisoned at Caesarea
c. A.D. 57-59	Paul sent to Rome
c. A.D. 60-62	Paul under house arrest in Rome
c. A.D. 60-62	Prison Epistles written
c. A.D. 64-65	Paul’s release from prison
	4th journey
	1 Timothy, Titus written
c. A.D. 66-67	Paul’s final imprisonment
	2 Timothy written
	Paul executed by Nero

[1] Acts 1:4-8

[2] Acts 1:14

[3] Deuteronomy 16:16

[4] Joel 2:28; Acts 2:16

[5] Most scholars believe that this practice was related to a) the need to assist Christians who lost their jobs and homes because of their faith and b) the early church’s belief in the imminent return of Jesus.

[6] Acts 6:7

[7] Acts 8:1

[8] Acts 8:3

[9] Acts 13:13

[10] These Christians were from the “sect of the Pharisees” (Acts 15:5). The issue was not a universal “Jew versus Gentile” debate. James, for instance, led in finding a resolution to the problem.

[11] Acts 15:9

[12] Acts 15:10

[13] Acts 15:36-41

[14] 2 Timothy 4:11

[15] Acts 16:6-10

[16] At Acts 16:10, Luke begins using the pronoun “we” instead of “they.”

[17] Acts 16:23-39; 17:5-7; 17:13; and 18:12-17

[18] Acts 18:23

[19] Acts 21:10-11

[20] Acts 28:31