THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
Introduction:
The Book of Acts “contains a history of the ministry and miracles of the apostles of Christ, and is a sort of a journal of their actions, from whence it takes its name. It begins at the ascension of Christ, and reaches to the imprisonment of the Apostle Paul at Rome; and is a history of upwards of thirty years: it gives an account of the first Gospel church at Jerusalem, and of the progress of the Gospel there, and in Judea, by the means of all the apostles, and particularly Peter, the minister of the circumcision, and who also first opened the door of faith to the Gentiles: it shows how the Gospel went forth from Jerusalem, and was spread in the Gentile world, especially by the Apostle Paul, whose companion Luke was, that was the writer of this book; for that it was written by him is very evident from the beginning of it, it being dedicated to the same person his Gospel is, and of which he makes mention.” — John Gill’s Expositor.
Writer: In the Acts of the Apostles Luke continues the account of Christianity begun in the Gospel which bears his name. In the “former treatise” he tells what Jesus “began both to do and teach”; in the Acts, what Jesus continued to do and teach through His Holy Spirit sent down.
Date: The Acts concludes with the account of Paul’s earliest ministry in Rome, A.D. 65, and appears to have been written at or near that time.
Main Theme: The history of the development of the early church, from the Ascension of Christ to Paul’s imprisonment at Rome, and the opening of his ministry there. Many Bible students see in the book the formal beginning of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The departing Christ makes the announcement of a great campaign of world-wide missions, through human agency under the power of the Spirit, Acts 1:8.
The book may be divided into two parts: The period of Home Missions, and the period of Foreign Missions.
I. The Period of Home Missions,
With Jerusalem as the center, the work was mainly in Palestine among the Jews; the apostle Peter being the most prominent figure.
A. The Preparatory Events.
1. The divine commission, Acts 1:4-8.
2. The Lord ascends to Heaven, Acts 1:10-11.
3. The baptism “with the Holy Ghost” empowering of the Church at Jerusalem, Acts 2:1-4.
4. The workers’ equipment, Acts 2:4; 4:31.
B. The Ministries:
1. Of Peter at Pentecost, Acts 2:14-40.
a. Peter’s second sermon, Acts 3:12-26.
b. Peter’s address to the Sanhedrin, Acts 4:5-12.
2. Of Stephen, Acts 7:1-60.
3. Of Philip and Peter, Acts 8:5-25.
4. Of Philip, Acts 8:26-40.
C. Facts Concerning the Church:
1. The growth of the Church:
a. On the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:41.
b. The Lord Added to the Church daily, Acts 2:47.
2. The Filling of the believers by the Holy Spirit making them bold to preach the Gospel, Acts 4:31.
3. The unity and goodwill of the Church at Jerusalem, Acts 4:32-37.
4. The spiritual power of the Church at Jerusalem, Acts 5:12-16.
5. The appointment of deacons, Acts 6:1-6.
D. The Persecutions of the Church, Acts 4:1-3, 17-22; 5:17-18, 40; 6:8-15.
1. Persecutions under Saul of Tarsus, Acts 8:1-3; 9:1.
II. The Period of Foreign Missions.
Beginning with Jerusalem as the center of operations, and later transferring the center to Antioch in Syria.
A. Preliminary Events leading up to World-wide Missions.
1. The ministry of Philip in Samaria, in association with Peter and John, Acts 8:5-25.
2. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus (Paul), who becomes the great missionary, and the leading figure in the churches during this period, Acts 9:1-30.
3. The broadening of Peter’s views by his vision at Joppa, resulting in his ministry among the Gentiles at Caesarea, Acts 10:1-43.
4. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Gentile believers at Caesarea, and the vindication of Peter’s ministry there, Acts 10:44—11:18.
5. The encouraging of the work at Antioch by Barnabas, the representative of the church at Jerusalem, Acts 11:22-24.
6. The bringing of Paul from Tarsus to Antioch by Barnabas, and the co-operation of the two men in establishing the church in the place where the disciples were first called Christians, Acts 11:25-26.
7. Parenthesis, The persecution of the church at Jerusalem by Herod. The death of James and the imprisonment and deliverance of Peter, Acts 12:1-19.
B. The Significant Event in the History of Foreign Missions, Acts 13:1-5.
1. Under the Direction of the Holy Spirit, the sending forth of Paul and Barnabas as missionaries by the church at Antioch, vv. 1-4.
2. John Mark accompanies them, v. 5.
C. Paul’s First Missionary Journey.
1. Missionaries, Paul, Barnabas and John Mark, Acts 13:4—14:26.
2. Places visited and outstanding events:
a. The island of Cyprus where the proconsul was converted and Saul’s name changed to Paul, Acts 13:4-12.
b. Perga in Pamphylia, where John Mark returned to Jerusalem, Acts 13:13.
c. Antioch in Pisidia, Paul’s great sermon in the synagogue, Acts 13:14-41.
d. Opposition by the Jews and work among the Gentiles, Acts 13:44-49.
e. Driven from the city by the Jews, the missionaries go to Iconium. Here they work for some time, but persecution arising, they flee to Lystra and Derbe, Acts 14:6.
f. The healing of the lame man at Lystra results in the people proposing to worship Paul and Barnabas, but the Jews stir up opposition and Paul is stoned. Undaunted, the two heroes escape to Derbe, where they preach the gospel and teach many, Acts 14:8-20.
g. From this point the missionaries retrace their steps, revisiting and organizing the churches, and return to Antioch in Syria, where they make a report of their journey, Acts 14:21-28.
D. The Council at Jerusalem.
1. The question of circumcision, Acts 15:5-6.
2. Peter’s argument in favor of Christian Liberty, Acts 15:7-11.
3. Paul and Barnabas relate their experiences, Acts 15:12.
4. The speech of James and the decision of the Council in favour of exempting the Gentiles from the rules of the ceremonial law, Acts 15:13-29.
5. Judas and Silas are sent to Antioch to deliver the letter from the Council to the churches, Acts 15:27-30.
E. Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, Acts 15:36—18:22.
1. Preliminary events, Acts 15:36-40.
a. A disagreement between Paul and Barnabas concerning John Mark, vv. 36-39.
b. Silas is chosen by Paul to accompany him on the journey, v. 40.
2. Places visited and outstanding events:
a. Visitation of the churches of Syria and Cilicia, Acts 15:41.
b. At Lystra, Timothy joins the missionaries, and various cities of Asia Minor are visited and the churches strengthened, Acts 15:41—16:5.
c. The Spirit guides them to Troas, where they are called into Europe by the Macedonian vision, Acts 16:7-10.
d. At Philippi Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and the jailor converted, and a church is established, Acts 16:12-34.
e. The next important event is the founding of the church at Thessalonica, where persecution arises and they depart for Berea. Acts 17:1-10.
f. Here the missionaries find some candid students of The Word who become ready converts, Acts 17:11-12.
g. The storm of persecution breaks out again, and Paul goes on to Athens, leaving Silas and Timothy to establish the church at Berea, Acts 17:13-15.
h. At Athens Paul finds a city filled with idols, and preaches a sermon on Mar’s Hill, but secures only a few converts to the faith, Acts 17:15-34.
i. At Corinth Paul is soon joined by Silas and Timothy, and a church is established. The work is carried on in the midst of persecution for eighteen months, Acts 18:1-17.
j. After a considerable time Paul bids the brethren farewell, and sets sail for Syria, making a brief stop at Ephesus, and closes his journey at Antioch, Acts 18:18-22.
F. Paul’s Third Missionary Journey, Acts 18:23—21:15.
1. Places visited:
a. Visitation of the churches in Galatia and Phrygia, Acts 18:23.
b. Parenthesis,—Apollos at Ephesus, Acts 18:24-28.
2. Outstanding Events:
a. Paul returns to Ephesus and finds a company of imperfectly instructed disciples, and leads them into an understanding of Christ, Acts 19:1-7.
b. He continues in the work at Ephesus for two years, Acts 19:8-10.
c. The Lord showed His power by bestowing upon Paul the gift of healing, Acts 19:11-12.
d. Sinners were converted to Christ and many burned their evil books, Acts 19:11-20.
e. Then there arose a great uproar among the silver-smiths, fearing that Paul’s doctrine would destroy their business of idol making, Acts 19:23-41.
3. Paul leaves Ephesus, and after visiting the churches of Macedonia, comes to Greece, Acts 20:1-2.
4. He spends three months in Greece, then returns to Macedonia, and comes to Troas, and preaches, Acts 20:3-12.
5. From Troas he goes to Miletus, and sends for the Ephesian elders to come to him. Here at Miletus he delivers his great farewell address to the elders, Acts 20:17-38.
6. From Miletus Paul starts for Jerusalem, although warned by the Spirit of the sufferings awaiting him there, Acts 21:1-17.
G. Paul in Jerusalem and Caesarea.
1. He relates to the church the experiences of his ministry among the Gentiles, Acts 21:18-20.
2. To silence suspicion, he is urged to take a Jewish vow, which he does, Acts 21:20-26.
3. Paul is seized by Jewish enemies in the Temple, and rescued from their fury by Roman soldiers, Acts 21:27-40.
4. His defense before the multitude, Acts 22:1-21.
5. He asserts his Roman citizenship to escape being scourged, Acts 22:25-30.
6. His appearance before the Sanhedrin, Acts 23:1-10.
7. The Lord appears to him in the night with a message of cheer, Acts 23:11.
8. A conspiracy among the Jews to kill him, leads to his being sent to Caesarea, Acts 23:12-33.
9. The accusation brought against him by the Jews, and his defense before the governor, Felix, Acts 24:1-21.
10. His testimony before Felix concerning his faith in Christ, Acts 24:24-26.
11. His defense before Festus and his appeal unto Caesar, Acts 25:1-12.
12. His address before Agrippa, Acts 26:1-29.
H. Paul’s Journey to Rome as a Prisoner, Acts 27:1—28:16.
1. The first stage of the voyage, Acts 27:2-13.
2. The storm and the controlling influence of Paul, Acts 27:14-36.
3. The shipwreck and the escape to land, Acts 27:38-44.
4. The experiences on the Island of Melita, Acts 28:1-10.
5. The arrival at Rome and Paul’s ministry there, Acts 28:16-31.