Acts 61-64 AD

@2010/2012 Luke wrote Acts Luke. Theophilus book is the Acts predominantly in years. for Theophilus just as he wrote is a Roman official. Although the of the Apostles, only two apostles the book. The book covers a course the book of title of the are featured of around 30

The book of Acts is a transition message between the Kingdom message that we see in the Gospel and the Church. The book of Acts is incomplete as it doesnt end and is still going on today. The sequel to the book of Acts is the book of Revelation. The book of Acts is being completed by all of us all over the world. Many scholars believe Luke and Acts are trial in documents for Rome in defense of Paul. When appealing to Rome, the documents have to precede you pleading your case. Luke put these documents together on behalf of Paul and sent them to Theophilus. One of the things Luke attempts to get across was that the problems in Jerusalem were caused by the Jewish establishment, not by the new Christian movement. There are two main sections in the book of Acts. Acts 1-12 focuses primarily on Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria with Peter leading. The gospel is preached to the Jews first here, and then Samarians (1/2 Jews). Peter opens the doors however to the gentiles, but its really Paul who spreads that message. Acts 13-28 focuses primarily on the outermost parts of the area with Paul leading. Parallels between Peter and Paul:
Event: Peter Acts 2 Acts 8 Acts 3 Acts 10 Tabith aActs 10 Acts 12 Paul Acts 13 Acts 13 Acts 14 Acts 14 Eutych us- Acts 20 Acts 28

First sermon Encountering with a sorcerer Healing one who couldnt walk Being worshipped

Raising one from the dead In Prison 1 | Page

Acts Table of Contents

Acts 1Acts 2Acts 3Acts 4Acts 5Acts 6Acts 7Acts 8Acts 9Acts 10Acts 11Acts 12Acts 13Acts 14Acts 15Acts 16Acts 17Acts 18Acts 19Acts 20Acts 21Acts 22Acts 23Acts 24Acts 25Acts 26Acts 27Acts 28Introduction, The Ascension, The Upper Room The Day of Pentecost, Peters Sermon, The Ingathering Healing the Lame Beggar, Peters Second Sermon Peter and John Arrested, Threat and Release, Sharing Fate of Ananias and Sapphira, Imprisonment and Release, Gamaliels Counsel Choosing of the Seven Stephens Defense, Stephen Put to Death Saul Persecutes the Church, Phillip in Samaria, An Ethiopian Receives Christ The Conversion of Saul, Saul begins to Preach Christ, Peters Ministry Cornelius Vision, Peter at Caesarea, Gentiles Hear the Good News Peter Reports at Jerusalem, The Church at Antioch Peters Arrest and Deliverance, Death of Herod First Missionary Journey, Paul Turns to The Gentiles Acceptance and Opposition The Council at Jerusalem, James Judgment The Macedonian Visit, First Convert in Europe, Paul and Silas Imprisoned Paul at Thessalonica, Paul at Berea, Paul at Athens, Sermon on Mars Hill Paul at Corinth, Third Missionary Journey Paul at Ephesus, Miracles at Ephesus Paul in Macedonia and Greece, Farewell to Ephesus Paul heads to Jerusalem, Paul Arrested, Paul Speaks to the Crowd Paul the Roman Citizen, Before the Sanhedrin The Plot to Kill Paul, Paul Transferred to Caesarea The Trial Before Felix The Trial Before Festus, Festus Consults king Agrippa, Paul Before Agrippa Pauls Defense Before Agrippa, Paul Tells of His Conversion Paul Sails for Rome, The Storm, The Shipwreck Ashore on Malta, Arrival at Rome, Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard

3-4 4-6 6 7 8 9 9-10 11 12-13 13 14 15 16-17 18 18-19 20-21 21-23 23-24 25-26 26 27-28 29-30 30-31 32 33 34-35 35 36-37

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Acts 1 Introduction, The Ascension, The Upper Room The first part of Acts 1 is a review on the life of Jesus. Jesus presented himself alive after his suffering, appearing to them over a period of 40 days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. This is the only spot in the Bible where it is mentioned that 40 days is the period of time after the resurrection and until the ascension that Jesus was among them. Jesus said, for John was baptized with water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So when they had come together, they were asking him, saying Lord, are you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, It is not for you to know times or epoch which the Father has fixed by His own authority. The Olivet Discourse elaborates on this that only the Father knows the day the day of Jesus second coming. The Olivet Discourse is from Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father- Mark 13:32. So at the time of the book of Acts, Jesus did not know when he would come back to the Earth. However some believe that Jesus now knows these things, and we can believe that from the first verse in Revelation 1:1 where it says, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him- with him being Jesus. Jesus also says but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, even to the remotest part of the earth. The witness began right at home. The hardest place, isn't it? It's to start right at home in Jerusalem, and then the area around Jerusalem, the area of Judea. And then it was to spread up into Samaria. And then it was to go out into the uttermost parts of the world. And as we study the book of Acts, we will see this very progression. How the witness began in Jerusalem. We'll get that in the next chapter. And then we'll see how it began to spread throughout Judea. And then Phillip went up into Samaria, and then finally Paul and Barnabas are called to go into the uttermost parts of the world. And so the witness spread through the anointing and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. And after he said these things, he was lifted up into a cloud out of their sight. The disciples saw him ascend into heaven. As they were gazing into the sky while he was going, two men in white clothing stood beside Him. So as Jesus is ascending two guys show up. Back in Genesis 18, Abraham receives three visitorsthe Lord and two angels. Later the two angels reappear for a mission in Sodom and Gomorrah. There are patterns of two witnesses that appear in the Bible- Genesis 18, two men (Moses and Elijah) on the Mount of Transfiguration, and the two witnesses in Revelation 11 that many suggest are Moses and Elijah. So it is a conjecture to think in Acts 1, these two men Moses and Elijah. They also said, men of Galilee, why do you 3 | Page

stand looking into the sky? Jesus who has been taken up into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. (Zechariah 14 elaborates on Jesus return where it discusses the Mount of Olives will split into two. Jesus will come back in a cloud and when Jesus foot touches the Mount of Olives, it will split and cause an earthquake.) Back here in Acts, the disciples leave the Mount of Olives and returned to Jerusalem and entered the upper room where they were staying. The eleven were there- Peter, John, James, Andrew, Phillip, Thomas, Bartholomew (Nathaniel), James- son of Alphaeus, Simon, Judas- the son of James (not Judas Iscariot). They were devoting themselves to prayer, along with women including Mary and with Jesus brothers- James, Joseph, Simon, Judas (Jude); and he had sisters as well (Matthew 13:55). Mary is praying with them in fellowship, and this is the last time Mary would appear in the scripture. The upper room had around 120 people and Peter stood up and said, the scripture has been fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas. Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us- beginning with the Baptism of John until the day that he was taken up from us- one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection. They then prayed for a twelfth apostle and voted on Matthias. Some scholars say the disciples adding twelfth at this time was a mistake and they believe the apostle that would ultimately fill the 12th position had yet to surface, and most scholars consider Saul of Tarsus (Paul) as that twelfth apostle. They believe it was a mistake because Matthias never surfaces as Gods choice. Also, later in Acts 2 when Peter is giving an incredible sermon, only mentions the eleven apostles, not twelve. Paul wrote 14 epistles, and 9 of them start the defense of his apostleship. Because of the appointment of Matthias, Paul may have been more defensive about this apostleship. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.- Acts 1:8 Acts 2 The Day of Pentecost, Peters Sermon, The Ingathering Acts 2 marks the beginning of the church. When we think church, we naturally think of a building where we worship. That is correct in todays environment, but a better definition of the church is the Lords body of believers. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were together in one place. Pentecost is one of the seven feasts of Moses within Leviticus, which is around 50 days after Passover. Leviticus 15 speaks of the feast of Pentecost. There came a loud sound like a violent rushing wind, such as a hurricane, that made it difficult to hear. When 4 | Page

they heard this group praising God, they heard them speak in their own native tongue, and this could have been a chorus. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. The crowd is hearing at least 16 different languages. This is not a situation where God is speaking to man through tongues. Others were mocking and saying, they are full of sweet wine. But Peter taking his stand with the eleven apostles gave his first sermon. There is a body of thought that believes Matthias was a mistake because the text here mentions only 11, not 12 apostles. Peters sermon was focused only on Jews, not Gentiles at this time. In his sermon he raised his voice and declared to them, men of Judea and all of you who live in Jerusalem, for these men are not drunk. Peter then quotes from Joel 2:28-32: But this is what is spoken through the prophet Joel: and it shall be in the last days, God says, that I will pour forth of my spirit of all mankind the sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. The promise of the Holy Spirit wasnt just for the immediate time, but until the last days right up to the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is therefore wrong to put limitations upon the experience of being empowered by the Spirit of God. After Jesus quotes from the Old Testament regarding the Holy Spirit, Peter transitions into focusing his message not on the Holy Spirit, but Jesus of Nazareth. Peter says that Jesus was demonstrated to us by miracles and signs. Peters message again is to the Jews, and he makes it clear that the Jews didnt make a mistake, but that it was Gods predetermined plan. An interesting concept to understand is that the Jews are criticized for slaying Christ, but Peter mentions here that it was Gods predetermined plan that Jesus would be sacrificed by his own people. Notice as Peter talks about the cross he's not speaking of some horrible, tragic accident that happened. But in referring to the cross, he is talking about it as God's predetermined counsel and foreknowledge. It could not be any other way, because the cross was prophesied in the Old Testament. And the very fact that there are prophecies of the cross, death on the cross: Psalm 22, Isaiah 52, "lifted up" a term used for crucifixion, and His death prophesied in Isaiah 53. There can be no other conclusion but what the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was planned by God long before Jesus ever came into the world. And thus, it is manifestly wrong to try to blame the Jews or to try to blame the Romans or anybody else for the cross. It was something that God had predetermined by His own foreknowledge--a method by which He might manifest the extent of His love for lost man. And so, as he refers to the cross, he talks about God's predetermined counsel, and thus the scripture speaks of Christ crucified from the foundations of world. Before man ever sinned, God had in mind to send His Son to redeem man from his sin, and thus to manifest God's love for 5 | Page

sinning man. It's all part of God's predetermined plan, His foreknowledge. Verse 24 speaks of how it was impossible for Jesus to be held on the cross and not escape if he chose to escape. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him- Acts 2:24. Jesus died on the cross to account for our sins, and died for obedience to the Father. However he could have escaped from the cross anytime he wanted to. But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death. The Peter quotes from David in Psalm 16:8-11 and is reiterated in Acts 2:25-28. Again he is quoting from the scriptures. Notice how he just has the capacity of just quoting Gods word. It was something that was really hidden there in his heart. Peters point is that Davids Psalm did not relate to David, but instead of Jesus Christ. Verse 36 is climax of Peters sermon. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:36. Peters key Pentecostal proclamation is verse 36 and is focus of his sermon. When the Jews heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, what shall we do? Peter said to them, repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. So then those who had received his word were baptized; and on that day 3,000 Jews were baptized. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of the bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. They began to sell their property and possessions and were sharing with all, as anyone might have need. They continued taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of the heart, praising God and having favor with all the people, and through the Lord, people continued to be saved.
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Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. Acts 2:36. Acts 3 Healing the Lame Beggar, Peters Second Sermon Peter and John seemed to be teamed up in the early part of Acts. They are mentioned together 7 times in the Acts 3. Peter and John were going to the temple and a crippled man who couldnt walk was being carried along was also heading into temple. When the man saw Peter and John, he gazed at them and asked them for alms. Peter said that he didnt possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene- walk! The mans feet and ankles were straightened and 6 | Page

he began to walk. And all of the people saw him walking and praising God. They were filled with wonder and amazement at what happened to him. When Peter saw this, he replied, men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Or why do you gaze at us, as if by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has glorified his servant Jesus, the one who you delivered and disowned in the presence of Pilate, when he decided to release Him. It is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, he has thus fulfilled. Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away. Moses said the Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to him you shall give heed to everything He says to you. And it shall be that every soul that does not heed that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. All the prophets since Samuel had announced these days, and therefore they should have not been surprised. If they would have read Daniel they would have expected him to ride on a donkey on Palm Sunday. If they would have done their homework, they would have expected an outpouring of the spirit after the resurrection. For you first, God rose up his servant and sent Him to bless you by turning every one of you from your wicked ways. The main thrust of Peters sermon was that this was the natural outcome of their history, and if they understood the Old Testament that they shouldnt be surprised. Acts 4 Peter and John Arrested, Threat and Release, Sharing Among Believers Chapter 4 is the first persecution. As Peter and John were speaking to people, the priests and the Sadducees confronted them because they were greatly disturbed about their teaching about Jesus, and his resurrection from the dead. Peter and John were arrested and thrown into jail until the next day. But many who heard their message as 5,000 believed- an additional 2,000 from the earlier 3,000. On the next day, the rulers, elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem and placed Peter and John in the center and asked them by what name have you done this? Peter responded let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, who God raised from the dead- by this name this man stands here before you in good health. Peter then quotes Psalm 118 that the disciples sang on Palm Sunday on the only day Jesus presented himself as the Messiah. And there is no salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. This Peter is not the same Peter who denied Christ three times. 7 | Page

This Peter was bold. The difference was that now Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8). As they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated, they were amazed and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And the Jewish leadership seeing the crippled man who had been healed standing with them had nothing to say in reply. The priests and scribes then sent Peter and John outside to confer in a private conference with one another wondering what they should do with these men? A miracle has happened among these men, however we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name. When the priests summoned them back, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John said we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. The priests threatened them further, but they let them go. When Peter and John were released they prayed asking the Lord to do whatever your hand and your purpose predestined to occur and to extend your hand to heal. After they finished praying they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart, and no one claimed that any of his possessions were of his own, but they shared everything they had. For all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles feet. Barnabas sold his tract of land and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:11-12 Acts 5 Fate of Ananias and Sapphira, Imprisonment and Release, Gamaliels Counsel A man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property. They unethically kept a percentage of the proceeds for themselves. Peter told Ananias that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and tells him that he has lied to men but to God. And as soon as he heard these words, Ananias fell to the ground and died. Sapphira was also confronted by Peter who lied as well. She then fell to the ground and died, and they buried her next to her husband. A great fear came upon the Church who heard these things. However more believers came to the Lord and people from the cities within the vicinity of Jerusalem. But the high priests and the Sadducees were filed with jealousy and they threw the apostles into jail. However during the night the angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison and he said to go stand and speak to the people in the temple. Upon hearing this, they entered the temple about 8 | Page

daybreak and began to teach. The high priests and Sadducees came by and called the Council together and sent orders to the prison house to bring in the disciples. But the officers who came back did not find them in prison even though it was locked. They became perplexed at this point. But someone came in and reported to them the disciples whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people! Then the captain brought them back without violence because they were afraid of being stoned by the people. When they had brought them back, they stood before Council and the high priest questioned them saying, we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this mans blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered, we must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, who you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. And we are a witness to these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. But when they heard this, they intended to kill them. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who was Saul of Tarsus teacher, respected by all the people gave orders to put the men outside for a short time. He said to stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this is a plan of action of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God. They took Gamaliels advice. And after calling the apostles in, they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus and then released them. So they went their way from the Council, rejoicing that they have been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they kept right on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. Acts 6 Choosing of the Seven Now at the time the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint on the part of the Hellenistic Jews (Jew raised outside Israel) against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. The Hellenistic Jews followed Greek culture and they felt that was favoritism in the church towards the Hebrews on doing out supplies and all. The little old women who would come up in their Hebrew garb would get an extra dole. Where these ladies who would come in their Grecian fashions would get less. And they'd say, "Hey, wait a minute. This isn't right that these widows who are of the Hebrew culture are getting more than those of the Grecian culture." So they came to the disciples with this problem. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, it is not desirable to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. In other words, "We have more important things to do than to stand at the tables and to dole out the 9 | Page

church's welfare. It isn't right. It isn't reasonable that we should have to take the responsibility of doling out the church's goods." Therefore select among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this serving food. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas. The whole assembly, not the twelve picked these seven men which most of which were the Hellenistic Jews, and none were Palestine Jews. The word of God kept spreading and the number of disciples continued to increase in Jerusalem. And Stephen, full of grace and power was performing great wonders and signs among the people but some men from the Synagogue of Freedom argued with Stephen, but they were unable to cope with the wisdom and spirit that Stephen possessed. Then the Jews secretly induced men to say, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they stirred up people, the elders and scribes and they dragged him away and brought him before Council. They put forward false witness who said, this man is incessantly speaks against this holy place and the Law; for we have heard him say that this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and alter the customs which Moses handed down to us. The Jews were lying about Stephen was saying. All who were sitting in the Council saw Stephens face, like the face of an angel. Acts 7 Stephens Defense, Stephen Put to Death Acts 7 is a summary of the Old Testament. Stephen will make the point that each time God will send a key prophet, they reject him the first time and accept him the second. Steven is the first martyr for Christ. The high priest said, are these things so? And Stephen replied, hear me brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia and said to him, leave your country and your relatives and come into the land that I will show you. And He gave him the covenant of circumcision and Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob of the twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs became jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt, but God rescued him from his afflictions. Stephen is recounting the intimacy to the very history they are accusing him of distaining. Stephen, in his address, is going to be showing them where the history of their fathers isn't as illustrious and glorious as they would like to believe. The 12 patriarchs are Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph and Benjamin. These patriarchs sold Joseph into Egypt. They rejected Joseph and sold him as a slave to Egypt, but God was with him. And He delivered Joseph out of all of his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the sight 10 | P a g e

of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, who made him the governor over Egypt and all of his house. A famine came over all of Egypt and Canaan and Joseph made himself known to his brothers when they went to Egypt for grain. Joseph invited his father Jacob and all his brothers to Egypt. Hundreds of years later, there was another king over Egypt who knew nothing of Joseph and mistreated the Israelites. It was at this time Moses was born. Pharaohs daughter took him away and nurtured him as her own son. Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians and he was a man in power. But when he approached the age of forty, it entered into his mind to visit the brethren, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he took vengeance by striking down the Egyptian. Moses fled and became an alien in the land of Midian where he became a father of two sons. And another forty years had passed, and an angel appeared to him in the wilderness of Mt Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush. When he saw it, he marveled at the sight and approached to look more closely and the voice of the Lord said, I am the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Moses shook with fear and would not venture to look. But the Lord said to him, take off your sandals, for you are standing on Holy Ground. I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and have heard their groans, and I have come down to rescue them; come now I will send you to Egypt. The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says: heaven is my throne. Stephen then adds you men are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart which is a phrase Moses and other prophets used. You who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it. When the Jews heard this they began gnashing their teeth at Stephen. But being in the Holy Spirit he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a loud voice, and covered their ears and rushed at him with one impulse and began stoning him. The witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul. There is the possible interest of that they lay it at the feet of the guy who did the most accusing. They went on stoning Stephen as he called to the Lord and said, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! Then falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not hold this against them! Having said this, he fell asleep. Stephen was a basically a deacon who waited on tables. He wasnt seminary trained, but had less training than most, yet the Bible devotes two chapters to this deacon. We all have the ability to vocal like Stephen. Acts 8 Saul Persecutes the Church, Phillip in Samaria, An Ethiopian Receives Christ 11 | P a g e

Saul was in hearty agreement in putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles. A devout man buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. But Saul began ravishing the church, entering house after house and putting people in prison. Those who had been scattered went out and began preaching the word. Philip (the deacon, not the apostle) went down to Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. He was able to cast out unclean spirits and healing the paralyzed. There was great rejoicing in Samaria. A magician named Simon observed signs of the miracles Philip was performing. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John. Philip was baptized, but he still did not receive the Holy Spirit and this is according to verse 16 - we learn for He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit- Acts 8:16. We can believe a lot of things about Jesus Christ, and be baptized, but still not be in Christ- and that should make us very uncomfortable. Do we really rely on Jesus Christ, or do we glibly speak about Him? Then the apostles began laying their hands on them and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that Peter and John were providing the Holy Spirit, Simon said to them to give him this authority as well, and they will be paid. Peter told him to repent of his wickedness and Simon apologized, but still didnt understand. They were heading back to Jerusalem and were preaching the gospel in those villages when an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip telling him to go south to Gaza. He went to an Ethiopian eunuch who was sitting in his chariot reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the spirit told Philip to join this chariot. Philip ran up to him and said, do you understand what you are reading? And eunuch said, how could I, unless someone guides me? And he invited Philip to come sit with him. He was reading from Isaiah 53:7 and the verse that speaks: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent. - Isaiah 53:7. The eunuch asked who the prophet is speaking of, and Phillip said Jesus. And they went along the road and came to some water. Simon asked, what prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said, if you believe with all your heart, you may. And Simon answered, I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God; and then Philip then baptized Simon. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and he passed through and kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. Acts 9 The Conversion of Saul, Saul begins to Preach Christ, Peters Ministry 12 | P a g e

Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord. The Way here is mentioned and it was the earliest name for the Christian movement. Saul was travelling towards Damascus and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you prosecuting me? And Saul said, who are you Lord? And He said, I am Jesus whom you are prosecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told what you must do. The men who travelled with him, with one of them being Barnabas, stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul got up from the ground but he was blind and the men had to lead him towards Damascus. Saul went without sight for three days, and neither ate nor drank. There was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him, go to the house of Judas and ask for man from Tarsus named Saul, for his is praying. The Lord said he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel. So Ananias entered the house and said to Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately Saul regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized and he ate. For several days Saul was with the disciples in Damascus and be immediately began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues saying, He is the Son of God. All those hearing him continued to be amazed saying, is this the one who raised havoc among those who call on His name? But Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. When many days have elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, but their plot became known to Saul. The disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him into a large basket. When Saul came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing he was a disciple. But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus. While Saul was moving around Jerusalem, he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews (Jews outside of Jerusalem that speak Greek); but they were attempting to put him to death. And when the brothers learned of this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus. Now as Peter was travelling through all the regions, he came down to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. Peter said to him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed. Immediately he got up. And all who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha who was a woman abounding with kindness and charity. She fell sick and died. Since Lydda is near Joppa, 13 | P a g e

the disciples sent Peter to her. Peter knelt down and prayed, and said, Tabitha arise. And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. Peter raising Tabitha became known all over Joppa and many believed in the Lord. And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon.

Acts 10 Cornelius Vision, Peter at Caesarea, Gentiles Hear the Good News Chapter 10 tells the story of Peter, not Paul, opening the gospel to the gentiles. It would have been much more difficult for the other apostles to go along with the belief that gentiles can be saved if Paul would have spoken that message instead of an apostle like Peter. There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea who was a centurion and a man of God and prayed to God continually. A centurion was the leader of around 100 men reporting to Rome. When he was praying at the ninth hour of the day (3PM) an angel of the Lord spoke to him and said to dispatch some men to Joppa and find Peter. Cornelius explained his vision to two of his servants and a devout soldier and sent them to Joppa. The next day while Peter was praying, he fell into a trance and the sky opened up and there were all kinds of four footed animals that came to the ground. A voice came to him telling him to eat them. But Peter said, by no means Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean (see Leviticus 11). And the voice came to him a second time saying, what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy. The object was then taken up in the sky. As Peter was perplexed over this vision, Cornelius servants arrived to meet with Peter, and the Holy Spirit tells Peter that He had sent these three men. Peter invites them in. Peter and the men head back to Caesarea and when Cornelius sees him, he fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter told Cornelius to stand up, as he is only a man. Peter then adds, you know yourself how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with a foreigner and God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean and asks them the reason for their visit. Cornelius tells Peter his vision to find him. Peter responds saying, that I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality. We are witnesses of all the things He did where he was put on the cross and put to death, and God raised Him up on the third day. While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All of the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit 14 | P a g e

had been poured out on the Gentiles also. And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 11 Peter Reports at Jerusalem, The Church at Antioch Now the apostles and brothers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised (Jews) took issue with him saying, you went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. But Peter told them his story that as he was praying, he saw a vision and crawling creatures and beasts came from the sky and a voice saying for me to eat. When I said, by no means Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth. But a voice from heaven answered a second time, what God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy. And everything was drawn back into the sky, and behold at that moment three men appeared at the house in which we were staying, having been sent from Caesarea. The spirit told me to go with them back to Caesarea with no misgivings. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them. God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life. Those who were scattered resulting from the Stephen stoning spoke the gospel only to the Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch, and began speaking to the Hellenists (Gentiles) also, preaching the Lord Jesus. Antioch was founded about 300 BC by Seleucus I, one of the inheritors of Alexander the Greats empire. Antioch was considered by many the third greatest city in the Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria. The city of Antioch was known for its sophistication and culture, but also for its immorality. And the hand of the Lord was with these men of Cyprus and Cyrene, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. When he arrived, be began to encourage them all with the resolute heart to remain true to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit, and a considerable number of people were brought to the Lord. And Barnabas left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. Barnabas remembers this precious brother Saul, and how he had been sent out to Tarsus for his own protection (Acts 9:28-30). Now Barnabas goes and finds him. Together, Barnabas and Saul taught a great many people, making the church in Antioch strong. Saul had spent some twelve years in Tarsus since we last met him; these years were not wasted or lost, but spent in quiet ministry and preparation for future service. And they taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Antioch was the capital of the Assyrian empire, which is now modern day Turkey and became the hub for Christians. 15 | P a g e

Acts 12 Peters Arrest and Deliverance, Death of Herod Herod Agrippa laid hands on some who belonged to the Church intending to persecute them. Herod Agrippa, who killed John the Baptist, was Herod Antipas grandson. Herod Agrippa had James, the brother of John, put to death with a sword. James and John were called by Jesus as the sons of thunder and they were part of Jesus inner circle along with Peter. When Herod saw that killing James pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter and he put him in prison. People in the church were praying fervently to God. Peter was bound in two chains and had 4 squads of 4, or 16 guards watching over the prison. Then an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peters side and woke him up saying, get up quickly and his chains fell of his hands. And the angel of the Lord said to follow me. And he went out and continued to follow the angel, but he did not know what the angel was doing was real, or if he was having a vision. When they passed the first and second guard, the gate opened up by itself leading into the city and they went out, and immediately the angel disappeared. When Peter came to himself, he said, now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all the Jewish people. When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of Mark where many were gathered together praying. Mary is the mother of Mark, the writer of the gospel, and Mary is the sister of Barnabas, which makes Barnabas Marks uncle. When Peter knocked at the door, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peters voice, instead of opening the door, she ran with excitement to tell the others that Peter was there. They didnt believe her, but she finally opened the door, they were amazed. Peter told them how he escaped from prison. And he said to report these things to James. Now at this point we are introduced to James, who became one of the leaders in the early church, who was a half-brother to Jesus. And he began to take a very strong role of leadership in the early church. James the brother of John has been put to death by Herod. But this other James, who will write an epistle 16 | P a g e

after his name and will take a role of leadership in the council in Jerusalem, is not the James of the gospel, except that Mark does name him as one of the half-brothers of Jesus. James the half-brother of Jesus did not believe the claims of Jesus during His lifetime. In fact, James thought that his brother Jesus was mad, and at one time sought to rescue Him from the crowd. He said, "He's beside Himself" and they came down to rescue Him. It is said according to the Gospel of the Hebrews, in one of the Apocrypha books, they have James saying after the death of Jesus and before His resurrection that he said, "I will not believe unless I can see Him myself." And interestingly enough, Jesus, after His resurrection, did appear unto James as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians: For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 1 Corinthians 15:3-7. He made an appearance to his half-brother and after that point his half-brother James and His half-brother Jude became pillars in the early church. The next day the soldiers were looking for Peter and when they did not find him, Herod ordered that the soldiers be led away to be executed. For according to the Roman law, if you were guarding a prisoner and he escaped from you, then you received the sentence that would have been given to the prisoner. Which shows that he was planning to put Peter to death. The soldiers who were the guards over Peter were put to death, taking the sentence that was to be placed upon Peter. Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Herod began to address them, but the people kept crying out, this is the voice of a god, and not a man. And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God. He was eaten by worms and died. But the word of the Lord continued to be multiplied. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along Mark. Barnabas, Saul and Mark are on their way to Antioch. This is the closing of the section of the book of Acts. Acts 13 First Missionary Journey, Paul Turns to The Gentiles

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Acts 13 begins the second section of the Book of Acts and contains the beginning of Pauls first missionary journey where the gospel is opened up to the Gentiles. What God does through Paul changes the entire history of western civilization. There were disciples ministering in Antioch including Barnabas, Saul and Simeon- the first black man in the Bible. However the Holy Spirit called Barnabas and Saul away to the cities of Seleucia, Cyprus and Salamis to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they took Mark along as their helper. They came upon a false prophet named Bar-Jesus who was with ponconsul, Sergius Paulus. Proconsul is a roman title, not a person. He summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. But Elymas the magician was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul told him, you are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil. Now behold the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time. And immediately he became blind. This was Sauls first miracle and from here on, Saul would go by the name of Paul. Pauls language is very aggressive towards those that are deceivers and is similar to the harsh language Jesus used towards the Pharisees. However it is important to remember the only time Jesus used such harsh language was when someone was standing between man and God. The other times Jesus compassion when dealing with sinners. After the proconsul saw that the magician was blind, he was amazed and became a believer in the teaching of the Lord. Sergius Paulus, the procounsel becomes the first Gentile convert. Verse 13 speaks that Paul and his companions went to Paphos and then Perga in Pamphylia, but Mark went back to Jerusalem. Up to now, it was always Barnabas and Saul, but now the text reads Paul and his companions here, and will read Paul and Barnabas on most occasions. From this event, Paul seizes the leadership. This event is also where Mark leaves them, and Paul did not approve of Mark leaving, and this becomes 18 | P a g e

contentious between Paul and Barnabas, as Mark is Barnabas nephew. Barnabas takes the side of Mark. This will be a point of contention later on before Pauls second missionary trip. There are a few conjectures why Mark left; one being that he was upset by the change of leadership, and the second thought was he was still a kid and wasnt up for the journey no matter who was in charge. They then leave Perga and arrive in Pisidian Antioch (not the main Antioch). Paul went in the synagogues and gave them a history lesson from the Old Testament beginning with God having them wander in the wilderness for 40 years, to Him destroying Canaan, and He giving them judges and then He mentioned King Saul from the tribe of Benjamin. Then after He removed King Saul, he gave them King David and from the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought Israel a savior, Jesus. Then John the Baptist was proclaiming that I am not He, but behold one is coming after me the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie. And though they found no ground for putting Him to death, they asked Pilate that he be executed. But God raised Him from the dead; and for many days he appeared to those who came up from Him from Galilee to Jerusalem. And we preach the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus as it is written in second Psalm. Therefore let it be known to you that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses. When the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and God fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul and were blaspheming. Paul and Barnabas then had enough of the Jews and says, it was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first; since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold we are turning to the Gentiles. Barnabas and Paul begin to speak the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul unfortunately later stumbles and keeps focusing on Jerusalem. For so the Lord has commanded us, I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the Earth. When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region. But the Jews instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. Paul led them next to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Acts 14 Acceptance and Opposition

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In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and a large number of both Jews and Greeks believed. But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brothers. So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there speaking boldly for the Lord. But the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews and some sided with the apostles. And when an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and Jews, the disciples became aware and continued east to Lystra and Derbe, and the surrounding region and continued to preach the gospel. At Lystra, Paul performed a miracle with a crippled man who had never walked, but through Paul he leaped and walked. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice and said, the gods have become men and have come down to us. But when Barnabas and Paul heard about this, they cried out and said, men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and earth and the sea and all that is in them. But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having won over the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. But while the disciples stood around him, he got up and entered the city, and the next day Paul went away with Barnabas to Derbe. After they preached the gospel in Derbe and made many disciples, they returned west to Lystra, Iconium and to Pisidian Antioch (not the main Antioch) and continued to strengthen souls. Then they continued west heading back through Pisidia, and then south to Perga and Attalia. From there they sailed east on the northern Mediterranean back to Antioch. They were commended to the grace of God upon their return for the work they had accomplished. They reported all things that God had done with them and how He had opened up a door to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples. Acts 15 The Council At Jerusalem, James Judgment Acts 15 deals with the Council of Jerusalem with James, Jesus half brother presiding over it. The issue is not whether a Gentile can be saved, but do they first need to become a Jew before becoming a Christian? Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers saying, unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. This is around AD 52 at this point, or around 20 years after the ascension. Paul and Barnabas moving toward Jerusalem and brought joy to the Gentiles who now knew they could be saved. Paul and Barnabas upon entering Jerusalem had a great debate and disagreed with those who said you needed to be circumcised to be saved. Some of the Pharisees who believed said, it is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Law of Moses. 20 | P a g e

Peter stood up and said that God made the choice among you that the by my mouth, the Gentiles would hear the gospel and believe, and He made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. James said it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled from blood. James summarizes what has been going on the past 13 or so years since the Lord called Peter to open up the gospel to the Gentiles. They decided to send Judas and Silas along with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to lead the men, and they wrote letters to them. Then Paul said to Barnabas that we should return to the cities we visited to check on their progress. Barnabas wanted to take Mark, but Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along because he deserted them in Pamphylia. And a sharp disagreement occurred and they separated from one another. So instead of having two great leaders together, the dissention over Mark causes them to split up. It was probably to the advantage of the gospel that they have two great leaders separating to spread the gospel as this could be viewed as another fingerprint of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas took Mark with him and they sailed to Cyprus. Paul chose Silas and travelled through Syria and west to Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Paul then begins his second missionary journey.

Acts 16 The Macedonian Visit, First Convert in Europe, Paul and Silas Imprisoned, The Jailer Converted 21 | P a g e

Paul starts his second missionary journey heading west to Derbe and Lystra and he met a man named Timothy who was the son of a Jewish woman, but his father was a Greek. Timothy was well spoken by the brothers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul had Timothy circumcised because he was a Jew, yet the Gentiles did not have to be circumcised. We know from Acts 15 that Christians did not first have to be circumcised in order to be saved. So it was odd that Timothy here would be circumcised. It is suggested that Paul asked Timothy to get circumcised to keep the peace. It was just that beautiful adaptability of Paul not wanting to create a greater havoc that already existed among the Jews who knew that Timothy's father was a Greek. And so rather than just having a hassle with them, it was, "Go ahead and do it, what difference does it make? It doesn't matter. Go ahead." And for the sake of these contentious brethren, go ahead and be circumcised. It was as Paul wrote later, "I have learned to become all things to all men, that I might gain the more" - 1 Corinthians 9:22. To the Jew I became as a Jew. To those that are free from the law, I became as one who is free to the law. All things to all men. Paul then asks Timothy to join them on their missionary journey. The churches were being strengthened in their faith, and were increasing in numbers daily. They continued west and ended up in Troas. A vision appeared to Paul in the night with a man in Macedonia was saying, come over to Macedonia and help us. We dont know who the man is, but conclude that the man is Luke because we know from the next verse that Luke for the first time is with Paul. The writer is including himself when he says, we sought to go into Macedonia. Luke in verse 10 is modest enough not to make reference to himself, but he is here. Paul concluded that God called us to preach the gospel to them. Leaving Traos, they went to Neapolis and then to Phillipi, which is a leading city in the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony, located just north of Greece. A woman named Lydia opened her heart to respond to Pauls message and the first convert in Europe had taken place. Lydia invited them to stay at her house. Then a fortune teller slave girl who made money for her master was for days following Paul yelling out, these men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation. This young lady, possessed by this spirit, able to tell fortunes, able to divine things, was declaring the truth about Paul and his company. Now she's really advertising for them. What she is saying is true. But Paul doesn't want Satan running his advertising campaign. Paul wanted nothing to do with advertisement from this quarter. So he commanded the spirit to come out of her. Paul was greatly annoyed, and turned to the spirit saying, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her! And it came out at that very moment. When her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas dragged them to the authorities and said, these men are throwing our city into confusion, being Jews, and 22 | P a g e

proclaiming customs which it is not lawful for us to accept or to observe, being Romans. The chief magistrates tore their robes off and had then beaten with rods and thrown into prison instructing the guard to guard them securely. The jailer fastened their feet in stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there came a great earthquake and the doors were opened and everyones chains were unfastened. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried out with a loud voice saying, do not harm yourself, for we are all here! And the jailer fell to the feet of Paul and Silas and asked them what must he do to be saved? They said, believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and his family and had them baptized. There was great joy in the house. When the day came, the chief magistrates sent their policeman saying, release those men. When Paul heard their words, he said, they have beaten us in public without a trial, men who are Romans, and have thrown us into prison, and now they are sending us away secretly? No indeed! But let them come themselves and bring us out. Paul was a Roman citizen despite being Jewish. Any Roman citizen is entitled to a trial and guaranteed not be beaten without due process. The chief magistrates were afraid when they heard they were Romans, and begged them to leave the city. The chief magistrates in Philippi encouraged them to leave. They made some stops first in Lydia to see the brothers before they departed. Luke leaves here for the time being but will show up later, and we get these inferences from the pronouns used. Then he brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household. Acts 16:30-31 Acts 17 Paul at Thessalonica, Paul at Berea, Paul at Athens, Sermon on Mars Hill Paul and Silas continued their missionary journey west to Thessalonica, a region of Macedonia. They spent three Sabbaths there, or over three weeks, and explained and gave evidence that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and a number of leading women. But the Jews became jealous and some formed a mob and set Thessalonica in an uproar and attacked Jasons house. Jason is probably a relative of Paul (Romans 16:21). When the angry mob did not find them, they instead brought Jason and some of his brothers before the city authorities arguing they act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, 23 | P a g e

Jesus. And when they pledged bail from Jason, they released Jason and his brothers. The brothers sent Paul and Silas just south in Macedonia to Berea where they went into the synagogue of the Jews. In Berea, they were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. Paul emphasizes that we need to examine the scriptures daily, not weekly, monthly, but daily. Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews back in Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they went there as well and stirred up the crowds. Then immediately the brothers sent Paul out to go as far as the Aegean Sea would take him while Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. Paul ends up in Athens, which is about 400 years after the peak of Athens. While Paul was there his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing a city of idols. Athens had about 30,000 idols in the public places (Zeus, Athena, etc) at that time. We become like the Gods we worship. Do we worship America? What is the highest value in our life? Paul was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God fearing Gentiles and some of the philosophers say, what would this babbler trying to say? Others remarked, that he seems to be advocating foreign gods. They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. You are bringing strange things to our ears and we want to know that they mean. So Paul stood in the midst of Aeropagus and said, Men of Athens, I see that in every way that you are very religious. It was obvious they were a worshipping group with the 30,000+ idols in the city, but they were not worshipping the one true God. When I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, to an unknown God. Therefore what you worship in ignorance. The God who made the world and all things in it, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, that they would seek God though he is not far from each one of us. For in him, we live, move and exist, for we are also His children. Therefore having overlooked the times of the ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He shall judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead. Now when they heard of the resurrection, some began to sneer, but others said we want to hear from you on this subject again. And Paul departed and a few men became followers of Paul and believed.

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 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.- Acts 17:11 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.- Acts 17:24-25 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. Acts 17:30-31

Acts 18 Paul at Corinth, Third Missionary Journey

After these things Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. Corinth was the center of sensuality or rated X or worse. Corinth is the center of the worship of Aphrodite and every night they had 1000 temple prostitutes to offer free sex for whoever wanted it. Athens main problem with intellectual pride, and Corinths main problem was lust. Paul found a Jew named Aquila who was forced to leave Rome with all of the other Jews. 25 | P a g e

When Silas and Timothy came down to Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he said to them, your blood be on your own hands! I am clean from now on, and I will go to the Gentiles. We will find however that Paul has the Jews in his heart and is drawn to Jerusalem even though the Holy Spirit tells him not to- and he loses his freedom and goes to prison. Paul converts the leader of the synagogue named Crispus to the Lord. And one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city. And he settled in Corinth for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Staying 18 months at one location for Paul is a long time. Paul writes 1 and 2 Corinthians later. While Gallio was proconsul (deputy) of Achaia, the Jews made an attack on Paul and brought him up before the court saying that Paul persuades men to worship God contrary to the law. Proconsul is a Roman title, not a person. When Paul was about to defend himself Gallio doesnt even let him. Gallio said to the Jews, if you were making a complaint about a crime then it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since this dispute involves questions and names and your own law- settle the matter yourself. And he ejected him from the court. Gallio refused to hear it and Paul was now free to preach the gospel without fear from the Roman government. The Roman government was saying that Christianity was a sect of Judaism and it was their problem, not Romes. Then they all turned on Sosthenes, who was probably Crispus replacement, and the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatsoever, as he just stayed out of it as he said before that this was the Jews problem. Paul remained in Corinth many days longer and he left the brothers and sailed to Syria with Aquila and his wife Priscilla, as well as Silas and Timothy; so the whole gang heads to Syria. Paul shaved his head and they sailed back East across the Aegean and Mediterranean Sea and landed back in Asia at Ephesus (Ephesians) where he left Aquila and Priscilla. Paul went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left he promised that if it is Gods will that he would come back. He then left Ephesus and headed back southeast on a long jaunt across the Mediterranean to Israel landing in Caesarea, which is just west of Jerusalem. When he landed at Caesarea, he greeted the church and went down to Antioch. This ends Pauls second missionary journey. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul then starts his third missionary journey which is not aimed at any new Church but old ones. This third journey is Pauls last days at liberty. Timothy, Titus among others accompanies Paul on this journey. Paul hears threats which lead to the Galatians letter. 26 | P a g e

Paul passed by the Galatian region strengthening all the disciples. We find in Pauls other books that he is raising contributions for the church in Judea. Back in Ephesus, a Jew named Apollos had a thorough knowledge of the scriptures. Apollos was fervent in spirit and he taught about Jesus accurately, though he only knew of the baptism of John; and be began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. So Apollos knew of what John the Baptist preached, but he didnt know of the cross and resurrection. But when Aquila and Priscilla heard him in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained to the way of God more accurately. And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed. He vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. Apollos had the humility to be taught by two people in the group- the teachable will always be humble. Aquila and Priscilla shared with Apollos what he missed, the cross, the resurrection and the Holy Spirit. Apollos receives this information and later becomes a mighty evangelist. Acts 19 Paul at Ephesus, Miracles at Ephesus While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went to Ephesus. Paul found some disciples and asked them did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They said, no, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. Paul says later in Romans that: You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. Romans 8:9. Paul asked them into what are you being baptized and they responded into John the Baptists baptism. Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul laid his hands upon twelve of them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. And Paul entered the synagogue and continued to speak boldly for three months about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him. What is the Way? Jesus speaks, Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me- John 14:6. This is one of the seven I am statements from Johns gospel. Jesus Christ claimed to be the voice of the burning bush. Paul had daily discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus with them that lasted for two years, so both Jews and Greeks who lived in Asia heard the word. God was performing extraordinary 27 | P a g e

miracles at the hands of Paul. Handkerchiefs or aprons were used for curing the body for diseases. Some Jews were attempting to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus. A Jewish priest, Seven sons of Sceva, was one example of a Jew who was using the name of Jesus to cast out the evil spirits. One day the evil spirit answered them saying that I know Jesus, and Ive heard of Paul, but who are you? Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all giving them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When the Greeks and Jews heard this story from Ephesus, they became seized with fear and the name of the Lord was held in high honor. Many who believed kept confessing their sins and many who practiced sorcery burned their scrolls. We need to stay away from entries such as Ouija boards, horoscopes, etc. The word of the Lord was growing and spreading in power. Then Paul decided through the spirit to go to Jerusalem passing through Macedonia and Achaia. This spirit is not the Holy Spirit but Pauls spirit. Paul has this fixation to go to Jerusalem. Paul was called to the Gentiles and Paul acknowledges that, but in his heart, he cannot let go to his people (Jews). This is a theme that will pick up later on. A result is that he was stuck in prison for two years because he didnt listen to the Holy spirit to stay out of Jerusalem. We do have the prison epistles however. Then Paul said after Jerusalem that he said he must go to Rome. Paul sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia, and Paul stayed in Asia a little longer. Then a riot was beginning to form in Ephesus. A silversmith was upset that Paul was causing his business to lose income. He sold shrines of the goddess Artemis (Diana), and Paul was causing him to lose income because he was discrediting her and robbing her of her majesty. People began to shout and seized Pauls travelling companions and brought them into the theatre. Paul wanted to appear before the crowd but the disciples would not let him. The city clerk quieted the crowd saying that doesnt all of the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of Artemis? Paul has neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. He told them we are in danger of being charged for this commotion and we would not be able to account for it. Acts 20 Paul in Macedonia and Greece, Farewell to Ephesus After the uproar, he left them to go to Macedonia and then Greece. Macedonia was the northern area of Greece. Paul spent three months in Greece. Because the Jews plotted against him, as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. Timothy and Luke were with them on this trip as they land in Troas. They gathered on the first day of the week to break bread. That is to have communion. And communion, it seems, was a very common practice in the early church. That 28 | P a g e

reminder of the broken body of Jesus Christ and of His blood which was shed for our sins. And it was a very common practice in the early church. They did it, it would seem, once a week at least. They did not only though in church, but from house to house. It was a beautiful thing. Christians gathered together, "Let's break bread together, you know." Now there is a real value, I think, in eating together. There's just a closeness of communion. And there is something that just creates a closeness, a bond, eating together. There was a young man named Eutychus who fell from the third floor and was dead, but Paul healed him and brought him back to life. Paul then spoke to some Ephesian elders. We learned in the last chapter that Paul nearly caused a riot in Ephesus for telling the locals that Diana was not a true god, and Demetrius the silversmith became very angry because he sold many statues of Diana. Paul adds, but I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. My chief desire is to finish my course with joy. It doesn't bother me that I have to be imprisoned. It doesn't move me that I'm going to be bound. My chief desire is to just to finish my course." So Paul's great drive to finish that course that God had set before him. He finally wrote to Timothy and he said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished the course." That was his last epistle just before being beheaded by Nero. "I fought a good fight, I finished the course. Paul not only preached in groups, but went from house to house. Paul was hurrying to get back to Jerusalem for Pentecost. Paul gives his heartfelt farewell telling them to be on your guard to watch over yourselves and all of the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, and be shepherds of the Church of God. Paul closes saying it is better to give than to receive, and they wept aloud and embraced Paul and kissed him. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given methe task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.- Acts 20:24 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Acts 20:29-30 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35 Acts 21 Paul heads to Jerusalem, Paul Arrested, Paul Speaks to the Crowd 29 | P a g e

After leaving Ephesus, Paul was headed back to Jerusalem. Paul starts on a journey where he makes a big mistake. The Lord did however use him in the results of his mistake. Paul was called to the Gentiles but he had this passion for his own people, the Jews. He is warned not to go to Jerusalem, but he goes anyway. We see many times in the scripture that a person falls not in his weak suit, but his strongest suit. In the gospels, there isnt any guy who is more courageous and bold more than Peter. However he stumbles in his strength of being bold by denying the Lord. The last guy in the world we would think would cower before a young girl was Peter. Paul, Luke and others stopped at Tyre and stayed with some disciples for seven days. Through the spirit, the disciples urged Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but they went on to Jerusalem anyway. They reached Caesarea and stayed there for a number of days with Phillip who was one of the seven deacons appointed in the early church to administer the tables. Now it is interesting, this is twenty years after Philip fled from Jerusalem because of Paul's intense persecution of the church at the time of the stoning of Stephen, where Paul stood and held the coats consenting or voting for Stephen's death. And then how Paul went out to wreck the church, imprisoning those that called upon the Lord and all, and at Paul's heavy persecution Philip had fled from Jerusalem. No longer on opposite sides of the fence, but now brought together as brothers in Jesus Christ. And Paul stayed there now at the house of Philip, for Philip had settled now in Caesarea, had a family, four daughters. While Paul, Luke and others were in Caesarea, there was a prophet named Agabus from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Pauls belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, the Holy Spirit says, in this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles. When we heard this, we and the people pleaded with Paul not go to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul is ready to die over his obsession with going back to Jerusalem. Paul was called by the Lord to be a disciple to the Gentiles, yet he cannot get away from his love for the Jews. The disciples then just gave up and said, the Lords will be done. After this, we got up and went to Jerusalem. The brothers received Paul warmly; and the next day they all went to see James. Paul reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry and they praised God. They then told Paul that the Jews have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. This isnt true, but its what the Jews think. They will soon hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who made a vow. Take these men and 30 | P a g e

join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you are living in obedience to the law. This is a Nazarite vow explained in Numbers 6. Its a way to reinforce the idea that Paul is still Jewish. There should be no issue with Paul still being Jewish and keeping his Jewish traditions while at the same time believing that Christ is the King of the Jews, yet some Jews have a problem with that thought and the drama is about to unfold. So the church in Jerusalem was trying to keep from having an uproar. There are many Jews who have become believers, though they kept the Judaic law and they continued as Jews, but they did believe. All these Jews are going to hear that you've come here and you know things are liable to get a little sticky. So there are these four young fellows and they've come for the feast, and so they want to take a vow." Now in taking the vow you had to go a whole week, just in dedication to the Lord. It was a Nazarite vow. You shave your head. Then at the end of the period of time you shave your head again and you bring the hair and burn it as a sacrifice unto God. The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. He went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. Now we transition into the closing of the book of the Acts as this is where it goes in a certain sense downhill. At this point in Jerusalem it is the feast of Pentecost- any able minded Jew needed to be in Jerusalem, so it was very crowded. When the seven days were nearly over, some of the Jews from Asia (in town for the Pentecost) saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him, shouting, Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our law. And besides, he has brought Greeks into this holy place. Paul did not bring Greeks into the temple, and it was only assumed he did since they saw Paul with them. The whole city was aroused and they seized Paul dragging him from the temple. While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. The Jews are out to kill him and they are very upset with Paul. When the rioters saw the Roman commander and soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. This Roman commander saved Pauls life. The commander arrested Paul and then asked who he was and what he had done. Some in the crowd shouted one thing, and others shouted another and since the commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered Paul be taken to the barracks. When Paul reached the steps, the violence of that mob was so great that Paul had to be carried by the soldiers. The crowd kept shouting, away with him! As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked the commander, may I say something to you? The Commander doesnt understand Aramaic (Hebrew) and asks Paul if he speaks Greek? This 31 | P a g e

commander does not speak Aramaic and does not understand their language and is having a difficult time understanding what if anything is going on. He replied, arent you the Egyptian who started a revolt and let four thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago? Paul is not this Egyptian the soldier is asking about. Paul answered, I am a Jew from Tarsus. Please let me speak to the people. Having received the commanders permission, Paul stood on the steps and mentioned to the crowd and he said to them in Aramaic: (The context of his message is in Acts 22). Acts 22 Paul the Roman Citizen, Before the Sanhedrin Brothers and fathers, listen to my defense. When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said, I am a Jew born in Tarsus, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today. Gamaliel was one of the highly respected Jewish rabbis of that day. In fact, probably the most highly respected Jewish rabbi of that day. Paul is seeking to identify himself as a Jew. Paul adds, I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison. About noon I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me? Who are you Lord, I asked. I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting, he replied. My companion saw the light, but they did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. What shall I do, Lord? I asked. The Lord said go into Damascus and there you will be told on what you have been assigned to do. My companions led me by the hand into Damascus, because the brilliance of the light had blinded me. Paul was being lead into Damascus but he had no idea what would happen next. We so often want God to spell out the whole thing. We're not willing to walk by faith. We want God to spell out the entire mission, tell us everything that's going to be transpiring all the way along. And probably so that I can choose whether or not I want to do it. But when you are a servant of the Lord, you take the orders one step at a time if that's the way the Lord gives them. When Paul is in Damascus, a man named Ananias came to see me and he was a devout observer of the law and highly respected of the Jews there. He stood beside me and said, brother Saul, receive your sight! And at that very moment, I was able to see him. Then he said, The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Just One and to hear words from his mouth. The term Just One is used how many times in the Bible? Seven times is correct. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away. 32 | P a g e

When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord speaking, Quick! He said to me. It sounded like, from the text here, that Paul returned immediately to Jerusalem from Damascus, but that was not so. He stayed in Damascus for a short period of time, but then he went out into the desert. He went out into Arabia, and there he spent close to three years as God revealed to Paul during that period God's will for Paul's life as God corrected his whole understanding of the Old Testament scriptures. Paul returned from Arabia to Damascus, began to preach Christ boldly in the synagogues, got the Jews all upset who decided to kill him. So his friends let him down over the wall in a basket so he could escape from Damascus, because the Jews were waiting at the gate of the city to ambush him when he went to leave. And so he came down to Jerusalem, but that was some three years later. Paul continues, leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me. The Lords message again shows that Paul made a mistake by even being here in Jerusalem right now. Paul continues, Lord I replied, these men know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who (Christians) believed in you. And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval. Then the Lord said to me, Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles. The crowd was calm with everything Paul said including that Jesus spoke to him up until he said that he would be said the word Gentile, from which they lost their cool. They then raised their voice saying, rid the earth of him! Hes not fit to live! This is the second time the commander saved Pauls life. The Jew regarded the Gentile as unworthy to be saved and had a real ego trip about them since they were the chosen people. As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks, the commander ordered Paul to be taken into the barracks and flogged. As they started to flog him, Paul asked the centurion standing there, is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasnt even been found guilty? An edict from Caesar Augustus stipulated that all Romans citizens should be exempted from flogging. The fact they were flogging was a huge concern as the commander could be put to death for flogging a Roman citizen. Prior to any trial a formal charged had to be made against them, and any official permitting such flogging was publicly executed. No charges to this point have been made. The commander went up to Paul and asked if he was a Roman citizen and Paul said, Yes I am. Then the commander said, I had to pay a big price for my citizenship. But Paul replied, I was born a Roman citizen. The commander was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. The next day, since the commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. Then he brought Paul and had him stand before the chief priests and Sanhedrin on his turf since it was illegal for the 33 | P a g e

Gentiles/Romans to appear in the temple and the Romans needed to know what was going on. Acts 23 The Plot to Kill Paul, Paul Transferred to Caesarea Paul looked straight into the Sanhedrin and said, my brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day. For Paul to call the Sanhedrin brother was offensive because the Sanhedrin did not consider Paul as a brother. Whether he was consciously offensive or unconsciously offensive is a matter of debate, but clearly they got teed off by the brother comment. Then the high priest Ananias ordered those standing next to Paul to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me accordingly to the law, yet yourself violate the law by commanding I be struck! It was unlawful to just hit the prisoner during interrogation. So Paul was upset. Here a guy is supposed to be a judge of the law and he's violating the law himself, and it just snapped in Paul and so he flared and called him the whitewashed wall. Paul is calling Ananias whitewashed wall which means a grave. Those who were standing near Paul said, you dare to insult Gods high priest? Paul replied, brothers I did not realize that he was a high priest for it is written: do not speak evil about the ruler of your people. Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others were Pharisees, called out the Sanhedrin, my brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in the resurrection of the dead. When he saw this a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees and the assembly was divided. Paul knew by bringing up the resurrection would infuriate the Sadducees and it was an attempt to divide the crowd. There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. We find nothing wrong with this man, they said. What if a spirit of an angel has spoken to him? The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them so he ordered troops to go down and take him away by force and bring him into the barracks. This is the third time the commander has saved Pauls life. This would be Pauls last sermon in Jerusalem and he would never again return to the city of David. Paul is alone in prison and is probably very upset that the people he loved attempted to kill him three times to this point. Paul had such an intense love for the Jews, that he said in his Roman epistles that he could wish himself accursed from God for his brethren's sake according to the flesh. He testified of his great love for them. He had had a yearning to preach to them and finally the opportunity came, perhaps forced by Paul, but nonetheless, that was his big moment. And it ended in disaster. The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, Take 34 | P a g e

courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy among forty men not to eat until they had Paul killed. They asked the chief priests and Sanhedrin to petition the commander to bring him before you on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about his case. We are ready to kill him before he gets here. But when the son of Pauls sister, Pauls nephew, heard the plot, he went to the barracks and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions and said, take this young man to the commander; he has something to tell him. The centurion said to the commander that Paul, the prisoner, sent for me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you. The commander took the young man by the hand, drew him aside and asked, what is it you want to tell me? He said, the Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin tomorrow on the pretext of wanting more accurate information about him. Dont give it to them, because more than forty of them are waiting in ambush to kill him. They have taken an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. The plot to kill Paul leaked out to enough people that Pauls nephew heard about it. The commander dismissed the young man and cautioned him, dont tell anyone that you have reported this to me. Then the commander called two of his centurions and ordered them to acquire 200 soldiers, 70 horsemen, and 200 spearmen to go to Caesarea at 9:00 PM tonight. From Jerusalem to Caesarea is a journey of about sixty miles, of which some forty miles are through mountain country where the Jews lived and would have been easy to ambush Paul. Then commander (Claudius Lysias) then wrote a letter to Governor Felix saying this man was seized by the Jews and they were about to kill him, but I came with my troops and rescued him, for I had learned he is a Roman citizen. I found their accusations had to do with questions on their law, but there was no charge against him that deserved death or imprisonment. When I was informed of a plot to be carried out against this man, I sent him to you at once. I also ordered his accusers to present to you their case against him. Instead of an acquittal, Claudius wants to pass Pauls problem off to someone else. The next day they arrived in Caesarea and Paul handed over the letter to the Governor Felix. The governor read the letter he said I will hear your case when your accusers get here. The he ordered that Paul be kept under guard at Herods place. God here is moving the machinery to get to Rome as he will be here in prison in Caesarea for two years before moved to Rome. Acts 24 The Trial Before Felix Five days later the high priest Ananias went to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus and they brought 35 | P a g e

charges before Governor Felix. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case. Tertullus was very respectful of Governor Felix saying, most excellent Felix and we acknowledge you with profound gratitude. Tertullus then added that Paul was a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. By examining him yourself you will be able to learn the truth about all of these charged brought against him. The Jews joined the accusation, asserting that these things were true. When the governor motioned for Paul to speak, he replied, I know that for a number of years you have been a judge over this nation; so I gladly make my defense. You can easily that no more than twelve days ago I went up to Jerusalem to worship. My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me. However I will admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. The term "the way" was the term used in the early church to describe themselves. They were living a new way of life with Jesus at the center of their life. Jesus had said to His disciples, "I am the way: no man comes to the Father but by me - John 14:6. And so they picked up this term "the way" and they used it to describe the Christian fellowship in the early years of the church. At least six times this term "the way" is used to describe the believers in the book of Acts. The term "Christian" was not at all a common term nor really a biblical term for Christianity in the beginning. It became a term used ultimately because Peter in writing his epistle said, If any of you suffer as a Christian - 1 Peter 4:16. But that is the only time the term "Christian" was used by Christians in the New Testament; whereas the term "the way" was used many different times and was a far more common name for the followers of Jesus Christ than the name "Christian." The name "Christian" is used only three times in all of the New Testament, where it mentions in Antioch that there the disciples were first called Christians. Paul admits to believing everything in the Bible from verse 14; so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets (long day at Joshua, first couple chapters of Genesis, etc). I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written with the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both righteous and the wicked. So Paul's belief in the resurrection, both of the just and the unjust. Of course, in the book of Revelation we find out that there will be actually two resurrections--one of the just and the second of the unjust. And there will be approximately a thousand years intervening between the two resurrections. So Paul's belief in the resurrection, both of the just and the unjust. Of course, in the book of Revelation we find out that there will be actually two resurrections--one of the just and the second of the unjust. And 36 | P a g e

there will be approximately a thousand years intervening between the two resurrections: The rest of the dead did fire not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.- Revelation 20:5-6. Revelation 20:4-6 mentions a first resurrection and identifies those involved as blessed and holy. The second death (the lake of fire, Revelation 20:14) has no power over these individuals. The first resurrection, then, is the raising of all believers. It corresponds with Jesus teaching of the resurrection of the just (Luke 14:14) and the resurrection of life (John 5:29). Daniel also mentions two resurrections. and summarizes the two very different fates facing mankind: Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Everyone will be raised from the dead, but not everyone will share the same destiny. The New Testament reveals the further detail of separate resurrections for the just and the unjust Daniel 12:2. Jude also mentions two resurrections: What great rejoicing will attend the first resurrection! What great anguish at the second! What a responsibility we have to share the Gospel! And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. - Jude 23. Chuck Smith believes that the first resurrection takes place over a period of time. That Jesus was indeed the firstfruits of those who rise from the dead and as He said, "He who lives and believes in Me shall never die - John 11:26. And that for the child of God, death is an immediate transition from this old tent into the new house, and that Revelation chapter nineteen is in fact the account of the first resurrection. That is, the completion of it. The final ones to enter into that first resurrection are those martyred saints during the tribulation period, and they complete the first resurrection. Paul continues, after the absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings. There was no crowd with me, nor was I involved in any disturbance. But there are some Jews from the province of Asia, who ought to be here before you and bring charges if they have any against me. Or these who are here should state what crime they found in me when I stood before the Sanhedrin- unless it was the one thing I shouted as I stood in their presence: it is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you today. Then Felix who was well acquainted with the Way, adjourned the proceedings. Felix had a knowledge of the Christians. Where he received the knowledge is not known from the Bible. But Felix knew about the way, he knew about Jesus Christ and those who believed in Jesus Christ. When Lysias the commander comes, I will decide your case. He ordered the centurion to keep Paul under guard but to give him some freedom. Several days later Felix sent for Paul and listened to him as he spoke about his faith in Jesus Christ. Paul began to 37 | P a g e

witness to Felix here. And Paul was laying on him, there is a judgment day coming for all men. And as Paul reasoned with him of these things, Felix began to tremble because he had a lot to fear from the coming day of judgment for the things that he had done, for the way that he had lived. He began to tremble, no doubt with the conviction of the Spirit upon his heart. As Paul spoke about righteousness, self-control, and judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, thats enough for now! You may leave and when I find it convenient, I will send for you. When two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, but Felix wanted to possibly be bribed by Paul and wanted to grant a favor to the Jews, so he left Paul in prison. Acts 25 The Trial Before Festus, Festus Consults king Agrippa, Paul Before Agrippa Governor Festus went from Caesarea to Jerusalem and met with the chief priests and Jewish leaders concerning Paul. They requested that Paul be transferred and tried in Jerusalem. Festus responded that Paul is being held in Caesarea and that I am going there soon and some of your leaders may come with me and press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong. After spending eight or ten days in Jerusalem with them, Festus went to Caesarea and he ordered that Paul be brought before him. When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come over from Jerusalem stood around him bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. Then Paul made his defense: I have not done anything wrong against the law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar. Festus wishing to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, are you willing to go to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges? Paul answered, I am now standing before Caesars court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done anything wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. If however I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar. Paul wants to appeal to Rome, but there is a problem for Governor Festus in that he hasnt found Paul guilty of anything. After Festus conferred with his council, he declared, you have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go! Governor Festus discussed Pauls case with King Agrippa. King Agrippa is in the line of descendants from Herod the Great. Herod Antipas beheaded John the Baptist. Herod Agrippa was his son and he killed James. This King Agrippa is Herod Agrippas son. Festus said there is a man here whom Felix left as a prisoner. When I went to Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked that he be condemned. I told them that it is not Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself 38 | P a g e

against their charges. When his accusers came here with me I ordered the man to be brought in. When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected. Instead they had some points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul claimed was alive. Then King Agrippa said to Governor Festus, I would like to hear this man myself. The next day Paul was brought in before King Agrippa. The Jews shouted that he should not live any longer. I found he had done nothing to deserving of death, but because he made an appeal to the Emperor I decided to send him to Rome. Acts 26 Pauls Defense Before Agrippa, Paul Tells of His Conversion Then Agrippa said to Paul, you have permission to speak for yourself. King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defense against all of the accusations of the Jews, and especially so because you are well acquainted with all the Jewish customs and controversies. Therefore I beg you to listen to me patiently. The Jews all know the way I have lived ever since I was a child, from the beginning of my life in my country, and also in Jerusalem. They have known me for a long time and can testify. And now it is because of my hope in what God has promised our fathers that I am on trial today. O King, it is because of this hope that the Jews are accusing me. Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead? I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth, and that is just what I did in Jerusalem. I put many of the saints in prison, but when they were put to death, I cast my authority against them. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus. About noon, O King, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I have a voice saying to me in Aramaic, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Then I asked, Who are you, Lord? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied. Now get up and stand on your feet. Jesus said, I have appeared here to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. Verse 18 is an incredible summary of the gospels: I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds. That is why the Jews seized me in their temple 39 | P a g e

courts and tried to kill me. But I have Gods help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen- that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles. At this point Festus interrupted Pauls defense and shouted you out of your mind Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane. Every time Paul has a sermon he gets interrupted. I am not insane, most excellent Festus, Paul replied. What I am saying is true and reasonable. The King is familiar with these things and I can speak freely to him. King Agrippa, do you believe in the prophets? I know you do. This is known as the presumptive close. You know, you show them the various colors that they can buy these towels in. They have all these lovely shades of color. Now the presumptive close, you say, "Now, let's see, which color did you want to order?" You know, you don't say, "Do you want to buy these towels?" You presume they're going to buy and you say, "Which color now did you want, or which color did you like? Oh, the purple. Alright. How many of those did you want?" Paul is using this presumptive close. "Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? Oh, I know you believe the prophets." Then Agrippa said to Paul, do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian? Some scholars believe King Agrippa is almost persuaded, and other say the King is being cynical. Paul replied, short or long time- I pray God that not only you, but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains. The King and Festus spoke and they said, this man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment. Agrippa said to Festus, this man would have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar. Acts 27 Paul Sails for Rome, The Storm, The Shipwreck When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius. Notice the word we is used, so Luke is again tagging along. While in Sidon, Julius allowed Paul to go see his friends. The weather was causing them a great amount of delay as they were fighting against heavy winds and much time had been lost and it was becoming dangerous to sail. Paul warned them not to proceed because of the storm but they continued on anyways. A hurricane force wind then fell upon them and the ship took a violent battering from the storm. Many on the ship gave up hope of surviving the storm. The men had gone fourteen days without food and Paul stood up and said, men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete. But now I urge you to keep your courage. Last night an angel of the God who I serve stood beside me and said, do not be afraid Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; 40 | P a g e

and God has given you the lives of all who sail with you. On the fourteenth night some of the sailors dropped a lifeboat and they were going to lower some anchors from the bow while escaping off in the boat. Paul said to the centurion and soldiers, unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved. The soldiers just let the lifeboat fall away. Just before dawn after fourteen days of not eating, Paul urged them to eat. Paul took some bread and broke it and gave thanks and they began to eat. All together there were 276 on board. They then moved back out to sea they saw land. Later the ship struck a sandbar and it would not move. The centurion ordered those who could swim to jump overboard and the rest stayed on the planks. All the Roman soldiers could swim as it was their job description. Everyone reached land safely. Acts 28 Ashore on Malta, Arrival at Rome, Paul Preaches at Rome Under Guard They landed on the island of Malta and they showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. While Paul was making a fire, a viper fastened itself on his hand. When the Islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, this man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live. But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time, they changed their minds and said he was a god. A chief official of the Island named Publius welcome them into their homes for three days. It is interesting to me again how that the Lord is watching over Paul. True, he is a Roman prisoner, but the centurion took an immediate liking to Paul, the one who was in charge of bringing him to Rome, and showed him many favors. Now he is shipwrecked on the island and the natives treat them with great kindness. And now the leader, the headman of the island, receives them into his house and treats them very courteously. His father was sick in bed suffering from fever and dysentery. Luke is a physician so he is giving you a diagnosis of the fellows illness. Paul went to see him and after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. Then the rest of the sick on the island came to Paul and were cured. They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. After three months we were put out to sea. And so we came to Rome. The brothers there had heard we were coming and they travelled there to meet us. At the sight of these men, Paul thanked God and was encouraged. When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him. Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they assembled, Paul said to them, my brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem. They 41 | P a g e

examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar. For this reason I have asked to see and talk to you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. They replied, we have not received any letters from Judea, but we want to hear your views, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect. They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place he was staying. From morning to evening, he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced and some did not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave Paul and he made the following statement. The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet: go to your people and say, you will see and hear and never understand and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, ad turn, I will heal them. Isaiah 6:910. Jesus himself used this passage several times including in John 12:40-41 from the Isaiah 6 passage. Therefore I want you to know that Gods salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen. For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rent house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is in house arrest but he is given some freedom. Paul wrote the letters to the Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon- the prison epistles during this time. According to tradition, Paul did appear before the Emperor and the case was dismissed. Had it not been for this imprisonment, we today probably would not have the epistle to the Ephesians, which Paul wrote from this prison cell, or the epistle to the Philippians, or the epistle to the Colossians, or the little epistle to Philemon. He probably visited Ephesus where Timothy was in charge. Paul would be arrested again and does his time in Rome and while in that prison stint, he wrote his last letter 2 Timothy. The book of Acts closes about the year sixty-three or sixty-four. Paul wrote II Timothy in the year about sixty-six. So Paul was probably freed after his appearance to Nero. Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy, just before he was back in prison in Rome in 66 A.D. Why is it that Luke stopped his record here? Why didn't Luke tell us of the future of Paul? Why is it that we have to look to men like Eusebius and other early historians to find out what happened to Paul after this imprisonment? If you go back in the book of Acts to chapter one, as Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit to the apostles, He said, "You will receive power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you: and you shall be witnesses of me both in Jerusalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth" - Acts 1:8. Words of Christ have been fulfilled and the Gospel, which began 42 | P a g e

in Jerusalem, spread through Judea, and then by Philip into Samaria, and then by Paul and Barnabas to others, to the uttermost parts of the earth, has been fulfilled at this time. And Luke feels that that is sufficient. We've covered the story of the spreading of the Gospel into the world during that first century of the church's history. This comes to the end of church history from a biblical standpoint, except that as we get into the book of Revelation later on, we'll find John writing at a later period of history. Some almost thirty years after these events and the close of the cannon of New Testament scriptures. On one bright sunny day, he was taken out of prison and outside the walls of Rome and beheaded. Acts is an unfinished book and we are the principal characters and Acts 29 has gone on for over 1900 years.

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