Lecture One: The Acts of the Apostles - The Jerusalem Church

Context of Acts

Author:

Traditionally Luke, companion of Paul. The same person who wrote the Gospel ascribed to Luke, name unknown.

Date:

About A.D. 90.

Place of composition:

Unknown, perhaps Antioch or Ephesus

Audience:

Addressed, like Luke’s Gospel, to Theophilus, representing Gentile Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

Structure of Acts

Prologue and Account of the Ascension (1:1-11) 

Founding of the Jerusalem Church (1:12–2:47) 

The Work of Peter and the Apostles (3:1–5:42) 

Persecution of the Hellenistic Jewish Christians: The First Missions (6:1–8:40) 

Preparation for the Gentile Mission: The Conversions of Paul and Cornelius (9:1–12:25) 

The First Missionary Journey of Barnabas and Paul: The Jerusalem Conference (13:1–15:35) 

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: Evangelizing Greece (15:36–18:21) 

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: Revisiting Asia Minor and Greece (18:22–20:38) 

Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem and Imprisonment in Caesarea (21:1–26:32) 

Paul’s Journey to Rome and His Preaching to Roman Jews (27:1–28:31) 

Themes of Acts

The continuation of Luke’s Gospel 

An attempt to answer a theological problem, namely how the Messiah promised to the Jews came to have an overwhelmingly non-Jewish church

The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind the spread of the Christian message 

The Book of Acts in 3 Minutes...

Six Gospel Sermons in Acts

These presentations of the Gospel are found in the following chapters: 

Chapter 2 

Chapter 3 

Chapter 4 

Chapter 10 

Chapter 13 

Chapter 17 

Interesting to note that in these presentations of the Gospel the following are mentioned: 

Hell: 0x 

Heaven: 0x 

Sin: 6.5x 

Jesus’ life: 4x 

Jesus’ death: 9x 

Jesus’ resurrection: 15x 

Jesus’ lordship: 10x 

Prologue and Account of the Ascension (1:1-11)

Dedication to Theophilus (1:1–2) 

Luke reminds his reader of where he left off in his former book. 

Resurrection appearances (1:3) 

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples many times over a period of forty days. 

Great Commission (1:4–8) 

At a meal, Jesus tells them not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit they have been promised. 

They ask Jesus if he will now restore Israel, and Jesus says that’s God’s business, but that they will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them and they will be his witnesses to the entire world. 

Ascension (1:9) 

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 

Second Coming Prophecy (1:10–11) 

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” 

Founding of the Jerusalem Church (1:12–2:47)

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas (1:12-26) 

After the ascension, the eleven disciples return to the upper room where they had been staying, and they spend most of their time praying there, along with Jesus’ female disciples and his brothers and his mother Mary. 

Eventually, Peter tells everyone that they need to choose a new apostle to replace Judas Iscariot who had fulfilled the Scriptures by betraying Jesus and was now dead. 

Luke gives us some more information about Judas’ death here, saying that a field was bought with the blood-money he’d received, and that this field was the very place Judas had died. Luke adds that when Judas died, his body fell and burst open, and all of his intestines spilled out. 

This was why that field came to be known as “The Field of Blood.” 

The disciples nominated two men who had been with them from the time of John’s baptizing at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry – Joseph (aka Barsabbas, aka Justus) and Matthias. 

They prayed and cast lots and Matthias was chosen. 

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost (2:1-13) 

Pentecost according to puppets… 

The Day of Pentecost was part of the Jewish system of festivals, and fell fifty days after the Passover. 

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 

Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

Luke says that Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all over the world – Jews that spoke in different languages – but when they heard the disciples speaking to them in their own languages they were amazed and listened to what they had to say. 

Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

Peter Addresses the Crowd (2:14-41) 

Peter stands up and tells the gathering crowd that there’s no way they’re drunk since it’s only nine in the morning, but what is happening to them is the fulfillment of what God had promised through the prophet Joel, when he said that in the last days “your sons and daughters will prophesy” and later the sky will be filled with wonders and the sun will turn black and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." 

The Gospel According to Peter 

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 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… 

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear… 

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Gospel Message Tally: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: one half (an addendum to the message) 

Jesus’ life: 1 

Jesus’ death: 3 

Jesus’ resurrection: 6 

Jesus’ lordship: 2 

The Fellowship of the Believers (2:42-47) 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 

Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. 

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

The Work of Peter and the Apostles (3:1–5:42)

Peter Heals a Lame Beggar (3:1-10) 

One day, Peter and John are walking into the Temple when they see a crippled man begging for money. 

He asks them for money, and they stop, and Peter tells the man to look him in the face, and the man does, thinking he’s about to get a donation. 

Peter says, “I don’t have silver or gold, but I’ll give you what I do have.” And he commands the man to stand up on his feet and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 

He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 

The people there who saw this were amazed. 

Peter Speaks to the Onlookers (3:11-26) 

“Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

“Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people.’ 

“Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’ When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.” 

Gospel Message Tally: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: 2 

Jesus’ life: 1 

Jesus’ death: 2 

Jesus’ resurrection: 1 

Jesus’ lordship: 2 

Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin (4:1-22) 

The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people, proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

So they seized Peter and John and, because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. 

But many who heard the message believed; so the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand. 

The next day, they had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” 

The text says that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and said: 

“Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,

    which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Gospel Message Tally: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: 0 

Jesus’ life: 0 

Jesus’ death: 1 

Jesus’ resurrection: 1 

Jesus’ lordship: 1 

The elders were amazed at the courage and knowledge of the two disciples since they were not highly educated, and they took note that they had learned everything they knew from Jesus.

But they didn’t know what to do with them because it was obvious that they had performed a legitimate miracle in Jesus’ name. 

So they told them not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore, but Peter and John say, “Which is better in God’s eyes: to listen to Him or to listen to you?” 

So the elders threaten them some more and let them go, not knowing what to do since the crowd was still in awe of the miracle. 

The Believers Pray (4:23-31) 

Peter and John return to the others and they all pray together, and recite the scriptures which proclaim the nations and the rulers rage and scheme in vain. 

They ask God for boldness to continue speaking, and ask him to stretch out his hand and perform signs and wonder through the name of Jesus. 

And the text says that after they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

The Believers Share Their Possessions (4:32-37) 

Acts 4 closes by stating that the first followers of Jesus did not consider their possessions to be their own but rather held in common, in order to use what they had on behalf of those in want. 

For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. 

Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11) 

Ananias and Sapphira, following Barnabas' example, also sold their land but secretly withheld a portion of the proceeds. 

Ananias presented his donation to Peter, and Peter replied, “Why is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?” 

Peter pointed out that Ananias was in control of the money and could give or keep it as he saw fit, but had withheld a portion of it. 

Peter stated that Ananias had lied not to men, but to God, and Ananias died on the spot and was carried out, and everyone who heard about the incident feared the Lord. 

Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. 

Peter asked her the price of the land that she and Ananias had sold, and she stated the same untruthful price that Ananias had given. 

She also fell dead, apparently a punishment for deceiving God. 

What’s going on here? 

Ananias and Sapphira is a strange and disturbing story, but one must remember that all who belonged to the church both donated to the church and took a share of the donations made to the church for their own needs. These two were trying to rip everybody off by claiming the have less than what they really had in order to gain a bigger share to take from the church at the expense of the poor people who really needed help from the church. This story shows just how serious God is about the role of the church in looking out for the poor, and that those in the church who take advantage of the poor just to make themselves richer are as good as dead to him. 

The Apostles Heal Many (5:12-16) 

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. 

No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. 

Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. 

As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed. 

The Apostles Persecuted (5:17-42) 

The High Priest and the Sadducees were very jealous of the disciples, so they arrested them and put them in the public jail. 

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, “Go stand in the temple courts and tell the people all about this new life.” 

At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people. 

Later, the Sadducees show up and send orders for the disciples to be brought from jail to appear before them. 

But no one knows where the disciples went, and the Sadducees can’t figure out how they escaped from jail without anybody noticing. 

Until finally, someone’s like, “Hey! Look! There they are! They’ve been teaching the people in the Temple the whole time!” 

So the captain of the guard summons the disciples, nervous that the people would riot if he forced them to come with him, but the disciples go willingly. 

The elders lecture them, saying, “We told you not to teach in Jesus’ name again! You’re determined to make us look bad for having him killed!” 

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a cross. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might bring Israel to repentance and forgive their sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” 

When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. 

Later, the Apostle Paul makes the claim that he was originally one of Gamaliel’s disciples. 

Gamaliel tells the Sanhedrin that they should consider carefully what they are about to do. He reminds them that many came before Jesus claiming to be somebody special, but that they were all killed and their followers were scattered. 

So his point is that they should leave the disciples of Jesus alone, because if Jesus was nobody special, then his disciples will eventually all fall away like every other movement, but if this movement is from God, they will not be able to stop these men and they will only find themselves fighting against God. 

His speech persuaded them. 

They called the apostles in and had them flogged. 

Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. 

Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. 

Persecution of the Hellenistic Jewish Christians: The First Missions (6:1–8:40)

The Choosing of the Seven (6:1-7) 

Time goes by, and the church grows. 

Eventually, the Greek-speaking Jewish widows complain that they are being overlooked in favor of Aramaic-speaking Jewish widows during the food distribution process. 

So the Twelve disciples decide that they need help with this “waiting tables” ministry so they can focus on preaching the Gospel, and they appoint seven people to take their place here.

They chose seven men who were wise and filled with the Spirit (they also spoke Greek) named: Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. 

Stephen Seized (6:8-15) 

Stephen performed miraculous signs and wonders among the people, but there was a group of Jews who saw him as competition – the Synagogue of the Freedmen. 

They argued with Stephen, but were unable to make any ground against the words of the Holy Spirit that came out of him. 

So they plotted against him and spread a rumor that Stephen had committed blasphemy against Moses and against God. 

So the Jewish elders had Stephen arrested and brought him in for questioning, and false witnesses came forward and accused Stephen of teaching that Jesus would return to destroy the Temple and the traditions of Moses. 

The text says that all “who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” 

Stephen’s Speech to the Sanhedrin (7:1-53) 

The High Priest asks Stephen if the charges against him are true, and Stephen responds by giving everyone a history lesson… 

History of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: 

God spoke to Abraham in Mesopotamia and called him to leave his home and settle in Canaan. 

He gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision. 

Abraham became the father of Isaac. 

Isaac became the father of Jacob 

Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs. 

History of Joseph: 

Joseph’s brothers were jealous and sold him as a slave to Egypt, but God was with Joseph. 

He gave Joseph wisdom and Pharaoh made him ruler over Egypt. 

Then a famine struck all Egypt and Canaan. 

When Jacob heard there was grain in Egypt, he sent his sons to get some. 

On their second visit, Joseph told his brothers who he was, and Pharaoh learned about Joseph’s family. 

Joseph sent for his father Jacob and his whole family, and Jacob went down to Egypt, where he and our ancestors died. 

History of Moses: 

The number of our people in Egypt greatly increased. 

Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt, and oppressed our ancestors by forcing them to throw out their newborn babies. 

When Moses was born, his family hid him for three months before placing him outside where Pharaoh’s daughter took him and brought him up as her own son. 

When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. 

He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he killed the Egyptian. 

Moses thought his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not. 

Pharaoh wanted to kill Moses for his crime, so he fled to Midian, where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons. 

History of the Exodus: 

After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai. 

The Lord said to him, “I have indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to set them free. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.” 

He led them out of Egypt and performed wonders and signs in Egypt, at the Red Sea and for forty years in the wilderness. 

History of the Law: 

Moses told the Israelites, “God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your own people.”

He was in the assembly in the wilderness and he received living words to pass on to us. 

But our ancestors refused to obey him and in their hearts turned back to Egypt. 

They made an idol in the form of a calf. 

But God turned away from them and gave them over to the worship of the sun, moon and stars. 

The Tabernacle of the covenant law was made as God directed Moses, according to the pattern he had seen. 

Deuteronomistic History: 

Joshua brought the tabernacle with Israel when they took the land from the nations God drove out before them. 

It remained in the land until the time of David, who enjoyed God’s favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. 

But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 

However, the Most High does not live in houses made by human hands. 

Then suddenly, Stephen begins accusing his accusers… 

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” 

The Stoning of Stephen (7:54–8:1a) 

When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 

He said, “Look! I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” 

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. 

Meanwhile, the text states that the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul… we’ll hear more about him later. 

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 

Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” 

When he had said this, the text says that “he fell asleep,” and that Saul approved of his death. 

The Church Persecuted and Scattered (8:1b-3) 

On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. 

The text says that godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. 

But Saul began to destroy the church, and went from house to house dragging people to prison. 

Philip in Samaria (8:4-8) 

Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. 

Philip (one the table-waiters) went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. 

When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. 

For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city. 

Simon the Sorcerer (8:9-25) 

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. 

He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is rightly called the Great Power of God.” 

But when they heard Philip, they believed him instead, and everyone was baptized… even Simon the Sorcerer. 

When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 

When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 

Peter answered: “You and your money be damned! You really thought you could buy the gift of God! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin.” 

Then Simon answered, “Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me.” 

After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages. 

Philip and the Ethiopian (8:26-40) 

Philip was later told by an angel to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, and there he met the Ethiopian eunuch. 

He had been to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. 

The eunuch was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah, and had come to Isaiah 53:7-8, the passage about the suffering servant who was punished for the sin of his people and led like a sheep to the slaughter.

Philip asked the Ethiopian, "Do you understand what you are reading?" 

He said, "How can I understand unless I have a teacher to teach me?"

So Philip became his teacher, and told him the Gospel of Jesus, and the Ethiopian asked to be baptized.

They went down into some water and Philip baptized him. 

Some later manuscripts also have the Ethiopian say, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (verse 37), but this is absent in the earlier versions. 

After this, Philip is suddenly taken away by the Spirit of the Lord (almost like God tele-ported him away), and the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing.” 

According to tradition, the eunuch returned to Ethiopia, where he converted Queen Candace, and founded what would later become the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.