Connections
in
The book of Acts
Joseph and Nanae Ervin
The purpose of this study is to give people an overview of Acts, how it carries the history of the early
church, and how it documents the spread of Christianity for the first 30 years or so after Jesus was
resurrected, and specifically to follow the connections between what Luke records in Acts and what
Paul, Timothy, Silas, and Peter write in the other epistles of the New Testament.
Some specific points to get across in this study:
•
Gain a basic understanding of Luke’s writing style. Luke writes from a historical perspective at
first, until events catch up to his arrival on the scene in the 2nd Missionary Journey (2nd MJ).
•
We should take care to note miraculous events before and after Luke’s arrival on the scene. In
other words, whereas Luke is such a meticulous writer and recorder of history, we should be
particularly careful to note miracles that he records in the sections of scripture where he was
obviously present (the “we” passages).
•
Note the doctrine of the Apostles inasmuch as we can work it out, and compare it to the doctrine
presented in Paul’s letters. In particular, the time that will be spent in 1 Peter and 2 Peter, where
Peter himself is writing to Gentile Christians, we can see very similar themes not only to what
Luke records in Acts, but also to what Paul records in his letters.
•
Note specific intersections between the people and events in Acts, and those in other New
Testament books.
•
Discover what evidence as may exist to show how much Paul interacted with the Apostles in
Jerusalem. In other words, in the book of Acts, we see a dramatic push into the Gentile
communities, and of their full inclusion into the fellowship of Christ-followers. It is Important
to know that Paul was in line with the Apostles in his doctrine.
•
The time-line between Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus and his subsequent visit to
Peter and then his being collected by Barnabus to go to Antioch, is somewhat fuzzy. Galatians
Page 1
provides some clues, but it is not entirely clear. One clear point to make is that after Paul’s
conversion, he didn’t just become the main character in the story. He stirred things up quite
badly and was sent home to Tarsus by the Apostles, and it was maybe 9 or 10 years before
Barnabas collects him from there to go to Antioch.
•
Focus on the Council at Jerusalem between the 1st MJ and the 2nd MJ, and how the Christians
were working out what it meant (and did not mean) to follow Jesus.
•
Be sure that the people in the study see the flow of the spread of the Gospel early on, and
Peter’s position of authority initially, and how James rises up in authority in Jerusalem after the
persecution of the church caused the Apostles to apparently scatter throughout Macedonia,
Egypt, India, etc..
•
The persecution of the Christians by Paul and his conversion. You can hardly avoid this, since
the conversion story is told three times by Luke!
•
Look at Paul’s training of Timothy and Silas and how they carried on the work in Corinth and
other areas of Macedonia.
•
Spend at least one lesson looking at Paul’s arrest and the details around it. Why was Paul so
keen to go back to Jerusalem after all the warnings he had received. Did he not believe them?
Did he expect God to protect him even if he went right into danger? Was there something else
compelling him to go?
•
Point out Luke’s writing style. He writes a very structured story in the book of Acts. He
regularly introduces characters in a subtle way, saying something simple about them, but listing
them by name, and then a couple chapters later they become major characters in the story. This
happens over and over with Philip, Stephen, Barnabas, Gaius, Aristarchus, Timothy, Silas,
Priscilla, Aquilla, Apollos, and on and on.
•
The writing of Luke provides many opportunities to reflect on how he portrays the Jews in
Jerusalem and those throughout the gentile regions of Galatia and Macedonia. Also, how does
he portray the Romans? There are many instances where direct interactions with Romans
comes up, especially toward the end when Paul is arrested. How is the arresting captain
portrayed? Paul then goes on to be tried before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa. How are they
portrayed? How about the the guard on the ship to Rome? Each of these is portrayed
differently in terms of integrity, honesty, and how they fit into the story.
•
To see in Luke’s writing is an amazing consistency with the other new testament documents,
most notably in 1 and 2 Peter, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, and Ephesians.
In subsequent weeks we will follow these threads of thought as they weave through the other
books, especially where they describe the same travels, cities, and leaders.
•
Most importantly, by the end of the study, people should be able to explain Luke’s purpose in
writing Acts. Telling the history is one thing, but it is also obvious that he is explaining how it
came to pass that Christianity had become predominantly a gentile phenomenon, and also that
Page 2
the Jews were given the first opportunity to come to faith at every point along the way. Also, it
is critical to remember, especially in the last lesson, that Acts is not Paul’s story. It’s easy for
people to just think of Paul when they think of Acts, and for them to immediately discard the
names of all the other people that Luke so carefully includes in his story. Remind them that
Acts is the story of the spread of Christianity, and when it ends with Paul under house arrest in
Rome, they should not feel as though the story stops abruptly, as people often note. Rather,
Luke has shown us how Christianity is thriving throughout the Roman world, under the
leadership of a large network of churches and faithful leaders. The story doesn’t end. Quite
literally, it’s still going on.
Page 3
Lesson 1
Purpose: To zoom through the first half of Acts, illustrating a few things:
•
That the Apostles were all together at the great commission when Jesus tells them to go make
disciples in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, and further that the Holy
Spirit is promised.
•
That the Holy Spirit comes onto the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem just as Jesus promised.
•
Peter’s rise as a leader among the believers
•
The fact that the Jewish leaders opposed the spread of the Gospel from very early on.
•
That Luke carefully documents the fact that the Apostles in fact did make disciples first in
Jerusalem (by the thousands), then in Judea (Philip with the Eunuch) in Samaria (Peter with
Cornelius), and the ends of the earth (starting with Antioch and spreading throughout Galatia
and Macedonia).
•
That right from the beginning, starting with the Ethiopian Eunuch, the Holy Spirit comes upon
the Gentile believers at every step exactly the same way as for the Jewish Christians. Luke is
very careful to show the logical progression of this idea, i.e. that by the physical sign of the
Holy Spirit, specifically the speaking in tongues, God shows that there is no differentiation
between Jew and Gentile in regard to their full citizenship in the Kingdom of God in the new
covenant of Jesus Christ. The full citizenship of the gentile believers is one of the main point of
Luke in all of Acts, and he very carefully shows the testimony of the Holy Spirit to this
point...make sure your audience sees this.
Whirlwind Tour of the First Half of Acts
Leader Notes:
At this point you need to warn your audience that you’re going to race through the first 15 or so
chapters of Acts. There point here is to note the general flow of the early history, the character
of the early community of believers, the role of the Holy Spirit, Peter’s rise as a leader, the
opposition of the Jews, the way that Luke makes Peter so heroic in his speeches, the way Luke
Introduces his characters (like Barnabas, Stephen, Philip, and “Antioch”, and in particular the
big change that happens after the Stoning of Stephen where the Apostles are no longer spoken
of as a group. Peter still makes a few appearances, but the Apostles seem to have scattered,
presumably to head off to the work they each did (i.e. according to the Catholic church history).
Apologize in advance for the material that you’re going to skip over. In some cases, you may
skip over a favorite passage, or people may be uncomfortable with how we’re about to skip over
all the quoted Old Testament passages. The focus here is to see how Luke develops his ideas as
he tells the true story of the early church, and how he deals with all the characters in his story.
Page 4
Hopefully by taking it in this way, participants will be able to notice some things they have
never noticed before.
One point to stress as you go through this study is the structure and creativity that Luke brings
to this book. This book spans ~30 years, and understandably has huge gaps in time between
many of the events. The turning of a page might pass 5 years, especially in the first 15 chapters,
which we’re covering in this first study. Luke draws from a huge amount of available history,
choosing stories and piecing them together the events, dialog, speeches, and some of the most
breathtaking prose in all ancient writings; all factual, but also revealing Luke’s writing style,
his creativity, and his purpose in communicating his message.
Open in Prayer
Opening Discussion Questions
1) Pick an intense moment in your life. Something that involved not only what people did, but
also what they said? In how much detail do you think you could recreate the dialog? Try
hard… Think of something,...an argument you had with your spouse or child, or a cherished
family memory…
The purpose of this question is to get people to think for a bit about how the bible writers are able to
include so much dialog in their writing. Lots of historians do this, recreating events and dialog to
illustrate not only generally what happened, but also to show peoples motivations amid the events.
2) How many of you have experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in some intense way?
Have you ever spoken in tongues? Have you been in worship services or in some other setting
where this occurred?
This is important. Luke shows clearly that the Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus to the Jewish
believers, and that with the coming of the Holy Spirit came also the physical manifestation of the
Speaking in Tongues. In this way God (and Luke) show conclusively that the gentiles were full
participants in the Kingdom of God. God holds nothing back from them. So let the people share
their experiences or observances with Speaking in Tongues. It may be that many in your group will
never have spoken in Tongues. Be clear as they share their experiences that in spite of God’s use of
this spiritual sign, it is not a universal gift. In all of the New Testament, the Speaking in Tongues is
mentioned only in Acts and 1 Corinthians, and in 1 Corinthians Paul speaks mainly to put this
particular gift in perspective and to focus on orderly worship and to elevate the other spiritual gifts.
Read Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-8 Note the introduction by Luke and the promise of the Holy Spirit, and
the charge by Jesus to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the Earth.
1) How would you characterize the combined works of Luke/Acts compared to the other Gospels
(Matthew, Mark, John)?
Page 5
Answering this obviously expects some familiarity with the Gospels. The point here is that Luke was
not an apostle. He comes along much later after his travels with Paul and seeing Christianity
thriving in the Roman world some 20-30 years after Christ, and very deliberately researches its
roots, learning the stories, and adding substantially to the written record in his Gospel, and then
going on and delivering to us a great contemporary history of the early church, in which he was
directly involved.
Read Acts 1:13-14 Note the list of the Apostles present (and the women).
Read Acts 2:1-13 Note how Luke writes in v.12 that they were amazed and perplexed at the coming of
the Holy Spirit, and especially with the Speaking in Tongues.
2) Where were the Apostles in this scene? Look backward or forward through the text to work it
out if need be (they’re in Jerusalem).
3) Why do you think God used the physical manifestation of the Speaking in Tongues in this way?
Read Acts 2:14-16, then 22-24, 29-33, 36-40 Isn’t it awesome how Luke portrays Peter as such a
master orator, and a hero of the faith!
Read Acts 2:42-47 Note that this paragraph is transitional,...it may represent the passage of a lot of
time, perhaps several years, describing how things were going for the community of believers in
Jerusalem.
4) Ask people to blurt out what things the early believers had to deal with in the first 30 years.
The point here is to get them to think about what it was like in the very early church. There was no
church building, no pastor, no bibles, no hymnals, no doctrine, no christian music. They were
completely on their own and having to work it all out on the fly.
Here are some things to get them started...
− Waiting on the Lord
− Receiving the Holy Spirit and making sense of that.
− Caring for the growing Christian community, and creating some form of leadership hierarchy.
Coming to terms with the universality of faith in Jesus.
Skim the paragraph headings in Acts 3 and summarize very briefly what’s going on. Be super
brief,...there’s a lot to cover still!
Read Acts 4:1-4 The community of believers reaches 5000 men. That’s pretty big!
Page 6
Read Acts 4:5-12 Wow! Again, Luke portrays Peter as such an amazing orator and leader!
(Ultimately the Jews of the Sanhedrin let Peter and John go free.)
Read acts 4:32-37 Note especially how Luke introduces Barnabas in v. 36-37. Point out that this is
typical of how Luke introduces a new character,...with a sort of obscure role in a minor scene, but
mentioned by name. Then that character will show up a couple chapters later, often with a major role
in the rest of the story. Watch for this pattern. Luke uses it again and again.
5) Describe in your own words how you imagine it would have been like, living in this early
community of believers.
6) Based on their behavior, do you think maybe they expected Jesus to return very soon?
Skim the paragraph headings in Acts 5:1-16 and summarize very briefly what’s going on. For example,
be very brief about Ananias and Saphira, and The Apostles Heal Many.
Read Acts 5:17-42 This wraps up a relatively positive story, this time a happy ending to the
persecution of not just John and Peter, but “the Apostles”, so presumably the whole group, or at least a
sizable portion of them. Note especially the name of the Pharisee who comes to the rescue of the
Apostles here,...Gamaliel.
7) Do any of you know who Gamaliel is? (Acts 22:3) This is a classic Luke easter-egg!
Gamaliel is the pharisee under whom Saul (Paul) studied, as mentioned in Acts 22:3).
Read Acts 6:1-7 Slow down a bit here and point out that the two types of Jews mentioned here are
important. The grievance was on the part of the Hellenistic Jews (Greek speaking, from Macedonia
and the surrounding areas) against the Hebraic Jews (Hebrew speaking, presumably from Jerusalem).
This is interesting for a couple reasons; it foreshadows what will become a schism (separation)
between the Jewish believers and the Gentile believers by the end of Acts, and it reminds us of the
difficulty of creating unity in a group that is culturally diverse.
Note in particular the way that Luke introduces three new characters: Stephen, Philip, and the city of
Antioch. Each of these is given a few extra words as they are mentioned in the list, which is Luke’s way
of showing that they will figure into the story again shortly.
Read Acts 7:51-8:3 As opposition grew among the Jews, Stephen is arrested in Acts 6:12, and in
chapter 7 Stephen gives his famous speech where after reviewing Jewish history and their treatment of
the prophets of God. After his speech, which inflamed the anger of the Sanhedrin, they removed
Stephen and stoned him to death.
Note the introduction of Paul in 7:58. Obviously Paul will have a large role in much of the book.
8) What are the immediate effects of Stephen’s Speech?
Page 7
(Stephen is killed and a great persecution breaks out against the church, scattering everyone except the
apostles). Why the apostles remained behind in Jerusalem is unclear. However, we’ll see in
subsequent chapters that the Jerusalem church was rebuilt, but now under the leadership of James (the
brother of Jesus) and the “elders”. Luke is not very clear about the fate of the 12 apostles. Acts 6:2 is
the last time they are spoken of as a group of twelve, although there are references to apostles in
Jerusalem through Acts 15.
9) Luke says that the community of believers is scattered, but we know from later chapters that
there were still believers in Jerusalem. How do you think the socioeconomic status of this group
would have been affected by the pursecution?
It may be that the believers that fled during the persecution were those most economically able to
leave, while the poorer believers were stuck in Jerusalem. The point here is to get people thinking
about their status, so we can ponder later why Paul was always trying to raise funds from the
Macedonian churches for the benefit of the believers in Jerusalem.
Skim 8:4-33 Also, reference the map in Figure 1 on page 55. Note that Philip travels through both
Samaria and Judea all here in Acts 8. (compare to Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8 (previous page)
Read Acts 8:34-40 These passages in Acts 8 are the first first passages that shows clearly Gentiles
responding to the message of salvation, and being baptized. Again, reference the map in Figure 1.
Paul’s conversion is documented the first time in Acts 9:1-19. We don’t need to read this now, because
we’re going to include it next week. (Luke records Paul’s conversion three times in Acts, and we’ll
read them all, just not now.)
Read Acts 10 (the whole chapter), and then Acts 11 (the whole chapter), and Acts 15:1-11
10) Amid the many stories in Acts, there is a strong point that Luke makes regarding the Holy
Spirit in light of the speaking in Tongues, and the Gentiles. What is his point?
These verses show a powerful logical connection that is central to Acts:
i. Jesus told the apostles to await the coming of the Holy Spirit.
ii. The Holy Spirit came mightily upon them in a way that seems previously unknown (i.e. speaking
in Tongues). This is real!
iii. Peter has the vision of the sheet which seems to directly challenge the traditional separation
between Jew and Gentile. (Acts 10:9-23 in case you skipped it).
iv. Peter is called to visit Cornelius after God spoke to Cornelius (a Gentile) in a vision.
v. Peter witnesses the same Holy Spirit being poured out onto the Gentiles as on the Jews.
Page 8
vi. Peter specifically affirms that God chose to speak the Gospel to the Gentiles through himself,
and specifically denies that the Gentile believers need to become Jewish to be part of the
Christian church.
11) How do you feel, as a Gentile christian these thousands of years later?
12) What happened to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem? After the persecution following
Stephen’s stoning, Luke doesn’t give us many clues as to the size of health of the Jerusalem
church.
13) How prevalent is the speaking in Tongues today?
14) What are the fruits of the spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5:22? What do you think it
means that speaking in Tongues is not mentioned here?
15) What functional purpose does the gift of the speaking in tongues serves in these chapters of
Acts?
It is a critical sign that confirms God’s acceptance of the gentile believers into his kingdom, as Peter
says so brilliantly in Acts 15:8-11. It was specifically the physical manifestation of the Holy Spirit in
the Speaking in Tongues that allows Peter to make this declaration, and Luke’s inclusion of this critical
critical logical connection – that God’s acceptance of the Gentiles is proven by the Speaking in
Tongues, and affirmed by both Peter and James.
In this lesson, we covered a lot of territory very quickly so that these main themes would be more
easily seen. From here, we will see that Luke’s writing focuses on the development of the Gentile
church, and in particular to the development of the network of leaders that preached and encouraged
Christians throughout Syria, Asia Minor, and Macedonia.
Page 9
Lesson 2
First, a note to the leader: this lesson is pretty long. I suggest printing it out and marking it up ahead
of time, highlighting the points you really want to stress. You may decide at some points to skip a
question or two that you may have already covered with the group during the discussion. I’ve tried to
make all the questions fun, but not all of them are important. Like question 10, as an example. If
you’re running really short on time, consider stopping after question 12 and skipping down to the
Summary at the end. You can start in Lesson 3 at Acts 13.
Background:
(read this aloud to the group)
In Lesson 1, we looked at Luke’s apparent intent at bringing the reader to the undeniable realization
that Peter and the apostles in Jerusalem were in agreement that the Gentile Church was fully legitimate,
and that its members enjoyed full communion with the Holy Spirit; the same as the Jewish believers.
One of the things promised that we were going to do in this study was to look for consistency of the
message between Paul and the original Apostles like Peter, inasmuch as we can discern such things. To
that end, we will explore in this lesson to see whether Peter’s attitude in his own epistles (1 Peter and 2
Peter) seems to reveal the same pro-Gentile sentiment that Luke records in Acts 10:45-48, 11:17-18,
and 15:10-11 (the council at Jerusalem, circa AD 48). Also, we will look a bit at how Paul’s own words
in Romans matches pretty closely with the things that Luke testifies Paul said in Acts.
After spending some time in 1 and 2 Peter, we’ll dive back into Acts, visiting in more detail the
conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus, the reappearance of Barnabas and his introduction of Saul
to Antioch. Then we’ll read through the first Missionary Journey in Acts 13 and 14.
It’s interesting to speculate as to the timing of 1 Peter compared to the above verses in Acts, and
especially the Council at Jerusalem. In 2 Peter 3:15 Peter specifically refers to Paul’s letters and is
apparently intimately familiar with enough of them to refer to them as “all his letters”, so 2 Peter was
probably written sometime around or after AD 60, but not before (since an ealier date would put 2 Peter
too early for him to have know Paul’s letters in any quantity). It’s harder to know when 1 Peter was
written,...although obviously before 2 Peter, since Peter writes in 2 Peter that this is his second letter.
Based on the regions mentioned in 1 Peter (Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia), he is
writing to Gentile churches in many of the same areas traveled by Paul and Barnabas during their first
missionary journey (Acts 13:1-14:26) and prior to the Council at Jerusalem. Paul’s subsequent
journeys also pass through these same areas. We don’t know for sure whether Peter had also done
missionary work to those regions, such as during 12 years between the stoning of Stephen (AD 36)
when the Jewish Christians generally scattered to various regions and the Council at Jerusalem (AD
48), but Peter does seem to claim in his speech at the Council at Jerusalem (see Acts 15:7) that he has
been doing at least some missionary work to the Gentiles. In any case, although it is clear that Peter is
Page 10
writing to Gentile Christians in his two epistles, the date relative to the Council at Jerusalem is hard to
pin down.
The fact that Peter writes to these Gentile churches in an air of such normalcy and with no attempt to
correct them on any instruction they may have heard from Paul is encouraging that Peter and the other
Apostles were generally aligned with Paul and what was being taught in the Gentile churches.
So we have 1 and 2 Peter as evidence of approval by Peter of the Gentile churches. These letters also
seem aligned with the resolution of the council at Jerusalem. There is nothing in 1 or 2 Peter that
exhorts the Gentile churches to follow the law of Moses, i.e. with regard to circumcision or the general
dietary laws.
Open in Prayer
In the last study, we talked about how Luke was very deliberate to show that the Gentiles were full
citizens in the Church, and fully approved by Peter and the leadership in Jerusalem under James.
Read I Peter 1
1) Who is Peter writing to? Find these places on the map of Paul’s Second missionary journey.
Can you think why these places?
...the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia
These are all in modern day Turkey, what was called Asia Minor in the first century. This area had
been conquered by during the spread of Greek culture under Alexander the Great roughly 400 years
earlier. In the first century, it was prosperous, and thoroughly Greek.
Peter tells us that, like Paul, it was God’s plan for the gentiles to hear the Gospel message from his lips
(Acts 15:7). The general areas listed here in 1 Peter 1 match many of those which Paul evangelized in
his missionary journeys. The spread of new ideas would naturally occur along trade routes, and
Antioch, from where Paul was sent with helpers Barnabas and Silas, was a central nexus in the land
and sea portions of the massive east-west trade route known as the Silk Road. Antioch was also the
third largest city in the Roman Empire (after Rome and Alexandria), and was favored by the Romans as
a sort of eastern capital, being much more accessible than Alexandria in Egypt. It is not surprising,
therefore, given the large Greek contingent in Antioch, that initial missionary journeys would head
deeper into the Greek-speaking heartland of Asia Minor, and also heading towards Rome rather than
away from it.
2) What do you see in this opening chapter that cements the fact that the author is writing to
Gentile believers, as opposed to Jewish believers?
1 Peter 1:18…
Page 11
“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were
redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.”
18
3) What statements here show that Peter really considers them to be brothers and sisters in the
faith?
Certainly vv. 8-19, given above, and also v. 23:
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the
living and enduring word of God.”
23
To see these words coming from Peter is an amazing confirmation that within the first 20-30 years after
Christ’s resurrection, the fellowship of believers in the Kingdom of God transcended the prior
boundary between Jew and Gentile, at least as evidenced in these letters. In practice, though, we must
not overlook the tremendous difficulty of breaking down the social barriers between the Jewish and
Gentile Christians, especially in regard to eating meals together (Galations 2:11-21). Food is a very
powerful part of social and cultural identity, and overcoming aversions to foreign foods, especially
those that have been hitherto declared unclean for your whole life would be extremely difficult.
4) Can you relate at all to what Peter says in v. 18? In other words, we may or may not consider
what our ancestors have handed down to us as “useless ways”, but probably for most of us we
would acknowledge that our culture general leads us away from God more-so than toward
him.
Review Acts 15:7-11, and 22-31, and then read 1 Peter 2:1-10
5) What do these passages reveal about Peter’s feelings toward these Gentile believers?
The author’s words in 1 Peter 2:9-10 are an amazing declaration of the inclusion of the Gentile
believers into God’s Kingdom:
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God’s special possession,
that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received
mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
9
6) Who are the two new characters mentioned in Acts 15:22-29. Which of those is going to go on
to have a prominent role in Acts?
Silas not only has a prominent role, but he goes on to co-author with Paul the books of 1 and 2
Thessalonians. Note also his mention by Peter in 1 Peter 5:12...
“With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly,
encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.”
12
Page 12
Now we’re going to go back to Acts starting with the story of Paul’s conversion, and move from there
through the Paul’s first missionary journey. Note that Paul’s conversion story is apparently not only a
favorite of Paul, but also, it would seem of Luke, since the story is told three times in the book of Acts!
Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus is recorded (the first time) in Acts 9:1-19. In addition to
being one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, Damascus was extremely important to Saul.
Damascus was the hub of a vast commercial network with far-flung lines of trade reachinginto north
Syria, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Persia, and Arabia. If the new “Way” of Christianity flourished in
Damascus, it would quickly reach all those places.
Read Acts 9:1-30.
Note that in Acts 9:27, Barnabas re-emerges as a character, bringing Saul to the Apostles. See if
anyone remembers who Barnabas is. He was last mentioned in his introduction at the end of Acts 4.
7) What are some of the essential elements of Paul’s conversion?
•
That his conversion was the result of direct, personal contact by Jesus.
•
That God managed both ends of Paul’s encounter with Ananias; God told Paul to go to him,
and God also told Ananias that Paul was coming, and what to do with him.
•
That God specifically told Ananias that Paul was God’s chosen instrument to proclaim his
name to the Gentiles, and their kings, and to the people of Israel.
8) The story of Paul’s conversion was clearly very important to both Luke and Paul. Luke tells
the story here in the voice of the narrator, and then Luke records two more occasions in Acts
where Paul retells the story. Can you think why Luke and Paul retell the story so much?
What about Paul does this story convey to the people of the day (and to us)?
Among other things, it makes it clear that Paul is not a rogue Jew, running amok with “The way”.
Rather he is a Jew of Jews who has been miraculously called by God to proclaim the name of Jesus,
and that the Gentiles were his target audience.
9) Can you speculate what about Paul’s message seems to make the Jews, both those in Damascus
and the Hellenistic Jews in Jerusalem, so upset?
Opposition to the gospel message by the Jews is a central theme throughout Acts. The Hellenistic Jews
were those of Greek-speaking countries such as in Asia Minor, i.e. the same places where Peter was
writing to in 1 and 2 Peter, and to whom Paul would spend many years as a missionary. It may be that
the Hellenistic Jews opposed Paul here because it was with them that he engaged directly, as opposed
to the notion that the Hellenistic Jews opposed Paul more than the Hebraic Jews.
10) Question for the geography-lovers in the room… in Acts 15:30 Luke says:
Page 13
“When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to
Tarsus.”
30
In what sense is Caesarea “down”, and why did they go there?
Look on the map of Figure 3. Remember Jerusalem is in the hill country, so going to Caesarea at the
coast, would be downhill. Leaving Jerusalem in almost any direction is “down”. The fact that they
took him to Caesarea implies that they put him on a boat headed for Tarsus.
Why exactly Saul went home to Tarsus, or exactly how long he was there before moving on is unclear.
The account of his early years following his conversion are told as well in Galations 1, and there Paul
also describes having gone to Jerusalem for a time and met with the apostles, 3 years after his
conversion. This could be the time mentioned here in Acts 9:26.
11) Where else have we seen Caesarea mentioned so far in Acts?
Philip went there after baptizing the eunuch in Acts 8. In Acts 10, which we read previously, Peter is
called to Caesarea to preach to Cornelius, who was a centurion stationed there, and obviously a
gentile. Caesarea was the headquarters for the Roman forces in that area.
Note that after Saul was sent home to Tarsus, the church throughout Judea, Galillee, and Samaria
enjoyed a time of peace (Acts 9:31). How much time passes in this phrase is unclear, but it seems clear
that Saul was out of the picture for a while, most likely many years, before he comes back into the
story. It is interesting to speculate how Saul may have been studying, learning, maturing in his
thinking as a believer during this time.
The introduction of John Mark
Acts 12 describes Herod’s further persecution of of the church, starting with the execution of James, the
brother of the apostle John, and then the arrest of Peter. Presumably Herod intended to execute Peter,
but Peter escapes miraculously by the aid of an angel of the Lord.
Read Acts 12:8-12
This is the first time that Luke introduces John Mark, by reference to the owner the house where the
Christians were meeting. By this we can assume that John Mark probably grew up in Jerusalem, and
that he and his mother and possibly other family members were believers. We also learn in Colossians
4:10 that he was the cousin of Barnabas, so it is not surprising that Barnabas should select him as a
companion on the first missionary journey (coming up below). The church tradition has long held that
this John Mark is the “Mark” who under Peter’s direction wrote the Gospel of Mark.
Now let’s follow the story of Barnabas and Saul…
Page 14
Read Acts 11:19-30, and Acts 12:25. Note Luke’s use of parallel time-lines in his writing, so that he
can tell the parallel stories of what was going on in the Jerusalem church as well as the development of
the burgeoning Gentile believers in Antioch. Luke is a master story teller, and uses writing devices
such as this, as does no other biblical author. These two time-lines intersect here in Acts 11, with
Barnabas heading off to Antioch and then fetching Saul.
12) Note here in Acts 11:27-30 that Luke introduces a new character named Agabus, a prophet.
Like most of the characters Luke introduces by name, Agabus will show up again later. Note
also that Saul and Barnabas bring gifts from the Gentile church to the Jerusalem church.
The collection of gifts by the Gentile churches for the benefit of the Jerusalem church turns
out to be a common theme throughout Acts. Can you imagine why the Jerusalem church
would have been in continual need?
This is a matter of speculation, but in the initial community of believers at Jerusalem, the manner in
which they sold their possessions and gave to everyone that had need (Acts 2:42-47) seems as though
they expected Christ’s return to come immediately, leaving them with an unsustainable financial
situation. Also, it may be that with the persecution that followed the stoning of Stephen some years
later, the believers with financial means to flee Jerusalem may have done so at that time, leaving
behind only the poorer, less mobile believers as the core of the Jerusalem church.
Just to recap, Barnabas and Saul have been preaching to a growing number of Gentile believers in
Antioch for over a year when they are sent with a financial gift to help the struggling Jerusalem church,
returning to Antioch with “John, also called Mark”.
Acts 13 starts Luke’s narrative on the first of three missionary journeys conducted by Paul and his
companions. This section begins with a prominent break in the flow, shifting the reader’s attention
squarely on the church in Antioch and on the work of Paul and Barnabas.
Read Acts 13:1-16, and 38-52 (skipping most of Paul’s long speech to the Jews). Follow the journey
on the map of Figure 2. Note that there are two cities named Antioch; the one in Syria from which
Paul and Barnabas were sent, and the one in Pisidia mentioned in Acts 13:14.
13) What happens in Acts 13:9?
Luke switches to using the name Paul instead of Saul. He would likely have received both his Jewish
name (Saul) and his Roman name (Paul) at birth, but Paul starts using his Roman name in his ministry
to the Greek speaking Gentiles, and Luke will use only this name for the remainder of Acts. Indeed,
Paul himself uses only this name in his own letters to the Gentile churches.
14) Why do you think John Mark leaves Paul and Barnabas in 13:13?
It may well be that John Mark simply wasn’t prepared for the intensity of what was happening. This
desertion on his part will become the point of disagreement between Paul and Barnabas in Chapter 15.
Page 15
15) The scene in Pisidian Antioch is the first time we see Paul-the-Missionary preaching to a
Jewish audience about the salvation offered by Jesus. In v. 45 can you think more specifically
who you think was jealous? Jealous of what?
Probably the Jewish leadership in the synagogue, and probably jealous of the attention paid to Saul
and Barnabas.
One thing to notice about Luke is that he tells his “first time” stories in great detail, whereas his later
accounts of similar events are often extremely brief.
16) Luke doesn’t say explicitly that no Jews came to faith, but he seems to be making a clear
point about how the Jews received Paul’s message. What is that point?
1. Paul tells the good news of Salvation in Jesus to the Jews.
2. The Jews as a group reject the good news, even though some individuals may accept the Gospel
message.
3. Paul focused then on the Gentiles, who received the good news and believed wholeheartedly.
4. After abuse from the Jewish leadership and the people they incite, Paul and Barnabas move on
to the next city.
17) As a generality, Luke does not repeat himself in Acts, except on two points; he tells Paul’s
conversion story three times, and he repeats again and again this general pattern of Paul’s
presenting the Gospel in each new city first to the Jews, and then moving to the Gentiles.
Why is this particular message so important to Luke?
One of Luke’s purposes in Acts is to show that at every point in the advance of the Gospel, the Jews
were specifically told the good news and given the opportunity to come to faith. By the time that Luke
is writing the book of Acts, however, the Christian church is vastly more Gentile than Jew, and it may
be that he’s taking pains to make it abundantly clear that the Jews were not neglected in the
transmission of the Gospel message.
18) What are some thing that make the Gospel message so unattractive for the Jews to accept,
and so attractive for the Gentiles?
This is an important question to ponder. To accept Jesus was to also accept that the keeping of the Law
of Moses was not a means of righteousness. Jews were taught from early childhood of the Law of
Moses and all the rules that needed to be followed for the sake of righteousness. The Jews were set
apart, God’s chosen people. The social divisions between Jew and Gentile were huge; a Jew could not
set foot in the house of a Gentile and could not eat with a Gentile. The gospel message turns all of that
on its head. Gods favor falls equally on Jew and Gentile (as revealed by the coming of the Holy Spirit
as visibly demonstrated in the Speaking in Tongues). The council at Jerusalem (which happens after
this present missionary journey) will make it clear further that following the Law of Moses is
Page 16
absolutely not required. So to the Jews, the acceptance of the gospel message must have seemed to
them to strip away much of their identity as the set-apart chosen-people of God. Surely this was a big
pill to swallow for even the most enlightened Jew.
Summary
And so we end this second study now having confirmed that Luke’s account of Peter’s support of the
Gentile Church in Acts aligns well with Peter’s letters to the Greek speaking Gentile churches of Asia
Minor, and also we’ve passed the midway point at Acts 13 where Luke’s focus shifts more clearly to
the spread of the faith among the Gentiles. In these first two lessons, we bounced back and forth
between Luke's parallel time-lines of the church in Jerusalem and elsewhere. The rest of this study
will proceed a bit more chronologically through the remainder of Acts, as Luke focuses on the spread
of the Gospel among the Greek Gentiles in Asia and Macedonia, but we will take diversions as needed
into other New Testament books in order to highlight the connections between them.
Page 17
Lesson 3
Having seen the negative reaction of the Jews of Pisidian Antioch in chapter 13. We’re going to pick up
Paul’s first missionary journey in Chapter 14, and their return to Antioch in Syria.
With these early conflict fresh in our minds, we’ll then jump back to Peter’s vision of the sheet in Acts
10:9 and the “Cornelius Incident”, and then pop back to the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15, and finally
a quick stop in Galations 2 to have a quick look at how hard it was for the Jews and Gentiles of the
early church, even though they were all believers, to share in table-fellowship.
Read Acts 14
Note that whereas Luke told Paul’s speech in detail in Pisidian Antioch, here in Iconium the story is
considerably abridged. This is typical of Luke’s writing style. In general, Luke will typically will give
great detail when describing the events when Paul comes into a new city, but when passing through
territory already covered in prior missionary journeys, the story is abbreviated. This is particularly
evident comparing Acts 14:1-7 with Acts 13:13-52.
1) Who are the main opposition in the story of Lystra?
The Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium. The people of Lystra are described as having
misunderstood Paul and Barnabas, interpreting what they saw by their own religious framework. But
the Jews from Antioch and Iconium pursued Paul and Barnabas intending to do them harm even after
they had left their cities. We will see this behavior occurs again later in Acts where some of the Jews
pursue Paul from city to city, stirring up trouble along the way.
2) How did things go in Derbe? Why do you think Luke writes in such brief summary for the
rest of the trip?
Things went pretty well, it seems, in Derbe. Not much detail from Luke on that city, nor of the rest of
the trip back to Antioch in Syria. This was before Luke was part of the traveling team, so presumably
what description of those events he was able to get from Paul and Barnabas was short on details and
drama, so Luke writes very tersely of these cities. It is interesting to note that Iconium and Pisidian
Antioch, which gave Paul and Barnabas such trouble on the first visit, seemed uneventful as they
passed back through those regions on their way home. Presumably Paul skipped the preaching to the
Jews in the synagogue on the return trip, sticking instead to the friendlier Gentile population.
Okay,...shifting gears, let’s look back now at “the Cornelius incident” and reflect on how profound the
introduction of Gentile believers was going to be to the new Christian Church.
Go back and read Acts 2:42-47. Note that Christianity at that time was a Jewish sect. All the believers
were Jews, and so when it says that all the believers were together and had everything in common, they
Page 18
was surely not a Gentile among them. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts
and they broke bread together.
And again with the choosing of the seven, the dispute had broken out between the Hebraic and
Hellenistic Jews. No Gentiles mentioned.
In Acts 10, the Cornelius incident plays out very much like the conversion of Saul in the preceding
chapter, with both parties having been contacted by God to bring them together miraculously.
Note Luke’s description of Peter’s “wondering” as to the meaning of the vision in 10:17. Just a few
short verses later, after the Spirit instructed him to go without hestitation with the men who had just
arrived, Peter shows his first sign of understanding the meaning of the vision, and he invites them into
his house to be his guests (v. 23). This is a remarkable breaking of the strongly held tradition of the
separate of Jew and Gentile.
The next day, Peter heads out with them, wisely taking along some fellow Jewish believers, as
witnesses to whatever was about to happen. After entering the house, another remarkable violation of
of the Jew-Gentile separation, Luke records Peter’s words as he explains that he is coming to
understand God’s inclusion of the Gentiles.
Notes to self. From here, let’s review the clues that Luke puts here in Acts for us to help understand the
social divisions between the Jews and the Gentiles. Go back and read Acts 10:9-22. It’s so cool that at
the end of that passage, it says that Peter invited them into be his guests. This would never have
happened without the Holy Spirit and the vision that Peter just saw. Perhaps this last sentence is
showing us that Peter understood the vision.
It would also make sense to review Acts 12 where Luke introduces John Mark in the context of the
house where Peter goes after his escape from prison, i.e. to the house of Mary, the mother of John
Mark.
Notes to self – I never went back and compared Galations 2:1-10 with Acts 15:1-35. This is interesting
mainly to note the difficulty with finding perfect harmony between these passages. This is simply the
reality sometimes. Also, the Galations passages show a little more color in the relationship between
Paul and the Jerusalem church. Finally, it is interesting to speculate whether Paul’s visit to Jerusalem
in Galations is referenging the council at Jerusalem or something earlier.
Page 19
Lesson 4
Next we’ll get started on Paul’s second missionary journey. This journey spans Acts 16, 17, and 18,
covering so much that that we won’t finish it in this lesson. One of the key takeaways in the second
and third missionary journeys is to note all of the leaders that are mentioned by Luke. Don’t fall into
the trap of thinking that Acts is about Paul, as this will encourage you to not pay attention to all of the
other leaders that Luke introduces us to. Acts is about the spread of the Gospel, and the network of
leaders that arises all around Jerusalem, Asia Minor, and Macedonia. Try to make it a goal to
remember all of the other leaders mentioned in the chapters coming up.
In particular, we’ll start looking in this lesson at the persons of Silas and Timothy. To that end,
Appendices A and B have a number of cross references to passages in the New Testament that reference
Silas and Timothy, respectively, and we will refer to them as we go. It’s quite remarkable how
involved they were, and how many of letters we typically think of as “Paul’s” which were co-authored
by Timothy and/or Silas.
Read Acts 15:36-41
1) Who was John Mark? What do you remember about him?
John Mark was the cousin of Barnabas. Remember back in Acts 4:36-37, Luke introduces Barnabas as
a Levite Jew who had sold a field and laid the money at the Apostles feet. Then in Acts 12 (which we
read back in Lesson 2), we see that after Peter miraculously escapes from prison, he goes to a house
where the believers were meeting and praying. The house belonged to Mary, the mother of John also
called Mark (this is how Luke introduces us to John Mark). So in addition to being Barnabas’ cousin,
John Mark was tightly tied into the Jewish Christian fellowship in Jerusalem.
2) Who is Silas?
Just prior in Acts 15, Silas and Judas were sent by the James and the other elders at Jerusalem to
travel back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, to bring their letter to the believers at Antioch after the
council at Jerusalem. Having made the trip together, and having spent some time together in Antioch,
it seems reasonable to expect that Paul and Silas were well acquainted by the time Silas returned to
Jerusalem. It is some time later still that Paul announces that he is going to take Silas along with him
instead of John Mark. Presumably Silas had made an unmentioned returned trip again to Antioch in
the interim. Luke says in Acts 15:32 that both Silas and Judas, in addition to be leaders in general,
were also prophets.
As can be seen in the aforementioned Appendix A, Silas is credited as coauthor by both Paul and
Peter. Silas was obviously very involved in the spread of the early church.
Take a moment to scan the list in Appendix A. Does anything here come as news to you?
Read Acts 16:1-6
3) What notable things happen in this short section?
Page 20
In addition to having Silas with him, Paul is also joined by Timothy in Lystra.
4) Now scan the list of verses in Appendix B. Based on what you see here in this very brief
introduction to Silas and Timothy and as revealed in these lists, how would you characterize
their involvement?
The point is that we’re beginning to see a glimpse into the growth of leadership in the church. Silas
and Timothy, as can be see in Appendices A and B, go on to become real partners in ministry with
Paul, sometimes traveling together with him, and at other times working independently in different
cities of Macedonia and Asia Minor. The book of Acts is much more than the story of Paul. It shows
the rapid growth of the church leadership during the first 30 years, and the list of leaders is a long one.
5) The following is a glimpse of some of the other leaders we’re going to meet first in Acts, and
who go on working in the spread of Christianity throughout the region. As we work our way
through the rest of Acts make a point to note these names and remember who they are. In
doing so, you will gain a richer appreciation of all that God was doing in these Greek speaking
areas during the early spread of Christianity.
•
Luke: Colossians 4:14, 2 Tim 4:11, Philemon 1:24
•
Priscilla and Aquila: Acts 18:2, 18, 19, 26, Romans 16:3, 1 Cor 16:19, 2 Tim 4:19
•
Mary: (mother of John Mark) who had a church in her house in Acts 12:12
•
Lydia: Acts 16:15
•
Apollos: Acts18:18, 24, 27, Acts 19:1, 1 Cor 1:12, 3:4-6, 22, Titus 3:13
•
John Mark: Acts 12:12, 25, 13:5, Col 4:10, 2 Tim 4:11, 1 Peter 5:13, Philemon 1:24.
•
Agabus: Acts 11:28, 21:10
•
Gaius: Acts 19:29, 20:4, Romans 16:23, 1 Cor 1:14, 3 John 1
•
Aristarchus: Acts 19:29, 20:4, 27:2, Col 4:10, Phil 1:24
In addition to these whom we meet first in Acts, other notable Women leaders in the New Testament:
•
Nympha: Col 4:15 (a home-church met at her house).
•
Euodia and Syntyche listed among the target audience Philipi in Phil 1:1, 4:2-3.
•
Romans 16 lists a lot of names, including Phoebe (deacon of the church in Cenchreae), Junia
(listed along with Andronicus as fellow Jews who had been in prison with Paul and whom Paul
considered outstanding among the apostles).
5) Given all that just transpired at the council at Jerusalem regarding the question of whether the
Greek believers needed to follow Jewish customs in order to be saved, does it seem odd that
Paul would have circumcised Timothy in order for him to join Paul in ministry?
Page 21
The NIV Zondervan study bible has to this to say:
“Although elsewhere Paul insists that circumcision is not necessary for salvation, and that
Gentiles who become circumcised are seeking to be saved through the works of the law (Gal 2:3,
5:2), Paul did not compromise his principles by circumcising Timothy. Timothy was half Jewish
(his mother was Jewish, v. 1), and so he was viewed as Jewish in the eyes of most Jews. Because
Timothy was not circumcised (his father was Greek), Paul was accused of telling Jews not to
circumcise their children. Circumcising Timothy was therefore necessary for effective ministry
and for maintaining table-fellowship with the Jews.”
Read Acts 16:6-10
7) Take a look at the map of Paul’s second missionary journey in Figure 3 on page 57. Note how
far Paul has traveled from his starting point in Antioch in just a few short verses. This is
typical of Luke, where the areas re-visited are only barely mentioned. Paul, Silas, and
Timothy have been doing important work as they traveled to Troas. What is the work?
The primary thing has been to spread the news of the decision of the Council at Jerusalem, i.e. that the
Gentile believers are under no obligation to become Jewish in order to be accepted by God. This must
have come as a great encouragement to the new believers in this area, and it is no surprise that the
church grew daily in numbers (Acts 16:5).
8) Something else very significant happens in this section we just read.
Did you spot it?
The writer of Acts has switched from the third person, speaking of “Paul and his companions”, to the
first person (note “we” in v. 10) . This is the beginning of the so-called first “we” section in Acts.
Since tradition holds that the author is Luke, it is generally accepted that Luke joined up with Paul,
Silas, and Timothy in Troas, just before they set sail across the Agean Sea to reach Macedonia.
Take a moment to reflect on how Luke’s writing style makes Acts unique. In no other book of the bible
do we have such riveting first-person narrative recorded in such detail.
Read Acts 16:11-40
9) From the text, can you judge how much of what transpires here included Luke directly, and
how much he would have had to have learned from Paul and Silas later on?
The last use of the first person in this section is in v. 17 (“us). It seem likely that Luke did not share in
the attack and imprisonment.
10) Can you speculate why Luke and Timothy would have been spared the imprisonment with
Paul and Silas?
Note what the owners of the slave girl said to the magistrates in vv. 20-21. “These men are Jews”. It
seems like the foreignness of Paul and Silas as Jews may have made them easy targets. Luke was
presumably Greek, being from Troas, and we know Timothy had a Greek father and grew up in Galatia,
Page 22
so was probably “Greek-enough” to blend in if needed. We don’t know if Luke and Timothy slipped
away quietly, but they were spared somehow.
11) Given that this scene takes place in a Roman colony which is historically Greek in history and
culture, it would seem likely that most of the people there would have claimed the Greek
culture over the Roman culture and rule imposed upon them. Yet look at what the slave girl’s
owners say to the Roman magistrate in v. 20. What tactic is the slave owner using to
influence the magistrate?
It’s manipulation, plain and simple. The slave owner had no real claim. Surely Paul’s casting out of
the spirit was no crime by Roman law, but the slave owner schmoozed the magistrate with his reference
to how these Jewish men are corrupting the good Roman sensibilities. It worked perfectly. How
ironic in the end when it was Paul and Silas who were Roman citizens. It just caps the injustice of
what happened.
When we read the bible, it’s often easy to gloss over things like this without considering the terror and
injustice of scenes like this. The Romans were used as the tools of the slave owners and the angry mob
that joined in. The Romans allowed themselves to be easily manipulated under the excuse of trying to
keep the peace. (much like Pontius Pilate) Paul and Silas were severely beaten under a false pretense,
fueled by prejudice and xenophobia.
Read Acts 17: 1-9.
12) Based on the lack of first person pronouns (i.e no “we”...the text is back to “Paul and his
companions”), can you speculate where Luke might be at this point in the story?
We’re not going to see evidence of Luke’s first-person presence again in Acts until we get to chapter 20.
Some study guides suggest that Luke may have stayed behind in Philippi, perhaps doing something
with the believers associated with Lydia back in Acts 16.
13) Starting in v. 5, this passage takes on a particularly sinister tone. Jason is not properly
introduced in this section, but in Romans 16:1, Paul mentions Jason as a “fellow Jew”, and it
was obviously Jason’s house where Paul and Silas were staying. What can you see in this
passage that shows that the opposition to the gospel is becoming more organized?
The Jews are mentioned as being jealous of the followers that Paul and Silas were gaining, and they
used the apparently common knowledge of the spread of “The Way” as a weapon to attack Paul and
Silas. This was clearly opposition by the “old-guard” Jews to this new message, and they turned
immediately to the old tactic of manipulating the Romans. Thankfully Paul and Silas, and their host
Jason all escaped unharmed.
Read Acts 17:10-15
14) This section is much like the previous one. Paul, Silas, and Timothy arrive in town and visit
the local synagogue to offer the gospel to the Jews first. In both cases, some Jews became
believers along with a number of “God-fearing Greeks and many “prominent Greek women”,
Page 23
but then some of the trouble-making Jews from Thessalonica came to Berea to cause trouble
for Paul, Silas, and Timothy, and so they had to move on. Regarding the God-fearing Greeks
and the prominent women, can you speculate as to who these people were? Why would the
gospel message have been so appealing to them, and why would the Jews have been jealous to
have these non-Jews eagerly following the gospel message?
Judaism enjoyed a certain popularity in the Greek world. Some Greek people, although not converted
to Judaism, were a numerous class of gentiles sympathetic to the Hellenistic Judaism that existed in the
Greco-Roman world during the 1st century. They observed certain Jewish religious rites and
traditions without becoming full converts, as many of the Jewish restrictions, and in particular
circumcision, presented a roadblock to full conversion. The god-fearing Greeks were a distinct
community, and are believed to have been instrumental in the rapid spread of Christianity throughout
the Roman Empire. It is easy to see how Christianity, which provided first-class access to the God of
the Jews God and the Messiah would have been enormously appealing, and it is not surprising that it
would have moved quickly through the community of the God-fearers. As for the prominent Greek
women, there is evidence that many upper-class women in the Greco-Roman world were interested in
Judaism, and often became patrons for the synagogue communities. It is not surprising that a rapid
uptake of Christian faith by these people would have been very troubling to the Hellenistic Jews, as
they might have represented a substantial portion of their extended community.
Read Acts 17:16-34
15) The response here in Athens is different from the past few places where Paul preached.
Typically he would go to synagogue and preach to the Jews there, and then move on to the
Gentiles. In Athens it goes differently,...possibly there was no synagogue to visit. Luke
records only Paul’s speech to the pagan Gentiles. How does his audience affect his message?
With the Gentiles in Athens, Paul clearly does not have a shared Jewish background with his audience,
or even the monotheistic common-ground that he shared with the “God-fearing Greeks” that he has
encountered in other cities.
16) How would you characterize Luke’s statement in v. 21?
Luke seems clearly to be taking a poke at the Athenian audience. While they seem to have an interest
in religious ideas, and in particular in the discussion of new ideas, they don’t seem to be very interested
in Truth.
Summary:
In this lesson, we’ve traveled through most of the second missionary journey, and have seen Paul’s
consistent practice of preaching first to the Jews in each city, if there are any, and then moving on to the
Gentiles. In these travels as recorded by Luke, we see only the very leading edge of the missionary
Page 24
work. In other words, we read about people coming to faith, but we don’t get a sense for whether the
believers in each city comprise a “body of believers”, i.e. a church. Coming up in the next lesson, we
will start to see some clear connections between the places and events recorded in Acts and the places
and events recorded in Paul’s epistles, and in particular to see the involvement of the other leaders
introduced in Acts and who are mentioned numerously in the other New Testament books.
Page 25
Lesson 5
In this lesson, we’re going to look at the connections between the passages we just read in Acts 16 and
17 and those of 1 Thessalonians. In the last Lesson we saw Paul and Silas beaten and imprisoned in
Philippi, and we saw how in Thessalonica Paul, Silas, and Timothy had more typical success preaching
in the synagogue and then to the Gentiles, but how they were also somewhat typically persecuted by
the Jews in Thessalonica, such that Paul had to make a hasty retreat to Berea, and then on to Athens as
the troublemaker-Jews from Thessalonica had followed them to Berea and were agitating the crowds
against them, with Timothy and Silas to follow along later.
In today’s lesson, we pick up the story in 1 Thessalonians, which Paul wrote from Corinth around AD
51-52. Support for this date comes from the Delphic Inscription, a letter from Emperor Claudius found
in Delphi that dates Gallio’s governorship of Achaia to AD 51–52 and thus places Paul in Corinth at the
same time. Many scholars believe that this is the Paul’s recorded letter, which would also make it the
oldest New Testament writing. Here we get a picture of the ministry and how our band of traveling
missionaries were dividing up the work and covering the Macedonian territory.
Rescan Acts 16:16-40 (in Philippi) and 17:1-9 (in Thessalonica). Locate these places on the map of
Figure 3 on page 55.
Read 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
1) Who is listed as the authors of the letters?
All three of them; Paul, Silas, and Timothy. So Timothy and Silas had caught up with Paul. We’ll read
further down that Timothy also went on an extra errand.
2) What words in this section shows how Paul, Silas, and Timothy felt toward the new believers in
Thessalonica?
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
3) In much of this section, Paul seem almost to be defending their ministry among the
Thessalonian, not that they did anything wrong, but to cement how right was their work, how
pure their motives, how Godly their example. Can you think why they are making such a
point of this?
Your students will likely struggle with this question. The answer lies in chapters 4 and 5 where Paul is
exhorting them to live sanctified lives. The God-fearing Greek people were quick to come to faith, it
seems, because of their longing for God and the fact that full participation in Christianity did not
require them to follow all the Jewish customs and dietary restrictions. However, it seems from the
words here that they may have also needed some extra encouragement to avoid the lifestyle of the
“pagans”, a lifestyle from which many of them may have come. By stressing, in chapters 1 and 2,
their sincere love for the Thessalonians and the excellent example they gave to all of them while they
were with them, Paul establishes the authority to call them to a sanctified life in chapters 4 and 5.
Page 26
Read 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
4) From whom are the Thessalonians suffering?
Their own people, most likely the Thessalonian Jews. This is easy to believe based upon Luke’s
account of what happened in Acts 17:1-9.
5) Why would the Thessalonian Jews care if the Greeks were coming to faith in Christ?
The fact that the Jews so opposed the spread of the Gospel among the Greeks shows that their distinct
communities were, in fact, connected. In addition to draining away the God-fearing Greeks from the
synagogue, there was likely a financial impact to the local synagogues as well, perhaps a significant
one.
Read 1 Thessalonians 3:1-13
6) After Timothy and Silas caught up with Paul in Athens (Acts 17:15), Timothy was sent back to
Thessalonica to encourage the believers there and to bring back news to Paul. How would this
fact, and Timothy’s name as a co-author of the letter, have strengthened the impact of this
letter upon the Thessalonians?
This situation makes it clear that the authors of the letter are fully updated on the goings-on in
Thessalonica, and therefore that the exhortations toward holy living in chapters 4 and 5 are both timely
and deserved.
Skim the first few paragraphs of 1 Thessalonians 4 to get a feel for the type of exhortations that Paul,
Silas, and Timothy offer in the remainder of this letter.
Okay,…, now let’s pick up the story again in Acts 18.
Read Acts 18:1-17
Paul’s entrance into Corinth is significant in a couple ways. First, it represents a sort of “furthest point”
for both his second and third missionary journeys. Also, Paul’s relationship with the Corinthian church
was both intense and difficult. As a result, the letters of 1 and 2 Corinthians contain some of the most
beloved passages of scripture, and yet also reveal a troubled relationship between Paul and the church
there. It all starts with this first visit. Timothy and Silas had joined up with Paul in Athens, but then
both had been sent off, Timothy to Thessalonica as we just read about, and Silas possibly to Philippi.
They will eventually join up with Paul again in Corinth.
7) What new characters did we just meet in this passage?
Aquila and his wife Priscilla. In the other places where they are mentioned, Priscilla is most often
listed first, suggesting that she was the more prominent of the two either in society or in their Christian
leaderhip roles.
8) As is typical, Paul preaches first in the synagogue, and is eventually rejected by the Jews.
What is different about the Jewish involvement in this case?
Page 27
It is noteworthy that the synagogue leader, Crispius, is listed among the Christian believers. The other
synagogue leader, Sosthenes, who is beaten by the Jews in v. 17 may be the same “Sosthenes” whom
Paul lists in 1 Cor 1:1 as a “brother” in Christ. This would make sense, since most of the individuals
in Acts who are mentioned by name figure into the larger story of the spread of the church, as
evidenced elsewhere in Acts and in many of Paul’s other letters.
9) Two other historical characters are mentioned in this text, which helps to cement the time of
Paul’s first visit to Corinth. Who are they?
Claudius ruled the Roman Empire from AD 41-54, and ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Gallio (v.
12) was procounsul of Achaia circa AD 51-52, so we know that Paul was at Corinth around AD 50-52
(for 18 months).
10) How would you characterize the involvement of Gallio in this scene? Does this seem typical
of the Roman leadership as depicted in other parts of the New Testament?
Gallio behaves admirably compared to many other examples of Roman authority in the New Testament.
He recognizes that the matter at hand is one to be resolved among Jews, and he avoids the attempts at
manipulation by the Jews as we have seen before.
In many other places in the New Testament, such as with Pontius Pilate in the Gospels, the Romans are
often depicted as being slightly corrupt, and somewhat disinterested in justice or the welfare of their
subjects. They seem much more interested in preventing uprisings, riots, etc.. The fact that the
Romans are not depicted in a more negative light supports the idea that Acts was written prior to AD
70, when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in the Jewish-Roman war. There will be many other
examples of Roman authorities in the remainder of Acts, which will be opportunities to revisit this
question.
Read Acts 18:18-22
11) Thus concludes the second missionary Journey. We were introduced to several new leaders
during this Journey. Let’s see if you can remember where each of the following people first
joined up with Paul and where are they at the end of this second missionary journey:
Silas?
Joined Paul in Jerusalem in Acts 15:22, currently in Corinth.
Timothy? Joined Paul in Lystra in Acts 16:1, currently in Corinth.
Luke? Joined Paul we think in Troas in Acts 16:8, currently in Philippi (?)
Priscilla and Aquila? Joined by Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:2), currently in Ephesus.
The following is a timeline of the travels of Paul, Silas, and Timothy that we can discern from the texts
we’ve just studied in Acts 17, 1 Thessalonians, and Acts 18.
Page 28
1. Paul, along with Silas and Timothy, departed from Philippi, traveled 90 miles along the Via
Egnatia, and arrived four or five days later in Thessalonica (2:1-2, Acts 17:1).
2. Paul preached for three Sabbaths in the synagogue; converts including some Jews and even
more Gentiles, including women from the leading families (Acts 17:2-4).
3. During the week, Paul supported himself by working as a tentmaker (Acts 18:3), thereby not
only providing the new Christians with an example of self-sufficient work (1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess
3:7-10) but avoiding potential charges that his ministry was selfishly motivated (1 Thess 2:112).
4. Paul’s missionary success aroused opposition. The Jews acted first (they “drove us out”, 1
Thess 2:15) and with the help of “bad characters from the marketplace” started a riot against the
apostle, accusing him of disturbing the peace and violating Caesar’s decrees (Acts 17:5-8).
5. Paul, Silas, and Timothy left Thessalonica to protect the believers and traveled west for two
days to Berea (Acts 17:10). But Jews from Thessalonica followed the apostle to Berea and
forced him to leave town. Some believers escorted Paul to Athens, likely by sea.
6. Silas and Timothy joined Paul in Athens a short time later only to be sent back to Macedonia:
Timothy to Thessalonica (1 Thess 3:1-5) and Silas possibly to Philippi. Paul tried but was
prevented from revisiting Thessalonica (1 Thess 2:17-18).
7. Paul traveled from Athens to begin an 18 month ministry in Corinth, where Timothy and Silas
rejoined him from Macedonia (Acts 18:5). Timothy gave Paul a largely positive report about
the Thessalonian church (1 Thess 3:6-10) but shared four concerns that caused the apostle to
write 1 Thessalonians from Corinth in AD 50-51.
8. A short time later Paul received an alarming report from Thessalonica concerning a false claim
that “the day of the Lord has already come” (2 Thess 2:2) and informing him that the problem
of idle believers had become worse (2 Thess 3:6-15). To respond to these to problems, Paul
wrote 2 Thessalonians.
Page 29
Lesson 6
In this Lesson, we will not only follow Paul’s travels during his third missionary journey, but we will
also see what some of the other leaders were doing, namely the traveling preacher “Apollos”. After a
lengthy stay by Paul in Ephesus, Luke provides a very brief description of Paul’s travels into
Macedonia, starting at the northern end again at Philippi, and heading south to Athens and Corinth
where he stays for three months before starting his journey back to Jerusalem, which will involve him
traveling by land back north through Macedonia to Philippi, where they will begin the trip by sea back
to Caesarea. Luke’s account of the Macedonian phase of this journey is so brief that we will read
several passages from 2 Corinthians in order to see a broader picture of what was going on, and this
will give us a glimpse into what Titus has been doing at Corinth since he stayed behind there at the end
of the second missionary journey. We will also see some detail about Paul’s relationship with the
Corinthian church;...a complex one, to say the least, and some of this can be seen in Paul’s words in 2
Corinthians.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves,...the visit to Corinth happens in Acts 20.
Read Acts 18:23-28
1) How is Apollos described? In what ways is he similar to Paul? How is he different?
Apollos is an intriguing leader. We have no writings from him, and not much in the biblical canon
about him. From the description here, though, it seems as though Apollos had an effective preaching
ministry, and we see from the other mention of him in the New Testament that in Corinth, at least, he
may have been seen on equal footing with Paul and Peter (1 Cor 1:12).
Note also the similarity in Luke’s description of Paul in Acts 9:22:
“Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving
that Jesus is the Messiah”
...and Apollos in Acts 19:28:
“For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures
that Jesus was the Messiah”
It is noteworthy that throughout this third missionary journey, Luke describes the movements of Paul
and Apollos, and we know from 1 Corinthians (written from Ephesus) that Paul and Apollos were both
in Ephesus for some time during the third missionary journey, before Apollos goes to Corinth. Unlike
Timothy, Silas, and others, Apollos is never described as one of Paul’s “helpers”. It seems as though
Apollos may have been more of a peer in Paul’s eyes. See 1 Corinthians 3:4-6 and 4:6-7.
Page 30
Acts 19 takes place in Ephesus. The following text is borrowed from the Zondervan NIV study bible.
“With an estimated population of 200,0000–250,000, Ephesus was called the “mother city” of
Asia. Economically, Ephesus was the largest trading center in western Asia Minor. Located on
the mouth of the Cayster River, which emptied into the Aegean Sea, Ephesus had a harbor (now
silted up) that provided access to major shipping routes. In addition, Ephesus was situated at
the intersection of major land routes.
Religiously, Ephesus had the honor of being the “guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of her image, which fell from heaven” (Acts 19:35). The temple of Artemis (the Roman
goddess Diana) was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world (see below), and the
influence of the Artemis cult pervaded every facet of life in the city. Artemis was considered the
guardian of the city, her temple served as the primary banking institution of the city, her image
graced the coinage, and festivals and games were held in her honor. The worship of Artemis
was not restricted to Ephesus. Demetrius, a silversmith in Ephesus, claimed that Artemis was
“worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world” (Acts 19:27).”
The artists rendition below of Temple of Artemis is reproduced in Figure 5 on page 59 for
reproduction and hand-outs.
Paul preached in Ephesus over a period of three years with the result that “all the Jews and
Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (Acts 19:10; cf. 19:26).
He also did extraordinary miracles and cast out demons (Acts 19:11–16). Many believed in the
Lord and those who formerly practiced sorcery burned their scrolls, the value of which totaled
“fifty thousand drachmas” (Acts 19:19). Opposition arose and Paul narrowly escaped a huge
mob in the theater (Acts 19:23–41). The theater still stands today and could possibly seat
25,000 people.”
Page 31
The photograph below of the Theater in Ephesus is produced in Figure 6 on page 59 for
reproduction and hand-outs.
Read Acts 19:1-7
2) What do you see here that aligns with Acts 18:24-26?
It is interesting that Luke points out the gap in Apollos’ understanding and apparent lack of familiarity
with the Holy Spirit. Paul is supportive of Apollos ministry in Acts, 1 Cor, and Titus, so it seems clear
that while not be intended to be critical of Apollos, Lukes words do show the realities of new leadership
rising up, and their training sometimes being incomplete.
Read Acts 19:8-22
3) In this passage, we see quite a lot of detail. Normally Luke saves the detailed description of
events for the first time Paul visits a city. Is this Paul’s first visit to Ephesus?
No, Paul passed quickly through Ephesus on his return trip to Jerusalem at the end of the second
missionary journey in Acts 18:19-21. It’s interesting to note how Luke reassures the Ephesians in v. 21
(and us) that Paul will be back for a more substantial visit, and then delivers on that here in Acts 19.
4) How long does Paul remain in Ephesus? Where are the other leaders we’ve met so far?
The study bible quote from above indicates three years. We see in in v. 8 that he was there for three
months, and then in v. 10 for two years, and then he “stayed in the province of Asia a little longer” (v.
22). Refer to the map of Paul’s third missionary journey to see what part of the world constituted
“Asia” in this context.
Page 32
During this time, we know that Apollos is preaching in Corinth, and Timothy and Erastus are here with
Paul in Ephesus, along with Gaius and Aristarchus (not yet introduced). The churches Asia and
Macedonia were all growing during this time, being served by these other leaders like Silas, Barnabas,
and John Mark, as well as the leadership in the Jerusalem church. Note also that Erastus, mentioned
first here in Acts 19:22, is referenced again as part of the church leadership in Romans 16:23 and 2
Timothy 4:20.
5) This scene in vv. 13-22 is one of spiritual battle between God and his servants and the enemies
of God. Are you aware of any occult activities in your society today?
6) We often tend to see religious conversions as a private, personal event, effecting one individual
at a time. In contrast, how does God’s power affect the citizens of Ephesus as described in this
section?
The supernatural aspect of these events are remarkable, to be sure, but it is also amazing to see how
through these events, the power of God had a transformative effect on the community as a whole.
Note that at the end of this section, Luke records that it was Paul’s intention to visit Macedonia (the
region where Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea are located) and Achaia (where Athens and Corinth are
located), and then to head on to Jerusalem, apparently directly from there. We will see coming up that
his plans change.
Read Acts 19:23-41
7) In this scene, we see the persecution of Paul’s missionary companions by the Greek craftsman
who made their living from the business of selling silver shrines to the Greek goddess Artemis.
The worship of Artemis was source of enormous civic pride to the Ephesians, and a source of
tourism income for the city as her temple was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The many conversions to “the Way”, were apparently causing a recession in the idol-making
business. Compare and contrast this scene of spiritual battle and opposition to the spread of
the Gospel from what we’ve seen in other cities so far in Acts?
This Greek opposition is similar to the opposition from the Jews of other cities in that large numbers of
people are going away from the established religion of the city. In this case it is the worship of Artemis
instead of Judaism.
8) How is it that Paul does not get involved in the scene at the theater? What would your advice
have been to Paul in this case?
Paul’s disciples and friends gave him sound advice, in pleading with him to not get involved. Paul is
many things, but “soothing” in the face of an angry mob is not one of them. It seems likely that by not
getting involved, Paul’s avoided significant inconvenience and possibly physical harm.
Page 33
As we leave Acts 19, note that Gaius and Aristarchus, just introduced, both apparently had significant
roles in the ongoing spread of the Gospel. Both of them have a role in Acts 20:4, and Gaius is
mentioned by Paul in Romans 16:23 and 1 Corinthians 1:14, and by the apostle John in 3 John 1.
Aristarchus is mentioned further in Acts 27:2, Colossians 4:10, and Philemon 1:24.
Read Acts 20:1-6
As is typical for Luke, when Paul is re-visiting cities already evangelized, he does not add much detail.
This is profoundly true here in Acts 20:1-6, where the Macedonian phase of the third missionary
journey passes in just a few verses. This second visit to Corinth, however, affords an opportunity to
consider a few things relevant to what is happening in acts.
See the map of Paul’s third missionary journey. Note that although Paul had intended to end this
missionary journey in Corinth, sailing for “Syria” (i.e. Jerusalem) directly from Greece
(Corinth/Athens), instead he heads north again through Thessalonica and Philippi and will return via
the Asian coastal route shown in the map.
By way of background, the following synopsis of Paul’s visits and letters to the Corinthians, taken from
the Zondervan NIV Study Bible, is reproduced here. Read it aloud as a group.
Paul’s relationship to his converts at Corinth is complex. It seems that he visited the city of
Corinth on three occasions: (1) his founding visit of 18 months (from the fall of AD 50 to the
spring of 52; Acts 18:1-8 in the prior lesson); (2) a brief visit during the summer or fall of 55,
mentioned in 2 Cor 2:1, 12:21, 13:2, but not mentioned in Acts, and which proved “painful” (2
Cor 2:1); (3) a final visit of 3 months (the winter of 56/57) mentioned in Acts 20:2-3, and during
which it is believed that Paul wrote the book of Romans.
Also it appears that Paul wrote at least four letters to the church at Corinth: (1) a letter previous
to that of 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 5:9-11), which no longer exists; (2) 1 Corinthians, which Paul
probably wrote in AD 54 and was presumably delivered by the delegation mentioned in 1 Cor
16:12; (3) a severe letter, mentioned in 2 Cor 2:3-4, 9; 7:8, 12), which Paul probably sent in the
spring of 56 and also no longer exists; (4) 2 Corinthians, which was sent in 56 or 57.
So then, we may speak of three visits (founding, “painful”, and final) and four letters
(“previous”, 1 Corinthians, “severe”, 2 Corinthians).
9) As Paul prepares for the return trip to Jerusalem in v. 4, we see that Paul is accompanied by a
large contingent of Greek men. Can you guess why?
These men were carrying with them a large financial gift for the church in Jerusalem. We will read
more of this shortly in the Corinthian letters.
Page 34
10) Something happened in the text in v. 5. Did you catch it?
The second section of the “We” verses begins here, indicating most likely that Luke has joined back up
with the group as they passed through Philippi. It is for this reason that many speculate that Luke has
been in Philippi since the end of the last “we” section in the second missionary journey.
At this point, Paul has returned to the Asian mainland in Troas, where Luke originally joined up with
Paul in the second missionary journey. We are going to take a diversion into the Corinthian letters to
fill in some details about what went on in this Macedonian trip to Corinth and back.
The words of Paul in 2 Corinthians make more sense if we keep in mind that both 1 Corinthians and the
“severe letter” were likely written from Ephesus in the 3 years that he was there in what we just
finished in Acts 19. We surmise that in the “severe letter” Paul chastised and corrected the Corinthians
for their behavior. We will read shortly that Paul had originally intended to sail from Ephesus straight
to Corinth, and then sweep northward into Macedonia before retracing his steps back to Corinth from
where he had planned to sail back to Jerusalem. Thus, his plan had been to visit Corinth twice on this
journey. However, because of the news of the troubling issues in the Corinthian church and his feelings
after having delivered the “severe” letter, he changed his plans and started in Macedonia from the north
to avoid passing twice through Corinth.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11
11) What events is Paul likely referring to here?
The riot in Ephesus that we just read about in Acts 19 would certainly fit this description.
Read 2 Corinthians 1:15-16, 23, 2:1-4
12) See if you can describe in your own words what Paul had initially planned to do, and then
what his new plan is? Do you think he had planned to visit Corinth at all on this journey?
Read 2 Corinthians 2:5-11
We don’t know exactly what the offence was, but it seemed clear that the offence was significant.
Read 2 Corinthians 2:12-13
13) Where do you think Paul is as he is writing this letter.
It seems to be after he left Ephasus, and before he’s arrived at Corinth, so presumably somewhere in
Macedonia.
Read 2 Corinthians 7:5-7, 13-16.
Page 35
14) Describe how Paul felt about his relationship with the Corinthians before and after Titus
joined up with them. What news do you think Titus brought that resulted in such a change in
Paul’s emotions?
It seems that Titus might have brought some news of the Corinthian church having received Paul’s
“severe letter” much better than Paul had feared. It may be due to Titus’ pastoral care in Corinth that
this is the case, but Paul’s sense of relief and his re-expression of joy over his relationship with the
Corinthians seems to be quite profound.
The Collection
One critical part of Paul’s ministry to the Greeks was the collection of funds for the benefit of the
church in Jerusalem. Why the Jerusalem church was perennially in such great need is not totally clear,
but it seems to have started from an early time, as we see Paul and Barnabas bringing gifts to the
Jerusalem church as far back as Acts 11:30. One possible explanation could be that after the stoning of
Stephen in Acts 8, Luke records that all the believers except the Apostles fled Jerusalem to the Judean
and Samarian countryside. Any Christians left behind after that would have been those without the
means to escape, i.e. the poorest of that early Christian community.
Read 1 Corinthians 16:1-4
14) What other churches are listed as contributing to the offering for the Jerusalem church?
The churches in Galatia.
15) Where was Paul when he wrote 1 Corinthians?
In Ephesus, during the three year period we just read about in Acts 19.
16) What in this passage supports Paul’s change in plans as described in 2 Corinthians 1:15-16,
23, 2:1-4 (question #12)
1 Corinthians 16:1-4 seems to indicate that Paul had not planned to travel back to Jerusalem with the
Corinthian and Macedonian gift-bearers, but that he would send along “letters of introduction”
instead. Presumably this was per Paul’s earlier plan to start the Macedonian leg of his third
missionary journey from the south in Corinth and to dispatch the gift-bearers on his first northbound
pass through Corinth.
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-12, 16-20
17) What in the tense of 8:16-20 gives further clues about when Paul write this letter and where
he was?
We can’t say specifically, but it seems very likely that he is writing it while he travels from Philippi
south through Macedonia on his way to Corinth.
Page 36
18) Just before we took this diversion into Corinthians, we had read a long list of names of people
in Acts 20:4. Do you remember who they were?
This long list from Acts 20:4 matches well with the description of the gift-bearers described in 2
Corinthians 8:16-20.
Eventually, Paul arrives in Corinth, where Titus has been there ahead of him helping the Corinthian
church assemble their offering for the Jerusalem Church. 2 Corinthians 9:1-5 makes it clear that Paul
wanted the gift to be in order when he arrived.
Read Romans 15:22-33
19) How do you read v. 23?
This verse makes it sound like Paul considers the regions he has been working in to be growing nicely
under the trail of leaders that he has left in his wake, and that it’s time to move on, into Spain and
Rome. Also scholars agree that the text here makes it quite clear that Paul is writing from Corinth
during his three month stay on his third missionary journey.
Summary
We conclude this diversion into 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans, and will rejoin the text in Acts for
our next lesson. We have seen the dynamic relationship between Paul and the Corinthian church and
the role that Titus had as Paul’s helper in carrying news back to Paul while he was traveling in
Macedonia, and then returning ahead of Paul to help put the collection in order before Paul’s arrival.
Page 37
Lesson 7
Just to recap where we are,...Paul is heading back to the region of Syria (i.e. back to the home base of
Antioch and Jerusalem). Paul, having come back from Macedonia with a large financial gift for the
struggling church in Jerusalem, is accompanied by a large contingent of Greek traveling companions,
presumably for safety as they are carrying a substantial sum of money. The companions, listed in Acts
20:4, include Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius
from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia.
Of these men, only Sopater and Secundus fail to appear in the other of Paul’s writings that we have
today. Timothy is obviously familiar to us as a partner with Paul. Gaius and Aristarchus, both listed
here, are presumably the same Gaius and Aristarchus who were involved in the riot at Ephesus in the
previous chapter. Gaius is mentioned also in Romans 16:23, 1 Corinthians 1:14, and 3 John 1.
Aristarchus will go on to travel back to Rome with Paul after his arrest (Acts 27:2), and Paul refers to
Aristarchus as his “fellow prisoner” in Colossians 4:10, and a “fellow worker” in Philemon 1:24.
Tychicus is described by Paul in Ephesians 6:21 as “the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord”,
and similarly in Colossians 4:7, and further mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:12 and Titus 3:12. Trophimus
obviously also had additional travels with Paul, as he is mentioned in Acts 21:29 and also in 2 Timothy
4:20.
The point is to take note of the people whom Luke lists by name. All of these people, and others
mentioned previously such as Silas, Apollos and Priscilla and Aquilla, rose up as leaders in a
relatively short span of years since Paul and Barnabas first started their ministry to the Greek speaking
peoples around the northern Mediterranean. Surely there are countless others in the churches of the
region whose names we do not learn from Luke (such as Titus), or in the writings of Paul, Timothy,
and Silas. At this point, however, the network of Christian leadership is well established and the work
of God in the early church has been set in motion. And it is well that it is, as Paul is about to walk into
a trap in Jerusalem which will take him to Rome as a prisoner.
But first we have to get to Jerusalem. Picking things up in Acts 20:7, Luke tells the story first of the
trip back to Jerusalem, writing in the first person again since he joined up with them presumably in
Philippi, and writing in great detail about their travels from port to port, all the way to Jerusalem, where
he is undoubtedly separated from Paul when Paul is arrested.
It may be interesting to follow along on the map of Figure 4, as we read Luke’s description of the trip
back to Jerusalem.
Read Acts 20:7-12
1) This passage is unique. What can you see here that is unusual?
This passage is remarkable because in it, Luke claims that Paul restored Eutychus from death to life,
and especially remarkable because Luke was apparently present at the event, and giving a firsthand
Page 38
account of the miracle, including the name of the man and a very unflattering account of Paul’s
longwindedness as having been the cause of the man’s fall. In Luke’s telling of the story, Paul seems
only momentarily distracted by the need to raise the dead man, and he then immediately goes right
back at it, speaking until daylight. It is certainly refreshing to see such a prominent bible “hero” such
as Paul portrayed as “talking on and on”, giving the narrative a feeling of intimacy and honesty, even
poking a little fun. Also, however, such an honest description of Paul makes the description of the
miracle flow out of the pages as a simple continuation of the narrative. Luke is telling us the story as it
unfolded; unembellished and truthful in the details. Nothing in Luke’s writing indicates that he had an
unusually elevated opinion of Paul as any kind of “hero”. He was simply a servant doing God’s work.
Read Acts 20:13- 37
2) First, note that Paul specifically avoided Ephesus, but then sent for the Ephesian Elders of the
church from Miletus, some 50km away. So presumably they waited in Miletus for several days
for the Elders to arrive. What is the tone of Paul’s speech to the Ephesian Leaders?
It is clear in Paul’s words that this is a farewell encouragement to them as leaders in the church. Paul
warns them of challenges that they will face.
3) Pick out something from this speech to the Christian leaders in Ephesus that you find
particularly encouraging for us in our 21st century church?
His charge: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Those are
powerful words for anyone in church leadership today.
4) Why do you think Paul expected not to see them again?
It seems likely that Paul simply had no plans to visit them again, intending instead to head west to
Spain and Rome, as we read previously in Romans 15:22-33, which we believe Paul wrote from
Corinth during the third missionary journey. It seems that Paul had plans to move on from Asia and
Macedonia, instead heading west.
Read Acts 21:1-16
5) In v. 4, Luke writes that the disciples in Tyre urged Paul, “through the Spirit” not to go to
Jerusalem. How do you reconcile this warning with Paul’s words in Acts 20:22: “And now,
compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem...”. Was he wrong to have proceeded on
toward Jerusalem after this warning?
Many christians have wrestled with this. Paul declares the Spirit as urging him on to Jerusalem, and
yet there are multiple warnings from the Spirit of what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem. Was Paul
Page 39
wrong? It might have been easy for astute believers familiar with Paul’s work among the Greeks to
know that there would be Jews from the surrounding Greek areas that would be opposed to Paul, as
Jewish sentiment toward his work among the Greeks continued to erode.
6) Two people mentioned in this section should be familiar from earlier in Acts; “Philip the
Evangelist, one of the Seven”. One of the seven what? Can you name another of the “seven”?
The “seven” were the seven Greek men chosen by the Apostles to oversee the daily distribution of food.
Probably the most memorable of Stephen, who was stoned to death in Acts 7
7) Do you remember Agabus? What did he prophesy about when we first met him in Acts 11:2730.
8) Why do you think Paul was so determined to go on to Jerusalem, even after this stern
warning?
Read Acts 21:17-26
9) Who was it that the James and the elders in Jerusalem were concerned about for Paul’s sake?
Interestingly, it seems to be the Jewish believers, or at least a subset of them.
10) What do you think is mean by James and the elders when they described the Jewish believers
as being “zealous for the law”?
Although they were believers, they apparently held strongly to their Jewish customs.
11) Assuming they understood that those customs were not a way to salvation, can you think of a
reason why this misinformation about Paul would have led to conflict with the Jewish
believers?
Paul’s arrival in Jerusalem occurred around A.D. 57, or 24-ish years after Christ’s ascension. So the
Jewish Christian church would be on their second generation. Around the world, it is a central human
truth that the perception by parents that their culture is not being passed on through their children can
lead to powerful negative emotions. Assuming that children then were like children today, it is not hard
to imagine Jewish youth of Christian parents might have used this misinformation as a justification to
resist their parents’ teaching and observance of Jewish customs. This would have made Paul a target
for their ire, regardless of them sharing faith in Christ.
Page 40
12) What evidence do you see in this passage that although there were Gentile believers in
Jerusalem, they represented a separate community and likely did not have fellowship with the
Jewish believers?
James and the Elders indicate that they had “written to them” with the decision from the council of
Jerusalem (Acts 15). Writing to them would obviously not be necessary if they were in fellowship
together, so it seems clear that the among the other customs followed by the Jewish Christians, the
social barriers separating Jew from the Gentile was still practiced.
Read Acts 21:27-36
13) Where did we first meet Trophimus?
Just recently in Acts 20,...he was one of the Greek leaders that came with Paul to Jerusalem with the
gift from the Macedonian churches.
13) Are you surprised by the ease with which the trouble-makers are able to stir up an angry
mob, apparently ready to beat Paul to death on the spot?
Gentiles were forbidden from entering the inner courts of the temple, and signs warned of immediate
execution for any who entered.
Summary
So ends the third missionary journey, and so begins Paul’s arrest and incarceration. The next 7 chapters
will follow Paul through several trials and his dramatic voyage to Rome. Many consider Paul’s path
from Jerusalem to Rome to be a fourth missionary journey of sorts, since as we will see, Paul never
stops telling all who will listen about Jesus.
Page 41
Lesson 8
(I need to pull in some of that material that Nanae had unearthed about whether Paul had made a
mistake in coming to Jerusalem. This is a topic of discussion and is interesting because we see Paul
stating that he is compelled by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, and then his friends warning him
through the Holy Spirit to not go. Is it possible that our interpretation of the Holy Spirit’s leading in
our lives could sometimes be flawed? Is it possible that Paul’s strong desire to visit Jerusalem clouded
his ability to sense the Holy Spirit’s leading properly in this case? )
In this lesson, we’re going to see Paul making what would see to be a defense to the Jews in Jerusalem.
We know from what we’ve read so far in Acts that his account is true, and yet the truth does not work
well for Paul in this case.
Read Acts 21:37-22:29
The reference in Acts 21:38 to the “Egyption who started a revolt” would have been contemporary
knowledge to the Roman solders at this time. The Jewish historian Josephus refers to this Egyptian, a
false prophet who gained a following of 30,000 and led them to the Mount of Olives, claiming that the
walls of Jerusalem would fall down at his command. Luke records here that the number of followers
was 4000, which might have been a more accurate number. The Roman governor Felix routed them in
the end, but the Egyptian escaped. It lends insight into the scale of the Jewish animosity toward Paul
that they thought that he might be that same Egyptian trouble-maker.
1) This is Luke’s second telling of Paul’s conversion. Take a minute to compare it to the first
telling in Acts 9.
It’s pretty close. One of the main differences is in v. 18 where after Paul returns to Jerusalem, he says
here that Jesus spoke to him and instructed him to leave Jerusalem because the people there would not
accept his testimony about Jesus.
Cover Paul’s arrest and the scene with the commander that arrested him, Paul’s speech to the people
there in Jerusalem in Acts 22, and then Paul’s trial before the Sanhedrin to the end of Acts 23.
Page 42
Lesson 9
Get through the trials before Felix and Festus in Acts 24 and 25.
Page 43
Lesson 10
Covering Acts 25:23 through the trial before Agrippa and Bernice and on to end of Acts, if the group
can cruise through the material that fast. This will leave one discussion session to wrap up.
Read Acts 25:23 through the end of Acts 26
1) Do you think Luke might have been present at these proceedings? Why or why not?
There is no correct answer here. The amount of detail here is tremendous, including specific points of
dialog. But as we discussed at the beginning of this bible study, if you retell a scene from your past,
you may find that you can recall more dialog than you would think. Luke may have been present, but if
he was, he gives us no direct clues to that fact. It may be that Paul recounted these things to Luke after
they arrived in Rome, when there would have been plenty of time to talk and get the details straight.
2) How would you describe the attitude of Festus and Agrippa to Paul? Did they show concern
for Paul, or for justice? What do you think is their goal in all of this?
There is a sense in these passages that many of them feel that Paul should be freed, but none of them
seem to have the political backbone to free him. They all fear unrest with the Jews, and so even though
Paul has done nothing wrong, they just keep “kicking the can down the road” so to speak, meaning
that by forwarding Paul along the way up the political chain, each of them has avoided any risk
associated with making the decision to free him.
3) Not really a question, but note the irony here of Paul being on trial before Agrippa, the king of
the Jews, for preaching about the King of the Jews [Jesus].
4) In Acts 26:12-18, Paul gives the third telling of his conversion on the road to Damascus. Why
do you think Paul records this story three times? How do you account for the differences in
the story as it is told each time?
Some people seem to feel the need for explanation here, as though small differences in detail somehow
call into question the truth of the story. This argument would deny the normal human attribute of
recounting a true story. Each time it is told, the telling will differ in numerous small details. In this
telling here in Acts 26, we see additional words of Jesus spoken to Paul. These differences do not take
away from the truth of the event, but rather lend credibility to Luke’s account. It seems likely as well
that Luke may have gotten the details of these three tellings of Paul’s story on separate occasions, as
he was compiling the material that ultimately became the book of Acts.
5) How do you feel about Agrippa’s pronouncement in Acts 26:32?
This seems to be spoken in absolution of himself. Agrippa knew that Paul should have been freed, but
until the burden making the decision to actually set him free was taken off the table by Paul’s appeal to
Caesar in Acts 25:11, he lacked the will do it. Why take the chance that something bad will come of it?
Page 44
Far safer to just send him along to Caesar, which is readily done since Paul, a Roman citizen, had
insisted on it himself.
Read Acts 27:1 through the end of Acts 28
Be sure to have people follow along on the map of the journey to Rome in Figure 7.
6) Does any part of the shipwreck and journey to Rome strike you? This has been called one of
the most detailed accounts of a shipwreck in ancient literature, and makes for good reading by
any standard. What part did you like the best?
7) How does Paul strike you in this story?
Remarkably cool-headed and brave. This may be why the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life after
the ship ran aground on the sandbar.
8) Do you remember the centurion’s name?
“Julius”, recorded by Luke in Acts 27:1, and again in 27: 3. Apparently Luke thought in hindsight that
Julius deserved to be mentioned by name. The apparent fact that Luke and Paul were on first-name
basis with their centurion guard by the end of the journey is not hard to believe, given what they had
come through together.
9) How would you describe what happens with Paul and the Jews after he finally arrives in Rome
in Acts 28:17?
This feels just like all the other cities which, upon entering for the first time, Paul would preach for the
to the Jews. Some would believe, and the others would reject the gospel message, whereupon Paul
would turn to the Gentiles, which he does here as well.
10) What is the tone as Luke ends the book of Acts?
It does not feel like the end of the story. Even though Luke writes that Paul taught for 2 years, there
there is nothing in Luke’s writing here that leads the reader to a sense of doom for Paul’s future after
that 2 year interval. Perhaps Luke ended his project on the book of Acts two years after Paul’s arrival
to Rome, and while Paul was still a preaching under house arrest.
Page 45
Appendix A: Bible passages that mention Silas
Acts 15:22
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and
send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men
who were leaders among the believers.
Acts 15:27
Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.
Acts 15:32
Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers.
Acts 15:40
but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.
Acts 16:19
When her owners realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
Acts 16:22
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped
and beaten with rods.
Acts 16:25
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were
listening to them.
Acts 16:29
The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:36
The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave.
Go in peace.”
Acts 16:38
The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman
citizens, they were alarmed.
Page 46
Acts 16:40
After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the
brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.
Acts 17:4
Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing
Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
Acts 17:5
But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a
mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to
bring them out to the crowd.
Acts 17:10
As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went
to the Jewish synagogue.
Acts 17:14-15
The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who
escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as
soon as possible.
Acts 18:5
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching,
testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
2 Corinthians 1:19
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy
—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”
1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ:
Page 47
1 Peter 5:12
With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging
you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.
Page 48
Appendix B: Bible passages that mention Timothy
Acts 16:1
Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was
Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.
Acts 17:14-15
The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. Those who
escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him
as soon as possible.
Acts 18:5
When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching,
testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
Acts 19:22
He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia
a little longer.
Acts 20:4
He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from
Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of
Asia.
Romans 16:21
Timothy, my co-worker, sends his greetings to you, as do Lucius, Jason and Sosipater, my fellow Jews.
1 Corinthians 4:17
For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will
remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every
church.
1 Corinthians 16:10
When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on
the work of the Lord, just as I am.
2 Corinthians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in
Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
Page 49
2 Corinthians 1:19
For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy
—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”
Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
together with the overseers and deacons:
Philippians 2:19
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news
about you.
Philippians 2:22
But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me
in the work of the gospel.
Colossians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ: Grace and peace to you.
1 Thessalonians 3:2
We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ,
to strengthen and encourage you in your faith,
1 Thessalonians 3:6
But Timothy has just now come to us from you and has brought good news about your faith and love.
He has told us that you always have pleasant memories of us and that you long to see us, just as we also
long to see you.
2 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ:
1 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our
Lord.
Page 50
1 Timothy 1:18
Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you,
so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well,
1 Timothy 6:20
Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing
ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,
2 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philemon 1
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow
worker—
Hebrews 13:23
I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with
him to see you.
Page 51
Appendix C: The “we” Passages
Section #1: During the Second Missionary Journey
Acts 16:10
After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had
called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:11
From Troas, we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to
Neapolis.
Acts 16:12
From there we traveled to Phiippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia.
And we sayed there several days.
Acts 16:13
On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer.
We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
Acts 16:16
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by
which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune telling.
Acts 16:17
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who
are telling you the way to be saved.”
Section 2: During the Third Missionary Journey
Acts 20:5
These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
Acts 20:6
But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others
at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Acts 20:7
On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people, and because he
intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
Page 52
Acts 20:8
There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
Acts 20:13
We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had
made this arrangement because he was going there on foot.
Acts 20:14
When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.
Acts 20:15
The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos,
and on the following day arrived at Miletus.
Acts 21:1
After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next
day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara.
Acts 21:2
We found a ship crossing over to Poenicia, went on board and set sail.
Acts 21:3
After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where
our ship was to unload its cargo.
Acts 21:4
We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the spirit, they urged Paul
not to go on to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:5
When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and
children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
Acts 21:6
After saying goodbye to each other, we went back aboard the ship, and they returned home.
Acts 21:7
We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters
and stayed with them for a day.
Page 53
Acts 21:8
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the
Seven.
Acts 21:10
After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
Acts 21:11
Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit
says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him
over to the Gentiles.’”
Acts 21:12
When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:14
When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”
Acts 21:15
After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem.
Acts 21:16
Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we
were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.
Acts 21:17
When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly.
Acts 21:18
The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
Section #3: The Shipwreck
Acts 27:1 - 28:16
Page 54
Figure 1: Missionary Journeys of Philip and Peter
Page 55
Figure 2: Paul's First Missionary Journey
Page 56
Figure 3: Paul's Second Missionary Journey
Page 57
Figure 4: Paul's Third Missionary Journey
Page 58
Figure 5: Temple of Artemis in Ephesus
Figure 6: Theater at Ephesus
Page 59
Figure 7: Paul's Journey to Rome
Page 60