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GROW AND GO COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

Acts was written by Luke who was a Greek physician, a colleague of St Paul’s. When Paul travelled to Jerusalem in about AD 57 Luke went with him. When two years later Paul was sent under escort to Rome, Luke again came with him. (see “we” in chapter 21:1 and 27:1).

While Paul was imprisoned for two years by the Roman governor Felix, Luke had time to talk with people who knew Jesus personally. He researched and wrote his gospel which he addressed to someone named Theophilus. Later, when Paul was a prisoner in Rome, Luke wrote this second account, also for Theophilus, bringing the story up to date. There is no mention of Nero's persecution (AD 65) or Paul’s death (approx. AD 66) or that of James the brother in Christ (AD 62) so apparently Luke had finished writing before these events took place.

TIMING. Times are very approximate but the period covered by these chapters was probably about 2 to 3 years from AD 31 or 32 to 33 or 34.

PART ONE - THE FIRST CHURCH.
CHAPTER ONE.

1:1-3 Introduction
Compare these verses with Luke 1:1-4. and 24:45-53

1:4-8 The Great Commission and promise of the Holy Spirit’s power.
(see Grow & Go booklet on The Great Commission) Like the Great Commission itself, the promise by John the Baptist is reported in all four Gospels and in Acts. The promise was that Christ will “Plunge you into Wind and Fire” a vivid picture taken from winnowing grain; flinging it into the wind so that the chaff can be blown away and burned, leaving only the pure grain. Christ now repeats the promise and relates it to the coming Holy Spirit whom He Himself had also promised.

Before the Apostles could begin the task for which Jesus had chosen and trained them, they needed both purity and power. We still do.

1:9-11 Christ’s Ascension and promise of return.
(See Daniel 7:13 quoted in Matthew 24:30 and 26:64 also Revelation 1:7.) Last seen disappearing into the clouds, Jesus Christ will next be seen coming with the clouds. Then every eye shall see Him.

12-26 The appointment of Matthias.
This shows us that there were others besides The Twelve who had travelled with Jesus. The whole company of about 120 was gathered, including the women who had also travelled with them (see Luke 8:1-3).

Apostles are pioneers who take the Gospel to new places and plant new churches. The Twelve had the special task of planting “The Church.” To do this they had to plant the first church, in Jerusalem, and make sure its people were well taught and prepared before they went out to take the Gospel to the rest of the world.

Now there were only eleven. Judas had gone. They chose Matthias, and although we know little about him we do know one thing. He had faithfully followed Christ for three years even though he had not been chosen as one of The Twelve. That shows both humility and perseverance. He had probably been one of the seventy whom Jesus sent out (Luke 10:1-17).

The fate of Judas
This account appears very different from that in Matthew 27:1-10 (although the word in Matthew for “hanged” may only mean “killed”). What may have happened is that he first returned the money to the priests, then committed suicide in a small plot of ground belonging a potter. After his death the priests bought that plot in Judas’ name with his money.

CHAPTER TWO
2:1-4 Pentecost
Seven weeks after the resurrection, ten days after the ascension, Jerusalem was once again crowded for the feast of Pentecost. The little company of 120 men and women was gathered together. The Twelve were there. So were Christ’s mother and brothers and Mary Magdalene and others who had followed Him faithfully. Suddenly the power came and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had spent three years teaching and preparing them. To do God’s work we need BOTH teaching and the Holy Spirit’s power. We cannot do it with power alone or with training alone.

We also need each other if we are to do God’s work. This was a community of people who knew, loved and trusted each other. Jesus had united them.

2:5-13 The News is Told.
God does not give The Holy Spirit so that we can sit down and enjoy a spiritual experience by ourselves, but so that we can take the Gospel of Christ to others. We need first the Spirit’s holiness, then His power. We need Him for all aspects of life - but especially for spreading the knowledge of Christ.

Jerusalem was crowded with visitors from many places and God’s plan was to send them back to their various homes knowing the Gospel and spreading it. But first they had to hear it. So the Holy Spirit enabled the Apostles and their colleagues to speak to people in their own languages. (There was not time to learn them).

In today’s church the gift of tongues is mainly used to enrich our prayer lives. But God still wants to communicate with the people of the world in their own languages and does not usually work miracles to save us from the hard work needed to learn those languages. (In fact the hard work helps to convince people that we are genuine).

2:14-41 Peter’s First Gospel Sermon.
The visitors had heard the message in their own mother tongues, the language of their hearts, the language that really touched them deeply. But now they heard Peter speaking the trade language which they all knew, though not quite so well.

Both John the Baptist and Jesus had preached “The Gospel” but because Jesus had not yet died or risen, that Gospel was still incomplete. Peter was the first person to proclaim the full Gospel message - that Christ died for us and rose again.

He quotes the prophet Joel who promised the coming of the Holy Spirit and he declared that, “Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” and the Spirit will be poured out on “Both men and women.” Greek, Roman and even Jewish communities then were male dominated, but here is a declaration that this is to be changed. Men and women share The Great Commission and The Holy Spirit and the task of preaching the Gospel.

2:42-47 The First Church in Action.
That first group of 120 now had to teach and baptise 3000 (that is 25 each) making sure they understood the Gospel first. Those of them who had homes in or near Jerusalem made them available for groups to meet.

They met for
THE APOSTLES’ TEACHING
FELLOWSHIP
BREAKING BREAD
PRAYER
- four activities necessary if new Christians are to grow into mature Christians and go to tell others.

Sometimes they gathered in large crowds in the temple courtyards (where Jesus used to preach) to hear the Apostles. Sometimes the teaching was in smaller groups.

One thing we are not told, but can be sure of because the Apostles needed to do it. They had been commissioned to pass on all that Jesus had taught them. They could not have done this entirely by spoken words. They must have written an early and simple library of Jesus’ collected teachings. Later these would be included in the written Gospels, but at first perhaps handed round to the households where the teaching was going on.

CHAPTER THREE.
Verses.
3:1-10 A lame man is healed.
By the magnificent temple gate sat a lame beggar. As Peter and John went in he asked them for money. They had none to give him. (God’s most effective servants are frequently short of money.) But they gave what they could - healing in the Name of Jesus Christ.

The man was so excited he went into the temple courtyard and leapt for joy. He could walk again. And there were people there who remembered him lame. A crowd quickly gathered in Solomon’s porch - a place where Jesus used to preach only a few months before Peter, (John 10:23).

3:11-26 Peter’s next sermon.
Peter never seemed to have time to prepare his sermons. But his heart and mind was so full of the Gospel that he was always prepared. He was also filled with the Holy Spirit and so spoke with power.

First he give glory to the Lord Jesus Christ. Miracles are in His Name. Servants of God never claim supernatural power for themselves. Peter began by making that plain.

Then because a crowd had gathered and were willing to listen he took the opportunity of telling them that Jesus died and rose and is the Saviour who can blot out sins and change lives. Let these truths fill our thoughts so much that whenever people are willing to listen, we can take the opportunity to tell them what Peter told his hearers.

Peter finished with the statement that through the risen Christ, God can “bless you by turning you from your sins.” To be turned away from our sins is always a blessing - even it it does not feel like one. It is a blessing God is ready and willing to give - but only through Jesus.

CHAPTER FOUR
4:1-4 The first arrest.
The Sadducees were the ruling party and did not believe in any resurrection; so they did not like people to preach that Jesus had risen. They sent the Temple Guards to arrest Peter and John. But the people had already heard Peter’s message and many more were added to the church.

4:5-12 On trial
Next day they summoned the two apostles before the High Priest. (Both Annas and Caiaphas were sometimes referred to as the High Priest. Annas had retired and Caiaphas, his son-in-law was appointed by the Romans. It was Caiaphas who had persuaded Pilate to crucify Jesus - but they worked together).

Peter once again speaks boldly, being filled with the Holy Spirit and also having his mind full of the Gospel message. Even when under arrest and on trial he cannot stop proclaiming Jesus Christ, crucified, risen and only Saviour.

4:13 The Priests recognised them as Jesus’ followers. They also called them “Ignorant and unlearned” - an arrogant term. Peter and John did not have a college education but they were well learned in the scriptures as well as being professionally qualified and highly skilled seamen and businessmen. They had also had three years of teaching by Jesus.

4:15-22 The man known to be lame was standing there, living evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the name of Jesus. The Priests has no answer, but they commanded Peter and John to stop preaching in Jesus name.

Peter made it clear he would obey God, not men. When men give a command which is directly opposed to what God says, we may take this stand - provided we are prepared to suffer for it. Normally however, we should obey rulers (see Matthew 23:1-3) even if they are bad rulers.

4:23-31 Back to their friends.
Peter and John had both triumphed and suffered - now they went back to their fellow Christians to share their experience and pray together. It is always good to do this with either success or failure - we need each other’s prayers and fellowship.

4:32-35 The finances.
The new church had a problem. Many were staying in Jerusalem to receive the teaching they needed before they went back to their home countries. But that meant they were not earning. It was only possible because the Christians shared their goods.

The sharing and giving went further. The church led the way in giving to the poor and those in need for any reason.

Barnabas is an important character in Acts. This is the first mention of him. He sold his land and gave the money to the apostles - and twenty years later Paul said of him that he still needed to work to earn his living and pay the expenses of his mission, (1 Corinthians 9:6). Giving can be costly in time and effort as well as money.

CHAPTER FIVE
5:1-11 Spiritual pride.
Ananias and Sapphira wanted people to think they were extra holy, super spiritual, above average Christians. So they made a gift and pretended it was all they had.

There was nothing wrong in giving half the price of the land they sold - provided they were honest about it. But they lied publicly, saying “We have given everything.”

Their sin was not greed (they need not have given any thing), it was spiritual pride. Remember that Jesus said a little child is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. There can be no great and dignified personalities in the Kingdom of Lowliness. Peter was leading the church but he never hid the fact that he had failed and denied the Lord.

One thing God can not tolerate in His servants is a false claim to spiritual superiority. Real worthiness is something He rewards in His own way - but not with public acclaim. It is God we are here to please, and He knows our hearts.

5:12-16 Great power and great fear.
Jesus had promised the apostles that they would do the same works that He did - and greater works. For a while there was great power in the church, miracles of healing and of conversion. There was fear as well as joy and love and power. The fear kept away false followers. Only the genuine were added to their number - yet the church kept growing.

5:17-42 The persecution began. Peter and John were imprisoned and beaten - but rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s Name.

CHAPTER SIX
6:1-7 Problems and delegation.
A church is a group of people with ordinary human faults and failings. That applied even to this first church, led by the apostles and experiencing the powerful presence of The Holy Spirit. The first five chapters of Acts make it sound perfect, but now we begin to find normal problems.

There were two language groups in the church, Greek and Aramaic. The apostles spoke some Greek but were all from the Aramaic group. And the Greeks began to complain. “Our poor and needy widows,” they said “are not receiving as much help as the Aramaic ones.” Maybe it was true.

The apostles had the sense to act at once. They also had the sense not to try to do all the work themselves. They gave instructions to appoint seven Greek-speaking assistants (often called the seven Deacons from the Greek word Deacon meaning servant).

The Deacons, they said, must be BOTH filled with the Spirit AND full of wisdom. The fullness of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life does not make ordinary wisdom, sense and skill unnecessary. (The first person ever to be filled with the Spirit was Bezaleel, a highly skilled craftsman who was chosen to make Moses’ Tabernacle in the wilderness. The Holy Spirit used his skill.)

So the church found seven men who were competent and reliable, administrators who could handle practical tasks and also bring together the two communities. These the apostles appointed.

The apostles continued to give first priority to prayer and teaching.

6:8-15 Stephen.
Stephen was chosen to lead the team of administrators and to prevent disunity between the two language groups. He was also a preacher. In Jerusalem there were Greek-speaking synagogues including two from Africa and two from Asia minor.

These included one from Cilicia which included Tarsus - maybe Saul of Tarsus was in it. The African ones included one from Cyrene - maybe Simon of Cyrene was in it, or other Cyreneans of whom we shall hear more later (Chapter 11:19-26).

Stephen spoke to them in Greek; so when some of them turned against the Gospel it was Stephen they attacked. They falsely accused him and he was arrested and brought before the Chief Priests.

CHAPTER SEVEN.
7:1-53 Stephen’s defence - and first mention of Saul.
This is a very long speech - even though it was never finished. On trial, Stephen (speaking now in Aramaic) began to go through the history of his people, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David - he knew the Old Testament scriptures very well.

Young Saul of Tarsus also knew the Old Testament scriptures very well, but he hated the Christians. He must, however, have been impressed by Stephen. A few years later he reported the speech to his friend Luke. Luke wrote the Acts; so that is how we know what Stephen said.

7:54-60 The speech was never finished. What had begun as a trial ended as a mob. They rushed at Stephen, dragged him outside the city and stoned him to death.

The serious persecution of the church had begun.


PART TWO - THE CHURCH BEGINS TO SPREAD.
(Approximately 14 years from AD 33 to AD 47).

CHAPTER EIGHT.
8:1-3 Persecution scatters the church.
Saul of Tarsus led the first great wave of persecution after the stoning of Stephen. He searched houses and dragged out both men and women to prison.

The result was that many left Jerusalem. The church was scattered through Judea and Samaria. Jesus had said, “You shall be witnesses beginning at Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria” He had also said the uttermost parts of the earth but that was still to come.

8:4-8 The Gospel moves on.
Those scattered, carried the Good News with them.

Philip then went to Samaria, apparently alone although a few of the scattered believers may also have been there to support him. He preached, healed, and many came to Christ. Another city saw the beginning of another church as at Jerusalem.

8:9-13 A magician converted.
When the Gospel is preached, all kinds of people respond. Many have past lives full of evil or falsehood and it can take some time for them to re-learn their attitude to life. One man converted in Samaria had been a magician, sorcerer or witch doctor. He had had power to astonish people who believed him to be great. Suddenly that was all gone. He was baptised and began to learn the new way of life.

8:14-17 Peter and John join Philip.
It is not good policy to leave one worker alone for too long. The apostles at Jerusalem heard of Philip’s successful mission; so wisely they sent him support. Actually Peter and John came themselves.

As they taught the new Christians they laid hands on them and prayed that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

8:18-25 What cannot b bought or sold.
Simon was used to being the “great man” and had begun to take a humbler place. Now however he longs for power again and offers the apostles money to give him power. Peter rebukes him sharply. The gift of God can never be bought with money.

There was an ancient tradition that Simon never became a true Christian but remained an enemy of the church for years afterwards. This, however, is not in the Bible. Peter’s rebuke was severe, but it urged him to repent and pray forgiveness. New Christians do sometimes take time to be rid of old attitudes and Simon’s sin may have been because he was untaught rather than deliberate. We do not know, but hope his repentance was genuine.

After leaving Samaria, Peter and John travelled through Samaritan villages preaching the Gospel as they went.

8:26-40 The Ethiopian Government Official.
Followers of the Jewish religion used to travel long distances to attend the feasts like Passover or Pentecost at Jerusalem. If they were rich they could buy copies of the Old Testament scriptures. These were not the Hebrew scrolls which were carefully copied, checked and stored in Synagogues for study. These were Greek editions, not quite so expensive.

This Ethiopian Government official had travelled a long way and a long time. No doubt he was seriously seeking the Truth. In Jerusalem he had bought the work of the prophet Isaiah, and was reading it as his servants drove him home in a chariot.

Philip had been involved in an important task in Samaria, but left it immediately when God, through an angel, told him to go down to the desert road near Gaza. Philip was in the habit of immediate obedience to God and this proved important because God had timed this encounter exactly.

Philip actually ran to meet the chariot - and so arrived at the exact moment when the official was reading Isaiah 53. This is one of the clearest prophecies in the Old Testament telling that the Messiah will suffer for our sins. Philip was able to point the man to Jesus. The official was baptised and continued on his way, carrying the Gospel to his own country.


CHAPTER NINE.
9:1-9 The conversion of Saul (who later became Paul).
Damascus was one of the oldest cities in the world then, and is still there today, the capital of Syria. It still has the street called “Straight Street” where Saul stayed. A main trade road led from Egypt through Galilee to Damascus, and Saul was travelling on this road.

The Gospel had spread to Damascus and Saul was going there, carrying letters of authority from the High Priest to arrest Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem - both men and women.

He was near the end of his journey when a bright light shone from Heaven and he heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him. “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

Years later Paul (as he was called then) spoke of what Jesus had said. Jesus, speaking from Heaven, actually used a parable like those He had loved on earth. He told Saul he was like an ploughing ox, being goaded by the farmer and trying to fight back and kick. Jesus must have seen it happen and noticed that the farmer always won. Those who struggle against God always lose in the end and the best way to lose is to surrender - then defeat becomes victory.

Saul did surrender. In that moment he turned his life around and followed Jesus. Companions led him, sightless, into the city to his lodgings in Straight Street.

9:10-19 Ananias of Damascus.
New converts need loving care and gentle help. The man God chose to help Saul was a disciple living in Damascus named Ananias (not to be confused with the Ananias in chapter 5).

No one knows anything about him except from this one passage in Acts. At some time past he had followed Jesus and now he was entrusted with an amazing responsibility. For one act of obedience and faithfulness his name has gone down in history. God sent him to Saul to care for him as a new Christian. Read the whole account and see how God uses different people. One disciple, humble and unknown, is used by God to set a great apostle on his way.

9:20-25 Saul in Damascus.
Before long Saul was proclaiming Jesus to the Jewish community of Damascus, telling them that He is the Son of God. They were amazed at the change in him, but some had been expecting him to help them persecute the Christians. These now turned against him.

When his life was in danger, some of the Christians let him down over the wall lowering him in a basket. This was the first time he had needed to escape for his life and although it happened many more times, he remembered it and quotes it in 2 Corinthians 11:32-33 as if it were the crowning glory of his whole career.

9:26-31 To Jerusalem and then to Tarsus.
Saul hurried south to Jerusalem where he introduced himself to the church. But they remembered that last time he was there he had been persecuting them. They were afraid he was trying to trick them.

Barnabas, however, realised that his conversion was genuine and encouraged him. Soon he was once more proclaiming the name of Jesus. Once more he so antagonised some opponents that they wanted to kill him. This time the church advised him to go back to the town of Tarsus where he had been born and brought up.

Some things not mentioned in Acts.
Luke was only writing a brief summary of all that had happened. He tells us nothing of Saul’s childhood. All we know is that he came from Tarsus and although he was Jewish he was also born with Roman citizenship. This was to prove useful later when he was travelling to different lands with the Gospel. There are two other things we learn from Paul’s letter to the Galatians about his early Christian life.

One was that at some time he went away into the desert for a time of quiet study and seeking God. The other is that he spent fifteen days with Peter (Paul likes to call him Cephas, the name Jesus gave him. Peter means “stone” in Greek. Cephas means “stone” in Aramaic).

Some people have imagined that the two great apostles, Peter and Paul were widely different in their teaching. Actually Paul had spent this time with Peter at the beginning of his ministry. They went to different people and used different methods. They had different personalities, but not different Gospels.

9:32-43 Peter Begins his Travels.
For a while now Luke leaves the story of Paul and goes back to that of Peter. Jesus had told the Apostles to move on and Peter now begins to do so. This first journey was a short one; a few days on foot, to visit towns near the sea. He set out on the road towards the seaport Joppa and came to the village of Lydda. Here the road he was on crossed the main north-south highway from Egypt to Syria. He found some Christians already there and a man called Aeneus who had been paralysed for eight years. Peter healed him in the name of Jesus Christ, and many of the villagers turned to the Lord.

Eleven miles further on he came to the seaport of Joppa where he raised to life a woman named Dorcas or Tabitha. He stayed for a while in the seaside home of a man named Simon whose work was tanning leather.

CHAPTER TEN.
10:1-9 Cornelius.
Farther north along the coast was the major town of Caesarea. Here lived a Roman centurion (army officer) named Cornelius. He had given up worshipping the many meaningless gods of Rome and turned to the one true God whom the Jewish people worshipped. He was a good man who prayed and cared for people in need. But God knew he needed Jesus.

While he was praying, an angel came to him and told him to send to Joppa for Peter who would tell him the good news. So he sent servants to find Peter.

10:9-23 Jews and Gentiles.
We must understand that the Romans had conquered the land and the Jewish people hated them as foreign oppressors. Jews were not allowed to go into Gentile houses. Up to this time, therefore , the Gospel had only been told to Jews and some Samaritans but never Romans. People living in Africa may think of Jews, Samaritans and Romans as different tribes, not actually at war but very suspicious of each other.

Yet Jesus had plainly commanded the apostles to go to every tribe and nation, telling the good news to every creature.

Read how God prepared Peter for what he had to do, just before the messengers arrived to invite him to visit Cornelius.

10:24-43 The first Gentile Christians
Peter had first preached to Jews on the day of Pentecost. Now he was also first to preach to Romans. It was made easier for him because this was not one of the many godless, cruel and idolatrous Romans. This was a man who, as Peter put it, “feared God and worked righteousness.” Even so it was a great clash of cultures.

If Peter had to learn that God loved and accepted people from all nations, Cornelius also had something to learn - that his good works and even prayers left him unsatisfied. He needed Jesus Christ.

Verses 39 to 43 are a clear summary of the Gospel message. It would be good to learn them and prepare to use them to explain the Gospel to others.

10:44-48 Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes people receive The Holy Spirit when another Christian lays hands on them and prays for them. That had happened in Samaria. But God works in different ways with different people. This time The Holy Spirit came to Cornelius and his guests while they were hearing Peter preach about Jesus. He had not even mentioned The Holy Spirit.

When Peter and his Jewish colleagues saw that God had given to Gentiles the same gift as to Jews, they agreed to baptise them straight away.

Peter then stayed several days with the new Christians. It is always good to spend time with new Christians, teaching them the main truths of the Gospel and making sure they understand fully.

CHAPTER ELEVEN.
11:1-18 Criticism Answered
Christian workers who serve God faithfully must expect to be criticised. And Jesus taught us not to retaliate. In this passage Peter is criticised by his fellow Christians and he sets an example by giving a reasoned explanation, and giving it gently with good manners. By doing so he won over his opponents and at the end they are praising God with him for what had happened.

The criticism was that he had gone into the house of a gentile - a Roman. Not only gone in to speak to them but actually accepted their hospitality and eaten a meal with them.

So Peter told his story carefully. He did not bluster. He did not say, “I am the leader of this Church,” nor did he just say “God told me to do it.” He explained how God had told him to do it, starting with the vision which had overcome his own prejudice.

He went on to tell of The Holy Spirit descending on Gentiles. Eventually the Jerusalem church accepted that the Gospel was for all people, Gentiles as well as Jews. This was what Jesus had said at the beginning, but they had been slow to receive it. (How often are we slow to receive what God tells us?)

11:19-21 The Mixed Cyrenean and Cypriot Team.
(See Grow and Go booklet, “Simon of Cyrene and the International Church.”)

We now come to the most important crisis in Acts, the turning point for the whole of the early Church.

Peter had been first to preach to Gentiles. But that was just one incident and he had spoken to just one household. Now at last a team begins to evangelise a mixed-race city and plants a mixed-race church.

The scattered Christians were proclaiming the Gospel wherever they went, but only to their own Jewish people. It is always easier to communicate with people of our own culture, our own tribe, our own way of life. But Jesus had said “All Nations”

There was, however, one group of Greek speaking Jews from Cyrene (black Africans) and another from Cyprus (white Europeans) and the two groups joined together to form a mixed team. It probably took them some time to understand each other’s culture, but they stayed together.

In their travels they came to the city of Antioch in Syria, a long way from Cyrene or from Cyprus or from Jerusalem.

It was this mixed team which began to evangelise Gentiles - actually Jews and Gentiles together - in a city of mixed race and culture. They planted the church of Antioch. As we shall see, this church, not Jerusalem, was the launching pad for the spread of Gospel.

11:22-26 Barnabas and Saul go to Antioch.
Barnabas is a lovely character, (his actual name was Joseph and the apostles called him “Barnabas” meaning “Encourager” because he was so cheerful and encouraging to all.) Barnabas had first encouraged Saul when he came to Jerusalem.

News of what was happening in Antioch reached the apostles in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to encourage them. He was thrilled with what he saw and decided he wanted to bring Saul into it. Saul had gone to Tarsus; so Barnabas went and fetched him. They became two of the leading teachers in that church. And whenever we teach we also learn; so this was part of God’s preparation of those two apostles who were to be sent to the Gentiles.

The Antioch church flourished, it was here that the name “Christians” was first used and when Jerusalem suffered famine, the Antioch church collected relief funds to send to the church there. The donation was carried to Jerusalem by Paul and Barnabas.

CHAPTER TWELVE.
12:1-5 Herod’s Persecution
From this point on it seems that Luke obtained all his information from Paul. The story follows his travels. Events in Jerusalem are only recorded if they happened while Paul was there. If Luke was writing while Paul was under house-arrest in Rome, there was plenty of opportunity for them to meet and talk about the events they remembered.

12:6-19 Herod now attacked the church and had James executed - the first of the twelve apostles to die a martyr’s death. (Do not confuse him with James the brother of Jesus who had became a leader in the Jerusalem church about this time - see verse 17.)

Herod’s next attack was on Peter himself. The Christians were praying earnestly for Peter’s release, but were astonished when their prayer was answered.

The house they prayed in was the one Peter naturally went to after his release. It belonged to the sister of Barnabas, apparently a widow, whose son was John Mark, (see Colossians 4:10).

12:20-23 Death of Herod.
This was not Herod Antipas, the Herod of the Gospels, but Agrippa 1st. He succeeded Philip to the northern area in AD 37. When the Emperor banished Antipas in AD 39 Agrippa took over Galilee as well. He had been a friend of Emperor Caligua but survived his death and was confirmed in office by Emperor Claudius.

After his persecution of the church he began to extend his rule by a treaty with Tyre and Sidon, allowing the people to proclaim him as a god. All his triumphs were short lived. At the age of only 34 he died a painful death, leaving the kingdom to his young son Agrippa 2nd, (the Agrippa of Acts 25).

12:25 John Mark.
Paul and Barnabas now returned to Antioch taking young John Mark with them. We shall hear more of him, and we still have his Gospel today.

PART THREE - PAUL’S MISSIONS.
(Approximately 11 years from AD 47 to AD 57)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

13:1-3 Paul and Barnabas are Commissioned.
God had spent fourteen years preparing Saul of Tarsus - who in this chapter changes his name to Paul - for his missionary task. God had also prepared the church in Antioch to send him.

There were five leaders in that church. Paul and Barnabas were two of them. There was also Lucius of Cyrene - remember that this church had been planted by a mixed team of Cyreneans and Cypriots. Another was Simon “called Niger” - black Simon - probably also from Cyrene and there is some evidence, though not proof, that he was the same Simon of Cyrene who carried the cross. (See Grow & Go booklet “Simon of Cyrene and the International Church.”)

The third was Manaen, a former servant of Herod. These three heard God’s instruction to send Paul and Barnabas on their mission. They prayed and fasted, laid hands on them and sent them on their first missionary journey.

Six commissioning hands were laid on these apostles - and four of them were black!

13:4-12 Mission to Cyprus.
The church at Antioch had been planted by Cypriots as well as Cyreneans and Barnabas himself had come from Cyprus. But these church-planters had been converted and discipled in Jerusalem and travelled directly to Antioch. Cyprus itself still needed the Gospel.

Barnabas was leader for this first mission journey and he took with him his nephew John Mark. The three of them took the road to Seleucia, a sea port, and then travelled by sea the the island of Cyprus (over a hundred miles in a sailing ship). They landed on the east coast and worked their way right through the island, telling people about Christ, until they reached the western end of the island, a sea port named Paphos.

Jesus too had been thorough - working His way through all the villages of Galilee. Now his servants followed His example.

When at last they reached Paphos the Roman Governor there heard of them and wanted to hear their message. Here, however, was a magician, sorcerer or witch doctor named Elymas who opposed them and tried to persuade the Roman Governor not to receive the Gospel.

To deliberately try to turn another person away from God is one of the greatest sins. God very rarely uses direct judgments on earth and His servants should not take this incident as normal. It was not normal but very exceptional. And God’s judgment on Elymas was temporary - he was struck blind but only for a short time. This judgment might even have brought him to repent, we hope it did. It certainly helped to bring the Roman Governor to salvation.

(A few years later any Roman Governor who followed Christ would have been beheaded, but this was still early days and the worst persecution had not yet begun.)

13:13-14 Journey by sea and on land.
They moved on from Cyprus, first taking another sea voyage of about a hundred miles from Paphos to the mainland port of Perga. From here they headed north. First, however, John Mark left them and returned to his home in Jerusalem. (More of him later.)

The route from Perga to their next destination was a hundred miles over rough and lonely mountainous terrain where there were bandits. It was a journey of difficulty, danger and hardship. Followers of Christ face these things but God also loves to give His servants unexpected joys on the way - the mountains they crossed were, are, breathtakingly beautiful.

At last they reached Pisidian-Antioch (not to be confused with Antioch in Syria where they had come from).

13:15-42 The Synagogue at Pisidian-Antioch.
Being Jewish, Paul and Barnabas were welcomed at the synagogue - there was a Jewish community in many Gentile towns. Paul declared the Gospel to the whole congregation who at first received their message gladly and invited them to speak again a week later.

13:43-52 The first riot.
We are not told what happened during that week. Probably the apostles talked with many people, Gentiles as well as Jews. So when the time came there was a crowd of Gentiles wanting to hear the Gospel. Paul and Barnabas knew they were sent to all communities, but by going to the Gentiles, they antagonised some of the Jewish community (probably only a small minority, but a powerful one). The result of it all was that they preached to Gentiles but there was a riot and they were driven out of the town.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.
14:1-7 Iconium - The second riot.
Another journey of several days walking brought them to Iconium where it all happened over again - preaching - a good reception at first - then trouble and another riot. This time they fled to Lystra.

14:8-20 Lystra - The third riot.
At Lystra the people tried to worship the apostles after they healed a lame man. But idolatrous worship can turn quickly to hatred. This time Paul was attacked with stones and left unconscious.

We are not told how long they had been in Lystra but it seems to have been long enough to make some disciples. After the crowd had left, there were disciples to gather round Paul and care for him. One of them may have been a young man named Timothy who came from Lystra and was later to join the apostles.

14:21-23 Derbe and the return journey.
Derbe was unusual, there was no riot there. They preached the Gospel, made many disciples, left behind them a new church and then decided to go back to the places where they had been driven out.

They went back quietly, not preaching publicly this time but strengthening the churches they had planted - Lystra - Iconium - Pisidian-Antioch - these places all had churches now, groups of Christians who met together to pray and learn of Christ and proclaim Him to others. Paul and Barnabas appointed leaders, taught them all they could in the short time available, and left them to evangelise their own communities.

14:24-28 Back to Antioch in Syria.
Once again they walked across the dangerous but beautiful mountains, and arrived at Perga, preached there, then down to the coast and onto a ship. They returned directly to Syria and the Antioch church which had sent them out. Here they reported all that has happened.

This was the end of what is often called Paul’s first missionary journey - although Barnabas had been the leader. In each community they had preached, taught, made disciples, gathered them together to form a church, appointed leaders and moved on.

The teaching must have been very intensive, but brief. In most places, hostility had driven the apostles away earlier than they wanted. Yet the churches survived, the new Christians matured and the Gospel went on spreading.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
15:1-5 The disagreement.
How easy it is to want to make other people become like ourselves; adopt our lifestyle, our culture, our style of worship. New Christians do need to change their lifestyle - to become like Jesus - but not to adopt the way of life of other nationalities or tribes. The Great Commission is to make disciples in all nations and tribes and languages - so that people of all communities will turn to Christ and bring Him into their communities.

In Jerusalem there were some who taught that when Gentiles became Christians they had to become Jews as well. This would have involved both the ceremony of circumcision and also much time learning to keep the law of Moses in detail.

Some of these teachers had come from Jerusalem to Antioch and were threatening the unity of the multi-race multi-culture church. So Paul and Barnabas led a delegation to Jerusalem.

In Galatians 2:3 we read that they took with them a Gentile Christian named Titus - one who would later become an important colleague. He was a living demonstration that it was possible to be a truly Christlike and Spirit-filled Christian while remaining a Gentile.

15:6-21 The Council at Jerusalem.
The delegation from Antioch now met with the leaders of the first church to be planted. Peter was there, and James the Lord’s brother who now led that church. Both sides of the argument were heard and we can read how the discussion went.

At last it was agreed that Gentiles could become Christians without becoming Jews. The modern application of this is that missionaries should not expect new Christians to change their culture - except on points where that culture is clearly wrong. New Christians need, for example, to give up idolatry and immorality and bribery, but not change their eating habits, their clothing, their general lifestyle.

15:22-29 The Letter.
Paul and Barnabas were given a letter to take back to Antioch, so that it would be seen that their teaching had the full backing of the original apostles and first church.

The letter did not deal with every subject which the Gentile Christians needed to be taught. It picked out four items where there had been misunderstanding and disagreement; points on which they really did need to change their culture.

Idolatry and immorality were very much part of the Gentile way of life in those days. So the need to change from them had to be re-emphasised.

The other two items referred to food - and here we may have a problem because Jesus had plainly said that all foods are clean, (Mark 7:14-23 especially verse 19).

There are no food regulations in Christianity, (although for good health the rules Moses gave are still wise). There are, however, rules of good manners. If Gentile Christians were to eat with their Jewish fellow-Christians, they had to understand that some Gentile foods would make Jews feel sick.

As Christians we are free from many rules and regulations which govern the lives of others - but we are not free to act offensively. So on two of the main Jewish rules, the apostles told the Gentile Christians to put kindness and courtesy before freedom. Submit to the Jewish rules on these points and so keep good relations with Jewish friends.

15:30-35 The Delegation Returns
The party that went back to Antioch had two new members, Silas and Jude. We hear much more about Silas later (he is also called Silvanus). This is his first appearance, highly recommended by the leaders of the Jerusalem church, chosen as one who would help reconcile differences in the church.

15:36-41 Paul and Barnabas separate.
After another stay at Antioch, Paul wanted to set out on his second great missionary journey which was to include visits to the churches they had planted last time. It is good practice to revisit new churches.

But now there was a disagreement. Barnabas wanted to take his nephew Mark again. Paul said, “No.” Mark had left them during the first journey. Paul felt he was “a quitter” - one who may not persist to the end. He wanted a more reliable companion - Silas.

This was a disagreement in which both were right. Paul was right to want to choose the best possible colleague for a difficult and dangerous task. Barnabas was right not to give up on a worker because of just one failure. So Barnabas sailed with Mark to Cyprus while Paul and Silas set out on foot to visit the young mainland churches.

In time Paul would be glad he had Silas with him. Great courage and endurance were needed and Silas proved himself worthy.

In time Mark also had a very important role. He wrote the Gospel which we still use today. Probably his uncle Barnabas encouraged him. He went back to Peter and travelled with him acting as interpreter. His Greek was good, Peter knew trade Greek but needed Mark’s help to put the story of Jesus into writing.

The Journey of Paul and Silas.
From Antioch to Troas by the route they trekked is over 800 miles. Some of it is bandit-infested mountainous country - beautiful but dangerous.

On the way they visited the churches they had planted, but going this time east to west they visited them in the reverse order - Derbe first, then Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian-Antioch. Once more they went in quietly, not wanting riots. Their purpose on this visit was not public evangelism but to strengthen the churches.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
16:1-5 Timothy.
Timothy was a young man whose father was Greek but his Jewish mother and grandmother had brought him up to know the scriptures and live a godly life in that pagan community, (see Paul’s second letter to Timothy 1:5).

Timothy had heard the Gospel and responded the first time Paul and Barnabas came to Lystra. He was probably among the new disciples who helped Paul when he was left injured by the roadside.

The new churches at Lystra and neighbouring Iconium spoke highly of him and Paul and Silas were glad to recruit him into their team as a companion and trainee.

16:6-8 The Journey to Troas.
Paul, Silas and Timothy set off intending to go north to Bithynia, but on the way they heard the quiet inner voice of The Holy Spirit telling them to travel on east to the seaport of Troas.

Notice that guidance like this is normally given to people who are active and on the move. It was not while they were planning their journey that The Holy Spirit told them where they must go. It was while they were actually travelling. Often this kind of guidance is given after we have begun some task or project rather than before we start.

Notice too that most of the time, Paul and his colleagues took their decisions, thinking them through, praying no doubt but not expecting spiritual guidance when practical sense could give them the answer. On this occasion, The Holy Spirit changed their original plan - that can happen and we must be alert to hear His voice - but normally we go on with our plans as started.

16:9-11 The call to Macedonia - and Luke.
At Troas Paul had a vision of a man saying “Come to Macedonia and help us.” Macedonia was across the sea and was the first part of mainland Europe to hear the Gospel.

So Paul and Silas and Timothy went down to the harbour and negotiated the fare to be taken on board one of the many small coastal cargo boats that used to travel from port to part.

And at this point, for the first time, the narrative changes from what “they” did to what “we” did. Luke who wrote the Acts, had joined them somewhere at or near Troas.

16:12-40 Philippi - the first church in mainland Europe.
Philippi was a great city with a large population. It was a Roman “colony” - a city highly honoured by the Roman empire. It was very proud of being Roman in all its customs and way of life, even though its language was Greek.

The story you can read here is an exciting one. First the conversion of Lydia and her friends, then the healing of a demonised woman fortune-teller. Then once again trouble.

It seems that Paul hardly ever planted a church in a new place without having to face a riot or persecution at some time. This time Paul and Silas were dragged before magistrates who ordered that they be whipped and put in prison. They had not committed any offence or been properly tried. The magistrates merely wanted to please their accusers.

In Prison
When with their backs bleeding from the whipping and their feet fastened in a wooden frame (called the “stocks”) they sang God’s praises together, Paul must have been very thankful he had chosen Silas as companion. Silas had the courage to endure.

At midnight there was an earthquake which broke the stocks and also the doors. The jailer thought some prisoner must have escaped and went to kill himself - Roman injustice was cruel and unfair. A jailer who lost a prisoner was executed even if the reason was a earthquake. But Paul called to him that they were still there.

The jailer and his family were among the first converts and along with Lydia and her friends formed the church at Philippi. All through Acts this church is one of the most faithful and generous.

Next Day.
Next morning the magistrates sent word to release the prisoners. And now Paul and Silas faced the problem of protecting the newly converted jailer who had befriended them. If the Magistrates heard how he had bathed their wounds and taken them to his house and accepted Christ as Saviour, he might have been in serious trouble.

But Paul and Silas, although Jews, had Roman citizenship (it was not restricted to those born in Rome, maybe their families had been honoured for some service to the empire). Now they sent a message to the Magistrates, “You beat us and imprisoned us without a trial - and we are Romans.”

This frightened the Magistrates. Now it was them, not the jailer, in danger. So they came quickly, apologised and set Paul and Silas free, politely requesting them to leave the city.

They could do so now, knowing that they left behind a vibrant and faithful church. (They may have left Luke behind for a while to help teach the new Christians.)

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
17:1-9 More travels, more churches, more riots - Thessalonica.
Once again a long trek and Paul, Silas and Timothy arrived at Thessalonica. Once again they proclaimed the Gospel, people received it and a church was formed. Once again opposition grew and there was a riot, this time directed mainly against the new Christians, especially one called Jason who had give them hospitality.

Here the apostles were called “Men who have turned the world upside down,” - may God make us worthy of the same title.

17:10-15 - and Berea.
This time Paul and Silas had to escape by night. It appears from verse 10 that Timothy stayed a little longer. Perhaps the young trainee apostle had not been noticed or aroused the same hostility and could give a little more attention to the new church. If so, he soon followed the others and came to Berea.

The reception at Berea was better, but trouble makers actually followed them from Thessalonica and stirred up another riot.

This time only Paul needed to escape. He went on to Athens, leaving his two companions to give the new church its early teaching. But he told them to follow him as soon as they could.

17:16-34 Paul at Athens.
Athens was a very important Greek pagan city. Here Paul found no small group of people praying and seeking God - neither Jews nor Gentiles. He found well educated and intellectual men (not women, the Greeks did not educate women as the Jews did). He also found altars to many gods - and one to “The Unknown God.” This gave him his chance. He told them “What you worship as unknown, I proclaim to you.”

It was a very good speech and the hearers were interested. But only a very few believed. Some mocked. Some said they would hear him again (but never did).

Paul never planted a church in Athens. In that sense this visit might be called a failure, but evangelism is never a failure if even one person receives the Gospel. Dionysius and Damaris and a few others came to Christ. Probably they eventually grew into a small church in that great city.

Jesus had warned his disciples not to expect success everywhere. Church planting missionaries have to move on, seeking to leave behind groups of Christians in each place, sometimes large, sometimes small, but always well taught.

Timothy’s return visit to Thessalonica.
Acts does not mention this, but in 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2 we find that Paul had sent Timothy back to Thessalonica from Athens. So obviously Timothy had arrived in Athens, briefly, after Paul. As Paul went on to Corinth alone it seems probably that Silas was sent on a similar mission to Berea.

Paul still followed the principle of making return visits to teach and strengthen new churches. If he could not go himself, he sent a colleague.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.
18:1-5 Corinth - tentmaking.
Paul arrived alone at this great ancient Greek city.

Shortly before this time, the Emperor Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome and a Jewish tentmaker named Aquila went with his wife Priscilla to Corinth.

Paul too was a tentmaker - a skilled worker in leather or other thick strong material. Skilled crafts were respected by the Jewish community and however well educated one might be there was no excuse not to learn a practical skill. Jesus was a carpenter. Peter was a boatman and fisherman. Paul was a tentmaker. In later years God still uses skilled craftsmen, John Bunyan was a whitesmith (metal worker). William Cary the father of modern mission, was a shoe repairer. God puts special value on handicrafts and manual skills.

Paul met Aquila, stayed in his house and worked in his business, earning his living by cutting and stitching strong cloth.

Not surprisingly he taught them the Gospel and they became Christians. He also taught in the Synagogue and “tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.”

18:6-11 Silas and Timothy arrive.
Paul is generally regarded as the greatest of the apostles to Gentiles - but without his team he could not achieve what he did. On his own in Athens he had had limited success. On his own in Corinth he did his best, but it was not until Silas and Timothy rejoined him that the real church planting work went forward. We all need teams.

The Gospel divided the Jewish community, some followed Christ, including Crispus the Synagogue leader. Other rejected Christ and opposed Paul, but he was used to facing opposition by now. He simply went on telling the Gospel to others and had soon founded the church of Corinth.

God appeared to him in a vision, encouraging him - perhaps he needed it after all the discouragement he had suffered.

18:12-17 Paul stayed a year and six months, then some of his opponents complained to the governor Gallio.

For many years in recent times, scholars objected to Luke’s report of Gallio, saying there was no record that any such person was ever a governor in Corinth. Then they found an ancient record about him and Luke’s history was confirmed.

Gallio refused to get involved or hear the case, saying disputes about religion were none of his business. He even refused to intervene when Sosthenes, another Synagogue leader who had come to Christ, was publicly beaten.

18:18-22 Back to Antioch, via Ephesus.
Some time later Paul set sail for Syria, calling at Ephesus on the way. It seems that Silas and Timothy stayed on in Corinth. Priscilla and Aquila accompanied Paul as far as Ephesus and stayed there. Paul moved on, promising to return if possible.

And so, once again, Paul came back to the church at Antioch in Syria, the church with had first sent him out. This is generally called the end of Paul’s second missionary journey, although his stay in Antioch was short. By now Paul was so used to travelling that his third missionary journey followed naturally. He just went on travelling.

18:24-28 Introducing Apollos.
The Gospel had also reached north Africa and Apollos was converted in Alexandria, Egypt. He was Jewish and learned in all the Old Testament scriptures. He was also an eloquent public speaker. But he had only heard part of the Gospel.

Apollos arrived in the great and busy city of Ephesus (we do not know why he travelled there) and there he met Priscilla and Aquila who taught him more of the truth. Notice that Priscilla was involved in his mentoring along with her husband. By the time Paul returned to Ephesus, Apollos was there, preaching and teaching. Paul was glad to have him as a companion and there was never any conflict or rivalry between them. Unfortunately, however, there was some conflict later in Corinth between those who called themselves Paul’s followers and those who called themselves followers of Apollos (see 1 Corinthians chapters 1 - 3).

CHAPTER NINETEEN.
19:1-10 Paul in Ephesus.
Paul had promised to return and he kept his promise. Arriving at Ephesus he found disciples in need of teaching. They had turned around their lifestyle to follow the truth they had heard, but did not yet know of the power God could give them to live their new lives. First Paul explained about The Holy Spirit then laid hands on them and prayed for them to receive Him. This is the right order - understanding first, then power. It is by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit that Christ’s followers can live the new life they have chosen.

Paul stayed in Ephesus for two years - the longest period he was settled in one place since he began his missions. He taught in the Synagogue and then in a hired or borrowed building.

He was now preaching the Gospel and planting new churches by delegation. He stayed where he was and sent colleagues and trainees out into the surrounding countryside. After two years it could be said that the message had reached the whole region (verse 10).

19:11-20 The Occult and the Bonfire.
There were people there who claimed spiritual powers. Whether they called themselves magicians or exorcists they were clearly not God’s servants. Those who use Christ’s power must be acting under His orders. Their attempt to use the name of Jesus “whom Paul preaches” was a failure. The authority of the Name of Jesus may only be used by those who submit to it.

Soon after this the worlds most expensive bonfire took place. Those who had practised magic arts burned their occult books. They could have sold them for fifty thousand pieces of silver!

Only about twenty years earlier Jesus had been betrayed for thirty pieces of silver. Now these His new followers valued Him at more than fifty thousand. Books in those days were valuable and precious. Rich people had special built-in cupboards where books could be stored safely. These books could have brought their owners much profit.

But their owners knew them, knew that they were evil and could only lead people astray. That is why they did not even sell them. They burned them. By doing so they declared to the world that Jesus had the answers these books did not have; that He was more valuable to them than money or power. They were His followers now.

19:21-41 The Riot
It seemed that everywhere Paul went there were riots. Because Ephesus was a large city its population had been slower to react, but now the opposition came. Silversmiths had found that the sales of silver idols had dropped. People were turning to Christ and so not using idols or charms.

Eventually the city officials restored order and it is interesting that the official who was speaking to the crowd could say, “These men are not blasphemers of our goddess.” Preaching the Gospel does not involve speaking against other religious practices - but Christ will supplant them all. The Good News requires good manners in those who proclaim it. We do not need to condemn. We offer Christ and He is better than anything anyone else can find.

CHAPTER TWENTY.
20:1-6 Travelling again.
It seems from passages in the epistles that while Paul was in Ephesus his companions were busy and on the move. Silas probably stayed at Corinth (moving on to Rome some time later). Timothy visited the churches he had helped to plant, Apollos visited Corinth but returned to Ephesus for a time at least. Paul asked both Apollos and Timothy to try to sort out the troubles of the quarrelsome church at Corinth - but in the end it was Titus who succeeded.

After the riot in Ephesus Paul decided to move on - as he had frequently done before. He used to leave places where his presence stirred up trouble, but normally he went back later to encourage and build up the church.

He visited Macedonia and Greece and just for once, collected most of his travelling team together. It was like a conference at Troas, but did not last long. Paul was heading for Jerusalem. From this point onwards, Luke is with Paul and shared his travels (see the word “we” in verse 6 and frequently again until the end of Acts.)

20:7-12 Eutichus raised.
Read the account of how Eutichus fell from the upper window, and was raised by Paul - but learn from it an important lesson about care for new churches and new Christians. Paul knew he was leaving and might not see these people again; so he took the opportunity to teach them as much as he could. He went on very late into the night - with results which could have been fatal.

One of the reasons for the rapid growth of the early church was the thoroughness of the teaching given by the apostles and their colleagues. Jesus Himself had set the example. New Christians and new churches need to have a long time spent passing on to them as much of Christ’s teaching as possible. Church planters today should take note and follow the example (though preferably not lull people to sleep in dangerous places!)

20:13-16 More travel by land and sea.
Paul had encountered many dangers from bandits on land and storms at sea. Yet he went on travelling by both methods as the needs of the task required. These last journeys were a hurried visit to as many churches as he could; to teach as much as he could in the short time available before he sailed to Jerusalem.

20:17-38 Last meeting with Ephesian leaders.
Paul had spent two years in Ephesus. Now he was passing by that city for the last time and rather than have the delay of going into it, he called the church leaders to come to him. Read the summary of his long address to them. Once again, as always, he was taking the opportunity to give them all the teaching he could, building them up for whatever they had to face in the future.

PART FOUR - PAUL UNDER ARREST.
(Approximately 4 years from AD 57 to AD 61).

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.
21:1-15 The Journey.
Paul very rarely had any plan go well. Constantly his plans were upset by opposition.

Before setting out on his journey to Jerusalem, Paul wrote the letter to the Romans. He had not yet visited Rome but told the church there, quite confidently, “I am going to Jerusalem now but after that I will come to you,” (Romans 15:22-29). He had no idea when he wrote this, how much trouble he was going to have. He did indeed come to Rome, but as a prisoner and only after riots, attempts on his life, false accusation, imprisonment and trial and on the journey, shipwreck.

In Acts 21 Luke describes the journey which he shared with Paul. Like all travel in those days it involved making arrangements with the captains of cargo ships and going from port to port. At each stop, Paul contacted the local Christians and took the opportunity to visit them. These visits were incidental to the journey - yet he used them to give as much teaching as he could to Christians wherever he went.

At several places, local Christians warned him not to go to Jerusalem. They had heard from God that danger and trouble awaited Paul there. Paul, however, had given his word that he would go and was determined.

Some Christians think Paul was wrong to ignore their advice, others that he merely showed great courage in doing so. Perhaps both were true. We are never told “what would have happened.” We know that God used him greatly in spite of his sufferings. God can use people when they are imprisoned or restricted.

Among those who gave hospitality to the group was Philip the evangelist whose four daughters served the church. God had given them the gift of “prophecy” which means speaking God’s message, whether to individuals or to groups, preaching or teaching or giving wise guidance. Prophecy is a ministry of service and in the early church both men and women were called to use it. This is in spite of the fact that non-Christian society in those days was normally male-dominated. The church led the way in valuing women equally with men.

21:17-26 Arrival in Jerusalem.
The church in Jerusalem was twenty four years old and had grown greatly in numbers. James the apostle had been killed but there was another James, the brother of Jesus, who led the church there and led it well. But it was all one culture - Jewish. There is nothing wrong with being Jewish or with belonging to any other culture - but when a church is not a mixture of cultures, there is a danger of stagnation. Antioch, not Jerusalem was the church from which missionaries went out to the world.

The Jerusalem church now accepted that Gentiles could become Christians without necessarily becoming Jews. It was happy to approve of Paul and his work among gentiles. But it wanted to show the city that he was also a good Jew; so at the church’s suggestion he took part in a Jewish ceremony.

21:27-40
It did not work. He was seen in the temple by people who had also seen him with Gentiles. Once again there was a riot.

The Romans who governed the country did not like riots; so the garrison commander sent soldiers to break it up. They arrested Paul, but also protected him. With the crowd shouting for his death they took him back to the barracks.

Here Paul surprised his captors by speaking to them in Greek. Then when given permission to speak to the crowd, he surprised them by speaking to them in Hebrew. They calmed and began to listen,

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO.
22:1-22
Paul introduced himself to the mob, explaining that he was genuinely Jewish himself, a citizen of the great city of Tarsus and educated by one of the most respected Jewish teachers, Gamaliel. He went on to tell how he had persecuted Christians until his vision on the Damascus road.

They listened. For a while he had them quiet and interested. His conversion they could accept, but not that God had sent him to the Gentiles.

It is a common human failing to want to keep God’s blessing to ourselves. People in all cultures do it. Jesus had been attacked by the people of his own home town, not for His claim to be Messiah, but because he told them God had blessings for all nations.

The Great Commission is to tell all nations and tribes and languages - but in every one there will be some who are willing, at first, to receive the Good News, but only if they can restrict it to their own people, or tribe or culture or language. God’s two great problems in the world are; first the people who refuse to receive His love for themselves; secondly those who having received it refuse to pass it on to others.

When Paul mentioned the Gentiles, he lost his hearers attention. The riot began again and the Roman soldiers took him back into the garrison.

22:23-29 A Roman Citizen.
It was a great privilege in those days to be a citizen of Rome. Citizenship was awarded to some for their service to the empire, others bought it, some had it from birth. We do not know how Paul’s family came to have the honour, but God must have planned it to enable Paul to fulfil His purposes.

On other occasions Paul had endured suffering rather than use his Roman citizenship to claim any privilege. He had needed to show his converts that he could share their sufferings. This time, however, no good would have been achieved by allowing them to beat him; so he announced that he was a Roman citizen.

The Commanding Officer questioned him and was afraid because he had bound a fellow Roman. From this point on he took great care of Paul.

22:30 Before the Chief Priests.
Roman citizens had many privileges but were not exempt from prosecution. The Chief Priests had a complaint against Paul which had to be heard, but the Roman commander would at least ensure a fair trial. He sent Paul with an escort to protect him. Paul now appeared on trial before the council.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE.
23:1-6 The High Priest.
Paul was human and had human failings. When the High Priest who was supposed to be judging him under the law, illegally ordered him to be struck, Paul was angry and responded angrily. He was in his rights, but that is not good enough for a servant of Christ. We are here to be better than merely “in the right.” As soon as Paul realised that it was actually the High Priest he was addressing he apologised for his outburst - not because he had been in the wrong but simply because “It is written, do not speak evil of a ruler.” Christians should respect all rulers - even bad ones.

23:6-10 Pharisees and Sadducees.
Both these groups had quarrelled with Jesus, but it was the Sadducees who had plotted His death. They had no belief in eternal life or angels or spirits. They cared more about their political power than religion or justice.

The Pharisees were fussy and petty-minded. They distorted God’s truth - yet they did believe in a future life and in angels. On these points Paul could say “I am a Pharisee.” By doing so he provoked a quarrel between the two factions.

The quarrel soon got out of hand and the Roman commander had to break it up and bring Paul back to the barracks.

23:11 Paul’s vision.
That night Paul must have been feeling discouraged. His long planned visit to Jerusalem had led to nothing but trouble. He had been warned that it would. He must have felt that he had not done well at the trial. Every other time he was given a chance to speak he had always taken it to proclaim Christ. This time he had not.

Yet it was at that moment, when he most needed encouragement and maybe felt he did not deserve it, that God gave him another vision. He also promised him safe arrival in Rome.

Two years of trouble, false charges, delayed justice and eventually a shipwreck lay between that promise and its fulfilment. It must have encouraged him throughout. In spite of all that had gone wrong, God promised Paul, “You will speak for me in Rome.”

23:12-24 Forty hungry men!
Now forty men took a vow not to eat until they had killed Paul. They plotted to ambush the party, even though it had Roman guards, when Paul was sent back for retrial. Paul, however, had a nephew, the son of his sister who apparently lived in or near Jerusalem - this is the only mention we have of any of Paul’s family.

The youngster found out about the plot and went to tell Paul. The boy must have been a child because it says the Roman commander “took him by the hand” (verse 19).

When the commander heard of the plot he changed his plans and sent Paul with a very large armed guard, not to Jerusalem but to the governor Felix at Caesarea.

As far as we know the forty assassins are still hungry.

23:25-35
The commander wrote a letter to Felix and the whole matter was now in the governor’s hands. The Chief Priests had to bring their complaint to him. Paul as a Roman citizen was kept in reasonable comfort and allowed visitors, but he was a prisoner and would be one for a long time to come, first in Caesarea, then in Rome.

The last phase of Paul’s life had begun.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.
24:1-21 Before Roman Governor Felix.
There was no longer any possibility of assassinating Paul; so the High Priest brought a lawyer named Tertullus to prosecute him. After the prosecution, Paul was allowed to speak in his own defence.

This time he took the opportunity to proclaim Christ, being more concerned for his hearers’ salvation than his own acquittal.

24:22-27 Justice delayed.
It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied. Felix had given both sides a fair hearing so far. He wanted a short delay so that he could hear the report of the officer Lysias who had sent Paul to him. That was reasonable. What was not reasonable was to keep Paul waiting, under arrest, for two years.

Felix had a Jewish wife. The Roman authorities had thought this would make him better qualified to govern a Jewish province. Unfortunately Felix himself was not a strong enough or honourable enough character.

Just as Herod had listened willingly to John the Baptist, but never repented; so now Felix listened willingly to the prisoner Paul. No one had a better chance of knowing the Gospel, but Felix let his golden opportunity go.

He realised that although Paul himself had no money, he did have some rich friends. Maybe one of them came to visit him. Felix hoped for a bribe and left Paul in prison.

Eventually Felix was replaced by another Governor, Porcius Festus.

Meanwhile what was Luke doing?
Luke had travelled with Paul to Jerusalem, expecting a short visit and further journey on to Rome. Now he was left in Judea with nothing to do but wait. He used the time well. This was almost certainly the time when he researched the life of Jesus so that he could write an account of it. People who remembered Jesus were there, available, and only just over twenty years had passed since the ascension. Luke questioned them and wrote it all down, eye-witness accounts which are just as vivid today - The Gospel of Luke.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE.
25:1-12 Paul Before Festus.
The new governor was left to deal with Paul and knew nothing about the case. He heard the accusations, had doubts about them and asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem for trial. Paul had already been tried by Felix with no decision made. He had been left in custody for two years. Not surprisingly he was tired of delay and uncertainty.

So he appealed to Caesar.

Caesar was emperor in Rome and trial before him involved another long journey and yet more delay. But there was no going back now, “To Caesar you have appealed,” said Festus, “To Caesar you shall go!”

25:13-27 Festus consults Agrippa.
In chapter 12 we read of the death of Herod Agrippa the first. His young son Agrippa the second took his place. Fourteen years had passed and Agrippa the second was now a young man. One of his sisters, Drusilla, had married Felix. The other, Bernice, now came with her brother to visit Festus.

Festus had agreed to send Paul to Rome. He now consulted Agrippa who agreed to hear the case, not to decide it but to help write the report for Caesar.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX.
26:1-32 Paul’s defence before Agrippa.
Luke must have come back to Paul and heard him make this speech. The chapter reads like an eyewitness account. This was Paul at his most eloquent, pleading, not for his own release but for his hearer’s salvation, telling vividly the story of his own conversion.

He tells of his past persecution of Christians, of his vision on the Damascus road, and of Christ’s own voice from Heaven speaking to him in the Hebrew language. Paul knew Greek and Latin equally well, but when God speaks direct to a person He uses the mother tongue – which is always the language of the heart.

“So King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the Heavenly vision.” That statement summed up Paul’s life.

Agrippa did not become a Christian, but he concluded that Paul had done no crime. “If he had not appealed to Caesar,” he said, “he might have been set free.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.
27:1-44 Journey and Shipwreck.
So Paul who might have been set free was still a prisoner, being taken to Rome, with a military escort under the command of Centurion Julius.

Two companions were allowed to accompany Paul, Luke and Aristarchus. Presumably they had to pay their own fare, unless Luke worked his passage as a ship’s doctor. Both had travelled to Jerusalem with Paul two years earlier.

(The purpose of that journey had been to carry collected funds for relief of need and it is thought that Aristarchus was a treasurer delegated by the Thessalonian church. With Paul in custody, he and Luke had decided to stay. Now they took the opportunity of returning.)

Julius quickly formed a rapport with Paul. They embarked at the port of Caesarea on a coastal trading vessel sailing north. Julius had to go through all the regular arrangements for shipping a party on a cargo ship. Then as now army officers had to be men of business as well as battle.

A Roman soldier who lost a prisoner forfeited his life although the danger was not as great as might appear because a prisoner who attempted to escape also forfeited his life. Normally prisoners did not try it. In Paul’s case Julius trusted him enough to allow him to stay with friends in Sidon.

At Myra on the south coast of Asia Minor (now Turkey) they disembarked to wait for the larger ship which they hoped would take them to Rome. Again there were practical arrangements to be made - secure accommodation for the prisoners - there were others beside Paul.

At last the ship was ready to take them; a much larger ship than the coaster which had brought them thus far. From the amount of authority Julius held on board it seems that she was contracted to the army, although carrying a commercial cargo as well, probably grain from Egypt to Italy. Crew, soldiers, prisoners and passengers totalled 276 people altogether. They climbed the gang plank and went to their berths.

While warships had galleys of oars, merchant ships relied mainly on sail with perhaps a few oars for emergencies. Such ships carried a central mast with a main sail and topsail, and there would be a small foresail which could be used alone as a storm jib to maintain control in high winds.

Progress was slow in a difficult wind but they made it to Cnidus at the south west corner of the mainland, then headed south west. The intention was to pass south of Crete which they did with difficulty as far as Fair Havens. But it was not a very fair haven, at any rate not for Roman soldiers faced now with the prospect of spending the whole winter there. It was October and soon there would be no more travel until next spring.

At this point Paul gave Julius his opinion about the weather.

Paul was not unqualified to give it. He had been brought up in a seaport and done a great deal of sailing in his time; even been shipwrecked before - probably in a coaster not too far from shore.

Paul lived tuned in to Heaven and heard the inner voice of The Holy Spirit which is the distinctive mark of those who know God. Such inner prompting directed him to the danger, which as an observer of weather he could see anyway. He drew his conclusion and gave his advice.

He told Julius that if they set sail the ship and their lives would be lost. As it turned out no lives were lost. The advice was right. The details were wrong. The inner voice is often imperfectly heard.

Julius liked and respected Paul, but when it came to matters of seamanship he preferred the advice of seamen. No doubt he was also influenced by the voices of his own soldiers who were hoping for the comfort of the next harbour, Phoenix, sheltered from both northwest and southwest and with the kind of facilities solders want during a dull winter with nothing to do.

It was Julius who took the final decision. They were to attempt the journey but keep close to the shore. There was a gentle south wind blowing; so they ought to manage this short trip. They weighed anchor, set the sails and moved off towing the dingy behind the ship.

The gale struck suddenly from the north east sweeping them out into the open sea. There was a small island called Cauda which gave some slight relief. They took the opportunity to haul the dingy on board. Then, following their learned storm drill the sailors ran ropes around the ship to hold it together. Mainsail lowered they concentrated on survival, jettisoned the cargo and later all furniture and equipment not absolutely essential.

Now it was a matter of hanging on. They was no sighting of sun or stars for navigation, not that they had much control over their course. Solders, sailors and prisoners alike despaired of life.

At this point Paul spoke up and this time they were ready to believe him. “God has shown me I will get to Rome, and He has given me all your lives,” an odd way of putting it but we know what he meant. He had prayed for them all, and heard God’s reply, promising their safety. Julius was pleased enough to listen to Paul this time. So were the soldiers. It was a message of hope.

Around midnight the sailors felt a change in the wave pattern. The sea was getting shallower. They confirmed this by soundings, a weight on a rope lowered till the rope slackened - twenty fathoms. Later fifteen fathoms. They threw out four stern anchors.

The sailors now demonstrated that they were not part of the long proud tradition of the sea. They pretended to be lowering more anchors and actually lowered the dingy, intending to row away and abandon the rest to their fate.

Paul saw what they were doing, perhaps he was extra alert or maybe The Holy Spirit had something to do with it. He knew there was still one piece of seamanship required; when they reached land the ship must be run aground properly, not allowed to drift ashore. Survival depended on it. He warned Julius, “Our lives depend on these seamen staying on board.”

This was the real test of their faith in Paul’s words. Earlier they had accepted his general encouragement but that might have been wishful thinking. To cut loose the dingy however, took courage. It proved right.

At day break, Paul spoke again, “Time to have some food. It will be cold in the water and we need it. And in a gesture familiar to Christians he took bread and broke it and gave God thanks.

Yes, the seamen were needed. They lightened the ship by throwing the last of their supplies overboard, then steered for shore and ran aground. The bow stuck fast, the ship began to break up, slowly enough for the escape to be orderly.

Julius had one more vital decision to make. The soldiers said they must kill the prisoners rather than incur the penalty for letting them escape. The Centurion vetoed it, trusting them to escape the sea but not their captivity. How many prisoners there were apart from Paul we do not know. Julius we are told, wanted to save Paul, but he spared them all. It was an act of great courage for a Roman officer, one prisoner missing and he might have been ordered to fall on his sword for failing in his duty. Somehow Julius knew he was involved with more than human power. Paul’s God was real.

He ordered swimmers out first, then others on planks and timbers. He supervised their going and he counted them in on the shore - all two hundred and seventy six, cold and wet but alive and well.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
28:1-10 On the island of Malta.
Islanders gathered round the 276 cold and wet people, helped them light a fire to dry and warm them. Paul helped gather sticks. Neither age nor exhaustion stopped him from sharing the routine task.

When he was bitten by a snake, the superstitious people thought he must be a murderer - whom the sea had tried to drown but their god of Justice had pursued with snakebite. When he suffered no ill effects, their superstition changed around and they thought him a god. Superstition always deceives. Paul was neither criminal nor superhuman - just an ordinary servant of Christ who shared the risks and dangers of his companions, and who experienced God’s protection.

The governor of the Island, Publius, welcomed the shipwrecked travellers and was rewarded by seeing his father healed after Paul laid hands on him and prayed. So began yet one more mission of healing and sharing the Gospel.

28:11-16 Rome at last.
There was a ship in the island harbour. It had sheltered there for the winter but was ready to sail to Rome in spring. No doubt Centurion Julius had to negotiate with its captain to arrange travel, and in good time, the party arrived in Rome - though not without visiting the Christians in a the port of Puteoli on the way - Paul always took whatever opportunities came.

Then at last Paul arrived in Rome. Luke was still with him. Now began another long period of waiting, guarded and restricted, but able to meet people, write letters, preach and teach the Gospel.

28:17-30
First he met the Jewish community and as usual some of them responded to the news of Christ, others did not. He stayed in a rented apartment - we do not know how he paid for it at first - it seems unlikely that he would be allowed to work as a tentmaker here. Luke may have earned something from his medical practice. Later gifts were sent from distant churches, especially the one in Philippi.

What we do know is that God provided for him and enabled him, while under guard, to write letters which we still have today.

AND LUKE WROTE ACTS.
Luke had used the time while Paul was in prison in Caesarea to research the life of Christ and write his Gospel. Now with Paul imprisoned in Rome, Luke used the time to finish the task - writing the continuation of the story - The Acts of the Apostles.

But he did not finish the story. He never reported the result of Paul’s appeal to Caesar - even though his last eight chapters were leading up to it. There can only be one reason for ending with the story unfinished, namely that Paul was still waiting when Luke finished writing. That was about AD 61.

Luke wrote more of the New Testament than any other writer. All Paul’s letters together come to a little less than the total length of Luke and Acts. He wrote them for someone named Theophilus of whom we know nothing else - except that he must have taken care of the manuscripts and valued them enough to arrange for them to be copied.

All copies had to be made by hand - hundreds of them - all involving many hours of hard work.

By the end of the first century all the books of the New Testament had been copied out many times, circulated and accepted by Christians all over the Roman empire.

Now they have gone round the world.