The Acts of the Apostles Book of Acts Jim Chambers, Ed.D

The Acts of the Apostles Book of Acts Jim Chambers, Ed.D.

Introduction to Acts

1. Date and Location  Around A.D. 62 or slightly earlier  No mention of the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 which would have been significant  No mention of Nero’s persecution of Christians which began about A.D. 64  No mention of Paul’s death, but leaves him a prisoner in Rome; Caesar ruled on it about A.D. 63  Luke was probably with Paul in Rome awaiting trial

2. Authorship  Luke and Acts both begin with a greeting to Theophilus and refer to a previous writing.  The writing styles and vocabulary and very similar.  The writer is a close companion of Paul.  The writer uses medical language, terms and themes found in both Luke and Acts.  The early church fathers felt Luke was the author; many felt it was one book in two parts.

3. Purpose  To provide a continuation of the Gospel of Luke; Acts 1:8ff  Theophilus may have been a Roman dignitary sympathetic to the Christian cause, and Luke wanted to show there was nothing subversive or sinister about the followers of Jesus  Luke wanted to show the expansion of Christianity toward the West; from Jerusalem to Rome  Provides a Biblical pattern of church growth

4. General Themes  Provides a history of the early church and its expansion toward the West  Serves as a handbook for Christian conversion; how it happens as a work of the Holy Spirit  Validates the joining of Jew and Gentile into one body  The devotion of first-century Christians to the Risen Christ

5. Major Divisions  Beginning of the Church: Acts 1 - 7  Period of Transition: Acts 8 - 13:3  Period of Missionary Expansion: Acts 13:4 - End

Biblical Pattern of Church Growth

1. God's Activity

2. Conflict, 3. Church Confusion, Growth Opposition

Biblical Pattern of Church Growth

The Day of Pentecost  God’s Activity: Acts 2: 1-4  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 2:12-13  Church Growth: Acts 2:41

God Heals a Beggar  God’s Activity: Acts 3:1-10  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 4:1-3  Church Growth: Acts 4:4

Shared Possessions  God’s Activity: Acts 4:32-36  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 5:1-2  Church Growth: Acts 5:14

The Crowd Grows  God’s Activity: Acts 5:15-16  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 5:17, 33, 40  Church Growth: Acts 6:7

Stephen Speaks  God’s Activity: Acts 6:8  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 6:9, 7:54-59  Church Growth: Acts 8:1-2

Philip in Samaria  God’s Activity: Acts 8:4-8  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 8:9-11  Church Growth: Acts 8:12-13

The Ethiopian  God’s Activity: Acts 8:26-29  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 8:31  Church Growth: Acts 8:36-40

Saul’s Conversion  God’s Activity: Acts 9:3-4  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 9:22-30  Church Growth: Acts 9:31

Aeneas and Dorcas  God’s Activity: Acts 9:32  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 9:37  Church Growth: Acts 9:42

Peter and Cornelius  God’s Activity: Acts 10:1-8  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 10:9-22  Church Growth: Acts 10:34-43, 44-48

Peter’s Opposition from Jews  God’s Activity: Acts 10:44-48  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 11:1-3  Church Growth: Acts 11:18

Peter’s Escape from Prison  God’s Activity: Acts 12:1-18  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 12:21-23  Church Growth: Acts 12:24

Shift from the Ministry of Peter to Ministry of Paul

Saul and Barnabas  God’s Activity: Acts 13:2-5  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 13:6-11  Church Growth: Acts 13:12

Paul in Pisidian Antioch  God’s Activity: Acts 13:16-44  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 13:45  Church Growth: Acts 13:48

Paul Goes to Iconium  God’s Activity: Acts 13:49  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 13:50  Church Growth: Acts 13:51-52

Paul in Iconium  God’s Activity: Acts 14:1  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 14:2-5  Church Growth: Acts 14:6-7

Paul in Lystra and Derbe  God’s Activity: Acts 14:8-10  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 14:11-17, 19  Church Growth: Acts 14:20-28

The Council at Jerusalem  God’s Activity: Gentiles Receive Holy Spirit  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 15:1-19  Church Growth: Acts 15:20-34

Paul and Barnabas Disagree  God’s Activity: Acts 15:35  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 15:36-38  Church Growth: Acts 15:39-41

Timothy Joins Paul  God’s Activity: Acts 16:1-2  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 16:3  Church Growth: Acts 16:4-5

Paul in Macedonia  God’s Activity: Acts 16:6-15  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 16:16-28  Church Growth: Acts 16:29-40

Thessalonica to Berea  God’s Activity: Acts 17:1-4  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 17:5-9  Church Growth: Acts 17:10-12

Berea to Athens  God’s Activity: Acts 17:10-12  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 17:13  Church Growth: Acts 17:15

Paul in Athens  God’s Activity: Acts 17:16-17  Conflict/Confusion/Opposition: Acts 17:18-21  Church Growth: Acts 17:34