The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (83 page)

The section is rounded out by a return to the community life of the young church. A potential crisis was averted by the church's selection of seven qualified, Spirit-filled men to meet the needs of a group of Hellenistic widows (6:1–7). Stephen, the main character of chap. 7, is introduced as a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. Luke summarized the state of the church by highlighting the effective witness borne in Jerusalem. In particular, Luke noted that even a large number of priests came to the faith (6:7).

III. Wider Horizons for the Church: Stephen, Samaria, and Saul (6:8–9:31)

A. Suffering: One of the Servants Arrested and Martyred (Acts 6:8–7:60)
Stephen, introduced in the previous section, was falsely accused of speaking against “Moses and God” before the Sanhedrin by those of “the Freedmen's Synagogue” (6:8–15). Stephen's defense (chap. 7) shows how throughout Israel's history, the nation opposed God's plan: Joseph was sold into slavery, Moses' leadership was rejected, and the people worshipped idols. In a sense this unit serves as the completion of the last section in its emphasis on Jewish responsibility. Stephen's martyrdom and vision led to the events that are narrated in the following chapters.

B. Palestine and Syria: Philip, Saul, and Peter (8:1–9:31)
Stephen's death sparked a period of great persecution for the church. Saul, who had played a major role in Stephen's stoning, was ravaging the church (8:1–3). The believers, except for the apostles, were scattered throughout the surrounding regions, which resulted in the extension of the gospel beyond Judea to Samaria, in fulfillment of Jesus' mandate (see 1:8).

Philip, one of the seven (6:5), performed signs in Samaria and preached Christ to the Samaritans (8:4–8). However, the Samaritans did not receive the Spirit upon salvation until Peter and John, representing the apostles, came and laid hands on the Samaritan believers. This served to authenticate God's work among them. In the process, Simon the sorcerer, who sought to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit from Peter for money, was rebuked (8:9–25).

Subsequently, Philip, again at the direction of the Holy Spirit, encountered a court official for Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, and led him to Christ (8:26–38). Although Gentile by birth, he was probably a proselyte (God-fearer?). The Holy Spirit miraculously
transported Philip to Azotus, where he evangelized the coastal regions all the way to Caesarea (8:39–40). The gospel then moved throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.

The final chapter in this section records the conversion of Saul in preparation for the Gentile mission (9:1–31). While on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians, Saul encountered the risen Christ and was converted. This marks a momentous occasion in the mission of the early church. The major opponent of Christianity became the greatest protagonist of the church's mission, and he would take the gospel to the “ends of the earth.”

To Ananias, a disciple charged with ministering to Saul, Jesus described Saul as his “chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel” (9:15). Although first met with skepticism, Saul preached the gospel powerfully in Damascus. Later, the Jerusalem church received him at the intercession of Barnabas. Saul preached boldly in the name of Jesus until an assassination attempt forced the brothers to take him to Tarsus via Caesarea.

Luke concluded this section with a summary that includes a reference to the church enjoying a period of peace and increase in numbers. Thus Luke chronicled the plan of God as expressed in 1:8, taking the gospel through Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. His next step was to provide a clear demonstration that Gentiles can be saved without converting to Judaism first, and this is the subject of the next two major sections.

IV. Peter and the First Gentile Convert (9:32–12:24)

A. The Proof of Gentile Conversion (9:32–11:18)
Peter apparently had an itinerant ministry in Palestine. The healing of Aeneas the paralytic in Lydda led to raising Dorcas in Joppa (9:32–43). It also set up the account of the encounter with the Roman centurion Cornelius (chap. 10). While in Joppa, Peter received a vision which impressed on him that he should not consider anyone “unclean” (10:9–29). Meanwhile, Cornelius received a vision to call for Peter in Joppa. When Cornelius believed, Peter was convinced that God had accepted a Gentile into the church (10:24–48). Peter, in turn, convinced skeptics among the Jewish Christian that Cornelius's conversion was genuine (11:1–18).

B. Gentile Conversion in Antioch and the Return of Paul (11:19–26)
Those scattered because of the persecution of Stephen reached Syrian Antioch, preaching only to Jews. But men from Cyprus and Cyrene preached to the Gentiles (the term “Hellenists” means “speakers of Greek,” which refers to Gentiles). The Lord was with them, and a large number was converted. Barnabas was sent to investigate, observed the genuineness of the conversion, and sought out Saul in Tarsus, teaching daily for the period of a year. Also, believers were first called “Christians” in Antioch.

C. Events in Jerusalem (11:27–12:24)
The events in Jerusalem are sandwiched between references to Saul and Barnabas's relief mission in response to a famine (11:27–30; 12:25), indicating not only the solidarity the new Gentile believers had with the Jerusalem church but also that God was still moving among the Jews.

Peter's miraculous release apparently so infuriated Herod Agrippa I that when he could not find Peter, he executed the guards and left town.
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Having given an oration and received the adoration of men as a god, Herod was “infected with worms and died” (12:1–23).

Another Lukan summary statement concludes the section, noting that the word of God continued to spread. Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch from their mission to Jerusalem, accompanied by John Mark, who would later go with them on the first part of their first missionary journey and, later still, write the Second Gospel.

V. Paul Turns to the Gentiles (13:1–16:5)

Luke has described the progress of the gospel geographically through Palestine and parts of Syria, and racially or religiously from Jews to proselytes, God-fearers, and Gentiles. His agenda here was to describe the Lord's work of sending the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. At each stage, progress was achieved through the work of God and not human efforts.

A. First Missionary Journey (13:1–14:28)
The gospel's penetration into the Gentile world began with a specific call by the Holy Spirit through the prophets at Antioch to separate Barnabas and Saul for the missionary enterprise. Ironically, what Saul, prior to his conversion, sought to prevent by persecuting Christians in Damascus (also in Syria), he now actively brought about: the spread of the gospel to Syria and beyond. Once commissioned, they began their journey at Barnabas's home on the island of Cyprus (13:4; see 4:26). Paul blinded Elymas the sorcerer because he “opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith” (13:8). But the proconsul Sergius Paulus was converted.

Paul and Barnabas then traveled through Pisidian Antioch, and 13:16–41 details Paul's sermon in the local synagogue. The Jews and proselytes begged Paul to preach again the next Sabbath, and the ensuing crowds sparked jealousy and derision from the members of the synagogue. Paul then turned to the Gentiles, and the gospel spread throughout the area. But the Jews instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, expelling them from the region. This, then, forms the pattern throughout the first journey: synagogue, reception, rejection, persecution.

The results in Iconium were similar to Pisidian Antioch (14:1–7). Paul preached in the synagogue and then suffered persecution. At Lystra, Barnabas and Paul were met with a warm reception that almost turned to idolatry after the healing of a man who had been lame from birth. But the Jews from Iconium and Antioch swayed the crowds to stone Paul, and they left him for dead. Paul then evangelized Derbe (14:8–20) and made a return trip through Derbe, Iconium, and Lystra, establishing elders in every church, on his way to Antioch in Syria (14:21–28).

B. Jerusalem Council (15:1–35)
The Jerusalem Council is a pivotal event for the Gentile mission. The question of Gentile converts is settled by this special meeting of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. The issue was whether Gentiles had to become Jewish
proselytes before they could become Christians (see 15:1,5). The issue was settled by the testimonies of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas, and ultimately James adjudicated the matter by citing Amos 9:11. At the conclusion of the meeting, a letter was sent (see 15:23–29) that encouraged the Gentiles to abstain from things particularly repulsive to Jews (15:20,29).

C. Second Missionary Journey Begins (15:36–16:5)
Traditionally, 15:36 has been seen as marking the beginning of Paul's second missionary journey. This journey is presented in terms of encouraging the church in Syrian Antioch and the young churches planted during the first journey. The letter mentioned in the previous section was taken to the churches of South Galatia. Silas replaced Barnabas after Barnabas and Paul disagreed on whether to take John Mark with them. Paul said no because of Mark's desertion early in the first missionary journey. But Barnabas wanted to give his nephew another chance, so they parted company. While in Lystra, Timothy was highly recommended by the churches and joined Paul and Silas. The section concludes with a summary that notes the growth and encouragement of the churches.

VI. Further Penetration into the Gentile World (16:6–19:20)

A. Second Missionary Journey (16:6–18:22)
Like every genuine new movement of the gospel into new lands or people groups, God is the one who instigated the irresistible spread of the gospel in the mission of the early church. Paul's plan was to continue through Asia Minor, but the Spirit prevented him from doing so. When he had a dream about a Macedonian calling him for help, he proceeded to go there, “concluding that God had called us to evangelize them” (16:10).

Paul's first stop after crossing the Hellespont was Philippi, where the first “we section” occurs (starting in 16:10). Paul's pattern, consistent with God's salvation-historical plan, was to begin with the Jewish residents of a given city or region and then turn to the Gentiles. The first convert to the Christian gospel in Europe was Lydia, a merchant selling an expensive purple cloth.

The confrontation with a demon-possessed young woman led to a painful but fruitful encounter with the magistrates of the city. Paul and his companions were jailed but found this incident to be a platform for the gospel. The jailer was converted, and the magistrates offered to release Paul. But Paul, appealing to his Roman citizenship, would not let the magistrates beat him and his associates in public and then release them secretly. Paul demanded, and received, a public apology, but he and his coworkers were urged to leave town.

In Thessalonica, Paul stayed consistent in following the pattern “to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile” (see 17:2: “as usual”). Preaching in the synagogue for at least three Sabbaths, Paul showed people from the Scriptures “that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” and that that Messiah was Jesus (17:3). When Gentiles came to Christ in large numbers, the Jews became jealous and hired scoundrels to persecute the believers. When this was brought to the attention of the magistrates, they fined Paul's host while
Paul and the missionary team departed for Berea. After early success, the Jews from Thessalonica followed them to Berea and stirred up more violence until Paul was forced to go to Athens.

Athens, a major intellectual center, provided Paul with a great challenge in his missionary preaching. He found the city full of idols and reasoned with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who considered the apostle a “pseudo-intellectual” (literally, a “seed picker,” that is, one who picks up scraps; 17:18). Some thought Paul spoke of “foreign deities” because he proclaimed Jesus and the resurrection (17:18). Paul began his address by referring to an altar he had observed that bore the inscription “To an unknown God” (17:23). From this Paul declared the good news of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead. Some ridiculed Paul, but a few believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris (17:34). On the whole, Paul met with less positive response than on other occasions in his missionary preaching.

The next stop was Corinth, where Paul met with Aquila and Priscilla, Jewish Christians recently expelled from Rome. Again Paul reasoned in the synagogues. When the people there steadfastly resisted, Paul turned to the Gentiles. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, was converted along with many Corinthians. Paul stayed in Corinth for 18 months. Ultimately, the conflict with the Jews ended up with Paul standing before the Roman proconsul Gallio, who decided he had no jurisdiction in Jewish religious matters. Paul then left for Syria via Ephesus.

B. Third Missionary Journey (18:23–19:20)
Although from here on Paul traveled to Jerusalem and on to Antioch, the focus is on Ephesus. When Paul left Corinth, he briefly went to Ephesus. After preaching in the synagogue, Paul was asked to stay longer but declined saying, “I'll come back to you again, if God wills” (18:21). His return occurred two verses later. In the meantime, he traveled to Caesarea, Jerusalem, Antioch, and back, visiting some of the churches of the first journey, and then arrived back in Ephesus. In Ephesus, Paul encountered a residual John the Baptist movement (18:24–19:7), engaged in some initial missionary work (19:8–10), and performed extraordinary acts of ministry (19:11–20).

VII. On to Rome (19:21–28:31)

A. From Ephesus to Jerusalem (19:21–21:16)
Paul planned to go to Rome after visiting Macedonia, Achaia, and Jerusalem, and this itinerary dominates the concluding section of the book. Paul's later vision (see 23:11) reinforces this plan, and Rome is the target on the horizon throughout this last section of the book. Before Paul departed from Ephesus, however, there was a strong pagan uprising. Once again, the Christians brought before the crowd were shown to be innocent of the charges brought against them. Paul traveled through Macedonia and Greece and set sail for Miletus. There he met with the Ephesian elders and gave them farewell instructions. The final unit of this section (21:1–16) marks
the beginning of Paul's last journey before his arrest, and at every stop he was warned about difficulties awaiting him in Jerusalem.