The Zone Gathering

We pick up where we left off last week — let’s take a look at the rest of Acts and see what happens to Peter, Paul, and the other apostles as the gospel spreads to the Gentiles.  Buckle up!  It is going to be a long ride…

Gospel Spreads to the Gentiles/Abroad

A Caesarean man named Cornelius (a centurion with the Italian Regiment) is told by an angel of the Lord to send men to Joppa to bring back Peter (10:1-8).  Meanwhile, Peter has a vision of heaven opening and a large sheet being let down to the earth, containing all kinds of animals, reptiles and birds.  Peter is commanded to “kill and eat,” but questions the Lord asking him to eat things that are “impure” or “unclean” under Jewish dietary laws (10:9-14).  The Lord responds, saying “do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (10:15), and the scene repeats itself, leaving Peter wondering about the meaning of the vision (10:16-17).

The men sent by Cornelius arrive and recount what Cornelius was told (10:17-23).  Peter goes with them to Caesarea and finds Cornelius and a large crowd waiting for him.  He reminds them that it is against the Law for Jews to associate with Gentiles, but that God has shown him he should not call any man impure or unclean.  He asks the people why they sent for him (10:24-29).  Peter shares the gospel with Cornelius and the people, and while he is speaking, the Holy Spirit comes upon all who hear the message, to the astonishment of the Jewish believers (10:30-46).  Peter orders the new converts to be baptized with water (10:47-48).

Peter returns to Jerusalem and is criticized by the Jews for his actions.  He explains his vision and what happened in Caesarea (11:1-14).  He recalls Jesus’ words “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (11:16) and questions that if God chooses to give the Gentiles the same gift He has given the Jews, who is he to oppose God? (11:17).  The Jews respond by praising God for granting the Gentiles “repentance unto life” (11:18). 

The believers spread the news of Jesus Christ to the Greeks in Antioch to great success, and Barnabas is sent there to encourage the new converts (11:19-24).  From Antioch, Barnabas goes to Tarsus and brings Saul back to Antioch.  The two men teach the people in Antioch for a whole year (11:25-26).  The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch (11:26).

The spread of the gospel doesn’t happen without a few speed bumps, however.  King Herod persecutes the church and has James, the brother of John, put to death.  Seeing how this pleases the Jews, he seizes Peter and throws him into prison (12:1-5).  The night before his trial, Peter is miraculously freed from prison by an angel of the Lord (12:6-11) and goes to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many people are gathered and praying.  They are astounded to discover Peter (12:12-18).  Herod eventually is eaten by worms and dies for not giving praise to God (12:19-25).

Barnabas and Saul set off to spread the gospel, first in Cyprus (13:1-12), then to Pisidian Antioch, where Saul (now called Paul) stresses that the message of salvation has been sent to both the Jews and the Gentiles (13:13-26).  He presents the gospel message (13:27-41).  Paul and Barnabas encounter people who are both eager to hear their message, and Jews who were threatened by the gift of the gospel to the Gentiles (13:42-46).  The Gentiles thrill to Paul’s words that “I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth” (13:47-48).  But even as the gospel spreads, some Jews stir up persecution against Paul and Barnabas (13:49-52).

Paul and Barnabas arrive in Iconium and spend a considerable amount of time there, confirming the message of God’s grace through miraculous signs and wonders.  Many Jews and Gentiles believe, although a division arises and others look to mistreat and stone Paul and Barnabas.  They discover the plot and flee to Lystra and Derbe where they continue to preach the good news (14:1-7). 

In Lystra, Paul heals a man born lame (14:8-9), which has the negative effect of people thinking Paul and Barnabas are the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes (14:10-13).  This distresses the two men who set them straight (14:14-18).  However, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium manage to convince others in Lystra to stone Paul, who is dragged outside the city and left for dead.  He isn’t, however, and he and Barnabas leave for Derbe (14:19-20).  They eventually return to Antioch (14:21-28).

Paul and Barnabas confront some men from Judea who argue that unless a person is circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses, he cannot be saved (15:1-2).  They are appointed by other believers to go to Jerusalem and to see the church elders and apostles about this question (15:3-6).  Peter speaks and argues that the believers shouldn’t test God and that Jews are not saved by circumcision, but by God’s grace: ”it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are” (15:7-11).  James confirms Peter’s statement by recalling the words of the prophet Amos (15:12-18).  He argues that the Jewish believers should not make it difficult for the Gentiles, but should teach them and help them in their faith (15:19-21).  The Council writes a letter outlining some guidelines for the Gentile believers to follow (15:22-35).

Paul and Barnabas have a disagreement over their travel plans — Paul wants to go back and visit the towns they had already visited to see how the believers were doing.  Barnabas wants Mark to go with them, but Paul is opposed to the idea because Mark deserted them in Pamphylia (15:36-38).  This disagreement causes them to part — Barnabas takes Mark and goes to Cyprus, while Paul takes Silas and ventures through Syria and Cilicia (15:39-41).

When Paul and Silas arrive in Lystra, they are joined by Timothy who travels with them to the various churches (16:1-5).  Paul has a vision of a man in Macedonia asking them to come and help them, and leaves for Macedonia, concluding that God has called them to preach the gospel there (16:6-10).  When they arrive in Philippi, a woman named Lydia accepts the gospel and provides hospitality to the men (16:11-15).

Paul and Silas command an evil spirit to come out of a fortune-telling slave girl, and the owners, upset that their moneymaker no longer has her “gift,” seize Paul and Silas, who are flogged and thrown into jail for advocating customs unlawful for Romans to accept or practice (16:16-24).  Around midnight, there is a violent earthquake and their chains fall off.  The jailer is assured by Paul that no one has escaped, and asks what he must do to be saved.  Paul and Silas present the gospel message to the jailer and his family, who takes them into his home (16:25-34).  Paul and Silas are released from custody the next day (16:35-40).

The men journey to Thessalonica where Paul preaches the gospel in a Jewish synagogue and a believer named Jason is wrongly criticized for Paul and Silas (17:1-9).  Under the cover of night, Paul, Silas and Timothy leave for Berea where they present the gospel again in a synagogue, leading several of the Bereans to Christ (17:10-15). 

Paul goes on alone to Athens and challenges the idolatry he finds there (17:16-34).  From Athens, he travels to Corinth where he befriends a tentmaker named Aquila and his wife, Priscilla.  He stays with the couple and spends the Sabbaths in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks (18:1-4).  When Silas and Timothy join him, Paul devotes himself exclusively to preaching the gospel, even though he faces severe opposition from the Jews (18:5-17).  He stays in Corinth for a year-and-a-half before sailing for Syria with Aquila and Priscilla, whom he leaves at Ephesus before returning to Antioch (18:18-23).  Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquila minister to a man named Apollos who becomes a great defender of the gospel in public debate with the Jews (18:24-28).

Paul arrives in Ephesus and asks the disciples there whether they had received the Holy Spirit.  When they respond that they have received “John’s baptism,” Paul baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit comes upon them (19:1-7).  Paul preaches in the synagogue in Ephesus for three months, although he faces obstinate people who refuse to believe and ultimately leaves to hold discussions in the lecture hall of Tyrannus for two years (19:8-10).  God does miracles through Paul, and some Jews fail to replicate the miracles, causing the Greeks and Jews living in Ephesus to be seized with fear (19:11-16).  Many turn away from sorcery and sin as a result: “in this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power” (19:17-20).  Paul makes plans to go to Jerusalem, via Macedonia, and to visit Rome.  He sends Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia ahead of him (19:21-22).

A riot breaks out in Ephesus because of a blacksmith named Demetrius (who chief job was to make silver shrines for the pagan goddess Artemis, around whom the economy and tourism of Ephesus revolved).  He rallies people against Paul, who wants to address them, but is contrained by the disciples.  The riot is quelled by a city clerk (19:23-41).  When the uproar ends, Paul bids farewell to the Ephesian disciples and sets out for Macedonia, where he encourages the believers before arriving in Greece and staying there for three months (20:1-3). 

Going back through Macedonia, Paul witnesses a man named Eutychus raised from the dead in Troas (20:4-12).  From Miletus, Paul sends for the Ephesian elders and bids them farewell, telling them he is going on to Jerusalem and is unsure of what will happen to him there.  He encourages them to keep watch over themselves and to guard the flock in Ephesus, blessing and praying for them before departing for Jerusalem (20:13-38).

En route to Jerusalem, Paul is warned by several disciples not go there because he will be bound and delivered to the Gentiles (21:1-12).  Paul is not dissuaded and argues he wouldn’t hesitate to be bound for the name of Jesus (21:13-16).  When he arrives in Jerusalem, he is received warmly and has an opportunity to tell the believers about his ministry to the Gentiles, giving all praise to God (21:17-26). 

Paul is seized by Jews in the temple and they try to kill him.  The commander of the Roman troops intervenes, arrests Paul and binds him in chains (21:27-36).  The commander gives him permission to address the crowd (21:37-40).  He offers his defense, and claiming himself to be a Jew, gives an account of his prior life, conversion, and calling to minister to the Gentiles (22:1-21).  The crowd riots against Paul, and the Roman commander has him taken away and directs him to be flogged (22:22-24).  Paul claims his Roman citizenship and the commander, alarmed that he has put Paul, a Roman, in chains, releases him to the Sanhedrin (22:25-30).

Paul offers his defense before the Sanhedrin and when the crowd begins to riot, he is taken away by the Roman commander for his protection (23:1-10).  The Lord appears to Paul and encourages him: “Take courage!  As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome” (23:11). 

The Jews take an oath to kill Paul, ordering the chief priests and elders to bring Paul before the Sanhedrin so they can intervene and murder him (23:12-16).  Paul is tipped off to the plot and the Roman commander transfers Paul to Caesarea (23:17-35) for a trial before Felix, the governor.  Ananias, the high priest in Jerusalem, comes to Caesarea and brings charges against Paul (24:1-9).  Paul presents his defense before Felix, who will not hear his case until Lysias the commander comes (24:10-22).  Paul is kept under guard but manages to present the gospel to Felix’s wife.  Felix, fearing what he says, leaves Paul in prison for two years as a favor to the Jews (24:23-27).

The emperor Festus arrives in Jerusalem and is presented with the charges against Paul.  The elders and chief priests ask that Paul be transferred to Jerusalem, planning to ambush him along the way.  Festus offers an alternative: the elders and priests can accompany him to Caesarea and press charges against him there (25:1-7).  Paul again pleads his case, and Festus asks whether he will go to Jerusalem and stand trial there.  Paul claims he belongs before Caesar’s court and appeals to Caesar (25:8-12).  Festus relates Paul’s story to King Agrippa, who agrees to hear from Paul himself (25:13-22). 

Festus acknowledges to Agrippa that he has found nothing Paul has done deserving of death (25:23-27) and Agrippa urges Paul to speak for himself.  Paul again describes how he was brought up a Jew and lived as a Pharisee, and even understands why the Jews would be so puzzled that he now proclaims Jesus Christ and believes in the resurrection (26:1-9).  He recounts his own conversion and calling to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (26:10-29).  King Agrippa finds that Paul has done nothing deserving of death or imprisonment, and even states that he could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (26:30-32).

Paul, now free, sets sail for Italy with some other prisoners and a centurious named Julius.  Although Paul warns about sailing from Crete, the men do so anyway, and encouter a severe storm (27:1-26).  They ultimately are shipwrecked on an island called Malta (27:27-44).  Paul amazes the islanders when he picks up a snake and throws it into the fire without incurring any harm (28:1-5) and heals the father of Publius, the chief official of the island.  The islanders honor Paul and furnish him and his companions with the supplies for their journey to Rome (28:7-10). 

After three months, Paul sets sail and finally arrives in Rome, where he is allowed to live by himself with a guard (28:11-16).  Paul calls together the leaders of the Jews and recounts why he is in chains.  They want to hear his views, so Paul seizes the opportunity to tell them everything he knows about the kingdom of God and tries to convince them of Jesus, using their knowledge of the Law of Moses and the Prophets (28:17-23).  Some are convinced, others do not believe.  Paul indicates that because of their hardened hearts, God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles who will listen (28:24-28).  Paul stays in the house for two years, and the book of Acts ends with this beautiful statement about his ministry: “Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ” (28:31).

Relevance

The book of Acts paints an exciting story of how God uses those who are willing to spread His gospel and advance His kingdom.  Peter, Paul and Stephen were men who loved Jesus Christ with all their hearts, minds, souls, and strength, and they were willing to do anything to advance His gospel, even suffer persecution and death.

As we think and talk about discipleship and what that looks like for the church today, it really comes down to the command Jesus gave when He issued the Great Commission: “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit“  (Matt. 28:19).  If we can resist the temptation to put limits on God and yield ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance, who knows where God will take us and how He will use us to advance His kingdom?  

Food for Thought

What part does God want me to play in advancing His kingdom on earth?

Am I praying, going, and investing in God’s work around the world?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 2nd, 2006 at 9:24 am and is filed under Bible Drills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.