Acts Chapter 20

Paul’s Missionary Journey

After the near riot in Ephesus had ceased, Paul understood that after three years it was the Lord’s time for him to depart Ephesus. The loss of Ephesus in the departure of Paul was the gain of other cities. From verse 1 it would appear that Paul traveled directly from Ephesus to Macedonia. However, from 2 Corinthians 2:12-13 we learn that he first went to Troas. There he found an open door to preach the gospel but was anxious to see Titus and to learn from him how the Corinthians had received his first letter. When he did not find Titus in Troas he crossed over the northeastern corner of the Aegean Sea to Macedonia. Paul stopped at all the congregations in Macedonia which he and his companions had planted (Philippi, Thessalonica), and sought to give them a word of encouragement. It is during this three-month period that Paul wrote his letter to the Romans. This is borne out in the Book of Romans itself (Romans 15:23-24; 16:23).


Paul’s visit to Greece was short lived. The Jews were plotting to kill him. It was likely planned for when he would leave by ship. Thus Paul decided to foil their plans by going by land back through Macedonia. The men traveling with Paul represented churches he had established in Asia. Each man was carrying an offering from his home church to the believers in Jerusalem. Paul’s strategy of having each man deliver the gift gave the gift a personal touch and promoted the unity of believers. It was also an effective way to teach the church about giving, because the men were able to report back to their churches the way God was working through their giving. Paul discussed this gift in one of his letters to the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians 8:1-21). It appears that the above seven brethren traveled on ahead to Troas, while Paul and Luke visited Philippi. We know Luke was with Paul because of the use of the first person pronoun “us” in verse 5 and 6.

After the days of unleavened bread, or Passover, Paul and Luke sailed from Macedonia to Troas. The trip took five days from Philippi to Troas, on the western coast of Asia Minor. Once there, they stayed a week so they could be there for the breaking of bread on the Lord’s Day. It is certainly clear from verse 7 that it was the practice of the early Christians to gather on the first day of the week in order to observe the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 16:2). That Paul should have spoken until midnight should not surprise anyone. We do not know if Paul began preaching during the day and continued until into the night, or if they had met after dark and continued to meet until the midnight hour. As the night wore on, it became hot and stuffy in the upper room. Perhaps the many lamps contributed to this as well as the number of people.

A certain young man by the name of Eutychus sitting in an open window fell asleep and fell three stories down to the ground and died. Paul went down and stretched himself over the body and announced to the people not to worry themselves because there was life in the young man. It might seem from Paul’s words that there was no need for concern because the young man had not died. But it is clear from verse 9 that the young man did die. When Paul returned upstairs, they broke bread (v.11) and observed the Lord’s Supper for which they had gathered for (v.7). After an all night meeting, never to be forgotten, Paul bade farewell to the believers and departed.

Paul left Troas on foot and walk 20 miles to the city of Assos. His traveling companions went by ship, and picked Paul up on the southern side. There is no explanation of why Paul chose to walk; perhaps he wanted a little time to himself. The party met Paul at Assos and he joined them. Sailing south, along the western coast of Asia Minor, they came to Mitylene, the chief city of the island Lesbos. The following night they anchored off the island of Chios. Another day’s journey brought them to the island of Samos and they stayed at Trogyllium. Finally they arrived in Miletus, a port on the southwest coast of Asia Minor, thirty-six miles south of Ephesus. Paul intentionally bypassed Ephesus because he feared that a visit there would require too much time, and he was hurrying to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost.

Upon landing at Miletus, Paul sent word to the Elders in Ephesus asking them to come for a meeting. Undoubtedly it took some time for the message to reach them and for them to make the journey, but they would be richly rewarded by the message they would hear from the mouth of Paul. Upon the arrival of the elders, Paul reminded them of his manner of life when he lived among them. From the first day he set foot in Asia, and all the time he was there, he served the Lord with true humility and self-denial. In connection with his ministry, there was a constant strain on his emotional system; there were tears of sorrow and trials. Constantly he suffered persecution as a result of the plotting of the Jews. Yet in spite of all the adverse circumstances, his ministry was bold and fearless.

Paul declared that he did not hold back any teaching that was useful. He lived the advice that he gave to other preachers and he taught both publicly and privately. Paul preached to all people both Jew and Gentile, and preached the necessity of repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was not fleeing Ephesus. He had never labored out of fear for his life. In fact, he knew that arrest and imprisonment awaited him at the end of his journey. It was a bittersweet meeting for both Paul and the Ephesian elders. Paul had worked with these men and he probably appointed them elders over the flock at Ephesus. He was convinced that he would never see them again, which he did not.

In any event, he could leave with a clear conscience. He had held nothing back that would prepare them for the coming days ahead. Paul was guided by the Spirit, i.e. being “bound by the Spirit”; in that the Spirit revealed to him that he would suffer afflictions when he came to Jerusalem. Perhaps the Spirit witnessing in every town is referring to something similar in Acts 21:10-11. Paul did not become bitter because of the prospect of his impending suffering (see Acts 9:15-16). As Paul weighed this outlook in his mind, he did not think that his own life was the great issue. His ambition was to obey God and to please him. If in doing this, he would be called upon to offer up his life he was willing to do so.

Since Paul knew that he would never see them again, he delivered a solemn charge to the elders that they should first take heed to their own spiritual condition. Unless they were living in fellowship with the Lord, they could not expect to be spiritual leaders in the church, the church which Christ purchased with his blood. Paul knew that after his departure the church would be attacked from without and from within. False teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matt. 7:15), would prey upon the flock showing no mercy. Paul reminded them that for three years he warned them of these things day and night with many tears. These elders would need to remain alert for the dangers that would come.

There is one important point we need to learn from this passage, that faithfulness on the part of a congregation can never be assured past one generation. Grounding in the faith must be a continual process. Paul wanted them to depend on God and his word. Paul did not commend them to leaders of men, rather he entrusted them to God and his word. In his closing message Paul once again set before the elders the example of his own life and ministry. He could say in all honest that he never worked to take no one’s silver or gold, but he labored by his own hands to support himself. Paul was not saying that it was wrong to accept any support for the preaching of the gospel. On the contrary, he taught on several occasions that brethren had a responsibility to support those who preach the word (Philippians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 9:11-14). Paul is saying that these elders should labor unselfishly among the brethren. They should not be overly concerned with physical things.

At the conclusion of his message, Paul knelt on the ground and prayed with the elders. He had so much he wanted to pray about, but he was most of all concerned for the future of these brethren he loved so dearly. The reaction of the elders was one of deep sorrow. They wept unashamedly and showed their love for Paul by falling on his neck and kissing him. The words that particularly grieved them were his statement that they would see his face no more. Heavyhearted, they accompanied Paul to the ship for his trip to Jerusalem.

Question/Answers?
Who were the seven men that accompanied Paul on his missionary journey?

The seven men are as follow:
1- Sopater of Berea: A Christian from Berea who was with Paul from Greece to the province of Asia (Acts 20:4). This may be the same man mentioned in Romans 16:21 as being a relative of Paul.

2- Aristarchus of Thessalonica: Nearly lost his life in the riot at Ephesus (Acts 19:29). We later read of him as being a fellow prisoner with Paul (Philemon 24; Col. 4:10). He accompanied Paul to Rome (Acts 27:2).

3- Secundus: An early Christian who lived in Thessalonica (Acts 20:4). He was among the seven men that accompanied Paul on his third missionary journey.

4- Gaius: A citizen of Derbe who was with Paul as far as Asia Minor (Acts 20:4). The name Gaius was a common name in the Scriptures.

5- Timothy: Paul’s friend and chief associate. Timothy is mentioned as a joint sender in six of Paul’s epistles (2 Cor. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:1; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; Philemon 1). Timothy first appeared on the second missionary journey of Paul (Acts 16:1-3).

6- Tychicus: A Christian of the province of Asia (Acts 20:4). He was a fellow worker and messenger of Paul (Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-8). Paul also sent Tychicus to Ephesus to deliver and perhaps read his letter to the Christians in that city (Eph. 6:21). He did the same with the letter to the Colossians (Col. 4:7). Paul sent him as a messenger to Titus in Crete (Titus 3:12) and afterward to Ephesus (2 Tim. 4:12).

7- Trophimus: A Gentile Christian who lived in Ephesus and who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem at the end of Paul’s third missionary journey. Apparently Trophimus accompanied Paul on the trip to Rome. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul revealed “Trophimus I have left in Miletus sick” (2 Tim. 4:20).

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Acts Chapter 19

Paul’s Missionary Work in Ephesus

The travels of Apollos after he left Ephesus took him eventually to Corinth where he continued his ministry of proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. Paul was traveling at the same time pursuing his third missionary journey. If Paul had a companion with him, Scripture does not name him nor does it say much about the places Paul visited at the beginning. The Scripture informs us simply that he went through central Asia Minor (the regions of Galatia and Phrygia) until he reached the northern coast, probably Troas, his point of embarkment for Europe during his previous journey (Acts 18:23). But this time he took a different course. He turned south and went to Ephesus, the most important city in the region. Ephesus was the capital and leading business center of the Roman province of Asia (part of present day Turkey). A hub of sea and land transportation, it ranked with Antioch of Syria and Alexander in Egypt as one of the great cities on the Mediterranean Sea.

Paul went there to keep a promise. At the end of his last journey he stopped in Ephesus and assured the Jews who showed interest in his message that he would return at first opportunity, if it was the Lord’s will (Acts 18:20-21). And God was willing. As it turned out, God had a major work for Paul to accomplish in Ephesus, requiring Paul’s presence for about three years (Acts 20:31). When Paul arrived in Ephesus he found a small band of disciples. When Paul asked them whether they had received the Holy Spirit, they responded with some bewilderment. Like Apollos, these Ephesians believers needed further instructions on the message and ministry of Christ. They believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but did not understand the significance of his death and resurrection or the work of the Holy Spirit. Becoming a Christian involves turning from sin (repentance) and turning to Christ (faith). They were incomplete.

Apparently, Paul had heard that they had been baptized so his next question was to inquire what kind of baptism they had received. They replied that they received the baptism of John (the Baptist). When Paul learned that the men knew only the baptism of John, he explained that although it was valid as a testimony of repentance, it was insufficient. Since the men had already made the decision to follow Christ, they were entirely willing to show their faith by being baptized again. Indeed, all were baptized. Then Paul laid his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit, whose presence was manifest by an outward sign, they spoke in tongues and prophesied. All total it was twelve men.

Paul then began an aggressive campaign to evangelize the city. As was his usual pattern he entered into the synagogue. Paul spoke for three months in the synagogue. Three months in the synagogue without a recorded riot was a record for Paul. The topic of his discussion was the kingdom of God which obviously included the person and work of Christ. Paul’s message did not go unopposed. Voices of unbelief forced him to engage in heated debate. As Paul debated them, they hearts became harden and their minds became blank, so further debate was pointless. Their actions became uglier. They began to bring evil charges against Paul and against the Christian generally. Paul decided to gather the followers and leave the synagogue.

Paul chose the school of one named Tyrannus as their new meeting place. The Scripture does not inform us if Tyrannus was a believer or not. Apparently Tyrannus made his lecture hall available to traveling teachers. One Greek manuscript adds that the school was available from 11 am to 4 pm, where Paul could use the hall for the majority of the day. Paul taught for a period of two years in the Tyrannus lecture hall. The Lord began a great work through Paul’s ministry. These feats of Paul parallel the miracles of Peter in 5:15-16. Quite clearly God’s hand of blessing was on Paul. Apparently the handkerchiefs and aprons were tangible symbols of God’s power through his Apostles; these objects had no magical powers in themselves. Certainly this is no basis for people trying to repeat such miracles today. As seen many times in Acts, miracles confirmed the work of the Apostles (2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 8:6; 14:3; 15:12).

There was in Ephesus a group of professional exorcists working in partnership. They were seven Jews, all sons of Sceva whom Luke described as a high priest. It was not uncommon in the ancient world for a Jew to claim to have magical powers. The sorcerer in Cypress that Paul inflicted with blindness was a Jew. Paul’s spectacular success in ridding people of demons came to their notice and provoked them to imitate his methods. They heard that Paul cast out demons in the name of Jesus Christ. So when they were next called to a help a victim of demon possession, they called Jesus’ name when they ordered the demon to come out. The demon was unimpressed. By using the voice of the victim as his own, the demon cried out that he knew the name of Jesus and the name of Paul, but who were they.

It is evident that the evil spirit was well aware that he was subject to Jesus’ Apostles. He knew that after Jesus’ resurrection he gave the Apostles authority over the demon world (Mark.16:17). But the demons’ obligation to obey Paul, a true Apostle, did not extend to dabblers in exorcism who used Jesus’ name as a magical formula rather than as an expression of faith. Instead of being exorcized of the demon, the possessed man became supernaturally strong and overcame all seven beating them until they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. Demons can sometimes cause those they possess to have unusual physical power (Mark.5:3-4). There must have been witnesses to the scene, because news of what happened quickly spread through the whole city and beyond. Both Jews and Greeks heard that an evil spirit gave testimony to the authority of Jesus and his minister, Paul, and the effect was to put fear of God into their hearts.

Many Christians had also been involved in sorcery and spiritism and they openly confessed their evil deeds. The noun translated “deeds” is praxis, which probably describes magical spells and formulas. Furthermore, many publicly burned their manuals of sorcery. It was generally assumed that spells were effective only if kept secret. Therefore, when these practitioners of the occult made their spells public, they were not only renouncing their use but also, in their view, taking away their power. The price of burning their books was very large, about fifty thousand silver coins. The cleansed church became a powerful and growing church in the word of God.

The time came when Paul sensed that he was nearing completion of his work in Ephesus. As he looked ahead, he resolved to revisit Macedonia and Greece. No doubt he wished to strengthen and encourage the churches that he had established on his previous missionary journey. After going to Greece he intended to go back to Jerusalem, then on to Rome. In the book of Romans, we find that he thought that after he went to Rome he would go even farther westward, all the way to Spain (Rom.15:24). He was ambitious to carry the gospel to the uttermost parts. But according to the Lord’s plans, Rome would be his last stop. To prepare the way for his return to Macedonia and Greece, Paul sent his forerunners both Timothy and Erastus. The only other mention of this Erastus is in 2 Timothy (2 Tim.4:20), where we learn that he later settled in Corinth as his place of ministry. Before Paul’s departure and as an incentive for him to leave Ephesus there was a riot. In only two incidents recorded in Acts did Gentiles oppose Paul: here and in the case of the Philippian fortune-teller (16:16-24). In both cases the opposition was because of vested monetary interests.

Diana (or Artemis, the Greek name) was a goddess of fertility. She was represented by a carved female figure with many breasts. A large statue of her (which was said to have come from Jupiter, the king of the gods, 19:35) was in the great temple at Ephesus. Silver craftsmen made statues (silver shrines) of this Ephesian goddess. When Paul preached in Ephesus, Demetrius and his fellow shrine makers did not quarrel with his doctrine. Their anger was because his preaching was bad for business. The craftsmen knew that if people started believing in God and discarding their idols, their livelihood would suffer. Demetrius’ strategy for stirring up a riot was to appeal to the people’s love of money and then to encourage them to hide their greed behind the mask of patriotism and religious loyalty.

The silversmiths, enraged at Paul by Demetrius’ speech, instigated a riot and rushed to the Ephesian theater, the largest place for an assembly of people. As token of opposition they seized Gaius and Aristarchus. Paul often sought others to help him in his work. On this occasion his traveling companions were Aristarchus (who would accompany him on other journeys: 20:3-4 and 27:1-2), and Gaius (probably not the same Gaius mentioned in Romans 16:23 or 1 Corinthians 1:14). Paul wanted to go to the theater to defend his friends, but the other believers wouldn’t let him go fearing his safety. The mob became anti-Jewish as well as anti-Christian, this Alexander may have been pushed forward by the Jews as a spokesmen to explain that the Jews had no part in the Christian community and thus were not involved in the economic problem of the silversmiths.

The term city clerk does not do justice to this man’s position. Actually he was the chief executive officer of the city. When he appeared, people listened. At this crucial moment, he succeeded in quieting the crowd. His speech was successful as lame. He said in effect that the Ephesians had nothing to fear. After all, everyone knew that Ephesus had been appointed the city to serve as temple guardian of the great goddess Diana. Also to them fell the privilege of guarding an image of Diana which was supposed to have fallen from heaven. Implying that their religious foundations were secure and that nothing could ever toppled the worship of Diana, he told the people that they were foolish to create a fuss. After all the men against whom they were fussing about had not been robbers of the temples or blasphemers of Diana. If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen had a complaint, the regular courts were open to them with the proconsuls ready to hear them.

If there was anything else to say, they could gather themselves and become a lawful assembly instead of becoming an out of control mob. The city of Ephesus was under the domination of the Roman Empire. The main responsibility of the local city leaders was simply to maintain peace and order. If they failed to control the people, Rome would remove them from office. An additional threat was that the entire city would be placed under martial law, taking away many civil freedoms. By this time the mob had been quieted, and they now hurried away to their home.

Questions/Answers
In verse 23 what does the term “about that way” implies?
“About that way” refers to those who followed “the way” of Christ–the Christian. In John 14:6 Jesus said “I am the way” this is another title that is applied to followers of Christ.

What does the word assembly means?
The word assembly (vv. 32, 39, 41) translates the Greek word “EKKLESIA” meaning a called out company of people. It is the same word translated church in other parts of the New Testament. Whether the word refers to a heathen mob, as here in verse 32, or the congregation of Israel, as in Acts 7:38 or the New Testament church must be determined from the context.

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Acts Chapter 18

The Church At Corinth

Paul did not remain long in Athens where he found a lukewarm reception for the gospel. He resumed his travel southward and came to the city of Corinth which is the southernmost extent of Greece. Corinth was the political and commercial center of Greece, surpassing Athens in importance. It has a reputation for great wickedness and immorality. A temple to Aphrodite, goddess of love and war, had been built on a large hill behind the city. In this popular region, people worshiped the goddess by giving money to the temple and taking part in sexual acts with male and female temple prostitutes. Paul found Corinth a challenge and a great ministry opportunity.

While in Corinth, Paul met a Christian couple who had recently come from Rome. They had departed Rome because of an edict in A.D. 49 or 50 from Claudius for all the Jews to leave Rome. They came to Rome to work in their trade, which was tent making. The man was Aquila, a Jew from northeast Asia Minor, and his wife was Priscilla. Paul immediately formed a close relationship with them because they not only shared a common faith, but also a common trade. They all were tent makers. Although the word for their trade is translated “tentmaker”, it refers more generally to leather worker. They made all sorts of leather goods.

For awhile, Paul was at a disadvantage as he tried to evangelize Corinth because the rest of his missionary team had remained in Macedonia. In Athens Paul sent back a message asking Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. Yet as he waited, Paul did not slip into doing nothing. He was not content to work each day at his craft. Rather, as was his custom he went every Sabbath to the synagogues and engaged both the Jews and the Greeks in discussions about Christ.

With the arrival of Silas and Timothy, Paul launched a fresh assault on the ignorance and unbelief of all around him. He declared to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. Here we pause for a moment to ponder a question. Had not Paul already been presenting Jesus as the Christ? The answer is yes, but when Silas and Timothy came they brought financial assistance from Macedonia (2 Cor. 11:9). Earlier, he received help only from the Philippians (Phil. 4:15), but it is possible that by now other churches had joined in contributing to his support. The money freed Paul from his trade and allowed him to devote himself full-time to the ministry. With all the lost souls weighting on him, Paul could now preach more aggressively.

When Paul intensified his campaign to convince the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, he stirred up much opposition. When the Jews raised their opposition to the level of blasphemy, Paul decided that it was time to leave the synagogue. He shook his clothes to show that he was free of any obligation to reason with them further, and he declared that from now on, having their blood on their own hands they alone would be held accountable for their eternal destiny. Paul will now go to the Gentiles who will be more receptive.

After Paul left the synagogue, he found a fortunate location for preaching the gospel to the assembly of saints next door in the house of one called Titus Justus. Titus was a God fearing Gentile who opened his house to Paul. In addition, Crispus the synagogue ruler with his family believed and were baptized by Paul. One night Paul heard the Lord speaking to him in a vision, with encouraging words. The Lord urged Paul not be afraid but to preach the gospel boldly because Divine protection was with him, and the Lord have many people in the city. Paul obediently followed the Lord’s direction and stayed in Corinth for a year and a half. During Paul’s stay in Corinth, a new man came to assume control of the government. He was Gallio, a member of a Roman family. He was the brother of Seneca the philosopher. Gallio came to Corinth because it was the Roman seat of government for the whole province of Achaia, that is, Greece.

As soon as he took office, Jewish enemies of the church decided to move against Paul. The Jews charged Paul with persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to Roman law. Rome did not permit the propagation of new religions. Judaism was an accepted and established belief. These Jews were saying in effect that Christianity was a new and different cult, distinct from Judaism. Before Paul could defend himself, Gallio spoke and stunned the Jewish leaders. He rebuked the Jews for wasting his time with charges that had no substance. This was a major judicial decision for the spread of the gospel in the Roman Empire. Judaism was a recognized religion under Roman law. As long as Christians were seen as part of Judaism, the court refused to hear cases brought against them. In essence Gallio told them to handle the matter themselves and not bother him.

Crispus had been the leader of the synagogue, but he and his family were converted and joined the Christians (18:8). Sosthenes was chosen to take his place. The whole Greek community rose up against the Jews, and arrested Sosthenes brought him before the judgment seat. There they subjected him to the humiliation of a public beating. Whether Sosthenes had conspired against Paul, we do not know. As Gallio watched the beating, he raised no objection, choosing rather to appear indifferent.

After a long, successful ministry in Corinth, Paul was ready to leave. He gathered all the believers and said farewell to them. Accompanied by his friends, Aquila and Priscilla, he left intending to return to Syria by the way of Jerusalem. Some time earlier, he had taken a vow of a Nazarite, as described in the Law of Moses (Num. 6:1-8). The ship did not go directly to Jerusalem, but stopped in Ephesus, the main city on the coast of western Asia Minor. It was the greatest commercial city in the region and among its citizens were a large group of Jews. Rather than go with Paul, Aquila and Priscilla decided to remain. Paul stayed long enough to proclaim Christ in the synagogue, but soon continued on his journey, even though some of the Jews wanted him to stay and explain more of the gospel. Paul wanted to reach Jerusalem in time for the feast (Passover).

After greeting the believers in Jerusalem, Paul went down to Antioch. This verse (22) marks the end of Paul’s second missionary journey and the beginning of his third missionary journey. After leaving the church at Antioch (his home base), Paul headed toward Ephesus but along the way he revisited the churches in Galatia and Phrygia (18:23), strengthening the disciples. During Paul’s absence from Ephesus, God sent the city another preacher. He was Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria. Apollos had only heard what John the Baptist had said about Jesus (Luke 3: 1-8), so his message was not the complete story. John message focused on repentance from sin, the first step. But the whole message is to repent from sin and then believe in Christ. Apollos did not know about the life, crucifixion, and resurrection, nor did he know about the coming of the Holy Spirit. Priscilla and Aquila taught him the right gospel.

Armed with the new doctrine, Apollos crossed the Aegean Sea to Achaia where he preached mighty. He refuted the Jews who did not believed that Jesus was the Messiah. The phrase “mightily convinced” the Jews implies that a great number of Jews came to Christ through his witness.

Questions/Answers
Who was Apollos?
Apollos was a learned and eloquent Jew from Alexandria in Egypt and an influential leader in the early church. He was an early disciple of John the Baptist.

All Scripture references are from the King James Version

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Acts Chapter 17

Paul Preaches in Thessalonica/Founding a New church

After departing Philippi, Paul followed the road that led to Greece, first going through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and then coming to the town of Thessalonica. There, in line with his usual custom, he went into the Jewish synagogue to preach Christ. The city of Thessalonica was one of the wealthiest and most influential cities in Macedonia. This is the first city Paul visited where his teachings attracted a large group of socially prominent citizens. For three Sabbaths, Paul expounded the scriptures foretelling that Christ would suffer for our sins and rise again. The effect on his hearers was to force a decision to believe or not believe. Among the Jews, some believed, but among the God-fearing Gentiles, the number was large including some of the upper class women.

Paul’s success provoked an angry reaction among the Jews who did not believe. The root motive of their opposition was envy, as it had been years before when unbelieving Jews denounced Paul in Antioch of Pisidia. Paul’s opponents in Thessalonica foresaw that the followers of Paul’s teaching would band together and choose their own leaders that perhaps they would even turn away from the synagogues and its leaders. They were afraid of losing their power and influence. The unbelieving Jews waged a campaign against Paul and his companions that can best be described as vicious. They found allies among “lewd fellows of the baser sort”–in other words, thugs. By gathering a crowd of citizens and hounding them with false accusations against the Apostles, they managed to whip the people in to a state of rage.

Looking for places where they might find Paul they attacked the home of one named Jason, a believer. Not finding Paul and his team, they refused to leave empty-handed, they seized Jason with some believers and dragged them before the rulers of the city (remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16:16-24). The Jewish leaders had difficulty manufacturing an accusation that would be heard by the city government. The Romans did not care about theological disagreements between the Jews and Paul. Treason, on the other hand was a serious offense in the Roman Empire. Although Paul and Silas were not advocating rebellion against Roman law, their loyalty to another King (Christ Jesus), sounded suspicious.

The leaders evidently decided that the charges were exaggerated, instead of taking Jason and the believers into custody, they released them after they posted bail. Seeing that Paul and his missionary team were in danger the believers sent them on to the next city, Berea, which is one step closer to Athens. Paul’s first move to evangelize Berea followed his usually pattern, he started in the synagogues and preached Jesus. Here, Paul founded the people very receptive of his message for they searched the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul spoke of were true. Many upper class Greek women and a few Greek men were persuaded by Paul’s words.

The enemy (Satan) was not going to allow Paul’s victory in Berea to go uncontested. The enemy brought news of what Paul was doing back to his enemies (unbelievers) in Thessalonica. Some of the unbelievers rushed to Berea to stop Paul. Knowing that the trouble these unbelievers would stir up against Paul, the believers insisted he leave town. Yet they all realized that wherever Paul went his enemies was sure to follow and disrupt his work again. Paul left the city of Berea on the road leading to the closest sea port. His enemies would assume that he was leaving Greece and returning to Asia Minor. But then he changed course and headed toward Athens. With him were some Berean brothers. He left Silas and Timothy behind in Berea so that they may further strengthen the new church. Silas and Timothy could safely remain because the enemies of the new teachings regarded Paul as the chief target. Silas and Timothy would join Paul later.

Paul had now reached the capital of Greek civilization, Athens. The glory of Greece was fading in Paul’s day and even Athens, the proud center of Hellenism, was past its glory days. Even so, it was still a vital cultural center with a world famous university. Many of its famous buildings were built during the days of Pericles (461-429 B.C). Beautiful as the buildings were, Paul could not enjoy them because he was greatly distressed to see the city full of idols. Every where Paul looked he witnessed sculptured representations of gods and goddesses. Undeterred by what he saw, Paul began a one man assault on this stronghold of unbelief. Paul’s fight would be on two fronts: in the synagogues and in the marketplace. As was his usual practice, he first went into the synagogues and sought to win both the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles. Luke only records that Paul disputed with them. He does not say that he won any over to the new gospel. Paul also preached Christ daily in the marketplace, known as the Agora, to a group that gathered there.

The primary antagonists of Paul in the Agora were the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When these philosophers encountered Paul they began to dispute with him. Some called him a babbler and wanted to know what Paul was trying say. Others remarked he seemed to be advocating foreign gods. This response was due to their inability to grasp Paul’s doctrine of Christ and the resurrection; this was totally foreign to their thinking. The philosophers took Paul to the Areopagus, which means “Mars Hill”. This was the meeting place of the council of the Areopagus, where the supreme body for judicial and legislative matters in Athens was held. The council wanted to know about Paul’s teachings which were strange to their ears. The Athenians and foreign residents loved to debate the latest ideas. This openness gave Paul an opportunity to preach his message of Christ.

Paul did not begin by reciting Jewish history as he usually did for this would have been meaningless to his Greek audience. Paul begins with the observation that they were very religious. When he thought of the idols he had seen, Paul was reminded of an altar with the inscription: to the unknown god. Paul saw in the inscription the recognition of two important facts: First, the fact of the existence of God and second, the fact that the Athenians were ignorant of him. Paul introduced God as the one who made the world and everything in it. As he looked around on the numerous idol temples nearby, the Apostle reminded his hearers that the true God does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is he dependant on the service of men’s hands because God is the source of life, breath, and all things.

Paul was stressing the basic kinship of all men perhaps to overcome Greek prejudice against a Jewish preacher of a Jewish Messiah. Holding themselves to be superior, the Greek would have been tempted to reject Paul’s teachings simply because he was not Greek and Jesus was not Greek. Paul reminded them that all men have blood; in other words, that Jews were no less men than they were. Paul continued by explaining why God created man. The Greeks did not imagine that the gods had a strong interest in the human race. But Paul introduced the exciting idea that God actually care for man–that God wants a relationship with man, and that is the precise reason man was created; to find Him and enjoy His fellowship. Paul added that God is not far away from us. God is known in His creation and He is close to everyone. But He is not trapped in His creation–He is transcendent. God is the creator, not the creation. This means that God is sovereign and in control while at the same time He is close and personal.

Having laid the groundwork for his final appeal, Paul told briefly what God, who is man’s creator, expects from man. In the past, God allowed the Greeks and other nations to continue in ignorance. The translation “winked at” is a bad translation. It suggests that God looked upon paganism with a kindly tolerance. The right translation is “overlooked.” The meaning is that God chose not to bring immediate judgment on the nations, although they deserved His judgment because they neglected Him. Paul declared that the time for removing their ignorance was here. God commanded every man to repent of their sins or face judgment that will surely come.

God has appointed a day of judgment and appointed a Judge. The Judge would be a man, but not an ordinary man. God certified this man by raising Him from the dead. Paul’s sermon received a mixed reaction: some reacted to his sermon with out right mockery; others treated Paul with a little more respect by insisting they would listen to him at some later time. But Paul evidently viewed their words as merely an excuse to get away from listening to him for he walked away and made no effort to witness to them again. As Paul walked away, a small band of Greeks followed him and identified themselves with Christ. Among them was Dionysius the Areopagit. His name means that he was a member of the court that had just heard Paul’s teachings. The leading woman who believed in Christ was Damaris. Besides these two, there were others as well, so Paul did not view his time in Athens as a complete failure.

Questions/Answers
1. What does the word agora mean?
Agora means “market place” which contained more open space and was designed to be the center of public life.

2. Who were the Epicureans?
They were Greek philosophers who belonged to a school founded by Epicurus about 306 B.C. Their aim in life was pleasure. The Epicureans believed they could find happiness by seeking that which brought physical and mental pleasure and by avoiding that which brought pain.


3. What is Stoicism?
The doctrine of the Stoics is a Greek school of philosophy that taught that human being should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, submissive to natural law, and calmly accepting all things as the result of divine will.

4. Who was Dionysius the Areopagit?
Areopagit was a member of the supreme council of Athens. He became a Christian after hearing Paul’s sermon. Nothing else is known of him except tradition. One tradition says he was martyred in Athens during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Domitian.

5. Who was the woman named Damaris?
Damaris was a women converted by Paul’s sermon in Athens on mars hill. The fact that she is mentioned with Dionysius the Areopagit may suggest that she was a woman of distinction.

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Acts Chapter 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas/Philippian Jailer Converted

At the close of chapter 15 we saw Paul and Barnabas parted ways after disputing about taking John Mark on their missionary journey. Paul departed with Silas, a leader in the Jerusalem church, and traveled to Derbe and Lystra, cities where Paul and Barnabas had visited on their first missionary journey (Acts 14: 6-7). From Derbe he retraced the steps of his first missionary journey in reverse order, going next to Lystra. In Lystra Paul found a young man named Timothy (Timotheus). 2 Tim. 1:5 informs us that Timothy was raised by his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice who were Jews. Timothy’s father was a Greek which was a known fact in the cities of Lystra and Derbe. Paul sought to take Timothy with him on his second missionary journey, but the fact that Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father this to the Jews, meant that he was a half-breed like a Samaritan. The hindrance to using Timothy as a helper did not arise, however, because he was a half-breed. The hindrance came between everyone knew he was not a circumcised Jew.

Paul realized that if he brought a man like Timothy into the ministry some Jews would raise an objection. Yet everyone knew that Paul did not require circumcision of converted Gentiles. In every city that Paul visited he read the decrees of the Jerusalem council, exempting new converts from circumcision. To silence any possible objections to Timothy presence on the missionary team, Paul took and circumcised him. Timothy was not required to submit to circumcision, but he voluntarily did this to overcome any barriers to his witness for Christ. The phrase “and so were the churches established in faith” does not imply that Paul had just established these churches, but that the churches already there were “strengthened” and increased in numbers daily.

The missionary team then ventured out into new territory. They entered the heart of Asia Minor and toured the regions of Phrygia and Galatia. They then decided to swing south, toward the major cities in the lower portion of Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit refused them permission to go in that direction. Then after moving westward into Mysia, they thought of turning north along a course that would take them into Bithynia, the province along the Black sea. But again the Spirit denied them. The only way left was for them to go toward the west. So, they moved on to Troas on the northwestern side of Asia Minor. Why did the Spirit prevent the Apostles from going south and north, but allowed them to go west? The Holy Spirit was leading them out of Asia Minor altogether. The Spirit wanted them to take a great leap and take the gospel to another continent, the continent of Europe.

At Troas, Paul had a vision that came to him at night. He saw a man of Macedonia (a Roman province) who called out for help. The next day Paul had no doubt that the vision came from God. Before leaving Asia, Paul and Silas added an important member to their team. In verse 10 Luke uses the pronoun “we”. This is the first occurrence of the first-person pronoun in the book of Acts. In a humble way, Luke wants little attention as possible. He joined Paul on the eve of his departure for Europe. For many years to come Luke will be a faithful companion of Paul. Immediately they set sail for Macedonia. Leaving from Troas, they went straight to the island of Samothrace, midway between Asia and Europe, and the next day they arrived at Neapolis, a port city in the province of Thracia. A short journey to the west brought them to Philippi, an important city of Macedonia. Unlike many cities in the region, it was a Roman colony, therefore, its culture was predominantly Roman (Latin) rather than Greek.

On the Sabbath day, Paul and his companions were searching for people to preach the gospel when they discovered that certain women who revered the God of Israel met every Sabbath beside a river for prayer. They went to the meeting place and began speaking to the women assembled there. One named Lydia, originally from Thyatira in Asia Minor but now a resident of Philippi, listened carefully to the words of Paul. She was a successful business woman who sold purple fabric, which was one of the chief products of Philippi. The Lord opened her heart to the words of Paul and she believed his words gladly. Then she must have gone home and brought her whole family to hear the Apostles for we read that soon after her conversion, apparently on the same day, her household came to Christ. Since the Scripture does not mention her husband, we can surmise that she herself was head of the household. Immediately she and her household were baptized according to the practice of the early church.

Being grateful for the message of salvation, she insisted that they stay for awhile at her home. Her ability to furnish them with a place to stay may suggest that she was a wealthy woman. It is interesting to note here that Luke does not mention Paul and company visiting any Synagogues. One day a girl followed the Apostles who cried out repeatedly, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation”. She was perfectly correct, but Paul resented her words and became grieved. Why? She was possessed by the Devil, a spirit of divination. That is, the evil spirit within her enabled her to tell people’s fortunes. Finally Paul had enough and turning toward the possessed young girl commanded in the name of Jesus Christ that the demon depart from her. The translation, “and he came out the same hour”, leave the impression that the demon did not obey until an hour later. That is not the meaning of the statement. The meaning is that the demon left without delay, at the very same time Paul spoke his command.

The girl did not have her own fortune-teller business. Rather she was a slave working to earn money for her master who was an occultic pimp. After the demon left her work in divination vanished. The change was so quick that when her customers discovered she had no more power they stopped seeking her counsel. His income dried up and he was furious. Paul and Silas was arrested and charged with disturbing the city. The charges against them were vague at the least. In the Roman Empire, there were two very different laws: one for citizens of Rome and one for those who were not citizens. Roman citizens had specific civil rights which was zealously guarded. As were the non-citizens civil rights were subject to whims of both the multitude and the magistrate. Roman law permitted Jews to practice their religion, but not to proselytize Roman citizens.

Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrate and ordered that they be beaten with rods. The beating was extremely severe, amounting to “many stripes”. Then the magistrate cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them under tight security. To assure they would not escape, the jailer put them into the deepest part of the prison (dungeon), and put their feet in stocks. During the midnight hour while incarcerated in prison, Paul and Silas were in prayer and singing praises to God. Their confinement together became a worship service. Their torment became rejoicing. The whole prison heard their voices. At midnight, the two servants of God would be vindicated. God sent a great earthquake that rocked the foundation of the prison, opening every door and loosened every chain. Nothing could prevent Paul and Silas’ escape as well as the other prisoners. The jailer wakened from his sleep by the trembling of the prison, came quickly and found all the cell doors open. The jailer assumed that all the prisoners had made their escape. The jailer knew full well what the penalty was for losing a prisoner. He therefore resolved to kill himself in a more dignified manner. He took out his sword with the intent of falling upon it.

Before he could commit suicide, Paul called out to the jailer not to harm himself assuring him that all the prisoners were accounted for. Finding the prisoners in place, the jailer fell at the feet of Paul and Silas with inexpressible gratitude and asked “what must I do be saved?” The answer of the Apostles is a classic statement of the gospel in its simplest form: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thou house”. They emphasized the need to believe on Jesus’ full name, which distinguishes him from all the Jesuses that have been invented by false religions. The jailer and the jailer’s whole family received the truth of Paul’s gospel gladly, becoming disciples of Christ. The jailer showed compassion for his new brothers in Christ, by washing their wounds. As soon as they were able the jailer and his household were baptized by Paul and Silas. The jailer took the former prisoners home and set meat before them rejoicing.

On the morning after an earthquake strikes a city, there is much turmoil as people assess damage and look for victims. But Luke’s account gives no hint that the city suffered any effects of the earthquake. The magistrates met and reconsidered what they had done. They had punished two men without due process. To protect themselves, they immediately sent their sergeants to the jailer with word to release Paul and Silas. Paul was not willing, however, to pass over the injustice without protest. For the first time, he revealed that he and Silas were Roman citizens. Paul informed the jailer that they had been mistreated not only by being denied a trial, but also by being subject to an illegal punishment. Roman citizens were protected by law from a beating or any other punishment that brought them into public disgrace.

Not leaving quietly, Paul insisted that the magistrates come themselves and release him and Silas. Such a gesture would be an admission that they had acted without cause. Paul’s ultimatum was effective. When told that they were Roman citizens, the magistrates became afraid. They went to the prison and begged Paul and Silas to depart the city. Now that Paul had made his point, he was ready to leave. After a brief visit at the house of Lydia, where they met the believers and consoled them because circumstances would not allow them to remain, they departed from Philippi and journeyed toward the south.

Questions/Answers:
1. What does the word “divination” mean?
Divination implies occult practices such as fortune-telling and witchcraft which was common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. Deuteronomy 18:10-11 mentions the following specific occult practices that were forbidden by the Law of Moses.

2. What did the Apostles means by the phrase “and thy house”?
Some in tradition of covenant theology used this statement to support the idea that even the unsaved children of Christian parents participate in a covenant relationship with God. But this is not the true meaning of the phrase. The Apostles were merely explaining who could be saved by believing on Jesus Christ. At first they said “thou”. Then by attaching the phrase “and thy house”, they broadened the invitation to include the man’s family. The proof that this is the right interpretation is what happened next. The Apostles witness to his family with the evident desire that they believe also.

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Acts Chapter 15

The Jerusalem Council/Circumcision Question Answered

Not long after Paul and Barnabas finished their missionary work and returned to Antioch, the church there was visited by some believers from Judea. They were evidently men of high reputation because church leaders allowed them to address the brethren. When they stood before the assembly, they began teaching a doctrine that the people in Antioch had never heard before. They said the Gentile could not be saved unless he was circumcised. What they really meant was that a Gentile who converted to faith in Christ had to become a Jew. The real problem for the Jewish Christians was not over whether Gentiles could be saved, but whether Gentiles had to adhere to the laws of Moses. They were worried because soon there would be more Gentile than Jewish Christians, and the Jews were afraid of weakening moral standards among believers if they did not follow Jewish laws. Paul, Barnabas and other church leaders believed that the Old Testament laws were important, but it was not a prerequisite to salvation. The law cannot save; faith in Jesus Christ is what a person must have to be saved.

The teaching that the uncircumcised Gentiles could not be saved caused a great stir among the people. If the men from Judea were correct, then all the work that Paul and Barnabas accomplished was for nothing because they did not circumcised anyone. Therefore, Paul and Barnabas opposed their teaching vigorously. When Luke says that there was “no small dissension and disputation,” he means that the debate threatened to tear the church apart. Whether these men from Judea were saved, we do not know for sure. But they were certainly Satan’s tools. He gained control of them by working on their pride. Conviction based on one’s trust in God’s word is one thing, conviction based on confidence in tradition, education and lifelong habits are another. These Pharisees who wanted to circumcise the Gentiles were simply asserting themselves. They felt they were God’s chosen defenders of truth. They set themselves against men such as Paul and Barnabas, the true defenders of the gospel truth.

The New Testament is filled with warnings against false doctrine. Three of its characteristics are illustrated in the dispute that arose at Antioch. First, it normally enters the church through leaders who look like real Christians (Matt. 7:15-20; 2 Pet. 2:1-2). Their motivation is never wholesome or benevolent. Rather, they are moved by wickedness, whether pride, greed, or lust (2 Pet. 2:10, 13-14). Eventually they draw people out of the church into a heretical cult (1 John 2:18-19). In Acts 15 we do not see anyone leave the church, but the false doctrine that first appeared in this chapter later produced a schism. Even after the Apostles declared that Gentiles need not be circumcised, some Jewish believers persisted in teaching the opposite and aggressively spread their doctrine. They targeted churches established by Paul and tried to convince the converts that they needed to become circumcised Jews.

As the believers in Antioch heard the dispute between the men from Judea and Paul, they were uncertain who was right. Wanting to follow the right doctrine, they decided to send Paul and Barnabas along with others to consult with the Apostles in Jerusalem. The delegation did not go straight to their destination. They took the round about way and went through Phoenicia and then Samaria. Their purpose was to visit as many churches as possible and to share the exciting news that many Gentiles had received the gospel. Coming finally to Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas again told of the wonderful work of God’s blessings on their missionary journeys. The reception of Paul and Barnabas in Jerusalem was less enthusiastic than in other churches. Jerusalem was a city that was basically run by the powerful Pharisaical party that openly and strongly opposed the message that the Apostles preached. They immediately opposed Paul and Barnabas. They understood that they preached to the Gentiles, but they did not circumcise them, thus they were not Jews. With the dispute going no where the church leaders decided to gather and hammer out an official position. Even among the leaders there was a difference of opinion. Finally, Peter took the floor and rendered his judgment. He presented three arguments. He reminded the church that God had sent him down to Cornelius house (a Gentile, see Acts 10 ) so that by his mouth Cornelius and his household should hear the gospel. When they heard the gospel, the Lord gave them the Holy Spirit just as He had gave the Spirit to the Jews. Peter’s great point was that even though they received the Holy Spirit by faith, they were not circumcised. If God saved the Gentiles at Cornelius’s house without circumcision, why should the church impose circumcision on anyone else? Peter reminded them that the Law of Moses had always been a burden upon the backs of the people (Jews) which they could never bear themselves, how could they expect the Gentiles to bear it? Peter stated that Jews no less than Gentiles are saved by grace. Salvation is for anyone–Jew or Gentile, it is by God’s grace (vs.11) and is by faith (vs. 9; see Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8).

Then Paul and Barnabas raised and spoke of the miracles that God had enabled them to perform among the Gentiles. These miracles were proof that their missionary journeys had the blessings and backing of God. As an act of grace, God showed Himself to the Gentiles so that they might believe on Him. Thus, they were saved by grace and not by their own merit or works. After they spoke, James the church leader (the Lord’s brother), whose voice carried a lot of weight rose to address the church. James refers to Peter’s mission to Cornelius’ house to show Peter that there were no longer a separation between Jew and Gentile. He reminded the church that salvation of the Gentiles was prophesied in the Old Testament. He quotes Amos 9:11-12, which states that God’s ultimate purpose is to bring people into the house of God from all over the world. James sided with Peter’s judgment that to impose circumcision upon the Gentiles converts would be wrong. It would merely trouble them and discourage them from continuing in the ways of God.

James entered a motion that the council send the gentiles a command to observe three rules: (1) that they abstain from pollution of idols–in other words, that they refrain from eating meat previously dedicated to a pagan god, (2) that they abstain from fornication, and (3) that they consume no blood, whether in liquid form or in meat from strangled animals. By “things strangled” he meant animals from which the blood had not been properly drained (Lev. 17:10-14). Missing from these rules was the rite of circumcision. James concluded his statement that the new rules would not lead to the neglect of the Old Testament. The writings of Moses would continue to be read and revered wherever there were Jews. The letter sent by the Apostles and elders confirmed the findings of the council. The church’s admiration for Paul and Barnabas is evident by the words our dear friends and their acknowledging that Paul and Barnabas risked their lives for our Lord Jesus Christ. Significantly, the letter referred to the Holy Spirit as the author in this truth. There were two other men that traveled with Paul and Barnabas. One named Judas (surnamed Barsabas) and Silas, both leaders of the church in Jerusalem.

Although the letter was written to all the churches, the place where the controversy began was Antioch. They went straight to the city of Antioch. After reading the letter and hearing the good news of the council decision the multitude, both Jews and gentiles, responded with much rejoicing. Judas and Silas stayed in Antioch so that they might continue the work of strengthening the believers. After spending some time in Antioch, Paul approached Barnabas and suggested that they go back to Asia Minor and revisit the churches they had established. Barnabas agreed and began to make ready for the trip. Barnabas considered taking along John Mark, the same John Mark who had forsaken them on their first missionary journey (13:13). Paul objected to taking John Mark along because he did not think of him as trustworthy. Both of these great men could not agree. They parted with Barnabas taking John Mark and Paul choosing Silas. The church at Antioch knew Paul well so Paul and Silas were commended by the brothers to the grace of God. They traveled to Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.

Questions/Answers:
1. Who were the men in verse 1 that came down from Judea with this new teaching?
These men were called Judaizers who came preaching that the Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to receive salvation. In other words, they must become Jews. They opposed Paul’s teaching and found it difficult to set aside a tradition of gaining merit with God by keeping the law. This is why the Jerusalem council had to take up the issue.

2. What was the importance of circumcision?
Circumcision was a covenant God made with Abraham that set the nation of Israel apart from the Gentile nations (Gen. 17:10-14).

3. Who is Simeon in vs. 14?
Simeon is another name for the Apostle Peter (Matt. 16:17).

4. Who is Silas?
Silas was a prominent member of the Jerusalem church and a companion of Paul. He was with Paul on his second missionary journey. In Paul’s Thessalonians letters he refers to Silas as Silvanus. (Acts 16:19, 25, 29; 17:4, 14-15; 18:5; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1).

5. Who was Judas (surnamed Barsabas)?
Judas was a disciple in the Jerusalem church.

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Acts Chapter 14

The Gospel Message to a New City

After leaving Antioch in Asia Minor, Paul and Barnabas moved inland to Iconium, another city where the population was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. They then followed their familiar pattern of evangelism; they went into the synagogues first. For many weeks, they declared Christ to the Jews and God-fearers who gathered for worship. Their preaching was a huge success. The number who believed among the Jews and Gentiles were a great multitude. The success of the Apostles did not come without opposition from the unbelieving Jews. Some of the Jews resented the new teachings and angrily rejected it. In their daily interaction with the Gentiles, they slandered Paul and Barnabas causing even the Gentiles to rise up against them. Even though God gave the Apostles the power to do great miracles as proof that it was of His power, the people was still divided. Because of the hostilely of the unbelieving Jews and the threat to stone them, Paul and Barnabas fled into Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia. There they began to preach the gospel .While preaching in Lystra Paul encountered a man who was lame from birth. Paul being filled with the Holy Spirit perceived that the lame man had faith to be healed and commanded the man to stand upright and walk.

The miracle led to results Paul and Barnabas never anticipated. By the miracle being performed in a public place and in a short time, everybody knew about it. The people flocked to the Apostles claiming that they were gods who came down from heaven in the likeness of men. The town folks even had names for them. Barnabas was called Jupiter and Paul was called Mercurius. Jupiter and Mercurius were two popular gods in the Roman world. There was a local tradition that these two gods had visited the city once in the past and seeing what took place, they decided that they had come again. When Paul and Barnabas saw the priest bring a sacrifice they recognized that things had gotten out of control. They rush among the people and rent (torn) their clothes crying out that they should stop because they were mere ordinary men such as themselves. Paul told them that God has never been far from their lives. He has always been the source of every good thing. From Him came refreshing rain, plenty harvests and satisfying food. Until now He had allowed the nations to walk in their own way. Even then, however they had evidence of the existence of God in creation and in providence. Paul message had its desired result. The people reluctantly ceased from their intention of offering sacrifices to the Apostles.

Jews from Pisidia Antioch and Iconium caught up with Paul and Barnabas in Lystra. They succeeded in turning the people against them. The same crowd that wanted to reverence them as gods now stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that they had killed him. The Scripture does not tell us if Paul was really dead, but what it does tell us is the commitment of the man named Paul. Paul and Barnabas departed for Derbe the next day. In Derbe, the Apostles had the rare opportunity to preach in peace without opposition. They saw many turn to Christ and they were able to spend time discipling them. Afterward, they traced their steps through the cities where they had already established churches. It appears that they entered each city unnoticed and stayed only a short time because there is no record of further opposition. Yet, they stayed long enough to accomplish several key objectives: (1) They “confirmed” (strengthened) the believers by teaching sound doctrine, (2) hey warned them that the only path to the kingdom of God leads to many days of trouble; (3) They ordained elders for every church. That is, they chose men who could serve as pastor-teachers and (4) they gave time to prayer and fasting. The theme of their prayer was to seek God’s blessing upon His work. After returning home (Antioch of Syria) and without delay, they summoned the whole church and told them everything that happened on their missionary journey (mainly how God open the doors to the Gentiles to receive salvation). Paul and Barnabas lodged in Antioch for a good long time.

Questions/Answers:
1. What does the word “rent” means?
Tearing or pulling garments apart, often as a sign of mourning: Gen. 37:34; Lev. 10:6; 21:10; 1 Sam. 4:12 etc., repentance: Gen. 37:29; Josh. 7:6 etc., blasphemy: Matt. 26:65; Mark 14:63.

2. Who were Jupiter and Mercurius?
Jupiter the Latin name of Zeus king of the Greek gods. The King James Version translates Zeus as Jupiter. Mercurius in the King James (Mercury) was the Greek god of commerce, science, invention, and cunning. He also served as messenger and herald for the other gods. Hermes was identified by the Romans with Mercury.

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Acts Chapter 13

Saul and Barnabas Are Commissioned by God

Acts chapter 13: 28-31 deals with the ministry to the Gentiles and the spread of the church around the world. Paul replaces Peter as the central figure in the book. Paul completes three missionary journeys and ends up imprisoned in Jerusalem and transported to Rome to stand trial. The city of Antioch becomes the central base of operation. The book of Acts ends, abruptly, showing that the history of the church is not yet complete.

In Acts 12:25 we learned that Saul, Barnabas and John Mark were all at the church at Antioch after returning from delivering the gift of support to the church in Judea. Saul and Barnabas were among the teachers and prophets there. Luke names three of the disciples there. They were Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, and one named Manaen. What is notable about this group is their racial, cultural and social diversity. Two are from North Africa (Simeon & Lucius), one is from Cyprus (Barnabas), one from Tarsus (Paul), one is from the holy land (John Mark), and the other (Manaen) Luke does not inform us where he is from. We know much about Barnabas (5:36; 11:22). Simeon called Niger (which means “black”) may have been the same Niger that carried the cross for Christ (Luke 23:26). Lucius of Cyrene was probably one of the men from Cyrene who first took the gospel to the Gentiles in Antioch (11:20). Manaen had ties to the royal family of Herod the great, ruler of the Jews when Jesus was born. In Greek, the expression “brought up with Herod” implies that they were childhood friends. This Herod Antipas was the one that beheaded John the Baptist and sent Jesus back to Pilate (Mark 6:14-29; Luke 23:6-12).

With the death of Herod, the church was again free to preach the gospel. The last great advancement in winning souls had been the addition of many Gentiles to the church in Antioch. Antioch (this Antioch is of Syria) will now become the springboard for the next great advancement. The Holy Spirit directed the Disciples to separate Saul and Barnabas for the work he has for them. He did not reveal exactly what that work would be. Rather, they would find out as they followed His (Holy Spirit) day-by day direction. The church spent much time in prayer and fasting. No doubt they asked God for strength and protection for them as they prepared to travel to dangerous places preaching the gospel. After praying and fasting, they laid hands on them. The laying of hands in this instance does not constitute ordination, but separation for a special task and the approval of its mission. The events leading to Saul’s first missionary journey show the way God usually puts new missionaries in the field. (1) God impressed on Saul and Barnabas his desire that they serve him as missionaries, (2) He confirmed to the church that these men were indeed called by God, (3) The church prayed for God’s blessings on their work, and (4) The church sent off the missionaries with the laying on of hands.

Saul and Barnabas traveled to the port city of Seleucia on the Mediterranean. The first place they went was Cyprus where the Jews had already heard the gospel. In Salamis, one of the principle cities, they followed a strategy that Saul used throughout his years of ministry. They focused on the Jews first, going into all the Synagogues and preaching on the Sabbath. John Mark became the third member. Saul and Barnabas eventually made their way to Paphos, another principle city on the island. This Paphos was the capital of Cyprus. They went to the home of the governor, Sergius Paulus, described as a “prudent man”. That is, he was wise and discerning and he took an interest in the message of Saul and Barnabas. Yet he had come under the influence of another Jewish religious teacher, a false prophet and sorcerer named Bar-Jesus, also called Elymas. The fact that he was Jewish is not surprising because many Jews engaged in various forms of magical practices during this era. As Saul and Barnabas preached to the Governor, Elymas realized that if the governor believed in Jesus he would be out of a job. He stood and tried to argue with them. Finally, Saul grew so annoyed that he sharply rebuked Elymas, calling him a child of the devil and an enemy of righteousness. Saul who is now called Paul, called on the Lord to strike Elymas with blindness for “a season” (that is, temporarily). He immediately lost his sight. The motive behind Saul’s harsh treatment of Elymas was not anger or spite. Saul was controlled not by the flesh but by the Holy Spirit. Paul remembered his experience on the road to Damascus that blindness is very useful for humbling a proud man. He brought physical blindness on Elymas in hope that it would open his spiritual eyes. After witnessing this event, the governor believed and came to the Lord.

With their success in Paphos Paul and Barnabas now sailed from there, intending to take the gospel to the vast unreached regions of Asia Minor. They landed on the southern coast at Perga in Pamphylia. For some reason not given, John Mark decided not to go along. Instead of giving more help to the cause, he went back to Jerusalem. Years later, Paul still viewed him as a quitter, but eventually Mark regained Paul’s respect. Paul and Barnabas did not stay in Perga, but traveled inland a short way to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they found the local Synagogue and sat down with the congregation. The service went according to custom. First, there was a reading from the Old Testament Scripture. Then, there was a sermon explaining and applying it. Recognizing Paul and Barnabas as teachers the rulers invited them to address the congregation. Paul accepting the invitation stood up to address the audience. In his opening words he addressed two kinds of people in the audience. There were Jews and there were “God fearers”. The term “God fearers” was a common way of describing Gentiles who regularly attended a Synagogue and worshipped the God of Israel.

Like Stephen’s sermon before the Sanhedrin, Paul began with a review of the nation’s history. The lesson Stephen drew from this history was that the nation had always been rebellious. Paul on the other hand wanted to extract a very different lesson. He wanted to show God’s purpose in always being gracious to Israel. God had shepherd and preserved the nation so that someday it could produce the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Paul reminded the Jews of God’s disclosure to David and the Prophets that the Messiah would come from David’s line. Paul now made the sensational announcement that he had been preparing his audience to accept, that the Christ (Greek for “Messiah”) had recently come. He was Jesus. In just a few words, Paul presented a strong case that Jesus was the Christ. He was David’s seed, that is, a descendant of David. The Apostles could declare this fact without fear of contradiction because the truth was well known. During His lifetime, the crowds hailed Him as the Son of David (Matt.12:23; 9:27). John the Baptist, a man all Jews accepted as a Prophet of God, testified that Jesus was the Christ. John said that he was not worthy even to tie Jesus’ shoelace (Matt.3:11). In rejecting Jesus and sending Him to His death, the Jewish leaders brought to pass exactly what Scripture prophesied (Isaiah 53:5).

Paul explained that God raised Jesus from the dead. He then appeared to His own followers so that they could declare to all that He was alive (Acts 3:15; 10:39-41). Jesus’ resurrection fulfilled several prophecies in the Old Testament. Paul emphasized David’s prophecy in Psalm 16:10 that the Holy One would die, but not see corruption. The Jews though that David was speaking of himself, so Paul pointed out that David did see corruption after he died. Paul explained why it is important to believe in Jesus. By believing in Him, we gain two great benefits. First, we obtain forgiveness of sins and avoid the penalty we just deserve. Second, we are justified before God from all things which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. The Jews though they could be justified by the law, but Paul declared they were mistaken (Rom. 3:28; 1Cor. 1:30; Gal. 2:15-16; 3:11; Phi. 3:7-9). Paul’s closing words were a stern warning. He quoted from the book of Habakkuk chapter 1 verse 5, which he applied to the future day when Christ would die for the sins of the world. When the world heard what Christ had done, many would not believe. Whoever despised Him and despised the message of salvation would perish in his sins.

Paul’s sermon hit the mark for some. After, the service the Jews left first as was the custom. The Gentiles wanted to hear more of Paul’s message and asked Paul to return on the next Sabbath. As they left outside the Synagogue, many Jews and proselytes followed them and listen as the Apostles exhorted them “to continue in the grace of God”. As the Gentiles requested, Paul and Barnabas returned on the following Sabbath. Paul’s preaching the good news a week earlier had caused a stir that nearly every Jew and Gentile in the city came to hear Paul preach again .Seeing such a massive crowd of people, the Jewish leaders had a mixture of jealousy and fear. They resented the Apostles’ ability to draw far more people than ever came to hear them, and they feared that if the new teaching was widely accepted, they would lose control of the Synagogue. Leadership would slip away from them. Accusing them of blasphemy, Paul and Barnabas stood boldly and rebuked the leaders. They stated that it was their duty to preach the gospel to them first. But seeing that they denied the words of God and have judged themselves unworthy of receiving ever lasting life they will now go to the Gentiles. Paul quotes Isaiah 49:6, which prophesied that Christ would provide salvation not for the Jews only but for the whole world.

The Gentiles were delighted at this turn of events, that they glorified the word of the Lord. Many more Gentiles believed the message of salvation and were saved. The new believers were so excited about the gospel that they quickly spread the message to the whole surrounding region. Meanwhile in Antioch, the Jews hostile to the Apostles were busy trying to stop them. They enlisted on their side a number of prominent people, both men and women. The women were devout Jews, very attached to their religious traditions. The leaders and the prominent women had enough power to make Paul and Barnabas leave the city. Paul and Barnabas were not defeated. They merely shook the dust of Antioch off their shoes and went on to another city (Iconium) where they continued preaching the gospel.

Questions/Answers
What does it means “to shake the dust off your feet”?
Often Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving a Gentile town on the way back to their home. This symbolized cleansing themselves from contamination of those who did not worship the God of Israel. For Paul and Barnabas to do this to Jews implies that Jews who rejected the gospel were no better than pagans. Jesus had told His disciples to shake the dust off their feet of any village that would not accept or listen to them (Mark 6:11). The disciples were not to blame if the message was rejected as long as they had faithfully presented it.

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Acts Chapter 12

Herod Harasses the Church/James t he Apostle is Martyred

For several years after the conversion of Saul the church enjoyed some peace. Freedom from the persecutions allowed the church to grow. The disciples took the gospel to many places and won multitudes of Jews and Gentiles to Christ. The time of peace has now come to a close. Persecution will again raise its ugly head in the form one Herod Agrippa who was the most powerful ruler in the region. This is not the same Herod who slaughtered the infants in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:13-16), nor the same Herod who killed John the Baptist after John rebuked him for marrying his brother’s wife (Mark 6:14-29). Rather, Agrippa was the grandson of the first Herod (Herod the great) and the nephew of the second Herod (Herod Antipas). Agrippa was a skilled politician who made himself one of Caesar’s favorite .Caesar in turn granted him territory just as large as his grandfather’s, including the entire land of Palestine. While he pursued good relations with Rome he also sought the good favor of the Jewish leaders.

The time came when Herod decided to suppress the church. Herod might have unleashed a mass persecution, but instead he arrested one man, James the brother of John. James and John belonged to Jesus’ inner circle (Matt 17:1-17; 26:36-37; Mark 5:35-36; John 21:20; 19:25-27) which also included Peter. Herod’s arrest of James was an attempt to cripple the church, by striking down a leading figure. James was killed with “the sword” which implies like John the Baptist he was beheaded. Killing James the leader of the Jerusalem church would hopefully bring the others to a voice of silence. Delighted, the Jewish leaders loudly praised Herod for moving against the church. Getting their approval was what he (Herod) wanted, now he would step up his persecution by going after Peter a leader and the most vocal of the Apostles. Herod will deal with Peter at the opportune time.

Peter was arrested during the Passover (The day of unleavened bread which is a week long feast directly following Passover). This was a strategic move because there would be more Jews in the city than usual and now Herod could impress the most people. Peter was not killed on the spot because Herod wanted to wait until the end of the feast and then bring Peter before the people. He wanted to make a public spectacle out of Peter’s trial and execution. Peter being a high profile prisoner was delivered to four squads of soldiers and bounded with chains. All in all, sixteen soldiers guarded Peter. The church prayed fervently and without ceasing for the deliverance of Peter. It had been hard enough to lose Stephen and then James, but to lose their chief Apostle would have been devastating. The prayers of saints reached the ears of our Lord. Security at the prison was tight, escape seemed impossible (with God nothing is impossible) because Peter was sleeping between two soldiers chained to both of them, with a guard outside his cell. Every exit around the prison was guarded, and a large locked gate on the outside. But all of Herod’s measures were useless against God.

In the middle of the night, an angel of the Lord appeared to Peter (no one else heard a thing) and touch him and commanded him to rise and put on his cloak. It is interesting that Peter was sleeping like a baby. His ability to find rest on the night before his execution shows that he became a man of great courage and faith. Although the angel was instructing Peter and with the light in his cell, Peter is still half asleep thinking he is seeing a vision. After leading Peter out of the prison and through the front gate (which opened by itself), the angel departed. Peter finally come to his senses and realize that God has just delivered him from the hands of Herod. After his deliverance from prison by the angel of God Peter goes to the house of Mary where all are in prayer. Luke here mentions John Mark whom Saul/Paul identifies as the cousin of Barnabas (Col.4:10). This John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark. Like Saul/Paul John is his Jewish name and Mark is Greek name. Many scholars believe that this is the house where the 120 disciples received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-12). When Peter knocked on the door, a young women named Rhoda came to the door. Hearing the voice of Peter she was so overcome with joy that she never opened the door and left Peter outside, rushing back to tell the others that Peter was knocking at the door. The disciples did not believe her. Believing that the young Rhoda was mad, they tried to convince her it was Peter’s angel.

As Peter stood outside still knocking, someone at last beside Rhoda heard him. The disciples were amazed that Peter stood before them. They probably wanted to shout, but Peter motioned to keep quiet for fear they might awaken their neighbors and betray his presence. Peter began to tell them how the Lord delivered him from the hands of Herod. He wanted them to go quickly and report to James and other believers the series of events that just took place. This James is the brother of Jesus and the author of the Book of James. He assumed leadership of the Jerusalem church. Peter left the house of John Mark and went to another place which the Bible does not name. The following morning, the guards made an awesome discovery. The prisoner is gone. The guards are in a panic because they know what the dire consequences will be. Everyone would be punished which in turn meant death.

Herod is furious that his prized prisoner has escaped. After questioning the people involved he orders their executions. After this miraculous event, Herod leaves and goes down to Caesarea where he lives. Tyre and Sidon were coastal cities that were free and self-governing but economically dependent on Judea. We don’t know why Herod was displeased with them, but we see representatives from those cities trying to appease him through an intermediary named Blastus. Herod knew that when the people shouted out that he was the voice of a god and not a man, he should have refused such praised. He should have given God the glory, for his abilities as a ruler and an orator. Dressed in all his fine royal apparel and sitting upon his throne he accepted the title “god”. The angel of the lord struck him a deadly disease. Herod was literally eaten alive from the inside out by maggots or worms. After the death of Herod the church again enjoyed a time of peace. The church and the word of God continued to grow.

After depositing the famine relief money with the elders at Jerusalem (11:27-30), Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch. They took with them John Mark (13:5).

Questions/Answers?
Why was the Roman soldiers executed?
Under Roman law, if guards allowed their prisoners to escape they were subject to death. (See also Acts.16:16-34).

What is a damsel?
In the Hebrew it is the word “naarah” which implies a female child servant (Strong's 5291). In the Greek the word is “paidiske” which means female slave or servant (Strong's 3814)

Reference:
Strong, J. (1990). The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Nashville, TN: Nelson

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