READ IT! - Introduction to Acts 1-7

Readings for this week 

Monday: Acts 1

Tuesday: Acts 2

Wednesday: Acts 3

Thursday: Acts 4

Friday: Acts 5

Saturday: Acts 6

Sunday: Acts 7

Introduction to Acts 1-7

Context of Acts

Author:

Traditionally Luke, companion of Paul. The same person who wrote the Gospel ascribed to Luke, name unknown.

Date:

About A.D. 90.

Place of composition:

Unknown, perhaps Antioch or Ephesus

Audience:

Addressed, like Luke’s Gospel, to Theophilus, representing Gentile Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire.

Themes of Acts

The continuation of Luke’s Gospel 

An attempt to answer a theological problem, namely how the Messiah promised to the Jews came to have an overwhelmingly non-Jewish church

The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind the spread of the Christian message 

Chapter 1

Luke reminds his reader of where he left off in his former book. After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples many times over a period of forty days. At a meal, Jesus tells them not to leave Jerusalem until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit they have been promised to give them power to be his witnesses to the world. 

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They stood there staring, and two men in white clothes showed up and told them to stop staring because Jesus would come back in the same way he left. After the ascension, the eleven disciples return to the upper room where they had been staying, and they spend most of their time praying there, along with Jesus’ female disciples and his brothers and his mother Mary. 

Eventually, Peter tells everyone that they need to choose a new apostle to replace Judas Iscariot who had fulfilled the Scriptures by betraying Jesus and was now dead. Luke gives us some more information about Judas’ death here, saying that a field was bought with the blood-money he’d received, and that this field was the very place Judas had died. Luke adds that when Judas died, his body fell and burst open, and all of his intestines spilled out. 

The disciples nominated two men who had been with them from the time of John’s baptizing at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry – Joseph (aka Barsabbas or Justus) and Matthias. They prayed and cast lots and Matthias was chosen. 

Chapter 2

The Day of Pentecost was part of the Jewish system of festivals, and fell fifty days after the Passover. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 

Luke says that Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all over the world – Jews that spoke in different languages – but when they heard the disciples speaking to them in their own languages they were amazed and listened to what they had to say. But some made fun and said they were drunk.

Peter stands up and tells the gathering crowd that there’s no way they’re drunk since it’s only nine in the morning, but what is happening to them is the fulfillment of what God had promised through the prophet Joel, when he said that in the last days “your sons and daughters will prophesy” and later the sky will be filled with wonders and the sun will turn black and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved." 

We then see a presentation of The Gospel according to Peter 

Gospel Message Topics Mentioned: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: one half (an addendum to the message) 

Jesus’ life: 1 

Jesus’ death: 3 

Jesus’ resurrection: 6 

Jesus’ lordship: 2 

Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.

Luke tells us that all the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

Chapter 3

One day, Peter and John are walking into the Temple when they see a crippled man begging for money. Peter tells the man to look him in the face, and the man does, thinking he’s about to get a donation. And he commands the man to stand up on his feet and walk in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. The people there who saw this were amazed. 

Peter then presents the Gospel message to the onlookers.

Gospel Message Topics Mentioned: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: 2 

Jesus’ life: 1 

Jesus’ death: 2 

Jesus’ resurrection: 1 

Jesus’ lordship: 2 

Chapter 4

The priests and Sadducees got mad because the apostles were proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. So they put Peter and John in jail overnight. But many who heard believed - about five thousand men. The next day, they questioned Peter and John about their power. Luke says that Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit and he presented the Gospel message to them… and he concludes:

Jesus is

“‘the stone you builders rejected,

    which has become the cornerstone.’

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Gospel Message Topics Mentioned: 

Hell: 0 

Heaven: 0 

Sin: 0 

Jesus’ life: 0 

Jesus’ death: 1 

Jesus’ resurrection: 1 

Jesus’ lordship: 1 

The elders were amazed at the courage and knowledge of the two disciples since they were not highly educated, and they took note that they had learned everything they knew from Jesus. But they didn’t know what to do with them because it was obvious that they had performed a legitimate miracle in Jesus’ name. So they told them not to speak in the name of Jesus anymore, but Peter and John say, “Which is better in God’s eyes: to listen to Him or to listen to you?” So the elders threaten them some more and let them go.

Peter and John returned to the others and they all pray for boldness and miracles in Jesus’ name. After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

Luke then says that the first followers of Jesus did not consider their possessions to be their own but rather held them in common, in order to use what they had on behalf of those in want. For example, Barnabas, a Levite from Cyprus, sold a plot of land and donated the proceeds to the apostles. 

Chapter 5

Ananias and Sapphira, following Barnabas' example, also sold their land but secretly withheld a portion of the proceeds. But Peter calls Ananias out, asking him why he let Satan fill his heart with lies against the Holy Spirit. Peter points out that Ananias was in control of the money and could give or keep it as he saw fit, but had withheld a portion of it. Peter states that Ananias hadn’t lied to men, but to God, and then Ananias dies on the spot and is carried out, and everyone who hears about the incident is afraid. 

Three hours after Ananias' death his wife arrived, unaware of what had happened. Peter asked her the price of the land that she and Ananias had sold, and she stated the same untruthful price that Ananias had given. She also fell dead, apparently a punishment for deceiving God. 

What’s going on here? 

"Ananias and Sapphira" is a strange and disturbing story, but we must remember that all who belonged to the church both donated to the church and took a share of the donations made to the church for their own needs. These two were trying to rip everybody off by claiming to have less than what they really had in order to gain a bigger share to take from the church at the expense of the poor people who really needed help from the church. This story shows just how serious God is about the role of the church in looking out for the poor, and that those in the church who take advantage of the poor just to make themselves richer are as good as dead to him. 

Luke then says that the apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. Even Peter’s shadow healed people. They used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade, but no one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people and more and more came to believe.

The High Priest and the Sadducees were very jealous of the disciples, so they arrested them and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out and told them to proclaim new life in the temple courts. The Sadducees eventually find them out of jail and back to preaching in the Temple… and they’re like “huh?”

So the captain of the guard summons the disciples, nervous that the people would riot if he forced them to come with him, but the disciples go willingly. The elders lecture them, saying, “We told you not to teach in Jesus’ name again! You’re determined to make us look bad for having him killed!” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. 

But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Later, the Apostle Paul makes the claim that he was originally one of Gamaliel’s disciples. Gamaliel tells the Sanhedrin that they should leave the disciples of Jesus alone, because if Jesus was nobody special, then his disciples will eventually all fall away like every other movement, but if this movement is from God, they will not be able to stop these men and they will only find themselves fighting against God. 

So they flog them, order them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. But day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah. 

Chapter 6

Time goes by, and the church grows. Eventually, the Greek-speaking Jewish widows complain that they are being overlooked in favor of Aramaic-speaking Jewish widows during the food distribution process. So the Twelve disciples decide that they need help with this “waiting tables” ministry so they can focus on preaching the Gospel, and they appoint seven people to take their place here. They chose seven men who were wise and filled with the Spirit (they also spoke Greek) named: Stephen, Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas. 

Stephen performed miraculous signs and wonders among the people, but there was a group of Jews who saw him as competition – the Synagogue of the Freedmen. So they plotted against him and spread a rumor that Stephen had committed blasphemy. So the Jewish elders arrested Stephen and brought him in for questioning, and false witnesses accused him of teaching that Jesus would return to destroy the Temple and the traditions of Moses. The text says that all “who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” 

Chapter 7

The High Priest asks Stephen if the charges against him are true, and Stephen responds by giving everyone a history lesson… 

He starts with the History of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob… and then the History of Joseph… followed by the History of Moses… and then the History of the Exodus… and then the History of the Law… followed by the Temple history. But then he suddenly stops, and he begins accusing his accusers… calling them stiff-necked, uncircumcised, Spirit-resisting, law-breaking, prophet-persecuting, Messiah-murderers.

When they heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. They covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. 

Meanwhile, the text states that the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul… we’ll hear more about him later. 

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, like Jesus, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, like Jesus, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.”

And Saul approved of his death.