Luke has been journaling Paul’s mission into all the Greek and Roman world. We include a summary of Acts of the Apostles 1-20
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UPDATE: March 12, 2024 C.E.
The APOSTLE Paul is getting under way once more returning toward home from his FIVE-YEAR 3rd Missionary Journey.
~A.D. 47 – A.D. 55
NOW that we have begun 2024 C.E. lingering to consider Paul's letters to the Church, we join the Apostle on his return to Antioch and Jerusalem at the conclusion of his third missionary journey.
ALL dates are approximate & from various sources, but your comments with more precise dates are always welcome. - RH
MISSIONS Take Time
WE had been wintering with Paul as he writes LETTERS to disciples of JESUS Christ.
Synopsis of ACTS of the Apostles 13-20
The YEARS covered in this section of Luke’s historic account of the early church are approximately:
- A.D 47-49 – FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY
- A.D. 49-51 – SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
- A.D. 52-57 – THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY
3 Missionary Journeys of Paul (and others)
The FIRST missionary journey of Paul, Barnabas and Mark initially to Cypress from Antioch took place back in A.D. 47
First Missionary Journey
Barnabas [Joseph of Cypress] and Saul of Tarsus [Paul] sent out from Antioch.
So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
ACTS 13: v.4 ESV
Acts of the Apostles 18:
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Synopsis of ACTS 1-18
ACTS
(Luke’s history of the early Church)
Acts is.. the history of the mission of the early church. And we must continue on that mission.
Tony Merida, CHRIST-CENTERED Exposition + EXALTING JESUS IN ACTS
ACTS of the Apostles begins in ~ the year of our Lord 30.
A Chronological Context of Luke’s History of the Church
Let’s look at some providential events which led up to the First Missionary Journey of Paul and Barnabas from AD 47-49.
- ~A.D. 30
- He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. – Acts 1:9
- .. and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles. – 1:26
Pentecost
“the fiftieth day” .. celebrated at Jerusalem yearly, the seventh week after the Passover
– A.D. 30-32
Luke does not give us precise years in his account of Acts written about thirty years later, but the early growth of the Church through the power of the Holy Spirit has taken Jerusalem by storm. It's Jewish rulers had believed they had finally defeated the Son of Man Jesus, who in fact could not be defeated even by death.
“This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses..
Peter Preaching in the Temple on Pentecost + ACTS 2:32-36 Legacy Standard Bible
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
- So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. – ACTS 2:41
- .. And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house.. – 2:46
- In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene—walk!” – Peter & John preach in the temple after healing a lame beggar – ACTS 3
- “What should we do with these men? For the fact that a noteworthy sign has happened through them is apparent to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. – Question of the religious rulers of Jerusalem after Peter speaks to them – ACTS 4
apostles sent out
Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement) – ACTS 4:36
* Barnabas is about to become an important encouragement to many missions of the Church in ACTS of the Apostles.
Luke’s second account begins by focusing on The Twelve, especially Peter and John.
- You have not lied to men but to God. And as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and breathed his last; and great fear came over all who heard. – Peter in ACTS 5:4b-5
- Now at the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were happening among the people, and they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Portico.. [5:12-16]
- And more than ever believers in the Lord were added to their number, multitudes of men and women..
- Also the multitude from the cities in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
- And more than ever believers in the Lord were added to their number, multitudes of men and women..
- “The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!” – 5:25
“..but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or you may even be found fighting against God.”
Acts of the Apostles 5:39 – Counsel of Gamaliel to the Sanhedrin
- And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and proclaiming the good news that
- Jesus is the [anointed Messiah] Christ.
- εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν Χριστόν Ἰησοῦν
WHAT HAS BEEN THE CONTINUOUS TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES THESE TWO YEARS?
εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὸν Χριστόν Ἰησοῦν.
PREACHING euangelizō JESUS AS THE CHRIST christos.
‘Christ was and is the Messiah, the Son of God!‘
Anno Domini 32
- Grumbling from the [Greeks] Hellenists against the [Judeans & Galileans] Hebrews – ACTS 6
- The multitudes of the Church in Jerusalem chose: Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch as deacons. 6:5
- And the word of God kept on spreading, and the number of the disciples continued to multiply greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. 6:7
~A.D. 33-37
The mission of the Church was ignited by persecution of Christians by Jews and others.
- Believers forced to flee Jerusalem
- Zealous persecution of the Church and more martyred believers
- (Saul of Tarsus pursues believers beyond Jerusalem.)
- Philip the Evangelist preaches Christ in Samaria – Acts 8
- Peter and John go on a mission to Samaria
- Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit. 8:17
- Philip goes to Gaza where an Ethiopian official receives Christ
- Then from Ashdod Philip kept proclaiming the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.
~ A.D. 37
This is a really big deal that the risen JESUS has won Saul, the protégé of Jerusalem's most esteemed Pharisee. And Saul not only became a disciple of 'the Way,' but the Lord Jesus Christ anoints Saul of Tarsus as His Apostle to the Gentiles who would preach the Gospel throughout the empire of Rome.
A.D. 52. (ACTS 18)
I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.
Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas [Simon Peter], and stayed with him fifteen days.
[~A.D. 49] Letter of Paul to the Galatians 1:17b-18 LSB [in context] Galatians 1:13-24
But to continue from earlier in Luke's account:
~A.D. 40
Simon Peter is on a mission guided by the Holy Spirit which takes the Apostle to places and events the fisherman never had imagined possible.
- Peter travels throughout the region demonstrating Christ’s continued power
- And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. – Acts 9:35
- Peter raises a disciple named Tabitha from the dead! – Acts 9:36-41
- And it became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. v.42 (Peter remains in Joppa for a time. v.43)
- IN ACTS 10, PETER HAS A VISION AND THE SPIRIT INSTRUCTED THE APOSTLE TO GO TO A GENTILE ROMAN CENTURION IN CAESAREA.
- What takes place next launches the Gospel of the risen Christ JESUS into all the world!
Peter baptizes Roman citizens (Gentiles) in the Name of Jesus Christ!
And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for a few days.
Acts of the Apostles 10:48-11:1 LSB
Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.
YES, this is a really big deal too! Now our risen Lord Jesus has brought His Apostle Simon Peter to the Gentiles in Caesarea, even baptizing a Roman centurion and his gentile family. Therefore, Peter has much explaining to do in Jerusalem in ACTS 11 as Christ's appointed Apostle to lead the Lord's sheep.
~A.D. 40-45
Again, keeping in mind that these dates are approximate, we can relate to a passage of time in Luke’s account focusing alternately on Peter, then Paul, back to Peter and soon — the evangelistic journeys of Paul.
In Retrospect
If we could think back ten years or so from TODAY and keeping the Gospel of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection in mind (as if these had taken place in A.D. 2013), what account of these events would we record twenty years from now (in A.D. 2043)? We would write them down for a CHURCH which has grown throughout the world for these past thirty years.
That’s were we are in Luke’s account back in ACTS 11 – just TEN YEARS into the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
NEXT Luke describes not only an important hub for the Christian Gospel, but presents us with a model for the first century Church in ACTS 11.
The Missions we will read about NEXT would not have been possible without the missionaries sent by the Holy Spirit.
- Disciples of the Lord Jesus send a contribution for the service of the brothers living in Judea as help during a prophesied famine. – Acts 11:29
- ~AD 44 Herod Agrippa I arrests then executes the Apostle James – Acts 12:2
- Herod, intending to do the same with Peter throws the Apostle in prison, but an angel leads the Apostle from certain death also by Herod’s hand. – Acts 12:6-17
The Apostles on Mission
This brings us to the next major account of Luke detailing the further mission of Christ to send the Apostles into all the world with the Gospel.
These Apostles of JESUS include not only the Twelve (with Mathias replacing Judas), but additionally a few other leading witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection:
ἀπόστολος [APOSTLOS]
The MISSION of the CHURCH does NOT happen all at once, as we might mistakenly think by a glace at a section of Acts. And we must not think that the Church only had two Apostles on Mission: Peter, AND especially PAUL.
Roger@TalkofJesus.com
Other ‘APOSTLES‘ on mission you may not have considered:
- Barnabas [see Acts of the Apostles 14:14]
- Barsabbas
- and Silas [see Acts of the Apostles 15:22]
- Titus (possibly)
- James, the Lord Jesus’ biological brother and head of the Jerusalem Church
- Epaphroditus (possibly)
- Timothy, shepherd of the Church at Ephesus, a home base for the Gospel in the Greek-speaking geographical hub of the Roman Empire
- Silvanus (Silas) (possibly)
- Apollos (possibly)
- Sosthenes (possibly)
- Jude, the Lord Jesus’ biological brother (possibly)
- John Mark, sent to Cypress with Barnabas who later wrote the first GOSPEL account in the A.D. 50’s
- Luke, who accompanied Paul and interviewed many witnesses of JESUS and prior to ACTS authored a second GOSPEL around A.D. 60.
EVERY one of these LEADING DISCIPLES OF THE RISEN LORD JESUS was sent on mission – a mission of PREACHING THE GOSPEL to ALL THE WORLD!
AND there were others proclaiming Christ crucified and risen throughout the Roman Empire.
Yet it is Christ and the Spirit who have done it through many faithful followers of the Way like John Mark, Luke and others including leading women like Lydia who with no weight of title or credit proclaimed, JESUS IS LORD.
~A.D. 47-57 + The Mission Ahead
SECOND MISSION COMPLETED!
Our NEXT section of ACTS of the APOSTLES begins practically immediately in A.D. 52, in ACTS 18.
Luke focuses on the THIRD mission of Saul of Tarsus (the Apostolos PAULOS) who continues to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the gentiles.
Saul of Tarsus (Paul), along with Peter and others will become Christ’s leading architects of the early Church.
NEXT: Continue with Paul and other disciples in ACTS 20.
