Lesson 4
Day of Pentecost - 3,000 saved (Acts 2:41). 5,000 men saved in Acts 4:4. Would this mean that the Jerusalem church had a population of 10,000 men, women and children. The population of Jerusalem was about 60,000 so 1/6 of the populations were Christians.
33 - 35 AD Acts 2 - 7 is taking place. This is the time between Pentecost and Stephen's death.
44 AD The Antioch church decided to take a collection for Jerusalem. Agabus had prophesied concerning the coming world famine. Probably close contact had been maintained with Jerusalem. Zealot knifings and messianic claims were causing Rome to crack down on the area.
The first act of Antioch is to give alms to the poor, not evangelism or self-centered interests. They saw beyond themselves.
Antioch could have been a little insecure about the gospel they lived and preached. Barnabas was the only one sent by the Jerusalem church. He had taken the liberty to get Paul.
44 AD Paul and Barnabas deliver alms to Jerusalem. They return with John Mark with them to Antioch.
Acts 13 Holy Spirit sets apart Barnabas and Paul for the work he has for them. It is interesting that this occurs immediately after the trip to Jerusalem with alms.
Maybe in 44 AD, when the alms were delivered, was when Paul's gospel or missionary plan was presented. Not wanting to work in vain, Paul and the other apostles split up the world.
Acts 13:4 They sailed to Cyprus with John Mark as a helper. We don't know how they made the decision to go to Cyprus except that Barnabas was from there.
They landed at Salamis. The Bible, by not telling what happened there, is saying that nothing happened.
Acts 13:6 They traveled across the island to Paphos and talked to the proconsul Sergius Paulus. Bar Jesus, a Jewish false prophet, one the Jews called Elymas the magician, opposed them seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
Acts 13:6 -12 The magician was blinded and the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened.
This is the first record of Paul doing a miraculous act. They win the proconsul - an important convert. You would think that with his support they would stay and make a church, but they leave for Asia Minor.
Acts 13 - 14 Prophetic word sent Paul and Barnabas out. They go to Cyprus, finding no opening in Salamis. They went to Paphos converting the proconsul Sergius Paulus and blinding a magician, Bar Jesus (Acts 13:11).
They made a decision to leave Cyprus for Asia Minor. The Antioch presbytery was 45 AD and the first missionary journey it two years, from 45 - 47 AD.
They take a northward turn and go into the heart of Asia Minor (Goodwin, pg. 32). They minister first in Perga of Pamphylia. It is believed that they disembarked at Attalia.
Acts 13:13 Sailed to Perga, where John Mark “home boy” left them and returned to Jerusalem.
Paul might have gotten malaria at Perga. {Perga is a swampy, lowland area. Bruce just says that for some reason nothing happened at Perga. The sickness obtained at Perga theory is based on a statement in Galatians 4:13 -15, "but you know that it was because of a bodily illness that I preached the gospel to you the first time..."
This could have been why Paul was so long in Iconium on the first trip - the church there might have tended to his physical needs.
Perga had a coastal road from Ephesus to Tarsus. There was no record of fruit there. Either John Mark's desertion troubled them or Paul was sick. Mark might have left when Paul got sick.
They leave Perga and go to Pisidian Antioch in the province of Galatia, 100 miles north of Perga. Pisidian Antioch was a Roman military center for the surrounding territory. Vast grants of land were given to retired military officers. It was a Roman colony with special privileges (Acts 13:14) .
Acts 13:14 On the Sabbath they go to the synagogue. The elders there ask, "Brethren, do you have a word of exhortation?" Paul's response is the most detailed message we have of him. Look at his following kerygma:
Acts 13:16 through 13:41 READ
Acts 13:42 - 43 And as Paul and Barnabas were going out, the people kept begging that these things might be spoken to them the next Sabbath. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabus, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.
Acts 13:44 And the next Sabbath nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of God. V 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming.
Acts 13:46 Paul and Barnabas said that the Jews were unworthy of eternal life, "Behold, we are turning to the Gentiles."
Paul and Barnabas started a work separate from the synagogue. They split the church. They were there for a few weeks before they were forced to leave.
This church in Pisidian Antioch is the first church mentioned in scripture that Paul establishes. It is the first church established in the province of Galatia. When the work was at its peak they left (persecuted).
This church was established by splitting the synagogue and adding Gentiles from the surrounding area. The majority of the population of the church were Gentiles.
Acts 14:1 They went to Iconium. Iconium is 90 miles east-southeast of Pisidian Antioch. They were going to metropolitan centers, places that had good roads.
In Iconium a great multitude believed, both Jews and Greeks. V 3 They spent a long time there, signs and wonders were done by their hands. V 4 The multitude of the city were divided, some with the Jews, and some with the apostles. V 5 When an attempt to mistreat and stone was made aware, they fled to the cities of the province of Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe. Lystra is 18 miles southwest of Iconium.
So on the first journey more time was spent in Iconium then other cities. In Iconium and Paphos on Cyprus the word was confirmed with signs and wonders.
Acts 14:8 In Lystra, Paul healed a man lame in his feet. The people said, "The gods have become like men and have come down to us." V 12 They called Barnabus, Zeus and Paul, Hermes. V 13 They wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.
Paul probably couldn't understand the Lycaonian language, so "when they heard of it" they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowds.
Acts 14:15 - 17 Paul scales down his Kerygma to simple terms for the crowd under the circumstances yet has difficulty restraining the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.
Acts 14:19 Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium won over the multitudes. The Jews stoned Paul, dragging him out of the city leaving him for dead. V 20 But while the disciples stood around him, he arose and entered the city. And the next day he went away with Barnabas to Derbe.
Timothy was from Lystra. His grandmother and mother were probably in the Lystra crowds. His father was Greek and his mother was Hebrew.
Acts 14:20 - 21 They go to Derbe and preached the gospel and made many disciples.
Derbe is 60 miles southeast of Lystra and is a commercial center. The only place in Asia Minor where a church did not start was in Perga.
The book of Galatians was written to all of these churches in this area.
Acts 14:21 Paul an Barnabas returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Pisidian Antioch appointing elders. The churches were six months to a year old at this time.
Acts 14:25 They spoke in Perga again but there was no mention of any fruit.
Acts 14:26 - 28 They sailed from Attalia to Antioch Syria and reported all the things that God had done with them. They spent a long time with the disciples in Antioch Syria.
Four churches were built on this first missionary journey. Afterwards, for two years, 48 - 49 AD, Paul and Barnabas stayed with the disciples in Antioch Syria. Between Acts 14:28 and 15:1 is a two year period. Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, & Derbe.
They probably resumed functioning as local elders. Lucius of Cyrene or Simeon called Niger were probably the pastor of the Antioch Syria church. Paul and Barnabus probably cared for people during this time.
Acts 15:1 A serious issue came up that could destroy the new churches. Men from Judea were teaching, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
The elders of the Antioch Syria church don't send Lucius and Simeon, but rather Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem on the issue because the four new churches in Galatia need protected.
Galatians 2:11 - Peter came to Antioch and Paul opposed him to his face. Peter was afraid of the circumcision group.
On this Galatian 2 controversy, Goodwin says that Peter came to Antioch after the Jerusalem council. Bruce says that Peter was in Antioch before the council and word got back to Jerusalem that Peter was behaving like the Gentiles.
The book of Galatians could have been written to churches concerning what had been dealt with in Jerusalem. This would be a writing time of 50-51 AD.
Did events in Galatians 2:1 - 5 occur in 45 AD or 50?
Bruce places the verses in 45 AD, while Goodwin places them in 50 AD. Goodwin (page 52) says that Paul's visit to Jerusalem in Acts 15:2 is identical to the Galatians 2 account.
Bruce says the Galatians was written in 51 AD, while Goodwin says 57 AD.
Dow Robinson uses Goodwin's chronological chart saying the Galatians was written on Paul's third missionary journey.
Galatians is about circumcision.
Acts 15:3-35 They passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles. When they arrived in Jerusalem certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees said, "It is necessary to circumcise them".
Acts 15:13-21 Peter speaks, then Paul and Barnabas speak and then James speaks.
Acts 15:22 Jerusalem sends a letter and men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch, Syria. Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas.
Acts 15:33 The Jerusalem envoy left Antioch to return to Jerusalem, except for Silas. Paul and Barnabas stay in Antioch teaching and preaching the word of God.
James sent messengers to get him out of the trouble it was causing in Jerusalem. The messengers went beyond their mandate when they preached circumcision in Antioch. The Gentiles in Antioch were hurt badly. It is important that visiting ministry does not go beyond their mandate even if they are theologically correct.
Bruce believes that after Paul's rebuke of Peter, Peter advised the Jerusalem group to sort this out because it had been a festering problem in Jerusalem for a time.
This council was in 50-51 AD. In 44 AD Herod Agrippa I has killed James the brother of John (Acts 12). This is probably during Paul's alms trip.
From 44-51 AD Rome had been cracking down hard on religious problems in Judea. James was probably trying to save the church from any turmoil and possible persecution when he sent word to Peter through has messengers.
An argument for the 57 AD Galatians date would be if Paul's statement in Galatians, "You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you..." was in response to them already knowing the Jerusalem edict.
We are at the completion of the first phase of the ministry and life of Paul. A major shift is going to happen to Paul's ministry.
Acts 15:36 -"Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are."
They disagree over the taking of John Mark, so Barnabas takes Mark and Paul takes Silas.
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