The early Christian Community

Ephesians 4:1-13

-in close fellowship

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

-Shared their belongings, selling their

properties and distribute the money among all
according to each one needed

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to

live a life worthy of the calling you have
received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body
and one Spirit, just as you were called to one
hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one
faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

-they met as a group in the temple

-had their meals together
-Praising God
Religion deals with both earth and heaven,
both time and eternity. Religion operates not
only on the vertical plane but also on the
horizontal. It seeks not only to integrate men
with God but to integrate men with God but to
integrate men with men and each man with
himself. Any religion that professes to be
concerned with the souls of men and is not
concerned with the souls of men and is not
concerned with the slums that damn them.
The economic condition that strangle them
and the social condition that cripple them is a
dry-as-dust religion. Such a religion is the kind
Marxists like to seean opiate of the people.
Martin Luther.
The Nature of the Early Christian Community
--People of God- Exodus 19: 5-6; 1 Peter 2:9
--Body of Christ- Ephesians 4: 1-13; Corinthians
12: 12-31

7 But to each one of us grace has been given

as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a]
says:
When he ascended on high, he took many
captives and gave gifts to his people.[b]
9 (What does he ascended mean except that
he also descended to the lower, earthly
regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very
one who ascended higher than all the heavens,
in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ
himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the
evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to
equip his people for works of service, so that
the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we
all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31

--Fellowship of the Holy Spirit- Acts 2: 43-47

Unity and Diversity in the Body

--Bride of Christ- Revelation 19: 5-10:

Ephesians 5: 25-33

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts,

but all its many parts form one body, so it is
with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a]
one Spirit so as to form one bodywhether
Jews or Gentiles, slave or freeand we were all
given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the
body is not made up of one part but of many.

Bible Verses:
Exodus 19:5-6(NIV)
5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my
covenant, then out of all nations you will be my
treasured possession. Although the whole earth
is mine, 6 you[a] will be for me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation. These are the words
you are to speak to the Israelites.
1 Peter 2:9
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special
possession, that you may declare the praises of
him who called you out of darkness into his
wonderful light.

15 Now if the foot should say, Because I am

not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it
would not for that reason stop being part of the
body. 16 And if the ear should say, Because I
am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, it
would not for that reason stop being part of the
body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where
would the sense of hearing be? If the whole
body were an ear, where would the sense of
smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the
parts in the body, every one of them, just as he
wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one
part, where would the body be? 20 As it is,
there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, I dont

need you! And the head cannot say to the
feet, I dont need you! 22 On the contrary,
those parts of the body that seem to be weaker
are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we
think are less honorable we treat with special
honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are
treated with special modesty, 24 while our
presentable parts need no special treatment.
But God has put the body together, giving
greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so
that there should be no division in the body,
but that its parts should have equal concern for
each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part
suffers with it; if one part is honored, every
part rejoices with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each
one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has
placed in the church first of all apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then
gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of
different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles?
Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all
speak in tongues[b]? Do all interpret? 31 Now
eagerly desire the greater gifts.
Love Is Indispensable
And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Acts 2:43-47
43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many
wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
44 All the believers were together and had
everything in common. 45 They sold property
and possessions to give to anyone who had
need. 46 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, 47 praising God and
enjoying the favor of all the people. And the
Lord added to their number daily those who
were being saved.
Revelation 19:5-10
5 Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
Praise our God, all you his servants, you who
fear him, both great and small!
6 Then I heard what sounded like a great
multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and
like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his
bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen,

bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine

linen stands for the righteous acts of Gods
holy people.)
9 Then the angel said to me, Write this:
Blessed are those who are invited to the
wedding supper of the Lamb! And he added,
These are the true words of God.
10 At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But
he said to me, Dont do that! I am a fellow
servant with you and with your brothers and
sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy
who bears testimony to Jesus.
Ephesians 5:25-33

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ

loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the
washing with water through the word, 27 and
to present her to himself as a radiant church,
without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish,
but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way,
husbands ought to love their wives as their
own bodies. He who loves his wife loves
himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their
own body, but they feed and care for their
body, just as Christ does the church 30 for
we are members of his body. 31 For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother
and be united to his wife, and the two will
become one flesh.[b] 32 This is a profound
mysterybut I am talking about Christ and the
church. 33 However, each one of you also must
love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife
must respect her husband.

So the twelve apostles called the whole group

of believers together and said It is not right for
us to neglect the preaching of Gods word in
order to handle finances. So then friends
choose seven men among you who are known
to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom and we
will put them in charge of the matter. We
ourselves then will give our full time to prayer
and the work of preaching.
Quiz Answers: (1st)
Gamaliel
Ananias
Sapphira
Peter-spokesperson of the early church

Paul- killed Stephen

Stephen- 1st Christian Martyr (Acts 7)
Beautiful
Peter & John- Performed miracles
7 Deacons/Helpers/Assistants. SPPNTPN
12 Apostles-PJJAPTBMJSJM
Theophilus
Opposition from the Authorities
Peter and John were arrested, questioned and
imprisoned (Acts 8) but was released by the
masses.
The Preaching and the healing of the
disciples in the name of Jesus irritated religious
authorities
Problems in the Early Church(Acts 6)
Growing Pains
Chapter 6
The infant church is growing up and increasing
in size. As a result, they encounter some
"growing pains." Are you experiencing
growing pains as you mature in Christ? Ask
Him to show you any lessons He has for you
from this chapter.
Read Acts 6:1-7
1. A. The early church included diverse peoples
from a variety of ethnic cultures and
backgrounds. As a result what problem arose?
(6: 1)
Growing Pains
Chapter 6
The infant church is growing up and increasing
in size. As a result, they encounter some
"growing pains." Are you experiencing
growing pains as you mature in Christ? Ask
Him to show you any lessons He has for you
from this chapter.
Read Acts 6:1-7
1. A. The early church included diverse peoples
from a variety of ethnic cultures and
backgrounds. As a result what problem arose?
(6: 1)
B. How did the Jewish leaders deal with their
problem of widows? (Luke 20:45-47)
(Note: The "tables" were counters where
money and food was distributed. Widows were
especially needy because wage work was
seldom available for women, and women were
at the mercy of male relatives for even the
basics. In addition, when these women joined
the church, they were often rejected by their
families.)

C. Who did the Apostles consult concerning the

problem? (6:2)
D. How did they solve the problem? What were
the tasks of these "deacons"? What
qualifications were required for these tasks?
(6:3)
E. (Digging Deeper) Later Paul communicated
additional qualifications for deacons to the
church at Ephesus. Read I Timothy 3:8-13.
What does God look for in the men who serve
in this office in the church?
F. How does the church-at-large today handle
problems of ethnic diversity? What can we
learn from the first church?
G. (Digging Deeper) How did the Jews who
opposed the church deal with ethnic diversity?
(See 6:9)
2. A. What did the Apostles recognize as their
main responsibility? (6:2, 4)
B. What can you learn about church (or
personal) organization, management and
leadership from 6:1-6? Could you apply any of
these principles to your own life? If so, please
explain.
C. In this chapter we observe the Apostles
learning to delegate. Have you learned to let
others help you or do you try to do everything
yourself? Discuss.
3. A. Who were the first two deacons named?
(6:5)
B. Was their ministry limited to "waiting
tables"? What did each do later? (6:8, 7:57-59,
8:4, 5) How did these two men illustrate Jesus'
words in Luke 16: 10? What is the lesson for
us?
4. How were the seven commissioned for their
new responsibility? (6:6) What do you think
was the purpose of this event? (Note: This
ceremony did not impart the gift of the Spirit
because verse 3 tells us the seven were
already "full of the Spirit.")
5. A. What evidence is there that the Apostles
were successful in dealing with this internal
problem? (6:7)
B. Who were among the converts to the
church? (6:7). What effect do you think this had
on the Jewish leaders?
Read Acts 6:8-15
6. A. As time passed, Stephen became a
respected church leader. Describe Stephen.
(6:3, 5, 8, 10) How do you think his opponents
viewed him?
B. (Summit) Do a character study of Stephen.
What does his name mean and how does his
name relate to his death?
C. What group especially disliked Stephen?
Why? (6:9, 10)
D. (Summit) What can you discover about this
group? Who were they?
E. Jesus had predicted persecution for His
witnesses in Luke 21:12-19. What had Jesus

commanded Stephen and his "witnesses" not

to do? (Luke 21:14) What had He promised
them? (Luke 21:15) Can you recall an
experience when the Spirit gave you the words
you needed? If so, please share.
7. A. There are a number of similarities
between the arrest, trial and death of Stephen
and Jesus. Luke makes it clear through Stephen
that the religious leaders would kill Christ
again.
Observe the parallels and fill in the chart:
B. In what other way was Stephen like Jesus?
(2:22, 6:8)
8. A. During the accusations, the members of
the Sanhedrin glared at Stephen. What did
they see? Remember he has just been accused
of being disloyal to Moses. (6:15, Exodus 34:29,
33-35, Luke 9:28, 29)
B. Stephen possessed a holy calmness in this
life-threatening arrest and trial. Have you ever
experienced this kind of peace? Do you know
anyone who has? If so, please share.
9. Throughout this passage, we see Stephen
modeling spiritual maturity and wisdom. What
is one aspect of your life in which you need to
reflect more maturity and wisdom? What can
you do to change?
10. (Summit) How was the early church
organized at this time? What is your impression
of this church and its members? Describe the
development of the church from Acts chapter 2
through chapter 6.
11. (Summit) As we observe the leaders in the
early church, we learn valuable lessons. John
Maxwell wrote, The peoples ability to achieve
is determined by their leaders ability to
empower. The Apostles empowered their
followers in chapter 7. Read Maxwells book,
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, to learn
more ways to become an effective leader
today.
Jealousy between greek-speaking Jews and
the native Jews. Greek-speaking Jews claimed
that their widows were being neglected on the
daily distribution of food.
Philip 1st evangelist and missionary outside
of Jerusalem.
Antioch, Syriao interracial church Gentile
o
o

Christians as followers of Christ

were first recognized aroud C.E.
46
Non-Jews were permitted to
become Christians withoutthe
ceremonial formalities of
becoming a Jew.
Luke, the writer of Luke-Acts
was a member of Antioch
Church were the Christians
rose

Witness to the Wider world

o Jerusalem Church was
distressed
o James- brother of Jesus,
chairman of the church council
o Barnabas- looked into the
issue and said that the Holy
Spirit was among the people
o Festive meal- agape meal
the ritual of communion
Problem on Acts 15Circumcision
Jerusalem council: Acts 15
Four Things theyve agreed with the
Gentiles:
1. Abstan from food polluted by
idols
2. From sexual immorality
3. From meat of strangled
animals and blood
Sent to Antioch with Paul and Barsabbas:
1. Judas (called Barsabbas)
2. Silas
The Jerusalem Council= C.E. 43
Barnabas took Peter and Paul
Christianity became a religion and
annual faith (Act 14, 15; Gal. 2: 15-17)
Announced an open-door policy,
historic decision
Galatians 2:15-17
15 We who are Jews by birth and not sinful
Gentiles 16 know that a person is not
justified by the works of the law, but by
faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put
our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in[a] Christ and not by the
works of the law, because by the works of
the law no one will be justified. 17 But if,
in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews
find ourselves also among the sinners,
doesnt that mean that Christ promotes
sin? Absolutely not!

the Lords Supper 1 Corinthians 11: 17-34

1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Correcting an Abuse of the Lords Supper
17 In the following directives I have no
praise for you, for your meetings do more
harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear
that when you come together as a church,
there are divisions among you, and to
some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there
have to be differences among you to show
which of you have Gods approval. 20 So
then, when you come together, it is not the
Lords Supper you eat, 21 for when you are
eating, some of you go ahead with your
own private suppers. As a result, one
person remains hungry and another gets
drunk. 22 Dont you have homes to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church of
God by humiliating those who have

nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I

praise you? Certainly not in this matter!
23 For I received from the Lord what I also
passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the
night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and
when he had given thanks, he broke it and
said, This is my body, which is for you; do
this in remembrance of me. 25 In the
same way, after supper he took the cup,
saying, This cup is the new covenant in
my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in
remembrance of me. 26 For whenever you
eat this bread and drink this cup, you
proclaim the Lords death until he comes.
27 So then, whoever eats the bread or
drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy
manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone
ought to examine themselves before they
eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29
For those who eat and drink without
discerning the body of Christ eat and drink
judgment on themselves. 30 That is why
many among you are weak and sick, and a
number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if
we were more discerning with regard to
ourselves, we would not come under such
judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are
judged in this way by the Lord, we are
being disciplined so that we will not be
finally condemned with the world.
33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when
you gather to eat, you should all eat
together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should
eat something at home, so that when you
meet together it may not result in
judgment.
And when I come I will give further
directions.
Plot Summary for Luther (2003)
Biography of Martin Luther, the 16thcentury priest who led the Christian
Reformation and opened up new
possibilities in exploration of faith. The film
begins with his vow to become a monk,
and continues through his struggles to
reconcile his desire for sanctification with
his increasing abhorrence of the corruption
and hypocrisy pervading the Church's
hierarchy. He is ultimately charged with
heresy and must confront the ruling
cardinals and princes, urging them to make
the Scriptures available to the common
believer and lead the Church toward faith
through justice and righteousness. Written
by scgary66
The movie starts off with Martin Luther
trying to escape a severe storm. He
promises to become a monk if God lets him

live through the storm. He survives and

becomes a monk. He goes to Rome to
deliver a priest's letters and sees how
corrupt Rome has become. He buys an
indulgence for his grandfather, Hendrick
Luther. He is told, "Hendrick will be
released from Purgatory and into the gates
of heaven." He realizes that things
shouldn't be this way and goes back to
Germany to talk to the priest. The priest
sends him to Wittenberg to do a doctorate
in theology. The priest believes that Martin
will be able to "change minds and open
eyes" in Wittenberg. Martin often goes to
confession and becomes really aggravated
with himself. He makes the society to
perceive things differently, such as the
burial of a suicidal child outside sacred
grounds and he preaches in a church and
tells everyone how his views toward God
have changed. He lectures in his theology
class and makes fun of indulgences and the
money that the Prince Frederick collects.
The Prince's secretary, Spalatin, warns
Luther that he should stop embarrassing
the Prince because he is the one paying for
him at the University. After seeing the
effects of the preaching of John Tetzel,
Martin Luther comes up with the 95 Theses
and nails them onto the door of the church.
Bystanders take the theses and use a
printing press to turn them into books. This
allows everyone to have a copy and his
ideas spread faster and easier. Pope Leo X
thinks that Martin is a drunken German
monk who will change his ideas when he
becomes sober. Spalatin tells Luther that
he is threatened with excommunication
and is summoned to appear in Augsburg by
Rome. Aleander prepares Martin and tells
him that all he should say in front of
Cardinal Cajetan is that he recants but
Martin doesn't follow through. Pope Leo X
orders Martin's books to be burned and
Luther is excommunicated Then, Martin
translates the New Testament into German
because he believes that the common
people need to be able to understand the
scriptures. In Worms, Martin is given a
hearing and when he is asked if he will
recant, he asks for one day to ponder his
answer. That night he goes to confession.
The next day he refuses to recant. . The
Cardinal demands that Martin be delivered
to Rome, but Prince Frederick doesn't want
that, so he kidnaps Luther and keeps him
in Wartburg Castle. When Luther
disappears, chaos occurs. The people start
to break down the church, and set it on
fire. Luther disguises himself as a knight,
and goes and stops the people from ruining

the church. He finishes translating the New

Testament into German and dedicates it to
Prince Frederick. He meets a nun named
Katharina von Bora and marries her. Pope
Leo X dies, 800,000 ducats in debt. The
Emperor Charles calls upon all the princes
to settle what began at Worms. Luther
encourages the princes to speak. He says,
"Silence will not save us." All the princes
stand up against Charles. Martin was
successful.

The Life and Work of Saint Paul

PAUL'S EARLY LIFE [Prior to 32 AD]
Born at Tarsus, a city of Cilicia--Acts 21:39;
22:3
Of the House of Israel--2 Corinthians 11:22
Of the Tribe of Benjamin--Philippians 3:5
Circumcised on the eighth day--Philippians
3:5
Named Saul ("Asked For")--Galatians 1:15
Known as Saul to the Jews, as Paul ("Little")
to the Gentiles
His father had acquired Roman citizenship,
so Paul was a "Roman-at-Law"--Acts 16:37;
22:25-28
PAUL'S EDUCATION
Brought up in the sect of the Pharisees-Acts 23:6
At about age 14, he was sent to Jerusalem
to the school of Gamaliel--Acts 5:24; 22:3
Becomes a self-righteous Pharisee and a
patriotic zealot--Acts 22:3
He becomes a persecutor of Christians-Acts 7:58; 8:3-22; 26:9-11
By trade a tent-stitcher; every Jew had to
teach his son a trade by which he could
live--Acts 18:3-20; 1 Corinthians 4:12
After "graduation," he returns to Tarsus
PAUL'S CONVERSION AND FOLLOWING
EVENTS [31-45 AD]
Conversion takes place on road to
Damascus and in the city--Acts 9:1-19
Paul seeks to arrest Christians--vv. 1-2
Blinded by light from heaven; hears Jesus'
voice--vv. 3-9
Paul visited by Ananias; sight restored--vv.
10--19
Paul's account to the Jews--Acts 22:1-16
Paul's account to Agrippa--Acts 26:12-20
Preaches in the synagogues--Acts 9:20-22
Three years in Arabia--Galatians 1:11-17
Return to Damascus--Acts 9:23
At Jerusalem--Acts 9:26-29
Flees to Tarsus--Acts 9:30
One year at Antioch--Acts 11:25
Second visit to Jerusalem--Acts 11:30

PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY [46August 48 AD]

Paul and Barnabas are commissioned by
the Church in Antioch, Syria as foreign
missionaries; John Mark goes along in the
capacity of "vicar"--Acts 13:1-3
Embarks from Seleucia to Cypress--Acts
13:4-12
At Salamis they preach to Jews--Acts 13:4-5
At Paphos, Sergius Paulos is converted-Acts 13:6-12
To Perga; desertion of John Mark--Acts
13:13
To Antioch, Pisidia--Acts 13:14-50
First recorded sermon of Paul
Historical part--vv. 16-37
Doctrinal part--vv. 38-41
Disciples made among the Jews--v. 43
Disciples made among the Gentiles--v. 48
Paul and Barnabas are persecuted and
expelled--v. 50
To Iconium--Acts 13:51-14:6
Jews and Gentiles converted
Because of persecution, they flee to Lystra
and Derbe
At Lystra, Lyconia--Acts 14:8-20a
Healing of the cripple--vv. 8-10
Worship refused--vv. 10-18
Paul stoned--vv. 19-20a [Timothy, Eunice
and Lois acquainted with Paul]
At Derbe--Acts 14:20b-21a
Visiting congregations founded--Acts
14:21b-25a
From Attalia, return to Antioch--Acts 14:2627
Mission report at Antioch--Acts 14:27-38
Convention or Synod at Jerusalem--Acts
15:1-35
Mission report--v. 4
Doctrinal matters--vv. 5-15
Report to the congregations--vv. 22-25
PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY
[Autumn 49-52 AD]
At Antioch--Acts 15:36-41
Paul's refusal to take Mark--v. 38
Joined by Silas--v. 40
Through Syria and Cilicia--v.41
To Derbe and Lystra--Acts 16:1-7
Joined by Timothy--vv. 1-4
Visits various places--vv. 5-7 [Winter of 4950 AD]
To Troas--Acts 16:8-11 [Vision and
Macedonian call--v.9]
To Philippi--Acts 16:12-40
Lydia and others converted--vv. 14-15
Healing of damsel possessed--vv. 16-18
Paul and Silas imprisoned--vv. 19-24
Philippian jailor and others converted--vv.
25-34
Release--vv. 35-40
To Thessalonica--Acts 17:1-9

Disciples made--v. 4
Persecution, arrest, and release of Jason-vv. 5-9
To Berea--Acts 17:10-14
Disciples made--v. 12
Persecution--vv. 13-14
To Athens--Acts 17:15-34
Altar to "the unknown god"--vv. 23-31
Certain men and women believe--vv. 32-34
To Corinth--Acts 18:1-18
Aquila and Priscilla--vv. 2-3
Disciples made--v. 8
Paul is strengthened by the Lord--vv. 9-10
Insurrection against Paul--vv. 12-18
To Ephesus and Caesarea during return
home--Acts 18:19-23
To Jerusalem, report on work--Acts 18:22a
To Antioch--Acts 18:22b-23a
PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY [Acts
18:23-21:17]
Paul begins his third tour--Acts 18:23
Meets Apollos--Acts 18:24-25
Paul spends about three years at Ephesus-Acts 19:1-41
Preaching the Gospel and working
miracles--vv. 1-12
Sons of Sceva (exorcists); burning of magic
books--vv. 13-20
Timothy and Erastus sent to Macedonia--vv.
21-22
Demetrius, shrines of Diana, the mob--vv.
23-41
Paul revisits Macedonia--Acts 20:1-5
Paul at Troas; Eutycus restored to life--Acts
20:6-12
Paul to Miletus--Acts 20:13-38
Paul to Miletus--vv. 13-35
Bids them farewell--vv. 36-38
Journey to Jerusalem--Acts 21:1-16
Reception at Jerusalem--Acts 21:17
LAST YEARS OF PAUL'S LIFE [58-66 AD]
At Jerusalem--Acts 21:18-23:22
Paul's vow and the mob in the Temple
21:18-31
Rescued by the Roman army--21:31-40
Paul addresses the mob--22:1-21
Paul a prisoner--22:22-30
Paul's defense--23:1-10
A vision of good cheer--23:11
Conspiracy against Paul's life--23:12-22
To Caesarea--Acts 23:23-26:32
Paul sent to Felix--23:23-35
Trial before Felix--24:1-22
Two years in prison--24:23-27
Accused before Festus--25:1-9
Paul's appeal to Caesar--25:10-12
Consultation with King Agrippa II--25:13-27
Paul's defense before Festus--26:1-32
To Rome--Acts 27:1-28:31
Voyage and shipwreck on Malta--27:1-44
On the island of Malta--28:1-10

From Malta to Rome--28:11-14

Reception at Rome--28:15-16
Conference with the Jews at Rome--28:1729
Two years a prisoner--28:30-31
Paul's release, missionary journey to
Europe, second imprisonment and
martyrdom--Romans 15; 1 Timothy; Titus; 2
Timothy; Writings of the Early Church
Fathers and Church tradition
Paul expresses wish to go to Spain-Romans 15:24-28
Reference to Timothy speaks of being
freed--2 Timothy 4:17
Church tradition speaks of his Spanish trip-Muratorian Canon; Clement of Rome
Some historians have him also visit Great
Britain
From Spain [and England?] Paul returns to
Ephesus
From Ephesus visits churches in Greece
From Greece Paul writes first letter to
Timothy--1 Timothy 1:3 [63 AD]
From Greece, takes ship to Crete
Return to Ephesus, where he writes to
Titus--Titus 1:5
Paul tells Titus he intends to winter in
Nicopolis--Titus 3:12
Paul taken prisoner by Romans in Troas--2
Timothy 4:13
Leaves some belongings behind in Troas--2
Timothy 4:13
This imprisonment much harder--2 Timothy
1:15; 4:11
The execution of Paul by decapitation is
supported by various traditions of the early
Church
Early Conflict in Christianity
In Acts 6 we get the first sign of internal trouble. The
Hebrew widows were being cared for while the Grecian
widows were neglected. As we mentioned above, Jews
from all over the empire had made pilgrimage to
Jerusalem for the great festival of Pentecost and had
witnessed the strange, yet supernatural events
described by Luke. Many had trusted in Jesus as the
promised Messiah and made the decision to stay in
Judea rather than make the trek back home (it is
possible that these early believers were waiting for the
apocalyptic return of Jesus).
- Hellenized Jews
Large numbers of Jews lived outside Palestine in the
first century. These are the Jews of the Diaspora, the
"scattering," or "exile" of the Jews throughout the
Greek world - first in 722 BC when the Assyrians
declared war and conquered the northern kingdom of
Israel, then in 588 BC the Chaldeans conquered the
southern kingdom of Judah. The victors in both
instances forced the Jews to be relocated, thus diluting
their national and cultural strength. Over the next few
centuries the Hebrew language was neglected and
forgotten by these exiled Jews. Most diaspora Jews of
the first century spoke Greek. In fact, sometime in the
third century BC the Jewish scriptures (Old Testament,
OT) were translated from Hebrew into Greek so that
these Greek-speaking Jews could hear and understand

the Law of Moses. This famous translation is known as

the Septuagint (or LXX), a reference to the legendary
story that 72 scribes translated the various texts in a
72 day period with a divinely inspired perfection of
agreement.
These Jews of the diaspora were referred to as
"Hellenized" ("Greek influenced") by the politically
important, Hebrew-speaking Jews of Palestine.
Palestinian Jews despised this Hellenization and these
Hellenized Jews, believing they had compromised their
religion. They could not speak Hebrew, God's language,
nor could they understand the Law of Moses when read
in Hebrew. When Hellenized Jews came to Jerusalem
they were urged to attend Greek speaking synagogues
so they could hear and understand Moses being read.
They were not wanted in the Temple. We know that the
Jews hated Samaritans, and were not fond of Gentiles.
Luke tells us this prejudice found its way into the
primitive church - Hellenized widows were being
neglected.

The Jerusalem Council

Next we find this same sentiment directed
at Paul after he and Barnabas have had
success reaching Gentiles:
Some men came down from Judea to
Antioch and were teaching the brothers:
"Unless you are circumcised, according to
the custom taught by Moses, you cannot
be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas
into sharp dispute and debate with them.
So Paul and Barnabas were appointed,
along with some other believers, to go up
to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders
about this question. - Acts 15:1-2
This is what led to the Jerusalem Council,
the first known formal gathering of the
most strategic leaders in the Church. The
issue is to define the expectations for the
growing Gentile church. According to Luke,
Peter reminds the Council of how God had
used him to bring the first Gentiles into the
fold. Then Paul and Barnabas shared some
of their stories. Next James speaks. Outside
of some vague references in the gospels
and one quick reference in Acts 12:17, this
is the first mention of James, the brother of
Jesus. Yet it seems that James is in charge
rather than Peter, the "rock." It is James
who states the decision of the Council:
Gentiles would be expected to avoid three
types of unclean meat, and to avoid sexual
immorality.
July 23, 2012
James also seems to be saying that
Gentiles could continue hearing the word of
GOD preached in the synagogues on the
Sabbath. (Acts 15:21) After all this is what
they were already doing. (Acts 13:42) If
Acts 15:20 is the only requirement for us
Gentiles would this please the apostles, the
elders, and the whole church?

There are several comments to be made

here:
First, saying that Moses was being read
around the Roman world did not mean that
Gentiles were commonly present. There
were Gentile proselytes, but they would
certainly not be the majority in the
synagogues - most likely they were indeed
a small minority.
Secondly, Paul always preached in the
synagogues: "FIRST to the Jew," then he
would go into the streets if/when they
refused to listen and respond: "Then to the
Greek."
Lastly, the Jerusalem Council mandate was
the universal "rule" until the Pauline letters
(and other NT writings) were circulated. But
it is important to understand that it is likely
that Gentiles had other local traditions: the
Lord's Supper, oral creeds, and principles
from Jesus teachings and parables. To
assume that the Jerusalem Council
mandate is the ONLY "rule" is likely to be a
poor assumption.
Outreach to the Gentiles
According to Acts, a young man named Saul was
present (and may have been in charge) when Stephen
was stoned. Acts gives an account of this man as he
travels through the region "breathing threats and
murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1).
Saul embodies the earliest opposition to the primitive
church as a Jewish sect. The radical view that Jesus
was the promised Messiah, coupled with the antiTemple worship preached by the Hellenized Jewish
believers, gave rise to a militant opposition. It appears
that some of the existing Jewish leadership made an
attempt to stamp out this new sect and Saul appears to
have been a leader in this movement.
On the previous section I introduced the struggle of
primitive Christianity to accept Hellenized Jewish
Christians. Many scholars believe that the stoning of
Stephen and the persecution that followed (Acts 8:1)
was directed at these Greek-speaking Jewish
Christians. This struggle became more acute with the
leadership of a well-educated Jewish man, closely
associated with the Jerusalem community who also
happened to be Hellenized.
We know this man as the apostle Paul, author of 13
letters within the New Testament (NT). Saul, who later
changes his name to Paul, is himself a Hellenized Jew.
Paul reveals very little of his biography in his writings;
it is the account in Acts where we learn that he grew up
in Tarsus (northeast of Syria) and was later brought to
Jerusalem for his education. Paul writes his letters in
Greek, but his fluency in the language reveals that his
usage is not quite as good as someone using his first
language. Scholars better trained in Greek inform us
that when Paul is agitated, like in his letter to
the Galatians his grammar suffers. One important piece
of evidence pointing to Paul being a Hellenized Jew
comes from his quotations of the OT - his text is the
LXX rather than the Hebrew version.
The theories on Paul's language is not without

difficulty. Acts presents Paul being trained in Jerusalem

where he would have learned Hebrew - this would also
mean that he probably learned to speak Aramaic (the
common dialect of Hebrew spoken on the streets). But
if Paul grew up in a Greek-speaking environment why
would his written Greek not contain solid grammar?
Perhaps from the time he moved to Jerusalem he was
not allowed to speak or use Greek. We cannot

categorically know the answers to these questions.

The reason Paul and his Greek-speaking background
becomes important is that he spearheads the outreach
to the Greek-speaking Gentile world. And this crucial
aspect of early Christian history is what begins to
change the Greco-Roman world.