The Book of Acts Study Chapter 9:1-43

Chapter 9 of Acts starts a new section of the book and brings into the spotlight both Paul and Peter. We read about Paul briefly as he was introduced as Saul the Christian persecutor in connection with the martyrdom of Stephen (7:58; 8:1, 3). Starting in chapter 9 we see the conversion of Paul (9:1-30). On the other hand Peter was a primary figure in the first five chapters of Acts, and we see him again in the spotlight as he witnesses in the coastal towns of Judea and is used as God’s instrument in the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius (9:32-11:18).

In outlining chapter 9 it would look like this:

1. Paul’s new witness to Christ (9:1-31)

1. a) Paul is converted (9:1-22)

1. b) Paul is now the persecuted (9:23-31)

2. Peter’s witness in the coastal towns (9:32-43)

1. a) The healing of Aeneas (9:32-35)

1. b) The raising of Dorcas (9:36-43)

Acts 9 begins with Saul still persecuting and threatening the Christians. He went to the high priest and asked him for a letter to go into Damascus and continue his violent rage. So Paul receives the letters and then the first half of Paul’s conversion account is divided into three main sections. First the appearance on the Damascus road (verses 1-9), secondly the ministry of Ananias to Paul (verses 10-18a), and thirdly the final confirmation of Paul’s conversion through his bold witness in the Jewish synagogues of Damascus (verses 18b-22). Paul’s role as we see in the first couple verses in chapter 9 is not that of Christian executioner but as the arresting officer, it was his intention to get rid of this new movement of believers.

Starting in verse 3 we see the encounter that would change Paul’s life. This light that he saw must have been very intense, because it was enough to knock him to the ground during midday. The light here represents the heavenly epiphany, the divine glory that surrounded this little caravan. Paul fell to the ground at the sight of the light much like many in the Old Testament did that experienced a similar appearance. Paul would quickly learn who it was that was calling him. It must have been so hard for him, as he was the single greatest persecutor of Christians and persecuted them for their “blasphemous lie” that Jesus had risen from the dead and that He is the Lord reigning in glory. Now Paul himself beheld that same Jesus he was persecuting and now has undeniable proof that He both rose from the dead and reigned in glory.

Paul was awestruck, he said nothing, and he was completely broken. In verse 6 Jesus did not give Paul a commission but a directive. He was to go into the city and await further instruction. The emphasis here is that Paul saw the Lord, and nothing more. This also keeps up with Paul’s testimony of his own conversion, which concentrated on one fact – that he saw the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1; 15:8; Galatians 1:16). Now that Paul knew for certain that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead and is seated in glory he went from Jesus’ most zealous persecutor to His most ardent witness.

In verses 7-9 we see that his traveling companions were witnesses to what had happened to Paul, this is so that the event was not just Paul thinking this happened. They heard the sound but did not see the vision of Jesus. In Acts 22:9 it says that they saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who spoke to Paul. Some like to say that these two verses contradict one another, but the fact is they underline the same event, Paul’s companions heard a sound and saw a light, they could verify that the heavenly manifestation took place but were not able to take part in the heavenly communication. Paul was completely blind after the vision, it is a picture of him being broken and helpless. The vision took all the power away from him, in fact he had to be helped by others into the town where he was going to arrest and persecute the Christians.

Verse 10 begins the second scene of Paul’s conversion. The Lord visited Ananias in a vision. Ananias was one of the leaders of the Damascus church, so he would have been one of Paul’s targets in Damascus. Ananias knew of Saul and at first protested the commission. In verse 11 it talks about a street called Straight. This street runs through Damascus from the east gate to the west, and still exists today. It is called Darb el-Mustaqim. Verses 15-16 are the heart of Ananias’s vision. This is where the Lord outlined Paul’s future role. He was the “Lord’s chosen instrument.” This would be “a vessel of election.” There was a perfect continuation between Paul’s salvation and his service. God chose him to bring His grace to all people. The expression “chosen instrument” is an unusual one and the closest parallel in the New Testament are in Paul’s own writings. The emphasis on Paul being “chosen” is his own sense of the divine call, and this set him apart from birth (Galatians 1:15). Verses 17-20 give the rest of the account between Ananias and Paul in Paul being healed of his blindness and being baptized. In verse 20 we see Paul’s mission, to present the message that Jesus Christ is God.

As we can see many were surprised to see this one persecutor of the Christians now boldly preaching and teaching. Verses 23-31 we read about Paul now becoming the persecuted as the Jews conspire to kill him. Verse 26 tells us that when Paul came to Jerusalem to join the disciples they were afraid of him, but Barnabas was able to ease the disciples fear. After many debates with the Grecian Jews or Hellenists Paul was in danger again so he was sent to Tarsus. Verse 31 concludes the Pauline conversion story and completes the persecution story that began in 8:1. Now that the biggest persecutor of the church was now a believer the church was finally at peace.

In the final verses of Acts 9 we read of Peter’s witness in the coastal towns, this would be the greater Judean mission. Verses 32-35 tell of the healing of Aeneas who was an unbeliever and his paralysis was incurable. He was bedridden for eight years. Peter took the initiative to heal Aeneas without any request. The healing was accomplished by Peter calling on the name of Jesus. The second story at the end of the chapter is in Joppa when Peter raises a female disciple named Tabitha. The story of Tabitha is closely related to Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter from the dead in Luke 8:49-56; Mark 5:35-43. The story concludes with Peter presenting Dorcas/Tabitha alive to the believers and the widows. Peter then remained in Joppa and stayed with a tanner named Simon. In this final verse it is interesting to see that Peter breaks down a cultural barrier by staying with a tanner. This was an occupation that was despised by Jewish society because tanners dealt with the skins of dead animals. Peter is now being moved by God closer to Caesarea where we will read of him witnessing to the Gentile Cornelius.

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The Book of Acts Study Chapter 8:1-40

At the end of Chapter 7 we find the ending of Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin which was supposed to be his defense but became more of a witness.

If we were to outline chapter 8 it would look something like this:

1. Stephen’s Martyrdom (Acts 7:54-8:1a)

2. Persecution and Dispersal of the Hellenists  (Acts 8:1b-3)

3. The Witness of Philip (Acts 8:4-40)

a) The Mission in Samaria (Acts:8:4-25)

b) The Witness to the Ethiopian Treasurer (Acts 8:26-40)

At the end of Stephen’s speech we see that his speech caused the leaders to be livid because Stephen was on trial and now he was putting them on trial. Luke described their anger as being “cut to the heart” and “grinding their teeth” (Psalm 35:16). Stephen’s response to this was he looked into heaven and had a beatific vision. He saw the glory of the heavenly throne room and saw Jesus standing at God’s right hand (v. 55). This is very important, so important that Luke re-stated it in verse 56. Jesus had spoken similar words when He was before the Sanhedrin (Luke 22:69). Jesus is now risen and exalted to His position of authority at God’s right hand. This vision has confirmed Stephen’s testimony, his messianic claims for Jesus were verified in his vision of the exalted Son of Man. In verse 56 Stephen did not refer to Him as simply Jesus, but as the “Son of Man.” There is no other instance in the New Testament that this term is spoken by another person other than Jesus. Another thing to look at here is that it is said that Jesus was standing. Most of the time in Scripture Jesus is referred to as sitting at the right hand of God, so why here is Jesus standing? Some believe that this is a reference to Christ having risen from his seat to welcome the martyr Stephen. Another view is that this vision links with the original Son of Man vision in Daniel 7:13-14, where the Son of Man is seen standing before the Ancient of Days. The primary role of the Danielic Son of Man was that of judgement, and we see in the New Testament that Christ is consistently depicted in this role of eschatological judge. If this is so than the vision of Jesus standing would show that Christ is standing in judgement on his accusers. In my opinion I think either one could work, but I hold more to the first view of Jesus standing welcoming Stephen. In verse 58 we read of Stephen being dragged out and they began to stone him. Paul’s first appearance in Scripture is here as well. The fact that he was standing close enough to be able to have the clothes of Stephen’s killers at his feet show us that he is deep in the involvement of the killing. Stoning was the punishment that was prescribed in the law for blasphemy (Leviticus 24:16), but this was not a formal execution this was an act of mob violence. In verse 60 we read of Stephen’s final words before death. Stephen prayed for God to forgive his killers, just as Jesus had before him (Luke 23:34). And Saul was there giving his approval, Paul’s murderous hatred of the believers is shown here in his attitude toward Stephen (1 Timothy 1:13-15).

So now after this the persecution for the Christians became worse and many of them scattered. Not all of the members of the Jerusalem church were forced to flee, only the Hellenists did probably because Stephen was one of them. The Hellenists were the Greek speaking Jewish Christians. In verse 3 Luke turns his attention to Saul as the opposition to the Christians escalates.

Starting with Acts 8:4 we see the churches witness goes to all Judea and in Samaria, this goes through all of chapters 8-11 (remember Acts 1:8). The mission in Samaria begins in Acts 8:4-25. The witness to the Samaritans falls into two divisions. The initial ministry of Philip (vv. 4-8) and the participation of Peter and John (vv. 14-17). These two passages are linked together by Simon the magician (vv. 9-13, 18-24).

Philip is the first missionary named in Scripture and also the first to be given the title of evangelist. Samaria is the ancient capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, which eventually fell to the Assyrians (722 B.C.) after 200 years of idolatry and rebellion against God. After resettling many of the people in other lands, the Assyrians located gentiles from other areas into the region, resulting in a mix of Jews and Gentiles who became known as Samaritans.

In verses 10-11 Simon claimed to be united to God. Several early church Fathers claimed Simon was a founder of Gnosticism. In verse 13 we read that Simon was motivated by his own selfish reasons and was never genuine. In verse 18-19 Simon offered the disciples money for the power they displayed through the Holy Spirit. Peter was quick to rebuke him and told him he needed to repent. Simon seemed fearful of what Peter said, but he was not willing to repent and seek forgiveness he only wanted to escape the consequences of sin. Verse 25 is a transitional verse and concludes the Samaritan narrative.

Chapter 8:26-40 is a fascinating encounter as an angel of the Lord told Philip to go to Gaza which is one of the five chief cities in Palestine. The original city was destroyed in the first century B.C. and a new city was built near the coast. As he was walking he came across an Ethiopian eunuch, Ethiopia was a large kingdom located south of Egypt and the Ethiopian he came across was probably called the Minister of Finance and whether he was physically a eunuch is not known. The Eunuch was reading from Scripture, This tells us he knew the importance of seeking God through the Scripture, but he did not understand the verse in Isaiah he was reading (Isaiah 53:7-8). His confusion of the passage and whom the passage was talking about was not uncommon because the religious experts often were divided on the real meaning of this passage. Some thought the slaughtered sheep represented Israel and others thought Isaiah was referring to himself still many believed the Messiah was Isaiah’s subject. Philip took this opportunity to tell the eunuch about Jesus and explained that the passage referred to Jesus. The eunuch believed and as they came across some water the eunuch asked to be baptized. The Spirit was in all of this from start to finish. Verse 37 is not in some text like the NIV because it is not found in the early manuscripts of Acts and many scholars believe it was added later by Scribes. The eunuch’s desire to be baptized tells us he responded in faith to Philip’s witness. In verse 39 we see after the eunuch is baptized Philip is snatched away miraculously in the same was a the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16). The Spirit led him to this encounter and when he was finished with what he was sent to do he was taken away.Philip was taken away to Azotus which is the first-century name for the ancient Philistine city of Ashdod which was 20 miles north of Gaza. This is probably where he and his family lived (21:9). There are many scholars who have written on different parallels in this story with some in the Old Testament, but the main point of this story is the remarkable missionary advance taken in the conversion of the Ethiopian. This was the beginning to many in the Gentile missions.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 7:1-54

On to Acts chapter 7. There are 60 verses in this chapter so I will try and break them all down and go through as many as I can. Chapter 7 deals mainly with the arrest, trial and martyrdom of Stephen, who was the first Christian martyr. If we look at it in an outline we can see it this way:

1. Stephen’s Speech before the Sanhedrin (Acts 7:2-53)

1. a) The promise to Abraham (7:2-8)

1. b) The deliverance through Joseph (7:9-16)

1. c) The deliverance through Moses (7:17-34)

1. d) The apostasy of Israel (7:35-50)

1. e) The rejection of the Messiah (7:51-53)

1. f) Stephen’s Martyrdom (7:54-8:1a)

The above is an outline of Stephen’s speech in Chapter 7 and is the longest speech of the many in Acts. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit during this speech and he was attempting to challenge the scholars. Stephen’s speech seems more like a testimony than a defense, although we see that the charges were subtly addressed throughout the speech and then were directed toward his accusers.

Stephen in his speech gives a wonderful defense of the Christian faith from the Old Testament, and as I wrote earlier he ends by condemning the Jewish leaders for rejecting Jesus which ultimately leads to his death. In verse 2 we see a phrase “The God of glory” this title is only found here and in Psalm 29:3, but we see God’s glory all over Scripture. Stephen then begins to give a survey of patriarchal history and quotes Genesis 12:1. Although the context of Genesis 12:1 is set in the Old Testament time and Abraham’s residency in Haran, Stephen is making the point that God was in control of Abraham and all that he did. Verses 6-7 give a pattern for the fulfillment of the promise, and combines Genesis 15:13-14 with Exodus 3:12. God rounded off the exact length of Israel’s sojourn in Egypt (430 years). These verses provide the promise-fulfillment pattern and that God renews His promise even though His people continue to fail and reject His chosen leaders like Joseph and Moses. When Stephen talks about “in this place” he is clearly talking about the temple, which is also the sole meaning of the word throughout his trial. In the last part of verse 7 Stephen says the real goal of God’s promise to Abraham was not the land at all, but the freedom to have true worship and devotion to God. Stephen shows that even the temple had not realized His purpose, and the promise remains unfulfilled. It is only fulfilled in Christ.

Verse 8 is a transition verse which shows the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and then leading into the history of the patriarchs. In this verse he speaks of “covenant of circumcision” which was the sign of the Abraham covenant. We will see more about circumcision in later chapters of Acts as it becomes important in the Jew/Gentile debate. The twelve patriarchs are the twelve sons of Jacob who became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 35:22-26).

Verses 9-16 Stephen speaks on the deliverance through Joseph. In brief Stephen told the story of Joseph being sold into Egypt by his brothers, his rise to power in Egypt, the two visits of his brothers in the time of the famine, and the descent of Jacob’s family to Egypt. The whole reason for this story is to show again that God took favor on Joseph and fulfilled His promises through Joseph by delivering Israel from the famine.

Verses 17-34 tells of the deliverance through Moses. This is a major portion of Stephen’s historical sketch. It is divided into three sections. Each section covers forty years of Moses’s life, and is based on the tradition that he lived 120 years. In verses 17-22 is the first forty years and covers Moses’ upbringing in Pharaoh’s house. The second forty years is found in verses 23-29 and begins with his rejection by the Israelites and cover the period of his sojourn in Midian. The last forty years begin with God’s calling of Moses at the burning bush and the period of the Exodus and wilderness wandering. The final section continues until verse 45 with the reference to Joshua’s entry into the Promised Land.

Verses 35-50 tell of the apostasy of Israel. Starting with verse 35 Stephen’s speech changes. He is more direct in Israel’s history and less subtle. Verses 35-38 gives the emphasis on the person Moses and not the history of the Exodus and wilderness period. In verse 37 Moses tells them God will send them “a prophet like me” quoted from Deuteronomy 18:15, this refers to the Messiah. Verses 39-43 deals with the apostasy in the wilderness, and gives an emphasis on the judgment of God. Verse 40 speaks of a man-made representation of a false god (Exodus 32:1-5) which is forbidden (Exodus 20:4). In verse 42 we read that “God gave them over” which is quoted from Amos 5:25-27, and God judicially abandons the people to their sin and idolatry. Kind of makes you think about this in today’s world. In verse 43 Stephen says Babylon, but in Amos 5:27 Amos wrote Damascus. Amos was prophesying the captivity of the northern kingdom in Assyria, a deportation beyond Damascus. Later the southern kingdom was taken captive to Babylon. Stephen extended the prophecy to embrace the judgment on the whole nation and summarized their idolatrous history and the results. Verses 44-50 deal with the entrance into the Promised Land and up to the time of Solomon. It concentrates on the temple as an example of Israel’s apostasy. This is to counter the false charge that he blasphemed the temple, he recounted its history to show respect for it. In verse 49-50 Stephen quotes Isaiah 66:1-2 and his point is that God is greater than the temple and that the Jewish leaders were guilty of blaspheming by confining God to it. There is so much to say about this speech that we can learn and I urge you to read it slowly and look at the references and the history that is contained in his speech.

In verses 51-53 Stephen speaks on the rejection of the Messiah. Stephen here applies the lessons learned from the previous words in his speech in a direct, emotional appeal to his audience. The aim was to show their awareness of their own actions and to find a remedy to it. The whole purpose of Stephen’s speech becomes very clear here. He gave the historical content to show the constant rejection of God’s chosen leaders, Moses, Joseph, and the prophets and they are all pointers to Christ whom Stephen pointed out that they had already rejected and killed him. It seems from this speech that Stephen knew whatever he said was not going to help get him acquitted unless he compromised his beliefs. He used this speech as a last attempt to share his belief and to try and appeal to the Jewish leaders to abandon their rejection and accept Jesus as the Messiah that God sent to them. Luke continued to make references to his speech being filled with the Spirit, because Stephen was completely filled with the Spirit because it would have taken courage and inspiration to stand I front of these leaders and say what he said. His speech was not a defense but a witness. This made the leaders mad and next I will dive into Stephen’s martyrdom and chapter 8.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 6:1-15

I know I said I would do chapter 6 tomorrow, but being off school for a week and off work for a couple of days I got bored, so I will do chapter 6 today and try to do a couple more chapters tomorrow…….Hope you don’t mind.

In the first five chapters of Acts we have been presented with the picture of a Christian community that is in Jerusalem that was still closely bound to Judaism. To this point the outreach effort was only towards the Jews… Let’s remember Jesus’ command in Acts 1:8…Chapters 6-12 starts the command to be a witness in Judea and Samaria.

In Chapter 6:1-2, we encounter a problem in the community. we see that some of the Grecian or Hellenist Jews were upset about the way their widows were being treated. the Hellenist Jews were Jews from the Diaspora, the Hebraic or Hebrew Jews were the native Jewish people of Palestine. The Hellenist Jews believed their widows were not getting their share of food the church was providing for their care (1 Timothy 5:3-16). Trying to solve the problem the twelve gathered all the disciples together and they decided to take care of the grievance.

In verses 3-4 we see what the solution to the problem is. They proposed that the members choose seven men to administer to the Hellenist widows. In the context it appears they wanted the seven to be Hellenist’s, the reason probably was because they would know best who the needy widows were. The apostles gave them a list of qualifications the seven had to meet. They had to be “full of the Spirit and wisdom.” In verse 4 we see that in choosing the seven they would take care of the widow’s issues the apostles could focus on their responsibilities of teaching and preaching Christ. Of the seven chosen we will only read about Stephen and Philip.

When we see the names of the seven we see they all have Greek names which would indicate that they were all Hellenist’s. As we see in verse 5 Luke writes about Stephen who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit. We will learn about that faith later. In verse 6 we read that they “prayed and laid hand on them” this expression is used of Jesus when He healed (Mark 6:5; Luke 4:40; Luke 13:13; and Acts 28:8). We also see laying on of hands in the Old Testament with the transfer of personal characteristic or responsibility from one person to another like in Numbers 27:16-23, from Moses to Joshua.

Chapter 6:7 is a summary and transition. This is one of Luke’s periodic statements that summarized the spread of the gospel and growth of the church. The conversion of a large number of priests may be a reason why there was such an opposition to Stephen.

In chapter 6:8-7:1 we read about Stephen’s arrest and trial. This is a major turning point in Acts. This is an ending of the three trials before the Sanhedrin. The first was a warning (4:21), the second was a flogging (5:40), the third was Stephen being the first martyr. Luke starts by telling us again that Stephen is full of God’s grace and power. In verse 9 Luke describes three synagogues: the synagogue of the Freedman (many of the members may have been formerly slaves or were the descendants of former slaves), Cyrenian’s and Alexandrian’s, and those from Cilicia and Asia. These men began to debate Stephen. Stephen was filled with the holy Spirit and these men did not have a chance. Since they wer unable to debate Stephen they lied and said that Stephen blasphemed against Moses and God. This is the same way that Jesus was conspired against in Matthew 26:59-61. The charges they brought against Stephen were serious and blasphemy was punishable by death (Leviticus 24:16). Stephen was then arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin.

The remaining verses in chapter 6 deal with the trial of Stephen. The plotters presented the charges of Stephen before the Sanhedrin. They said he was speaking against the holy place and against the law. These would be the same charges that they said were blasphemy against Moses and God in verse 11. Moses was mentioned because he was very important to them in their Jewish life because he received the law at Sinai and its transmission in the Pentateuch. To speak against Moses was to speak attack the law itself. The holy place was the temple, which to the Jews was considered the dwelling place of God. To speak against the temple was to speak against Go Himself. In verse 14 we see another lie, since we know that Jesus’ words in John 2:19 referred to His own body (John 2:21). In verse 15 all the attention was on Stephen to see how he would respond to the charges. What they saw was a vision transfigured, a face like that of an angel. The face of an angel would be calm, unruffled, and reflecting the presence of God (Exodus 34:29-35). It is the picture of the martyr inspired by the heavenly vision filled with the Spirit and empowered for fearless testimony before his accusers.

Tomorrow we will read more of Stephen’s trial and martyrdom. It is such an inspirational story of strength and faith.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 5:1-42

Sorry I haven’t posted any new studies on Acts in a few days, I was very busy writing two papers for school that took up the majority of my time. I have a week off of school and am hoping to get caught up and maybe almost finished with the study. For time purposes I am going to try a new approach to this study. I am going to try to summarize much of the chapters and write more in-depth about the more important areas or areas that are more difficult to understand. this way I am hoping to cover more ground. So here we go!!!!!

Starting in Chapter 5:1-11 we see a serious threat to the early Christian community. As I wrote in other studies the community shared and sold property to help and serve each other. I these verses we see a man and his wife (Ananias and Sapphira) who sold some of their property and pledge the proceeds to the community. It is told that they held back some of the money, and as a result faced a very serious judgement….death. I will spend a little bit on this subject because this is an area of Acts that some Christians have difficulties with. First of all these two would be a classic example of Christian hypocrisy. They probably said they would give a large amount or even a little more than others to impress others faking their spirituality in a sense. We can see they were believers and had the Holy Spirit because they offered the funds to the community but they remained hypocrites. The act of keeping back the funds was not a sin, but they promised most likely publicly that they were going to give the full amount they received to the Lord. The sin was them lying about how much they were going to give, and the more grave sin was the spiritual hypocrisy that was based on their selfishness. We see this same type of act and judgement in Joshua 7:1-26 and the story of Achan. Like many Christians today it seems that Ananias was straddling the fence, on one side wanting to be with the community on the other stay in the world. Peter also reminded Ananias that he did not have to sell his land, and even if he sold it he still could have kept the proceeds (v. 4). The act of dedicating the land was completely voluntary, but once the land was pledged then it turned into a different matter. So him lying about the proceeds broke a sacred trust. When he died it doesn’t tell us how he died, maybe shock, maybe guilt the fact is he died. Three hours later Sapphira came in, she was asked about the money and she lied as well and faced death. In this story I think it is important to note that they did not die because they promised the community the property or full amount of money, they probably made a promise to the Lord that they would give the full amount. So in lying they were lying to the holy Spirit that was within them. I have heard people talk about this story and a couple of issues I have with it. Some say that because of this Ananias and Sapphira were condemned to hell because of this lie. And some believe that this would be considered the “unforgivable” sin that Jesus taught. I do not necessarily believe this because it does not say in the text that they blasphemed the Spirit. There death and judgement was severe and I think that this happened because by lying they were a risk for the growth of the church and the gospel message. There was no room for distrust or any other breach in the fellowship.

Chapter 5:12-16 we read about the many miracles that are worked by the apostles. In verse 14 we see that many men and women believed and added to their numbers. Many unbelievers stayed away because of fear, but there were many who heard the gospel, saw the miracles and believed. Do not misread verse 15 to say that people were healed by Peter’s shadow. Peter did heal people, but it was by the healing power of God.

Chapters 5:17-42 we read about the persecution the apostles endured while preaching the gospel. In verses 17-26 we see that because of the many coming to the faith the leaders of the church became jealous and arrested the apostles. During the night an angel of the lord opened the doors to the jail and they were set free. So what did they do? They went out and preached some more…..what a bold witness for Christ they had. When the leaders sent for the apostles they found they were no longer in the jail. When they heard the apostles were back in the temple teaching they ordered them to be rearrested. A note on these passages, do not confuse an angel of the Lord here with The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. The Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament is the Lord Himself. (Christophany)

In verses 27-40 we read about the appearance of the apostles before the Sanhedrin. As they stood before them we read peter and the apostles defense, which is similar to the first trial they endured (Acts 4:10-12). The same basic elements appear, the guilt of the Jewish leaders for crucifying Jesus, the resurrection and exaltation, repentance and forgiveness in the name of Jesus, and the apostolic witness. The only differences is that the detail of Jesus’ crucifixion is described as “hanging on a tree” which is probably an allusion to Deuteronomy 21:23, which is an Old Testament text that the early Christians saw as pointing to Christ. In verse 34 we read about a Pharisee named Gamaliel. One thing to note about him is that he was a teacher of Paul’s (22:3). Gamaliel addressed the Sanhedrin and told them that they should be careful in what they do. He spoke of two other “messianic movements” in recent Jewish history, and said that the movements died off because God was not with them. He advised them to leave the apostles alone, because if what they are preaching is not from God it will fade away, but he warned them if it is from God then they will not be able to stop it. The point Gamaliel made was clear, if this is the will of God He will work it out and any backing that has His will behind it will prevail. He warned them they would be fighting against God. The Sanhedrin heeded his words and released the apostles. This time when they were released they were flogged, which was a customary punishment that was used as a warning not to do the offense again.

Verses 41-42 we read that the apostles left and rejoiced. They were not persuaded, and they would continue to obey God and not man. They found great joy in suffering for Christ. It tells us at the end of this chapter that they continued to teach and proclaim Jesus day after day in the temple courts and from house to house.

I hope this study and summary is not to choppy or brief, if you have any questions concerning anything in Acts Chapter 5 please message me and I will go more in-depth with any particular verse or passage. Chapter 6 tomorrow.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 4:23-37

In Acts 4:23-31 we see the prayer of the community.

Verse 23 provides the setting and the linkage with the preceding narrative. When Peter and John were released they returned to their own people. Many interpreters believe this is referring only to the other apostles. The prayer we see in verses 24-30 is viewed as a prayer for boldness in their witness. The apostles were very bold in their witness, but we see all through Acts that they were not the only ones that had a bold witness in the community. We see people like Stephen (6:10) and Philip (8:5) are just two of who we see bold for the Word.

In verses 24-28 we see together they lifted their voices in praise to God. Luke is telling us that the whole community joined together in this prayer. God being addressed as Sovereign Lord was a common designation for God in the Old Testament and was an appropriate title for this gathering of the Jewish Christians. God is further addressed as Creator, Maker of heaven, earth, the seas and all that dwell in them. This language is also from Old Testament phraseology (Exodus 20:11). When we compare Hezekiah’s prayer in Isaiah 37:16-20 we see the same elements appear. God was addressed as Lord and Creator, there followed a reference to the threat of Israel’s enemies, and the prayer concluded with a petition. The petition is the major difference from the Christians’ prayer. Hezekiah prayed for deliverance, the Christian’s prayed for courage. The words of Psalm 2:1-2 came to mind and took on new significance. The psalmist wrote of nations, people’s, kings, and rulers gathering together to oppose God. Those same groups were still standing in opposition: Jews, Gentiles, Herod, and Pontius Pilate (v. 27). The theme of verse 28 is familiar, all the plotting against God’s anointed is in vain because God already predetermined the outcome.

In verses 29-30 the community turned to its petition. The threats they are praying about are the Sanhedrin’s threats. This is just like the threats and plots against Jesus. The community viewed itself in much the situation He had experienced. Like Christ, God had delivered them. The Christians realized that the opposition was not over. The Sanhedrin continued to threaten them. You would expect them to ask God for further deliverance, but they did not. They asked for more of the same instead, requesting of Him boldness in witness and more miraculous signs. The request for miracles was not a request for power over their enemies, it was closely related to the bold witness they had requested. In Acts the miracles are always in the service of the Word. They are signs and point beyond themselves to the ultimate power of the gospel message of Christ’s resurrection and the salvation that is in Him (Acts 4:12).

In Verse 31 we see their prayer was answered by the house they were in shaking. This may have been a shaking from thunder or a quaking of the earth, it gave them a tangible sense of God’s presence and His response to their prayer. Their prayer was fulfilled at once, immediately they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking the Word with boldness. It is important to realize this was not a second Pentecost, they had already received the Spirit this was just a fresh refilling of the Spirit. It was a renewed awareness of the Holy Spirit’s power and presence in their life and witness.

The end of chapter 4 (verses 32-37) speaks of the common life of the community. In the last verses we see how the prayer life of the community was a large part of their lives, in the opening two verses of chapter 4 (32-33) they are almost identical with Acts 2:43-44 only in reverse order. They characterize together the community life that is marked by four things: 1. their unity in mind and heart (v. 32a) 2. their sharing of their possessions (v. 32b) 3. the power and witness of the apostles (v. 33a) 4. the grace of God that rested upon them (v. 33b). The all-embracing concept was their unity, their being of “one heart and mind.” They had a great fellowship with the Spirit. This served as the basis of their sharing of their possessions. Two things about this: 1. no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own (what’s mine is yours) 2. everything was in common with them. Their generosity even went to a point where some would sell their houses and property to donate to the needs of the church (Acts 4:34-35). One of those who did this was a man named Joseph, who we later see would be named Barnabas (son of encouragement v. 36). One more important idea on them sharing their possessions, there is evidence that this early Christian practice was voluntary. 1. there was no transfer of ownership 2. in the example of Barnabas in verses 36-37 his sale of the property would hardly be a sterling example if the surrender of property was mandatory. 3. The example of Ananias and Sapphira, Peter clarified that their sin was lying about their charity. The land was his to do what he wanted with it, he was under no obligation to give the proceeds to the church (Acts 5:4). 4. the picture of the central fund for the widows in Acts 6:1-6 is not an apportioning of each one’s lot form a common fund but a charity fund for those in need. 5. The example of Mary in Acts 12:12. She owned her home and her maid, and the Christians came into her home and enjoyed her hospitality. There was no common ownership there. Some believe that when they “lay the proceeds at the apostles feet” that they were giving up their possessions. This gesture was one of submission, the twelve were the representatives appointed by Jesus as the foundation of the true people of God. The submission was not to them, nut the One they represented. To lay their possessions was to lay them at the feet was to offer it to Christ.

The last two verses we see Luke conclude his treatment of the early Christians sharing their possessions with two examples. One was as I said earlier, Barnabas and the other was Ananias and Sapphira. There is little detail here about Barnabas and Luke had a way of introducing characters who play major roles later in the book, by mentioning them briefly early on. Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus. Levites were officials in the temple cultus and subordinate in rank to the priests. They were prohibited from offering sacrifices and barred entrance to the holy place. They would police the temple grounds, keep the gates, and provide the music at sacrifices and on ceremonial occasions. Nothing was ever said of his Levitical status and he may have never served as a Levite it was something that was not mandatory in the Levitical lineage. Luke only tells us he was a Cypriot by birth and doesn’t tell us how strong those roots were. It is also good to remember later that Paul and Barnabas’s mission work together began on the island of Cyprus. This probably wasn’t just by chance.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 4:1-22

Acts 4 begins with Peter’s sermon being interrupted by official’s comprised of priests, the captain of the temple guard, and Sadducees. It says they descended upon the apostles. We see in the text that John was also with Peter and they were both bearing witness to Christ. Peter and John were arrested and the Sadducees were clearly the powers behind their arrest. In verse 2 the Sadducees were annoyed at Peter and John’s witness to the resurrection. It was more of a political than theological move on their part, and this was usually the case when it involved the Sadducees. Verse 3 tells us they were arrested and placed in jail until the next morning. The Sanhedrin, which was the Jewish high court, had jurisdiction over temple violation matters. They met regularly each day, except for the Sabbaths and feast days. It was evening here and the Sanhedrin had already recessed so Peter and John would have to stay in jail until morning when they reconvened. Verse 4 tells us that even with the interruption of the arrest, Peter;s sermon was not a failure. Many did respond to the gospel and believed what Peter was saying and responded in faith. In fact it says 5000 believed. This verse serves as a climax to the sermon in chapter 3, as well as an introduction to the trial scene of Acts 4:5-22. The Sadducees tried so hard to stop the witness of the apostles, but they did not succeed. The message of Christ was finding acceptance with the people and the rulers were enraged with it.

Verses 5-7 is where the council convened the next morning to hear the apostles. We also see this in Luke 22:66, when they tried Jesus during the morning session. In verse 5 Luke does not use the term Sanhedrin, but if you look forward to verse 15 it appears. The term Sanhedrin is used as the supreme court of the land. I am sure Peter and John had fear in them, since many of these leaders in authority were the same ones that put Jesus to death. In verse 6 Luke mentions several names of the high-priestly group that were represented on the council. Annas was high priest from A.D. 6-15, and at this time (early A.D. 30’s) his son-in-law Caiaphas was the reigning high priest. Luke saying the title of Annas may just reflect the actual state of affairs. Annas was the most powerful political figure among the Jews at that time. He had five sons, one grandson, and a son-in-law all of whom had the rank of high priest. He was probably the power behind the scenes calling the shots. There are two other names, John and Alexander. There is no known record of a John who held any high priest office, but in the Codex Bezae for this verse it reads Jonathan. Annas did ave a son named Jonathan who served as high priest in A.D. 36-37 so John was most likely him. As for Alexander no record exists of an Alexander who served as high priest in the New Testament period, so he may have belonged to one of the families of the priestly aristocracy.

Verse 7 the interrogation began with the apostles being brought before the council. The question was posed to the apostles, “By what power or what name did you do this?” Some believe that the question they asked had to do with the man’s healing, but they were arrested for preaching. The authorities were concerned about the source of the disciples’ teaching and the possibility that their emphasis on the resurrection could lead to a messianic insurrection that would have serious political repercussions. They were concerned so they thought with keeping the peace.

In verse 8 we see Peter’s response. We can see here that Peter was not afraid, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. His response was a demonstration of the truth of what Jesus had promised His followers (Luke 21:12-15). In his response Peter gave them a sermon. We see three parts to Peter’s defense: 1. He focused on the healing of the crippled man as being an act of kindness, brought about by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Peter was not ashamed to testify about Jesus. 2. He drew attention to the fact that the same Sanhedrin trying his case is the same one that is responsible for the death of Jesus. God vindicated the Lord by raising Him from the dead (Acts 4:10-11). He saw their actions as a fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 118:2). Jesus was the overlooked and rejected stone that had become the capstone. 3. He changed the topic from healing to salvation (Acts 4:12). The healing of the crippled man was a picture of the salvation available to all people through Jesus Christ.

In Verse 9-12 is a mini sermon on “the name that brings salvation.” The Sanhedrin wanted to know about the name, and Peter pointed them to the healing of the lame man. These two go together, wholeness and salvation. These are in the name of Jesus, the name brings us wholeness and salvation. Peter was ready to preach to all, even the Sanhedrin, but just as many times before they rejected the name that could bring them salvation. Peter was very bold at the end of verse 12, this was a direct appeal to the Sanhedrin.

In verses 13-14, Peter told his testimony and it was now time for the council to deliberate. They did not expect the courage that Peter displayed, especially because they saw Peter and the others as uneducated, ordinary laymen.

Verse 15-17 The Sanhedrin ordered Peter and John out of the court room so they could have a clear and open discussion among themselves, this was customary to do. Here they really had no charges on them, and they were getting popular among the people because news about them healing the lame man had spread throughout Jerusalem. So all they could do at this point is threaten them, so they warned the apostles to no longer speak “in His name” (V. 17-18). I am sure the Sanhedrin were not ready for Peter and John’s response in verses 19-20. They truly had the Holy Spirit within them. Peter and John were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry and His death and resurrection. They had no choice other than to defy the court’s order. In the end the court had no alternative but to threaten them again and release them.

In verse 22 it says the man born lame was over 40 years old. This miracle was particularly striking, and the people took it for what it was, an act of God, a sign. This is what attracted the people to the gospel and ultimately to faith. It was a sign also to the Sanhedrin but they rejected it. Here for the first time also is found a theme that will recur throughout Acts, the rejection of the Messiah bu the Jews.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 3:22-26

As we move forward in Acts chapter 3, we read in verses 22-23 that Peter is continuing his appeal. He then gave the negative side. Jesus is depicted as the “prophet like Moses” who God will “raise up” and the people must pay attention (v. 22). Anyone who does not listen to Him will be cut out from the people (v. 23). This is a quotation from Deuteronomy 18:15, 19, strengthened by Leviticus 23:29. If you look at the passage in Deuteronomy, it gives Moses’ promise that when he is gone God will continue to speak to Israel by raising up prophets who will speak His Word. Even before Christ came this passage was being interpreted messianically in some of the Jewish circles. There is evidence that the Qumran community (a Jewish community that flourished in the era just before and contemporary with the birth of Christianity) expected a prophet like Moses as part of their messianic expectation, and the Samaritans hoped in a prophet-messiah called the Taheb. Luke, in his gospel, often likened Jesus to a prophet (Luke 4:24; 7:16, 39; 24:19), and in Stephen’s speech (Acts 7:37) the Mosaic-prophetic typology is put down in detail. There were to motifs that were in the tradition of Deuteronomy that were particularly applicable to Christ. The first was the prophetic motif, a new prophet would come. A newer and greater prophet that was greater than Moses. The second was the reference to God’s “raising up” this prophet. In the original context of Deuteronomy the word just meant “to bring forth,” but in application to Christ it was seen in reference to His resurrection.

Acts 3:24-25, says Moses was not the only prophet who predicted the Christ. Verse 24 says, “all the prophets from Samuel on” did so as well. Samuel was the first prophet after Moses, and Moses was the first. All the prophets foretold these days of salvation and the coming of Christ. The Jews themselves were “the heirs to the prophets” (v. 25). With their fathers God established His covenants. In Luke 3:8, John the Baptist already warned them of the danger of relying on their descent from Abraham and membership in the covenant community. Peter reminded them here of the content of the covenant God made with Abraham. Peter’s concern here is not to emphasize the missionary imperative that is implied in this promise to Abraham (Genesis 12:3). He was probably unaware of it himself, God had to poke him pretty hard to witness to Cornelius in chapter 10. Peter was concerned about convincing the Jewish hearers that God’s covenant with Abraham was fully realized in Jesus.

The word “offspring” is singular, and is also in Galatians 3:16 where the Abrahamic covenant is related to Christ. Jesus is the sole offspring in whom blessings would come, He was first and foremost Israel’s Messiah verse 26 says God sent Him “first to you.” Verse 26 serves as the closure to the sermon because it summarizes earlier themes: the servant role of Christ (v. 13); God’s “raising Him up,” with its resurrection overtone (v. 15,22); the need for the Jews to repent and turn (v. 19). God sent His servant to them, to fulfill God’s blessing to Abraham by turning each of them from their evil ways. Look at the word “first” in verse 26, there is significance in that word, just as there is in Abraham’s blessing extending to “all peoples on earth.” It may have taken the apostles some time to fully realize the implications of the missionary imperative, but there it is. Perter’s primary concern was the Jews, the Gospel was reached to them first. Soon, we will see, it would reach beyond the boundaries of Judaism. It will go “to all the peoples of the world.”

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 3:12-21

Acts 3:12-26 contains Peter’s second sermon. If you compare this sermon with Peter’s sermon at Pentecost you can see it has many of the same elements. The sermon begins by correcting a false impression, reference to God’s “glorifying” Jesus, a contrast of Jesus’ death with His resurrection, reference to the apostles’ witness to the resurrection, the responsibility of the Jerusalemites for Jesus’ death, extensive proofs from the prophets, references to Jesus’ exaltation and God’s divine purposes, and an appeal to repentance. There are also some differences in the two sermons. An example of the differences is the scriptural proofs in the Pentecost sermon aim at establishing the messianic status of Jesus. Those in this sermon are aimed at the need for the Jews to repent and accept Jesus as the one sent from God. There is a  far greater portion of this sermon devoted to the appeal. There are some new elements in this sermon, an emphasis on faith, a softer treatment of the Jewish responsibility for Jesus’ death, and a number of early Jewish-Christian titles for Jesus, like Servant, Holy and Righteous One, Author of Life, and Prophet-Like-Moses. There are two main portions of the sermon: 1. Peter established the relationship between the healing of the lame man and the basic Christian proclamation of the death and resurrection of Christ (Acts 3:12-16). 2. He appealed to the Jews to repent and accept Christ as the Messiah that was sent from God (Acts 3:17-26).

Peter starts out his sermon in verse 12-13 telling them not to look to him or John for these miracles, because they didn’t perform them. The power Peter said should be attributed to God who has glorified Jesus. Verses 12 and 16 go closely together, Verse 12 raises the question about the power behind the mans healing and verse 16 provides the answer. We see in between these verses is the basic kerygma (Greek for preaching) of the death and resurrection of Christ and the responsibility of the Jews in that event. The basic function of verses 13-15 is to establish the Jewish guilt in their rejection of Jesus, while the remaining part of the sermon is an appeal to repent and affirm Christ. Peter begins by correcting any misunderstanding of the healing that had occurred, and he wanted to make sure that they knew it was not done by his or John’s own power or piety, and that it was faith in the name of Jesus that healed the man (V. 16). How could the name of Jesus have that much power? That answer is in verses 13-15. The power is by virtue of His glorification (v. 13), and His resurrection (v. 15). The “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” had glorified His servant Jesus, raising Him from the dead (v. 15). If we look in many of the New Testament books we see a formula of these writers making reference to the Jews patriarchs, this is not by accident. We see this also in Luke 20:27, which is a passage that deals with the resurrection. God is the God of the living, the glorification refers to Christ’s exaltation to God’s right hand. Christ has the power to grant healing in His name, He is the glorified, risen One.

In verse 16 Peter answers his original question. He has now established that Christ has been exalted by God in His resurrection, and because of this He is now in the position to dispense the divine Spirit and power. So this is the power that was behind the lame man’s healing. The name, and power of Jesus healed the man, not Peter or John’s power. But the power of Jesus worked through faith. Who’s faith? Was it the apostles faith or the man’s faith? Luke leaves this answer open, Peter for sure worked by faith but what about the man? That man as we read had little faith to begin with, this miracle that led him to the point of clinging to the apostles as we see in verse 11, maybe the even greater miracle was this new miracle of faith in Christ. This may be what Luke is trying to say here that faith is the greatest miracle of all.

The last part of Peter’s sermon can be divided into two parts, both of which relate to the need for the Jews to repent. Verses 17-21 give the basic call to repentance and the blessings that God will give them as a result. Verses 22-26 give scriptural support for this appeal.

Verses 17-18 have a conciliatory tone. The Jews in Jerusalem acted “in ignorance” (v. 17) when they did not recognize Jesus as the Holy and Righteous One. In reality He was the author of life for them, but they sent Him to His death. This Peter says was a sin of ignorance. If they knew who He truly was, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). This sin was still considered a forgivable sin among the Jews and were distinguished from conscience, intentional sins. In the Old Testament these sins done intentional were known as being done “with a high hand.” Atonement was available for these sins of ignorance, but not for intentional, or deliberate sins (Numbers 15:27-31). Jesus recognized their ignorance for crucifying Him and He had already prayed for their forgiveness (Luke 23:34). So Peter was offering them a second chance, a chance to repent. They disowned Christ once, now they could accept Christ and be forgiven.

Verses 19-20 Peter gives a call to repentance (v. 19) with two expressions: 1. Repent (metanoeo) and 2. turn to God (epistrepho). The Jerusalem Jews had to have a complete turn around and change completely in their mind, by not rejecting Christ and turning or returning to God. By rejecting God’s Messiah, they rejected God’s purpose for them. If they accepted the Messiah they would be returning to God. In these verse Peter gave them a threefold result of their repentance: 1. their sins would be forgiven, 2. the times of refreshing would come upon them, and 3. God would send the Messiah whom He appointed for them. Forgiveness of sins is clear, and throughout Acts repentance is closely connected with forgiveness, it is the basis for forgiveness (2:28).

Verse 21 concludes Peter’s appeal with an explanation for why the Messiah was not then present. He must remain in heaven until the final time when God will restore everything. We can remember in Acts 1:6 when the disciples questioned Jesus about restoring the kingdom of Israel, this is basically the same concept of restoration. The Messiah will come again to restore His kingdom to Israel (Romans 11:25-26). What was true for the Jews in Solomon’s Colonnade still holds true for us today, only in receiving the Christ of God by repentance and turning to Him is there forgiveness, refreshing and restoration.

The Book of Acts Study Chapter 3:1-10

In Acts chapter 3 we see the persecution of the Christians beginning. Peter quickly becomes the prominent leader as the early church is formed. We read in Acts 2:14-36 Peter made a impassioned and persuasive speech to the crowd, and he then begins to demonstrate spiritual power and authority similar to what Jesus modeled. In Acts 3:1-10 we read about the power in the name of Jesus. The text starts of when Peter and John were on their way to the afternoon prayer when they encountered a cripple man. Of the many miracles recounted in Acts, none has more formal resemblance to the miracles of Jesus in the Gospels than this one. The only major difference between the two is that Jesus healed by His own authority. Peter healed by the “name” of Jesus, which was by Jesus’ authority that was at work through the apostles. We also see in 3:1 that Peter did all the speaking and acting and John was in the background. The importance of John’s presence is sometimes explained that based on the Jewish law at least two witnesses are necessary to confirm any testimony (2 Corinthians 13:1). This practice can be traced to Jesus sending His disciples out on missions in pairs (Luke 10:1). The time of the apostles visit was the ninth hour, three in the afternoon, the hour of prayer. It was also the time of the evening Tamid, one of two of the sacrifices held daily in the temple. This is also a time when the largest crowds would have been gathering, a nd Peter and john would have known this.

Verse 2 introduces the one who would be healed. He is described as crippled from birth. His being crippled from birth makes this healing even more remarkable. Where did this take place? Luke describes it as at the “gate called beautiful.” It is usually considered to be the Nicanor Gate, the main eastern gate to the temple precincts from the court of the Gentiles. The story was told that the gate had been transported from Alexandria to Jerusalem by ship when a terrible storm began. The gate was about to be discarded, and a man named Nicanor requested to be thrown overboard with it. When they both survived the storm, it was considered to be a miracle, and the name and the gate were always associated.

Acts 3:3-5, relate to Peter and John’s encounter with the lame man. He begged Peter and John for “alms” just as he did to everyone who walked by, but he received a very different response then usual. Most of the people who went by would have thrown a coin in his direction as they ran into the temple not even giving him a glance. Peter looked at him, and said “Look [blepo] at me.” The lame man responded by giving his total attention to Peter. Who knows what he was thinking, maybe the lame man thought he was going to get an unusually large donation.

Verse 6 is the heart of the passage, the one detail that sets this story apart. Peter said, “I have no silver or gold.” He probably hoped for money but the lame man will soon realize that something is more precious than silver or gold. The more precious something is the gift of healing. Peter commanded the man to walk, “In the name of Jesus.” When referencing “the name” it is not incidental, in the biblical sense a name is much more than a label. It represents a person and is an extension of that person’s being or personality. When he invoked the name of Jesus, he called upon His authority and power. Peter had been observant when Jesus raised Jairus’s daughter from the dead (Luke 8:54) because he didn’t just tell the man to get up, he gave the command, and then extended his hand to help (3:7). In a real sense, then. Jesus through Peter continued in His healing ministry. Peter may have helped the man up to give the man encouragement, since the man has been lame since birth he probably didn’t believe at first this could be true. The man felt the brand new strength going through his feet and ankles, he then jumped to his feet and walked. With his increasing awareness of the miracle that happened to him, he went into the sanctuary with Peter and John. Being lame he was never able to enter the sanctuary, he was lame, blemished, and was always denied access to the inner courts (Leviticus 21:17-20; 2 Samuel 5:8). Now he has been healed physically and has now found spiritual acceptance. For the first time he was deemed worthy to enter the house of worship. This is a common theme in Acts, those who were rejected or found unworthy for worship in the old religion of Israel had found full acceptance in the name of Jesus. It didn’t matter if they were a lame beggar, and Ethiopian eunuch, a woman or a Gentile. The man was filled with joy, he began walking, jumping and praising God.

Verse 3:11, is transitional, linking the healing narrative in the temple with Peter’s sermon from Solomon’s Colonnade. Solomon’s Colonnade lay along the eastern wall and across the court of the Gentiles and some distance from the sanctuary. Luke did not mention any exit from the sanctuary, so we can can assume that the group exited the temple by way of the beautiful gate, passed through the court of the Gentiles, and reassembled at Solomon’s Colonnade. The scene was now set for Peter’s speech, the healed man was there as living evidence of the miracle. The crowd came running to the scene with awe and curiosity, and Peter did not want to miss this opportunity for witness. There was an audience and Peter shared Jesus Christ.