11.14.09 A Summary of the Major Events in the Book of Acts

[Irving]

With this summary of the major events in the book of Acts, listed by
Chapter number, we conclude our study of this interesting book of the
New Testament Bible. I recommend that you download this summary and
retain it as a reference to help you locate events you have learned
about in the course of our study of the past seven months.

Ralph Hauser, Google Group nickname: Irving.

Major Events In the Book of
Acts.
by Chapter
Number.

1. Jesus’ 40-day, post resurrection activity: Promise to send the
Holy Spirit and
Ascension into Heaven.
2. Pentecost, 3000 converted; formation of the first Christian
congregation.
3. Peter, in company of John, heals a beggar and preaches to the
astonished Jews
that they killed Jesus.
4. Peter and John before the Sanhedrin. Peter preaches to them. The
Sanhedrin,
knowing the people have seen the miracle are afraid to punish.
They let them
go, telling them not to speak of Jesus anymore.
5. Ananias and Sapphira lie about their contributions and are struck
dead. The
apostles continue healing and arouse jealousy in the Jewish
leaders. The
Sanhedrin puts the apostles in jail, but an angel releases them.
They preach in
the temple again. The Sanhedrin now wants to put them to death,
but Gamaliel
counsels letting the Lord take dare of it.
6,7. The apostles call for help in the care of widows. Seven men are
chosen,
among them Stephen and Philip. Stephen is opposed by the
Synagogue of the
Freedmen, who bring him before the Sanhedrin, to whom he
preaches
fearlessly. Angered, they sentence him to death by stoning.
Saul was complicit.
8. The first persecution of the new Church. Christians scatter except
the apostles.
Philip went to Samaria, preached and healed. Many believed.
Simon the
Sorcerer seeing this, offered money to get the power. He was
rebuked by Peter,
come from Jerusalem to bless the work of Philip. Philip is
transported by the
Spirit to the Ethiopian eunuch.
9. Saul is converted by Jesus, on the road to Damascus, and blinded.
He is
directed to Ananias (no relation to the sometime head of the
Sanhedrin) through
whom Paul’s sight is restored. Paul preaches in Damascus, and
the
Jews there plot to kill him. His friends lower him through the
city wall. He safely
returns to Jerusalem. Peter travels, heals Aeneas in Lydda,
restores life to
Dorcas, who sewed for the poor, in Joppa.
10. Peter is directed, in a vision of animals unclean for a Jew to
eat, to go to the
centurion, Cornelius, in Caesarea. Cornelius is converted.
11. Peter, back in Jerusalem, explains the Cornelius event , and the
fears of the
Christian Jews are dispelled. The congregation established in
Antioch, from
Jews who fled Jerusalem in the persecution, choose Barnabas and
Saul to be
sent out as missionaries. The prophet Agabus predicts that a
famine will
involve the entire Roman world.
12. The apostle James is put to death and Peter is imprisoned by
Herod. An angel
releases Peter who goes to the house of Mary, mother of John
Mark. A servant
girl, Rhoda, opens the door for him. Herod addresses the
disgruntled people of
Tyre and Sidon. He smooths things over, and the people acclaim
him as a god.
Because he does not deny diviniry , he is struck dead and is
eaten by worms.
13. Barnabas and Saul start on their missionary journey (Paul’s first
missionary
journey) with assistant John Mark, stopping at Salamis and
Paphos on the
island of Cyprus. They are opposed by sorcerer Elymas, who is
temporarily
made blind by God through Paul. Then to Pamphylia, where Mark
leaves
them. Paul and Barnabas continue to Perga, then to Pisidian
Antioch. Their
message is initially favorably received and they are invited
back for the next
Sabbath, when nearly the whole population is present to hear
them. Resulting
jealousy of the Jewish religious leaders led them to expel
Paul and Barnabas
from their city. The missionaries go to Iconium.
14. Preaching in the synagogue wins many Jews and Gentiles, but those
who
refuse to believe stir up the Gentiles and a plot develops to
stone Paul and
Barnabas, who flee to Lystra and Derbe. Paul heals a crippled
man in Lystra,
is lauded as a god. Paul and Barnabas tear their clothes to
signify their
abhorrence and shout that they are only men. Then Jews come
from Pisidian
Antioch and Iconium and win the crowd over. They stone Paul
and leave him
for dead; however, the believers gather around Paul , an he
gets up and goes
into the city. Paul and Barnabas return to their sponsoring
congregation in
Antioch of Syria and make their report, ending the first
trip.
15. Some Christians who had been Pharisees insisted that Gentile
males must be
circumcised and obey all the Levitical laws to become
Christians. This was
resolved by a conference of apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
The result was
not to burden the Gentile converts with anything except
abstinence from food
sacrificed to idols, blood, meat from strangled animals and
sexual immorality.
The second missionary journey starts with a dispute between
Paul and
Barnabas about taking John Mark along. It is resolved by
dividing into teams
(1) Paul and Silas; (2) Barnabas and Mark.
16. Paul makes Timothy a member of the team at Lystra and cicumcises
him. The
Spirit redirects Paul at Mysia and turns him to Troas. He
has a vision directing
him into Macedonia. Lydia responds to Paul’s message. He
baptizes her.
Paul and Silas are imprisoned for driving a demon out of a
girl who told
fortunes for her masters.The masters accused Paul and
Barnabas of
advocating unlawful customs. God delivered them from their
chains with an
earthquake. The Philippian jailer and family came to belief
in God over this
incident.
17. At Thessalonica Paul preached in the synagogue three Sabbaths.
Many were
converted, The Jewish leaders formed a mob and falsely
accused the
missionaries. The believers sent them to Berea by night for
their safety. The
Bereans were more noble because they searched the scriptures
daily. Paul
and company go to Athens where Paul preaches on Mars Hill,
telling the
Athenians that he can identify the unknown God.
18. They go to Corinth and meet Aquilla and Priscilla. Paul’s
preaching in the
synagogue was met with an abusive response and he told them he
would now
go the Gentiles. Paul and company stayed in Corinth because a
vision from
the Lord told him to stay and preach in the city. The Jews
made a united attack
on Paul and brought him before Proconsul, Gallio, who declined
to hear the
case. The Jews turned on the synagogue ruler and beat him in
front of Gallio,
but he paid no attention. Paul went with Aquilla and
Priscilla to Ephesus
where Paul reasoned with some Jews who wanted to spend more
time with
him, but he left Ephesus , leaving Aquilla and Priscilla, but
promised to return.
Paul returns to Antioch via Caesarea and ends his second
missionary journey.
After some time Paul sets out on his third missionary journey
by land through
Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Antioch of Pisidia, and back to Ephesus.
Meanwhile
Appolos, who knew and taught about Jesus, came to Ephesus.
Priscilla and
Aquilla instructed him more fully in the way of the Lord. Then
Apollos went to
Corinth and was an effective preacher.
19. While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul arrived in Ephesus and
instructed and
baptized believers who only knew the baptism of John, about
12 men. Paul
spoke in the synagogue for three months, but some Jews
maligned the Way
and became hostile. Paul took up lecturing in the Hall of
Tyrannus and
continued for two years in an effective ministry where God
did extraordinary
miracles through Paul. Seven sons of Sceva were trying to
drive out demons
in Jesus’ name, but one day an evil spirit in a man came out
and beat the sons
to nakedness and bleeding. This made the Greeks and Jews
living in
Ephesus afraid, and the name of Jesus was held in high
honor.
Excorcism by unbelievers came to an end. Now Paul was opposed
by
silversmiths in Ephesus who made small idols of the goddess
Artemis. These
men saw their livelihood was in danger if Paul continued to
discredit idolatry.
Demitrius, a union leader stirred up a riot. It ended when
the city clerk quieted
the crowd and suggested that these tradesmen pursue their
complaint in a
legal way.
20. Paul left Ephesus after more than two years that some say were
Paul’s most
effective because of his lectures at the Hall of Tyrannus.
Because of an
assassination plot against him and the collection for the
Christians in
Jerusalem, Paul could not risk leaving through the port. He
traveled overland,
the way he came, through Macedonia. He spoke all night at
Troas in an
upstairs room. One of his listeners, Eutychus, a young man
sitting on a
window sill, fell asleep and fell to his death. Paul went
down and was God’s
instrument to restoration of his life. Paul left Troas by
ship, avoiding Ephesus,
and stopping instead at Miletus. He and sent for the elders
at Ephesus to
meet with him. It was a tearful reunion. Paul gave them
encouragement and
instruction in the faith. He told them he wouldn’t see them
again, that he was
going to Jerusalem not knowing what dangers he would find
there.
21. Paul debarks ship at Tyre and stays with Christians for 7 days.
They urged
him not to go to Jerusalem, knowing how hostile the Jews
there were toward
Paul. But Paul, led by the Holy Spirit, was not deterred.
The sea travel ended
at Caesarea. Paul stayed with Philip, one of the 7 who had
been with
Stephen. Agabus the prophet came to tell how Paul would be
bound and
handed to the Roman authorities by the Jewish leaders in
Jerusalem. His
friends pleaded with Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he
was ready even to
die for the name of the Lord Jesus. He left for Jerusalem.
Upon arriving, Paul
went to see James, the half-brother of Jesus, and leader of
the Jerusalem
congregation. He reported to him and the elders what God had
done among
the Gentiles. They praised God for this but warned Paul:
“we have thousands
of Jewish Christians here, but they still insist that our
old laws must be
obeyed. They hear that you have told the Gentile believers
that they need not
circumcise or live according to Jewish ritual.” They
offered a strategy that
might make Paul acceptable to these Judaizing Christians: to
join with four
men in post-vow purification rites and even pay for their
expenses. Then all
would know that Paul lived in obedience to the Law. Paul
did as they
suggested. It didn’t help. Jews from Asia saw Paul at the
Temple. They stirred
up the Temple crowd and seized Paul, dragging him from the
Temple, and
began beating him. The news reached the Roman commander of
the
garrison near the Temple, and he rushed down with soldiers.
The beating
stopped. The commander arrested Paul, and began to take him
to the
garrison. Paul asked the commander, using the Greek
language, for
permission to speak to the crowd, This amazed the commander,
who let Paul
speak from the steps leading to the garrison from the Temple
area.
22. Paul preaches to the crowd in Aramaic, and when they hear the
language
they become very quiet. He relates his history, his
conversion and his being
called to go to the Gentiles. At this last utterance they
began rioting again.
The commander ordered that Paul be taken to the barracks,
flogged and
questioned to learn why he had caused such a riot. But Paul
told the
centurion that he was a Roman citizen, whom it was illegal
to flog without a
trial. The centurion told the commander, who stopped
everything, alarmed
that he had put a Roman citizen in chains. The next day the
commander set
up a hearing before the Sanhedrin.
23. After an interchange between the high priest and Paul, Paul made
an address
which divided his audience into two camps, Pharisee and
Sadducee. This got
the Sanhedrin into an uproar, such that the commander ordered
his soldiers to
get Paul and bring him to the barracks. The Jews plotted to
assassinate Paul.
They asked the commander for another hearing at the Sanhedrin
to get more
information, but with 40 men they would ambush Paul and his
escorts on the
way. Paul’s nephew heard of the plot and informed Paul,
who, in turn, had
him tell the commander. Whereupon the commander took Paul by
night with a
a detachment of soldiers to Caesarea to appear before the
Roman governor,
Felix. He sent along a letter giving the details of what had
transpired in the
affair. Felix agreed to hear the case when his accusers
should arrive.
24. The High Priest , elders and a lawyer,Tertulius came and made
their case.
Paul then made his defense, pointing out that the Jews had
no proof of the
crimes they alleged. Felix could not make a decision. He
said he would wait
to make a decision until the commander could come with
useful evidence. He
ordered that Paul be kept under guard, but granted him some
freedoms and
the permission to have his friends care for his needs. Felix
was looking for a
bribe, so he talked frequently with Paul. This went on for
two years until Felix
was replaced by Portius Festus.
25. When Festus arrived he soon went to Jerusalem to see the
Sanhedrin, who
presented their charges. They asked Festus for another trial,
this time in
Jerusalem, a pretext to kill Paul in ambush during transfer
from Caesarea to
Jerusalem. Festus agreed on another trial , but in
Caesarea. After 10 days
the trial began. Paul made his defense. Festus, wanting to
do the Jews a
favor asked Paul if he would consent to a trial in
Jerusalem. Paul refused
and, as a Roman citizen, appealed to Caesar, in other
words, a trial in Rome.
Festus agrees; however, Festus consulted King Agrippa II,
puppet king, about
the case. Agrippa said he would like to have a hearing with
Paul. Festus
arranged it. Paul stood before Agrippa. Festus started the
discussion, wanting
Agrippa to help him in writing the letter of transmission to
Rome, inasmuch as
there was no crime against Rome in evidence.
26. Paul makes a detailed speech to Agrippa giving all the
background, the
prophecies of Scripture about Jesus, and ends it with the
Gospel. Festus,
disturbed by his confusion, shouts to Paul that his great
learning has made
him insane. Paul rejects that and turns to the King, who
has Jewish ancestry,
In an interchange he asks if the King believes the prophets,
and the King
replies that Paul cannot persuade him to be a Christian so
quickly.
27. Paul is sent to Rome with other prisoners under guard of a
centurion, Julius,
and soldiers. Friends of Paul accompany him , including
Luke. It was past the
time for safe sailing on the Mediterranean, the winds were
unfavorable and
weather dangerous. They change ships at Myra , but sail on
with much
difficulty, finally reaching Fair Havens a port on the
island of Crete. Paul
counsels the centurion that they should stay there for the
winter, but the ship’s
owner knows that Fair Havens is not a sheltered port and
decides to go on to
Phoenix 50 miles further. Soon a hurricane force wind comes
up and blows
them away from Crete. Extreme measures are taken: throwing
cargo and
tackle overboard, strengthening the hull with ropes, and
putting out sea
anchors. Crew and passengers gave up hope. Paul relates a
vision that all
will be saved but the ship will be lost. He tells this to
all to keep up their
courage. The sailors make an attempt to escape from the ship
with the life
boat, but Paul alerts the centurion who stops them. Paul encourages
them all
to eat. They see a sandy beach and head for it to, but they
go aground on a
sandbar, where the surf breaks up the ship. All 276 aboard
are saved by
swimming to shore or floating there on pieces of the ship. They were
on the
island of Malta.
28. A viper bit and hung on Paul’s hand as he was putting wood on
the fire the
islanders made for them in the cold November weather. Paul
did not die and
the islanders thought he was a god. Paul healed the father
of the chief of the
island. All the sick came to Paul and were healed. Three
months later they
sailed to Puteoli, the port for Rome and spent a week with
Christians. On the
road to Rome they were met by Christians, which encouraged
Paul. In Rome
Paul was allowed to have his own house guarded by a
soldier. Paul called
the Jewish leaders together to explain why he was under
arrest in Rome.
They responded that they had no information about him and
desired to hear
more about the maligned sect that he represented. A meeting
with a larger
group of Jews was arranged at Paul’ s house. Paul spoke an
entire day trying
to convince them about Jesus. Some believed, others didn’t.
They argued
among themselves and began to leave when Paul quoted Isaiah
6: 9,10
and concluded that he wanted them to know that God’s
salvation has been
taken to the Gentiles, who will listen. For two years
thereafter Paul stayed
under house arrest welcoming all visitors. He preached the
Kingdom of God
and taught about Jesus boldly and unhindered.