1.  Believers Empowered to Witness  (Acts 1:4-8; 2:1-4, 36-41; 4:9-13)  

2.  Persecuted and Growing  (Acts 7:54-60; 8:1-8; 10:9-23, 34-44)   

3.  Into All the World  (Acts 16:9-10; 18:1, 9-11; 19:1-6; 28:28-31)  

Central Truth:  The Church grows through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

Focus:  Describe the explosive growth of the early church and commit to carry out the Great Commission.  

Evangelism Emphasis:  Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses of the Gospel.  

Golden Text:  “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied” (Acts 9:31).  

INTRODUCTION  

When Jesus appeared to His disciples following His resurrection, He informed them that their central purpose from this point forward was to spread the Gospel to the entire world. The authority He had won by His victory over sin and death He would now use in sending His disciples forth as ambassadors of light.  

The first motivation to do missionary work does not come because of humankind’s sinful condition, nor does it originate mainly in a desire to offer the blessings of the Gospel to needy people. Although these are indispensable reasons, the principal purpose springs from the direct command of Christ, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Regardless of how the world’s population responds, the main issue is to obey Christ’s mandate to  go .   

During His three or more years of earthly ministry, Jesus not only met countless personal needs, He carefully prepared the way for the establishment of His church—His kingdom on the earth.  When asked in Matthew 16:13-14 who the general public thought Him to be, Jesus’ disciples mentioned  John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Jesus then asked who they believed He was. Peter quickly responded, “ You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (v. 16 NKJV). Upon that “rock” of revelation and confession, Jesus declared, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (v. 18 NKJV).  

The word  church  is used exclusively in the New Testament and comes from the Greek word  ekklesia , meaning, “called out of, or out from.” That is, the Church is comprised of people God has called out of sin. Jesus paid for our redemption with His blood and certified it by rising from the dead. What remained was for Him to establish His followers into a spiritual force to spread the good news of the Kingdom to the ends of the earth. This He has done, and the Church will continue to expand until He returns in glory, because it has been purchased with His blood, empowered and directed by the Holy Spirit.  

1.  BELIEVERS EMPOWERED TO WITNESS  

A.  Christ’s Instructions and Promise  (Acts 1:4-8)  

8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.   

For forty days following His crucifixion, Jesus prepared for His ascension—first through descending into the lowest parts of the earth (Eph. 4:9), and then, through His interaction with His disciples. At times they recognized Him, while at other times, they did not. For example, the two men with whom Jesus walked and talked while on the road to Emmaus initially were not able to identify Him, even though they later—after their eyes were opened—admitted, “Did not our heart burn within us?” (Luke 24:32). Yet, every encounter was another silver thread woven into the tapestry of God’s eternal purpose of sending the Gospel throughout the world.   

Jesus had earlier promised His disciples that the works He did they would also do, and even greater works, because He would go to the Father, leaving them to carry on His work (John 14:12). He pledged to them that He would not leave them alone in this endeavor but would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit (v. 16). Now following His resurrection, He met with them to follow up on this promise. Jesus “commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4).  

The disciples could have questioned the process of waiting, or they could have suggested that they immediately get on with the work at hand. In essence, Jesus told them not to attempt to do the divine work without the divine power. Therefore, waiting became for them an indispensable part of fulfilling God’s will, just as it is for us today.  

39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.  

What happened in the Upper Room on this day had never happened before. People had gathered in Jerusalem from the known world to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, with 120 of Christ’s disciples waiting prayerfully in “one accord” for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit (v. 1). Suddenly there came a mighty sound, an appearance of tongues of fire (vv. 2-3), and the infilling of the Holy Spirit accompanied by speaking in “other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (v. 4 NIV).  

This visible and audible manifestation of God’s Spirit quickly drew the attention of people representing many nations, causing them both to marvel and to criticize (vv. 5-7). On one hand, they were amazed at hearing the followers of Christ speak in their particular languages “the wonderful works of God” (v. 11). On the other, there were doubters who claimed the newly infilled believers were drunk with wine (v. 13), prompting Peter to stand and announce that this outpouring was the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy (vv. 14-21).  

The Holy Spirit’s work was a continuation of Christ’s earthly ministry. Jesus taught that when the Holy Spirit would come, the Spirit would “testify” of Him, the Savior (John 15:26). And this is precisely what the outpouring of the Spirit accomplished. The disciples were emboldened to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified, and thus began the mission to evangelize the world.  

Peter concluded his message with these words: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36). Peter expressed a deeper understanding of God’s eternal purpose and manifested a greater boldness in proclaiming this truth than he had previously known.   

In Acts 3:6, Peter lifted a lame man to his feet while invoking the name of Jesus. The jubilant recipient of healing then entered the Temple leaping and praising God, and this angered the priests and Sadducees. Already offended by the disciples preaching the resurrection of Jesus (4:2), the religious leaders took Peter and John, cast them in prison overnight, and brought them to trial the following day. The first question asked of them concerning the healing of the lame man was, “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this” (v. 7)?  

Once again, the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s coming is on display, as Peter boldly declared that the means of the lame man finding deliverance was in “the name of Jesus Christ” (v. 10). He is always the focus of the Holy Spirit’s work, for Jesus is Savior, Healer, and Deliverer. The One crucified by His enemies is He whom God raised from the dead, and the One by whose power the lame man walked. The “stone” rejected by the religious leaders became “the chief cornerstone” (v. 11 NKJV). Salvation comes only in Jesus’ name and in no other (v. 12).  

The boldness with which Peter and John (“uneducated and untrained men,” NKJV) spoke caused the people to take notice that they had “been with Jesus” (v. 13). Earthly position and power may count for something, but material substance and worldly wisdom are ineffective in the deeply spiritual service of our Lord. May our level of commitment and boldness to speak the truth cause others to take notice that we, too, have been with the Lord.  

Displaying Divine Power  

Those who experience God’s power display strength, take spiritual action, and give spiritual instruction. Spiritual exploits abound today on every continent as we approach the return of Christ. The Holy Spirit moves us beyond our prevailing level of service and continually jolts our level of contentment. The Holy Spirit prompts the impulse to open our mouths boldly and give utterance to the good news that Jesus is alive, the devil is defeated, and God is in control.—Gerald Johnson  

2.  PERSECUTED AND GROWING  

A.  Distress of Persecution  (Acts 7:54-60)  

7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up  stedfastly  into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.  

Satan has consistently used persecution against God’s children to hinder the advancement of the Church. From the first imprisonment of the apostles in Acts 4:3 until now, our Enemy has employed persecution as one of his preferred tactics against the spreading of the Gospel. The prophets of old were persecuted; faithful believers were scourged; godly men and women have been slain for their testimony. While Satan persistently uses deception to derail the body of Christ, he never ceases openly hostile actions against the Christian movement. Actually, deception and persecution work hand-in-hand, with deception being the more covert attack against believers and persecution being the more overt attack. Satan’s goal is always the same—the destruction of God’s work.  

44 While Peter yet  spake  these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.  

It is evident that Satan’s attempts to derail the nascent New Testament church did not go as planned. He counted on at least crippling this new movement and, hopefully, destroying it altogether. To the contrary, his attacks only contributed to its rapid growth. For example, Philip preached in Samaria and those who heard him heeded his words, for they saw the miracles he did—unclean spirits coming out of many that were possessed and the sick being healed. “And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8).  

According to 10:1-8, Cornelius—a praying Italian centurion—received instructions from an angel of God in a vision to send to Joppa for Simon Peter, who was lodging in the home of Simon, a tanner. Interestingly, even as Saul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus in his first step to becoming a minister to the Gentiles, God was likewise preparing Peter to be the channel through which He first opened the door to the Gentiles.  

As Peter prayed on the housetop of Simon’s dwelling, he fell into a God-induced sleep and saw a sheet lowered three times containing all manner of creatures the Jews found detestable (vv. 9-12). Hearing a voice commanding, “Rise, Peter; kill, and eat” (v. 13), he responded that he had never eaten anything “common or unclean” (v. 14). Even as Peter wondered at its meaning, Cornelius’ entourage arrived at Simon’s home seeking the apostle.  

God never intended to limit the message of Jesus Christ to the Jews. When Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:22 that “salvation is of the Jews,” He was not saying salvation is only  for  the Jews. It is  of  the Jews because God called Abraham and his seed to be the channel of His blessings to the whole world. So the Gospel is for all people.  

When Peter encountered Cornelius and heard his testimony of how God appeared to him, he saw more completely that God is truly “no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34). Even though Peter had earlier preached that the promise of the Holy Spirit “is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off” (2:39), in all likelihood he understood this promise in the context of the Jewish people. It was not until he stood before Cornelius that his spiritual eyes were opened to the universality of the Gospel.  

As Peter preached Jesus Christ to the people Cornelius had gathered, “the gift of the Holy Ghost” was “poured out” on them (10:45) as had happened to the disciples in the Upper Room. The evidence was unmistakable; Peter “heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God” (v. 46). Jewish leaders of the church had to acknowledge that the Gentiles had received the same Gospel and the same Holy Spirit they had received. The Good News was for everyone everywhere!  

The Whole Secret  

“They [disciples] were ignorant and unlearned men. Silver and gold had they none. Their church machinery was very simple: apostles, deacons, prophets, and teachers, bound together chiefly by ties of love and common purpose. They had no prestige, for they were made as the filth of the world and the  offscouring  of all things; they were the sect everywhere spoken against. And yet, they turned the world upside down. . . . Churches were established in every land. The whole secret and explanation is the fact that the apostles and new disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.”—Ralph M. Riggs  

3.  INTO ALL THE WORLD  

A.  Paul’s Vision of Macedonia  (Acts 16:6-15)  

9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. 10 And after he had seen the vision, immediately we  endeavoured  to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.  

Paul had now become an effective instrument to the Gentiles. Embarking on his second missionary journey, he took Silas as his fellow-laborer in ministry. Following their preaching in Phrygia and Galatia, they planned to turn north to Bithynia but were forbidden of the Holy Spirit, who then directed their footsteps westward (vv. 6-7).   

The natural inclination of these evangelists was to continue their work in an area more familiar to them. Europe was a relatively unknown region featuring a more secularly educated populace, and storming the bastions of human philosophy would be perhaps the Church’s greatest challenge yet. But Paul, chosen for a broader ministry than preaching to the tribes of Asia Minor, turned westward in obedience to God and prepared himself for a frontal assault on the strongholds of heathenism.  

After Paul and his company passed by  Mysia  and came to Troas, he saw a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and crying out for the Gospel. This vision “ushered in the most momentous event in the history of Europe, the going forth of the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem to enlighten the nations of the West, and bring them into the fold of Jesus Christ” ( The Pulpit Commentary ). The helplessness of the Macedonians presented a picture of the corrupt human condition and the complete inability of man to fix it. What people needed was the life-transforming message of the cross of Christ.  

In response to Paul’s vision, his company sailed from Troas and came to Philippi—the chief city of that part of Macedonia—and abode there several days (vv. 11-12). Philippi was the gateway to Europe, situated on the great Roman road known as the  Egnatian  Way. It was a proud Roman colony famous as a microcosm of Rome, and was also ripe for the harvest. Paul, in obedience to the Spirit’s leading, became the instrument to begin reaping this harvest.  

When the Sabbath arrived, Paul and his companions went outside the city where believers gathered to pray. Here they met Lydia, a devout woman from the city of Thyatira. That area was famous for its expensive purple dyes, and apparently Lydia was successful in this business. Although she was a proselyte who believed in the God of Abraham, she apparently had little knowledge of Jesus Christ and the message of salvation.  

Lydia listened intently to Paul’s message and was baptized, along with her household. She became the first documented convert to Christianity in Europe, and welcomed Paul and his company to lodge in her house. God opened a new door through this remarkable woman.  

The Gospel—first preached in Jerusalem, then throughout Judaea and Samaria—now produced fruit in Macedonia. And even though the Gospel spread in every direction, the vanguard of Christianity began expanding in a general westward direction.  

Corinth was a major city of Europe lying at the southern tip of Greece—a city notorious for its pleasures and vices. Bordered by two harbors, one on the east and the other on the west, all traffic north and south passed through it. Corinth lay steeped in paganism with its temples dedicated to the goddess of fertility,  Aphrodite . Interestingly, the Gospel often finds more fertile ground in such places than it finds in places of higher learning and in strongholds of philosophy—places like ancient Athens.  

In Corinth, Paul connected with two believers, Aquila and Priscilla, who, along with other Jews, had been forced out of Italy by the Roman emperor, Claudius (v. 2). Discovering they were tentmakers just as he was, he resided with them while plying his trade. Every Sabbath saw him teaching in the synagogue, “trying to persuade Jews and Greeks” (v. 4 NIV) to believe in Jesus Christ.  

 After Silas and Timothy joined him in Corinth, Paul experienced mounting opposition from the Jewish population. The hostility became so intense that “he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads . . . I will go unto the Gentiles” (v. 6).  

Being forced out of the synagogue, Paul moved next door to the house of Justus (v. 7). Soon the ruler of the synagogue,  Crispus , along with his household, received Christ. Perhaps these were the only Jewish converts in Corinth; we have no record of others. Whether they were or not, we do know that “many” Gentiles received Christ and “were baptized” (v. 8). In God’s providence, this Jewish opposition to the Gospel led to a more concentrated effort among the Gentiles.  

 God instructed Paul in a vision to speak without fear, assuring him that no harm would come to him (vv. 9-10). In response, the apostle was faithful to God and remained in Corinth teaching the Word of God for a year and six months (v. 11), longer than any residence we know of other than his three years in Ephesus.  

C.  Paul in Ephesus  (Acts 19:1-6)  

1 And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples.  

6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they  spake  with tongues, and prophesied.  

Paul had now begun his third missionary journey, having left Antioch to travel throughout Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening and encouraging the disciples (18:23). Coming to Ephesus, he found twelve men who possibly were converts of the eloquent and able teacher, Apollos, who preached the baptism of John (vv. 24-26). These twelve men had received John’s baptism of repentance (19:4)—a baptism that announced a Messiah yet to come. Thus far, they had not heard Paul’s message that proclaimed a crucified and risen Savior upon whose request the Father sent the Holy Spirit.  

In response to the lack of knowledge in these men of Ephesus, Paul instructed them to believe on Jesus as the Messiah. Upon receiving the message that the Savior had indeed come, they were baptized in His name (vv. 4-5). As Paul laid his hands on them, they received the Holy Spirit, spoke with tongues, and prophesied (v. 6), replicating the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost.  

D.  Paul in Rome  (Acts 28:28-31)  

30 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, 31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.  

The Gospel had now spread from Jerusalem, had reached into Phrygia, Galatia, Asia Minor, and had made its way into Europe. And, in Acts 19:21, Paul declared his intention to see Rome. Later, in 23:11, the Lord confirmed to him in a vision that just as he had preached Jesus in Jerusalem, he would indeed bear witness of Him in Rome.  

In 28:16, Paul arrived in Rome as a prisoner and was allowed to dwell in his own hired house. He received many guests and expounded the Gospel of the kingdom of God to all comers  (v. 23). Some believed the Word he preached; others did not (v. 24). For sure, the Praetorian guards assigned to him heard the Gospel explained in detail. The constant changing of the guard brought many soldiers under his personal influence and allowed him to witness “in all the palace and in all other places” (Phil. 1:13).  

For two years, Paul preached Christ in Rome. No man hindered him; the Word of the Lord had free course. The Jewish hierarchy may have prohibited him from preaching in the Temple, Jews of the same persuasion may have thrown him out of synagogues, and his own brethren may have falsely accused him; but here in Rome he had freedom to expound the truth without fear of reprisal.  

Life-Giving Death  

“The entrance of Paul to Rome, although unknown and unheeded by the multitude, was a greater event than the coming of an army of soldiers or the arrival of a fleet of battleships. He was a corn of wheat cast into the ground to die, but destined to bring forth such fruit as would be a blessing to the nations of the earth.”—James Smith,  Handfuls on Purpose Volume VIII  

CHRIST’S GROWING KINGDOM  

John the Baptist declared, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). Jesus himself instructed His disciples to announce the same (10:7). At the birth of the Church in Acts 2, the kingdom of God arrived in human hearts through the effusion and infilling of the Holy Spirit. The preaching of Peter, Philip, Barnabas, Paul, and the other apostles affirmed this truth, for they preached the Kingdom, not only in the futuristic sense, but also in the present sense.  

W .  Power to Evangelize Gentiles  ( Isaiah 49:1-7 )  

T.  Jesus Promises Power to Witness  ( Luke 24:44-49 )  

F.  Jesus Promises New Worship  ( John 4:19-24 )  

S.  Many Samaritans Believe  ( John 4:39-42 )  

*Adopted from the Evangelical Sunday School Lesson Commentary 2020-2021