The Acts of the Apostles

Outline

• I. Introduction
• II. The preparation
• A. Christ's preparation
• 1. Speaking to the disciples the things concerning the kingdom of God
• 2. Charging them to wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit
• B. Christ's ascension
• C. The disciples' preparation
• 1. Persevering in prayer
• 2. Choosing Matthias
• III. The propagation
• A. In the Jewish land through the ministry of Peter's company
• 1. The Jewish believers' baptism in the Holy Spirit
• a. The economical filling of the Holy Spirit
• b. The peoples' amazement
• 2. Peter's first message to the Jews
• a. Explaining the economical filling of the Holy Spirit
• b. Witnessing of Jesus in His work, death, resurrection, and ascension
• c. Entreating the Spirit-moved ones to repent, be baptized, and be saved
• 3. The beginning of the church life
• 4. Peter's second message to the Jews
• a. The healing of a lame man
• b. The message
• 1) Testifying of Jesus in His death and resurrection
• 2) Exhorting people to repent and turn that they may partake of the ascended and coming Christ
• 5. The beginning of the persecution by the Jewish religionists
• a. The arrest and inquiry by the Sanhedrin
• b. Peter's testimony
• c. The Sanhedrin's prohibition
• d. Peter and John's reply
• e. The Sanhedrin's release
• f. The church's praise and prayer
• 6. The continuation of the church life
• a. The positive scene
• b. The negative scene
• 7. The signs and wonders done through the apostles
• 8. The continuation of the persecution by the Jewish religionists
• a. The Sanhedrin's arrest of the apostles and the Lord's rescue
• b. The apostles' testimony
• c. The Sanhedrin's prohibition and release
• d. The apostles' rejoicing and faithfulness
• 9. The appointment of seven deacons
• 10. The growth of the word and the multiplication of the disciples
• 11. The increase of the persecution by the Jewish religionists
• a. The martyrdom of Stephen
• 1) Opposed and arrested
• 2) Testifying
• 3) Killed
• b. The devastation of the church in Jerusalem
• 12. The preaching by Philip
• a. In Samaria
• 1) Proclaiming Christ and the kingdom of God
• 2) Confirmed by the apostles
• b. To an Ethiopian
• c. Unto Caesarea
• 13. The conversion of Saul
• a. Appeared to by the Lord
• b. Confirmed through Ananias
• c. Beginning to preach
• 14. The building up and multiplication of the church
• 15. The spreading of Peter's ministry
• a. To Lydda
• b. To Joppa
• 16. The spreading to the Gentiles
• a. Cornelius's vision
• b. Peter's vision
• c. Peter's visit
• d. Peter's message
• e. The Gentile believers' baptism in the Holy Spirit
• f. The Gentile believers' water baptism
• g. The recognition by the apostles and the brothers in Judea
• 17. The spreading to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch
• 18. The communication between the church in Antioch and the saints in Judea
• 19. The persecution by the Roman politician
• a. The mistreatment of some believers and the martyrdom of James
• b. The arrest of Peter
• 1) Guarded in prison
• 2) Rescued by the Lord
• c. The fate of the persecutors
• 20. The growth and multiplication of the word
• B. In the Gentile lands through the ministry of Paul's company
• 1. The initiation
• 2. Set apart and sent by the Holy Spirit
• 3. The first journey
• a. To Paphos of Cyprus
• b. To Pisidian Antioch
• 1) Preaching the crucified and resurrected Christ as the Savior
• 2) Rejected by the Jews
• c. To Iconium
• d. To Lystra and Derbe of Lycaonia
• e. Establishing the disciples and appointing elders on the way back
• f. Back to Antioch, ending the first journey
• 4. The trouble concerning circumcision
• a. A conference of the apostles and elders held in Jerusalem
• b. The solution
• 5. The problem of Barnabas
• 6. The second journey
• a. To Syria and Cilicia
• b. To Derbe and Lystra
• c. To Philippi of Macedonia
• 1) The vision of a Macedonian
• 2) The preaching and its fruits
• 3) The imprisonment and the release
• d. To Thessalonica
• e. To Berea
• f. To Athens
• 1) Sent by the brothers
• 2) Reasoning with the Jews and confronting the Gentile philosophers
• 3) Preaching on the Areopagus
• g. To Corinth
• 1) Meeting Aquila and Priscilla
• 2) Preaching to the Jews and encountering their opposition
• h. To Ephesus
• i. Back to Antioch, ending the second journey
• 7. The third journey
• a. To the country of Galatia and Phrygia
• b. To Ephesus again
• 1) The ministry of Apollos
• 2) Filling up the deficiency in the ministry of Apollos
• 3) The ministry and its fruits — the Lord's word growing and prevailing
• 4) Purposing to go to Jerusalem and to Rome
• 5) The disturbance
• a) The cause
• b) The quieting
• c. Through Macedonia and Greece to Troas
• d. To Miletus, meeting with the elders of the church in Ephesus
• e. To Tyre
• f. To Ptolemais
• g. To Caesarea
• h. To Jerusalem, ending the third journey
• 8. The negative influence of Judaism
• 9. The ultimate persecution of the Jews
• a. An uproar against Paul
• 1) Seized by the Jews
• 2) The intervention of the Roman commander
• 3) Defending himself before the rioting Jews
• 4) Bound by the Romans
• 5) Defending himself before the Sanhedrin
• 6) Encouraged by the Lord
• 7) The plot of the Jews
• b. Transferred by the commander to the Roman governor Felix
• 1) The secrecy of the transfer
• 2) Accused by the Jews' advocate
• 3) Defending himself before Felix
• 4) Kept in the custody of the unjust and corrupt Roman politician
• c. Left to Festus, the successor of Felix
• 1) The request of the leaders of the Jews rejected
• 2) Defending himself before Festus
• 3) Appealing to Caesar
• 4) Referred by Festus to King Agrippa
• 5) Defending himself before King Agrippa
• 6) King Agrippa's judgment
• 10. The fourth journey
• a. To Fair Havens
• b. The storm and Paul's prediction of safety
• c. The ascendancy and wisdom of Paul in contrast to the baseness and folly of the sailors and soldiers
• d. To the island of Malta
• e. To Rome, ending the fourth journey
• 1) Through Syracuse to Rome
• 2) Contacting the Jewish leaders
• 3) Ministering in Rome