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History of the Church Jim
Laws There have been many books written on church
history, but none compares to God's divine book, the book of Acts. It
includes such valuable material regarding God and his people that it has to
be the greatest book on the subject of the history of the church. One really cannot understand New Testament Christianity properly without
it; we can never get too much of it. This does not mean Acts is
exhaustive in its treatment of every event and detail that took occurred.
However, the details presented are sufficient to accomplish the purpose the
Holy Spirit: to reveal to man the
beginning and growth of the church. At the very outset the reader
realizes the close
relationship existing between Acts and the book of Luke. It is certainly true Luke is the writer of
both; however,
one finds a number of other elements showing a close
relationship. For instance, in the opening statement of Acts, Luke records a good purpose statement
linking the two books, " The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and
teach (Acts 1:1, Luke 1:3)." The book of Luke
recounts what Jesus did, while here on earth; in Acts Luke records what Jesus did through the Holy Spirit, through the
Apostles, and through the church. Acts becomes a type of sequel to the mighty
acts of God found in the four accounts of the life of the Lord. The
close relationship between the two books may be seen again, when one
considers the book of Luke ends with the ascension of Jesus, while the
book of Acts
begins with the ascension of the Lord. Luke reveals the Lord's
instructions to the apostles that "repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at An important passage to consider is Acts 1:3. Luke records Jesus
"presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."
Much of the book of Acts records the preaching of Peter, Stephen, Paul, and others
with emphasis on the kingdom of Christ. Peter emphasized Jesus is now reigning as king of his kingdom, the church,
gleaned from both his sermons:
on Pentecost (Acts 2) and on the temple porch (Acts 3).
The common elements in these sermons are: (1) The promises of God in
the Old Testament are now fulfilled, (2) The Messiah has come in Jesus of
Nazareth, (3) He did mighty works by the power of God, (4) He was crucified
according to the purpose of God, (5) He was raised from the dead by the power
of God, (6) He now reigns as king at the right hand of God, (7) He will come
again and judge the world; (8) therefore, all men everywhere need to hear
this message, repent of their sins, and be baptized for the remission of sins.
These same elements continue throughout the book. Another important passage is found in Acts 1:8,
which proves to be a valuable outline for the rest of the book. Luke
states, " But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1-7) The first seven chapters of Acts may be summed
up as the church in Acts 3:1-4:31 continues
detailing the
spread of the gospel in In the last portion of chapter four
we learn something of what life was like in the first century church (vv. 32-37). Luke's use of words, such as "heart" and
"soul", reveals the unity and fellowship, the church at In the later portion of chapter six one
we read of the work of Stephen, a powerful preacher of the gospel. The Jews are
beaten by him in argument, so they resorted to severe persecution, in which Stephen is martyred ( (Acts 8-12) Due to persecution the church
was scattered from
During this time Luke records the
conversion of Simon (vv. 8-13), and his falling from grace (vv.
18-25). Luke says multitudes obeyed the gospel (the Samaritans),
including a man of In Acts 9:1,2 Saul of Tarsus, the persecutor of Christ
becomes the focus of our interest. He was a Jewish man, who was very
aggressive in persecuting the Way (Acts
22:4). However, he is struck down on the way to Another watershed incident
takes place in Acts 10. We are introduced to Cornelius, the moral
centurion (vv. 1-8). He is a
Roman soldier of rank living in Caesarea (vs. 1). Cornelius is a devout,
religious man, who worships God and is benevolent and prayerful (v. 2). However, Cornelius is a
Gentile, lost due in sin and in need of the Gospel. Cornelius was
instructed by the angel to send for the apostle Peter (v. 5-7). As Peter came
and preached by inspiration these remarkable concepts, (1) God would
have all men to be saved, as he is "no respecter of persons" (vv. 34,
35); (2) Jesus is LORD of all (vv. 36, 37); (3) "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with Him." (v. 38); (4) the resurrected
Christ is
judge of all (vv. 42-43). Luke earlier had recorded the Holy Spirit would come
upon his
hearers (v. 44); as Peter began to speak (see Acts Unto
the Uttermost Part of the Earth (Acts
13-28) Luke
records the carrying of the gospel message to the world, as the need for
evangelism on a greater scope is seen. Chapters 13 and 14 relate the first of
three missionary tours of Paul. The Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (13:2). Persecution
had spurred the disciples to carry the gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and
Samaria; the Holy Spirit told them to go from Antioch to the rest of the
world. In both cases one can see God's hand working behind the scenes to have
the gospel message carried to others; not to just a select few. The church at
Antioch sent out Paul and Barnabas with John Mark. The team went to the island
of Cyprus, preaching first at Salamis. They traveled on to Paphos;
then sailed to Asia Minor. In some instances, they met with receptive hearts;
however, in many cases they faced hearts filled with jealousy, who strenuously
opposed the gospel message. At
Antioch of Pisidia Paul faced Jewish opposition
and made this important statement, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles"
(13:46). Luke writes this decision was part of God's plan, i.e., that the
Gentiles hear the gospel and have the opportunity to receive its blessings
through obedient faith (v. 47). On his return to Antioch of Syria, Paul
reported to the church the things God had done through them; mentioning,
particularly, the opportunity for reaching the Gentiles with the gospel. The
second missionary journey is documented in 15:36 through 18:22.
During this time Paul wrote I and II
Thessalonians. Due to a disagreement over John Mark, Paul and Barnabas no
longer traveled together; rather, Paul took Silas as a partner; verse15:41
chronicle their journey through Syria and Cilicia.
When they came to Derbe and Lystra
(16:1), Paul found Timothy, who joined the team, and continued the journey
with them. In 16:9 Paul received the plea to go into Macedonia, in 16:10 Luke
shifts to the first person plural in writing the details of their travels.
This indicates the writer himself has become a part of the missionary group.
Chapter 17 relates the activities in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. Paul
went on to Corinth; chapter 18 narrates his labors there.
Paul works with Aquila and Priscilla in
this city. The third
missionary journey is detailed in 18:23 through 21:16. Paul returned to
Ephesus, where he had left Aquila and Priscilla.
He scripturally baptized twelve men, who had known only the baptism of John.
He remained in Ephesus for three years, and the gospel is spread to the
surrounding areas. In chapter 20 Paul left Ephesus headed for Macedonia, where
he spent three months in Greece, since he was determined to return to Syria.
As they sailed from Philippi, they arrived at Troas and met with disciples,
who had come together on the first day of the week to break bread, that is, to
partake of the Lords' supper (20:7). Chapter 21 tells of Paul's trip to
Jerusalem. It is likely Paul wrote Galatians, either at the beginning or
during the third missionary tour. We can be more certain he wrote I
and II Corinthians and Romans, while on the third tour. Beginning in 21:17 Luke
records the opposition Paul faced by the Jews in Jerusalem, his rescue from
the Jews by the Roman captain, his subsequent trials, and his journey, as a
prisoner, to Rome. Chapter 22 contains Paul's defense before the Jews. Chapter
23 tells of Paul's defense before the Sanhedrin and of his subsequent removal
to Caesarea for safety. Chapter 24 tells of Paul's defense before
the governor, Felix, who left him prisoner in Caesarea. As Felix is succeeded
by Festus, Paul presented his defense before him and mad his appeal to Caesar
(Ch. 25). Chapter 26 relates Paul's defense before Agrippa. Chapter 27 and 28
describe his voyage to Rome by ship. While in Rome, though a prisoner, Paul
continued to preach. In fact, for two years Paul preached to all would come to
hear him. During this time Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and
Philemon. So ends the book of Acts--the history of the church. Some
might think this an abrupt way to end this book of history. However,
inspiration makes this important point: the preaching and teaching of the
gospel message is a never-ending process. Each new generation must be about
the work of proclaiming the message of Christ. End Notes The book of Acts has been the primary reference
for this study, but a number of works can be helpful
to understand both the language used and the background of the book. I suggest
the reader consult the New
Bible Dictionary edited by J. D. Douglas, (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1982). Another helpful
reference would be the New Illustrated Bible Dictionary, edited by
Ronald F. Youngblood, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995). For a more
scholarly treatment of the issues based in Acts, Donald
Guthrie's New Testament Introduction is valuable (Downers Grove, IL:
Inter-Varsity Press, 1966). Another volume to be consulted is Everett F.
Harrison's, Introduction to the New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.
B. Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1971). Irving L.
Jensen has produced Jensen's Survey of the New Testament; he presents a number of charts outlining the books of the Bible, which
is particularly helpful. The interest shown
in the
book of Acts is truly historical.
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