Book of Acts

Acts
Abbreviation	Ac
Class.	New Testament
Category	Historical Book
Chapters	28 Chapters
Record Related
Writer	Luke
Date (Approx.)	c. 61–63 BC
Location	Rome

Acts is the fifth book of the New Testament. While the Gospels focus on the life and ministry of Jesus, the book of Acts records the works of the apostles. It details the three missionary journeys of Apostle Paul and describes how the apostles, empowered by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, began preaching the gospel—starting in Jerusalem, extending to all Judea and Samaria, and ultimately reaching the heart of the Gentile world: Rome.

Writer of Acts

Luke—whose name means “to shine”—was a faithful companion of Apostle Paul, traveling with him on his missionary journeys and serving as a physician. He earnestly longed for the kingdom of heaven and lived a life of devotion as a preacher of the gospel. Even when persecution against Christians intensified in Rome, Luke remained by Paul’s side until the very end. In addition to the book of Acts, he also wrote the Gospel of Luke, one of the four Gospels.

Historical Background

The book of Acts was written during the period when the Roman Empire ruled the regions surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Believers of the early Church were scattered across various lands due to persecution by Judaism, yet this dispersion became a means of spreading the gospel—from Jerusalem to the Gentile regions, and ultimately to Rome. Although Christianity encountered misunderstanding, slander, and persecution throughout the Roman Empire, the work of the Holy Spirit empowered the gospel of Christ to spread rapidly and reach the ends of the earth.

Characteristics of the Acts of the Apostles

Acts is the only historical book in the New Testament, unfolding across a wide geographical setting that includes Jerusalem, Asia Minor, Greece, and Rome. It serves as a bridge between the Gospels and the Epistles, documenting the period from Jesus’ ascension to the apostles’ Spirit-led missionary work among the Gentiles. The book is highly valued for its detailed record of the formation and growth of the early Church, offering invaluable insight into the history of early Christianity.

The latter portion of Acts is written in the first person, suggesting that the author, Luke, was personally present during those events and served as an eyewitness to what he recorded.

Key Figures

Peter
Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Originally a fisherman, he became an apostle after being called by Jesus. His original name was Simon, but Jesus gave him the name Peter—from the Greek word meaning “rock,” translated from the Aramaic Cephas. After His resurrection, Jesus instructed Peter to feed and take care of His sheep—that is, the Church.

After Jesus’ ascension, Peter devoted himself wholeheartedly to ministry and the preaching of the gospel, just as Jesus had instructed. On the Day of Pentecost, he received the Holy Spirit and led many people to the truth. He boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ even before the religious leaders. His act of preaching the gospel and baptizing Cornelius, a Roman centurion in Caesarea, marked a turning point in the early Church—it confirmed that the gospel was not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. Peter continued to travel through various regions to spread the gospel. Eventually, he was arrested by King Herod (Herod Agrippa I) and imprisoned. While awaiting execution after the Passover, he was miraculously freed from prison by an angel of the Lord.

Paul
Paul is the central figure of the book of Acts. He was once a devout Jew who took the lead in persecuting Jesus and the early Christians. However, on the road to Damascus, he heard the voice of Jesus and experienced a dramatic conversion. From that moment, he became a fervent preacher of the gospel. Despite enduring countless hardships and persecutions, he devoted himself with unwavering zeal to proclaiming Jesus Christ and spreading the gospel to the Gentiles.

“Paul” is his Roman name, while his Jewish name was “Saul.” After he began his ministry to the Gentiles in earnest, he was consistently referred to as Paul. The name “Saul” is generally used only when referring to his life prior to his conversion.

For details, refer to: Paul

Barnabas
Barnabas’s original name was Joseph, but the apostles gave him the name Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement.” He was a Levite, born on the island of Cyprus, and later became a Christian while living in Jerusalem. Barnabas played a vital role in helping the church leaders and believers accept the converted Paul as a fellow brother in Christ. Together with Paul, he taught the believers in the church at Antioch and later embarked on their first missionary journey.

For details, refer to: Barnabas

Silas
Silas was one of the leaders of the church in Jerusalem and was also a Roman citizen. During the Jerusalem Council, he was sent with Paul and Barnabas to deliver the council’s decision to the church in Antioch. He later accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey. In Paul’s letters, Silas is sometimes referred to by his Roman name, Silvanus. It is also believed that when Peter was imprisoned, Silas served as his scribe, assisting in the writing of 1 Peter.

Timothy
Timothy was from Lystra. Although his father was Greek, he was raised in the Scriptures from childhood by his Jewish grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. He grew into a young man who was highly respected by the believers. He joined Paul during his second missionary journey and became one of Paul’s most trusted companions. Later, he served as a pastoral leader of the church in Ephesus.

Structure of the Book of Acts

Chapter(s)	Content	Main Settings
1	Jesus’ Ascension and the Selection of a New Apostle	Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria
2-3	The Work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
4-5	The Persecuted Apostles
6-7	The Martyrdom of Stephen
8	Gospel Spreading to Various Regions
9	The Conversion of Apostle Paul
10-11	Peter’s Missionary Work Among the Gentiles
12	The Martyrdom of James and the Imprisonment of Peter
13-14	Paul’s First Missionary Journey	Gentile Nations and Cities
15-18	Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
19-20	Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
21-23	Paul’s Arrest in Jerusalem
24	Paul’s Defense Before Governor Felix
25-26	Paul’s Defense Before Governor Festus and King Agrippa of Judea
27-28	Paul Sent to Rome as a Prisoner

Mission Work in the Region of Israel (Chapters 1–12)

• The Ascension of Jesus (1:3–14)
  

After His crucifixion and resurrection on the third day, Jesus appeared to His disciples over a period of forty days, teaching them about the kingdom of God. Then He ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives. Before His ascension, Jesus promised His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would receive power and become His witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Afterward, the disciples gathered together in unity and devoted themselves to prayer as they awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit.

• Matthias Chosen as an Apostle to Replace Judas (1:15–26)
  

Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, took his own life out of remorse after betraying Jesus to the chief priests. To fill the vacant position among the apostles, two men were nominated—Joseph (called Barsabbas) and Matthias. After praying for God’s guidance, the disciples cast lots, and Matthias was chosen to take Judas’ place as one of the twelve apostles.

• The Work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Chapters 2–3)
  

On the day of Pentecost, the apostles received the Holy Spirit and began to speak in various languages, testifying about Jesus Christ. At that time, Jews from many nations had gathered in Jerusalem, and each of them heard the gospel in their own language. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the apostles preached with great boldness, and about 3,000 people were baptized in a single day. From that moment on, the number of believers continued to grow daily as more people were saved.

• Persecuted Apostles and the Martyrdom of Stephen (Chapters 4–7)
  

The religious leaders of Judaism arrested the apostles, imprisoned them, and brought them before the Sanhedrin to interrogate and warn them not to preach the gospel. However, the apostles were unafraid. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they boldly testified about Jesus Christ. Even after being imprisoned and released, they continued to preach the gospel tirelessly, undeterred by persecution.

As the number of believers increased rapidly, the apostles appointed seven deacons—men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom—to oversee the ministry of charity and service. Among them was Stephen, who was falsely accused of blaspheming God and brought before the Sanhedrin. When Stephen recounted Israel’s history of rejecting the prophets and exposed the sins of the people, they became enraged and stoned him to death.

• The Spreading of the Gospel Throughout the Land (Chapter 8)
  

From the day Stephen was martyred, the Church of God in Jerusalem faced severe persecution. Only the apostles remained in the city, while the other believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, preaching the gospel wherever they went. Philip went down to Samaria and proclaimed Christ there. Many people listened to his message and believed, so Peter and John also traveled from Jerusalem to Samaria and laid their hands on the new believers. On their way back to Jerusalem, they continued preaching the Word in many Samaritan villages. In this way, the gospel was spread even to Samaria—a region traditionally avoided by the Jews.

Later, Philip was led by an angel to meet a court official of Queen Candace of Ethiopia, who was in charge of her entire treasury. The eunuch was reading from the book of Isaiah, and when Philip explained its meaning and testified about Christ, the man understood and immediately received baptism. Afterward, Philip continued preaching the gospel in all the towns from Azotus until he came to Caesarea.

• The Conversion of Saul (9:1–31)
  

Saul, who had been a fierce persecutor of Jesus and the early Church, was traveling to Damascus when a bright light from heaven suddenly surrounded him. He heard the voice of Jesus saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” From that moment, Saul was struck blind and went without food or drink for three days while staying in Damascus. Meanwhile, Ananias received a vision from the Lord instructing him to go to Saul. When Ananias laid his hands on him, Saul’s sight was restored and he was baptized. Soon after, he began to preach in Damascus, proclaiming that Jesus is the Christ, to the astonishment of all who heard him. As persecution from the Jews intensified, Saul escaped to Jerusalem, where he continued to boldly preach the gospel. When his life was again in danger, he fled to his hometown of Tarsus (Tarsos).

• Peter’s Mission to the Gentiles (Chapters 10–11)
  

In Caesarea, there was a man named Cornelius, a Roman centurion who feared God. One day, he received a message from an angel instructing him to send for Peter, who was staying in Joppa. The next day, Peter had a vision in which a large sheet filled with all kinds of animals was lowered from heaven. A voice said, “Peter, get up, kill and eat.” When Peter replied that he had never eaten anything unclean, the voice answered, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” While Peter was reflecting on the meaning of the vision, the men sent by Cornelius arrived. Peter went with them to Cornelius’s house, where he met Cornelius along with his relatives and friends. Then Peter understood that the vision signified that salvation was now being extended to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews. He preached the gospel to them, and they were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. This event marked the beginning of the Gentile mission. As more Greek-speaking Gentiles came to believe in Christ, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch in Syria to help guide and strengthen the new believers.

• The Martyrdom of James and the Imprisonment of Peter (Chapter 12)
  

King Herod (Herod Agrippa I) executed James, the brother of John. When he saw that this pleased the Jews, he also had Peter arrested, intending to have him executed after the Passover. On the night before his scheduled execution, an angel of the Lord appeared and helped Peter escape from prison. Despite a thorough search, Herod’s soldiers could not find him, and Herod ordered the execution of the guards who had been watching over him. Later, an angel of God struck Herod, and he was eaten by worms and died.

Missionary Work in Gentile Regions (Chapters 13–28)

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Paul’s First Missionary Journey – Route Overview

• First Missionary Journey (Acts 13–14)
  

Paul (also called Saul) and Barnabas, who were leaders of the church in Antioch, were commissioned by the Holy Spirit and sent out to preach the gospel. They began their mission in Salamis, on the island of Cyprus. From there, they traveled through Paphos and Perga to Pisidian Antioch, where they proclaimed the message of Jesus Christ. However, after facing opposition and being driven out, they moved on to Iconium. Although they fled persecution and escaped to the nearby city of Lystra, Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium followed them and stirred up the crowd, resulting in Paul being stoned. After continuing to preach the gospel there, Paul and Barnabas revisited the churches they had established, strengthening the faith of the believers and appointing elders in each congregation. They then preached in Perga before finally returning to Antioch.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey – Route Overview

• Second Missionary Journey (15:36–18:22)
  

Barnabas took Mark and set sail for the island of Cyprus, while Paul chose Silas and set out for Lystra. In Lystra, a young disciple named Timothy joined them on their missionary journey. After visiting and strengthening several churches, Paul and his companions traveled through Troas and Neapolis, eventually arriving in Philippi, a major city of Macedonia.

After preaching the gospel in Philippi, Paul traveled to Thessalonica. When persecution from the Jews arose, he fled to Berea. However, Jews from Thessalonica followed him there and stirred up the crowds, disrupting his preaching. As a result, Paul departed alone by sea and crossed over to Athens. After proclaiming the gospel in Athens, he went to Corinth, where he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla and continued to preach the message of Christ. From there, Paul traveled to Ephesus, where he also preached the gospel, and then returned to the church in Antioch, passing through Caesarea on his way.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey – Route Overview

• Third Missionary Journey (18:23–21:16)
  

After returning to Antioch, Paul soon set out again on his third missionary journey. He traveled through the regions of Galatia and Phrygia, revisiting and strengthening the churches he had established during his first and second journeys. When he arrived in Ephesus, he met some believers who had received only John’s baptism. Paul explained the gospel to them and baptized them in the name of Jesus Christ.

Paul then traveled through the churches in the Macedonian region and stayed for a time in Greece. Afterward, he went to Troas, where he reunited with Luke and his fellow workers, and there they celebrated the Resurrection Day. Continuing his journey through various regions, Paul arrived in Miletus. Because the Feast of Pentecost was approaching, he called for the elders of the church in Ephesus to meet him there. When they arrived, Paul spoke to them about his ministry among them and earnestly urged them to shepherd the church of God faithfully. From Miletus, Paul traveled through many cities and eventually arrived in Caesarea, where he stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist. Although many believers pleaded with him not to go to Jerusalem, Paul was resolute, declaring that he was ready not only to be bound but even to die for the name of the Lord. Then he set out for Jerusalem.

Paul’s Mission to Rome

• Paul's Arrest in Jerusalem (21:17–23:35)
  

When Paul arrived in Jerusalem, he reported to the elders of the church about all that God had accomplished through his missionary journeys. A few days later, some Jews from Asia (modern-day southwestern Turkey) saw Paul in the temple and began to spread false accusations against him, inciting the crowd. As a riot broke out, the commander of the Roman troops intervened with his soldiers and ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. With the commander’s permission, Paul addressed the people in his own defense, but his words only further inflamed the crowd. The commander then ordered Paul to be flogged and interrogated. However, when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, he became alarmed and immediately halted the proceedings.

The next day, the Roman commander assembled the Sanhedrin—the Jewish council—to question Paul. Standing before them, Paul declared that he was a Pharisee and that he was on trial because of his hope in the resurrection of the dead. This statement immediately caused a sharp dispute between the Pharisees, who believed in the resurrection, and the Sadducees, who denied it. That night, God appeared to Paul and said, “Take courage. As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”

At daybreak, more than forty Jews conspired together and took an oath, vowing not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. However, Paul’s nephew learned of their plot and went to the barracks to inform him. Paul then asked that his nephew be brought to the Roman commander to report the scheme. Upon hearing the report, the commander immediately arranged for a detachment of soldiers to escort Paul under heavy guard during the night to Caesarea, where the Roman governor Felix was stationed.

• Paul’s Defense Before Governor Felix (Chapter 24)
  

The high priest Ananias, together with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, came down to Caesarea to present their accusations against Paul before Governor Felix. Tertullus began by describing Paul as “a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world, and a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” In his defense, Paul refuted their charges, stating that the accusations were unfounded and without evidence. He explained that he worshiped the God of his ancestors according to the Way, which they called a “sect,” and affirmed his firm belief in the resurrection of the dead. Wishing to please the Jews, Felix delayed delivering a verdict and adjourned the proceedings. As a result, Paul remained in custody for two years, though unconvicted. The case was reopened only after Felix was succeeded by the new governor, Festus.

• Paul’s Defense Before Governor Festus and King Agrippa (Chapters 25–26)
  

The Jews brought charges against Paul before Governor Festus but were unable to present any clear evidence to support their accusations. Their true intention was to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem so they could ambush and kill him along the way. Wishing to appease the Jews, Festus asked Paul if he was willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial there. However, Paul invoked his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to have his case heard before Caesar in Rome.

A few days later, King Agrippa (Herod Agrippa II) visited the newly appointed Governor Festus in Caesarea. When Agrippa expressed interest in hearing from Paul personally, a formal hearing was arranged. During the hearing, Paul defended his innocence and recounted the story of his conversion—from his former life as a devout Jew to his faith in Christ. He explained that if he was guilty of anything, it was for proclaiming the message of salvation and the hope of the resurrection foretold by Moses and the prophets. At one point, Festus interrupted, declaring that Paul had gone mad. King Agrippa, intrigued, asked whether Paul was trying to persuade him to become a Christian. In the end, Agrippa admitted that Paul had done nothing worthy of death or imprisonment, remarking that he could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.

• Paul's Compulsory Transfer to Rome (Chapters 27–28)
  

Paul was transported to Rome by ship. During a brief stay at Fair Havens, a harbor on the island of Crete, Paul warned that continuing the voyage would be dangerous. However, the centurion chose to trust the ship’s captain instead and set sail. Soon after, a violent storm arose, and the ship drifted helplessly for many days. On the fourteenth night, they neared land. At daybreak, as they tried to reach the shore, the vessel struck a sandbar and was wrecked. Fearing that the prisoners might escape, the Roman soldiers planned to kill them, but the centurion, wishing to spare Paul, ordered everyone to swim or float to shore. All safely reached land on the island of Malta (Melite). When Paul was bitten by a viper and suffered no harm, the locals believed he was a god. Paul then healed many of the island’s sick through prayer and the laying on of hands. In gratitude, the people of Malta honored Paul and his companions with great kindness and hospitality. After spending three months on the island during the winter, they finally set sail again for Rome.

The believers in Rome came out to welcome Paul as he approached the city. Three days after his arrival, Paul called together the Jewish leaders living in Rome. He explained the circumstances that had led to his imprisonment, emphasizing that he had done nothing against the Law of Moses or the Jewish people, and that he was not in Rome to bring accusations against his own nation before the emperor. The Jewish leaders later gathered at Paul’s lodging, where he spoke with them from morning until evening, using the Scriptures to testify about Jesus Christ. Paul remained under house arrest in Rome for two years, welcoming all who came to see him. During this time, he boldly preached the gospel of the kingdom of God and taught about Christ without hindrance.