Chapter 16—The Gospel Message in Antioch This chapter is based on Acts 11:19-26; 13:1-3. After the disciples had been driven from Jerusalem by persecution, the gospel message spread rapidly through the regions lying beyond the limits of Palestine; and many small companies of believers were formed in important centers. Some of the disciples “traveled as…

Chapter 15—Delivered From Prison This chapter is based on Acts 12:1-23. “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.” The government of Judea was then in the hands of Herod Agrippa, subject to Claudius, the Roman emperor. Herod also held the position of tetrarch of Galilee.…

Chapter 14—A Seeker for Truth This chapter is based on Acts 9:32-43; Acts 10; Acts 11:1-18. In the course of his ministry the apostle Peter visited the believers at Lydda. Here he healed Aeneas, who for eight years had been confined to his bed with palsy. “Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole,” the apostle said;…

Chapter 13—Days of Preparation This chapter is based on Acts 9:19-30. After his baptism, Paul broke his fast and remained “certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.” Boldly he declared Jesus of Nazareth to be the long-looked-for Messiah,…

Chapter 12—From Persecutor to Disciple This chapter is based on Acts 9:1-18. Prominent among the Jewish leaders who became thoroughly aroused by the success attending the proclamation of the gospel, was Saul of Tarsus. A Roman citizen by birth, Saul was nevertheless a Jew by descent and had been educated in Jerusalem by the most…

Chapter 11—The Gospel in Samaria This chapter is based on Acts 8. After the death of Stephen there arose against the believers in Jerusalem a persecution so relentless that “they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.” Saul “made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and…

Chapter 10—The First Christian Martyr This chapter is based on Acts 6:5-15; 7. Stephen, the foremost of the seven deacons, was a man of deep piety and broad faith. Though a Jew by birth, he spoke the Greek language and was familiar with the customs and manners of the Greeks. He therefore found opportunity to…

Chapter 9—The Seven Deacons This chapter is based on Acts 6:1-7. “In those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.” The early church was made up of many classes of people, of various nationalities.…

Chapter 8—Before the Sanhedrin This chapter is based on Acts 5:12-42. It was the cross, that instrument of shame and torture, which brought hope and salvation to the world. The disciples were but humble men, without wealth, and with no weapon but the word of God; yet in Christ’s strength they went forth to tell…

Chapter 7—A Warning Against Hypocrisy This chapter is based on Acts 4:32-37 to 5:11. As the disciples proclaimed the truths of the gospel in Jerusalem, God bore witness to their word, and a multitude believed. Many of these early believers were immediately cut off from family and friends by the zealous bigotry of the Jews,…