Week 2: The Beginning of Evangelism until the arrest of St. Stephen

• Brief introduction about St. Luke and the Book of Acts:
  

  • St. Luke accompanied the St. Paul on his missionary journeys, so he accurately narrated what he witnessed. Being a physician, he also described events in detail.

  • He did not conclude the book of Acts with "Amen" like the other books because the Synaxarion (Church calendar of saints and events) comes after it, serving as the continuation of the Church’s history beyond the Book of Acts.
    

  • The Church reads the Synaxarion (the lives of the saints of the day) after the Book of Acts during the liturgy, to declare that the Word of the Lord continues to grow and multiply in His holy Church.

  • The placement of the Book of Acts between the Gospels and the Epistles serves as a connection between them: the Gospels present the life of Christ, the Book of Acts shows the preaching of the Gospel, and the Epistles reflect how to live according to the Gospel.

• Introduction:
  

  • Author: St. Luke
    

  • Time of writing:
    

    • It was written around the year 63 AD in Rome, after he had written his Gospel. It covers a period of about thirty years—from the Ascension of Christ to Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome.
      

  • Purpose of the book
    

    • A clear record of the ministry of Peter and Paul.
      
    • Demonstrates the behavior of the early Christians as high examples for us.
    • Shows the mighty work of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling Christ’s promises and establishing the Church.
      
    • Displays the divinity of the Son.
    • Proclaims the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

• Outline
  

  • • Chapter 1 – The Apostles in Jerusalem from the Ascension to Pentecost:
      Includes the selection of Matthias and the worship of the Church.
    • Chapters 2–7 – The Beginning of Evangelism until the Martyrdom of Stephen:
      Includes the gifts of the Spirit, the growth of the Church, the healing of the lame man, threats against the apostles, the death of Ananias and Sapphira, the imprisonment of the apostles, the selection of seven deacons, and the stoning of Stephen.
    • Chapters 8–12 – The Persecution of the Church in Jerusalem:
      Includes the faith of the Ethiopian eunuch, the conversions of Paul and Cornelius, the founding of the Church in Caesarea, the martyrdom of James, the imprisonment of Peter, and the death of Herod.
    • Chapters 13–15 – The Evangelism of Paul and Barnabas Until Their Separation:
      Includes the story of Elymas the sorcerer, the Church in Antioch, the healing of the lame man in Lystra, the stoning of Paul, and the First Council of Jerusalem.
    • Chapters 16–20 – Paul’s Preaching in Europe
      
    • Chapters 21–28 – Paul’s Trials:
      Includes his journey to Jerusalem, his arrest and transfer to stand trial in Rome, his trials before Felix, Festus, and Agrippa, the shipwreck in Malta, and finally his arrival in Rome and preaching there for two years.

• Reading:
  

  • Chapter 13-6
    

    • Read chapter 3 from 1-19
    • Read Chapter 4 from 3-31
    • Read Chapter 5 from 1-31
    • Read Chapter 6 from 1-8

• Resources:
  

  • The Book of Acts - Fr. Daoud Lamei English
    

• Key verse:
  

  • “ButWe you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnessesought to Meobey inGod Jerusalem,rather andthan in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.men.” Acts 1:85:29
    
    

• Comments: 

  • Chapter 1:3: 1-19, 4:37, 5:42, 6:15, 
    • FromThe Miracle (Acts 3: 1-10)
      • The Jews used to pray three times a day: the Resurrectionthird hour (9 AM), the sixth hour (12 PM), and the ninth hour (3 PM). In its early days, the early Church used to pray at the same times in Solomon’s Porch at the temple, but of course without participating in its sacrifices. This continued until the prayers of the Agpeya were established around the fourth century." 
      • Peter and John: These two disciples were connected together from the beginning of Christ’s calling to them and were present together at special events such as the Transfiguration, the raising of Jairus’s daughter, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and by the Sea of Tiberias."
      • Peter and John used the power of Christ and asked for the man healing in our Lord Jesus Christ name
    • Preaching (Acts 3:11–19):
      • St. Peter took advantage of the crowd that had gathered to witness the miracle, and responded to the Ascensionpeople's (Actsquestions. 1:1–9):He
        • strongly emphasized that Toneither Theophilus,he whosenor nameJohn meanswere Loverthe source of God.the
        healing
        • Inmiracle, versebut 1:rather "beganit towas Do and teach": Ourthe Lord Jesus actedChrist beforeHimself.
          • Contemplation: If you do something good and others praise you for it, thank God and redirect the glory to Him, so that you may fade away while He taught, because speaking is easy,revealed."
          but acting—especially accomplishing redemption—is what truly matters.
        • InVerse verse19: 3:What Ourwas Lordrequired Jesusof confirmedthem Histhen, resurrectionand byof appearingus now is: repentance, turning away from sinful behavior, and confessing the faith in order to Hisreceive disciplesbaptism and tothe thoseforgiveness whoof believedsins.
          Spiritual inrelief Him.comes He proved He was alive by eating with them, letting them touch Him, speaking with them, and breaking bread with them.
        • Our Lord Jesus instructedfrom the disciplespresence toof returnGod, to Jerusalem and stay there and wait forbecause the HolyJews Spirit. He assured them thatexpected the coming of the HolyMessiah Spiritto onbring themmaterial wouldrelief beand accompanieddeliverance byfrom greatthe powerRomans. inBut bothwhat is meant here is spiritual liferelief anddeliverance ministry.
        • In verse 9: The Lord ascended in His body duringfrom the day before His disciples , so they could be certainhand of His ascension.
          • The cloud in this verse symbolizes the presence of God, just as it did when Moses received the commandments, or when the cloud covered the Tabernacle and also as happened during the Transfiguration.
      • The Ascension and the Return to the Upper Room (Acts 1:10–14):
        • After the ascension, two angels suddenly appeared before the disciples, in the form of men dressed in white garments. They informed the disciples that Christ will come again on the Day of Judgment.
        • The disciples returned to Jerusalem after the ascension of Christ, which took place at the Mount of Olives. 
        • They continued steadfastly in prayer and supplication in the Upper Room at the house of St. Mark the Apostle, in spiritual unity.
          • Contemplation:  It is very important to pray with spiritual unity and one heart in our homes and churches, so that the Lord may support us. 
      • The Selection of Matthias (Acts 1:15–26):
        • St. Peter saw the need to choose a replacement for Judas, someone who had been close to Christ and had learned from Him throughout His earthly ministry.
        • The disciples nominated two men, Justus and Matthias, then cast lots, and God chose Matthias to preach in the name of Christ.Satan.”
    • Chapter 2:4: read from verse 3-31
      • The Pentecosttrial of Peter and John (Acts 2:1–13)4: 3–19)
        • The Feastthree ofgroups Pentecostthat wasmade oneup the Sanhedrin gathered: the rulers, meaning the priests; the elders, meaning the heads of the threetribes; majorand feaststhe scribes, meaning the scholars and teachers. They gathered in Jerusalem to put the two apostles on trial.
        • They asked about the source of the power by which the miracle was done and the name through which it was performed was repeated—not because they were unaware of the answer, but to find an opportunity in the response to accuse the apostles and punish them.
        • Verse 8: Here the Lord’s promise is fulfilled (Matthew 10:19–20), that when a Christian is put on trial for the Jewssake —of Passover,faith, Pentecost,the Holy Spirit will speak through him.
        • The Cornerstone: It means that Christ is the foundation of salvation for humanity, and thethere Feastis no other.
        • Thus, they were released without punishment out of Tabernaclesfear —of duringthe whichpeople, all maleswho were requiredglorifying toGod be in Jerusalem atfor the Temple.miracle—especially since the man had been sick for over forty years.
        • InContemplation: theRemind houseyourself ofalways St.with Mark,this averse sound" like that of a rushing wind was heard — butWhether it cameis from above, Something like fire appeared, taking the form of divided tongues, which hoveredright in the air and then rested on the headsight of eachGod personto presentlisten into you (the upperworld) room.more
          • Thethan fireto symbolizedGod, purificationyou and power 

        • Three miracles took place:

          1. The sound of the wind,

          2. The appearance of fiery tongues,

          3. Speaking in tongues

        • The disciples left the upper room and spoke in foreign languages, astonishing the crowds. Though uneducated, they fluently spoke the native tongues of listeners from other nations, proclaiming God’s message.judge."
      • Peter'sThe Sermonprayer of the apostles (Acts 2:14–36)4:23–31):
        • HereThe first thing they did after being released was pray. We should learn from the disciples that prayer is very powerful. We see that God listened to their prayer, and the whole place was shaken.
          
        • They did not ask the Lord to protect them, but rather to strengthen them so that the preaching may succeed. This shows their desire to spread the faith. They were not thinking of themselves, but asked for strength to glorify God through it.
    • Chapter 5: read from verse 1-31 
      • Ananias and Sapphira  (Acts 5: 1-11)

        • Although it was within their rights to keep part of the money and give the other part, their sin was hypocrisy and love of appearance, which led to lying. By lying, they were considered as stealing part of God's money, claiming they had given the full price of the land.
        • Verse 3: Peter declared to Ananias the seriousness of giving in to Satan, who had filled his heart with the desire for recognition. This means Ananias could have rejected the evil thoughts of Satan, but he was careless due to his pride.
        • Contemplation: 'Against You, I have sinned' (Psalm 51:4).
          Do not forget the presence of God.  Remind yourself that He is standing before you, seeing all your actions, words, and thoughts. Even if you fall, quickly repent to Him—He will forgive you."
      • Miracles performed by the apostles, followed by their trial. (Verses 12-31):

        • New believers continued to join, but their number was not mentioned this time as it was before when it said five thousand, because the number had increased greatly.
          

        • Now we see Peter, transformed by the power of the Holy SpiritSpirit, the disciples had previously failed to heal the demon-possessed boy at the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:19), but now they were able to heal all kinds of diseases and cast out demons—even through touch or just the shadow.
        • Verse 19: An angel of the Lord came at night, opened the prison door, and brought them out. He instructed them to go and continue preaching. Their release from fearprison was not an escape, but rather to boldnesscontinue their ministry in the temple, proclaiming eternal life.
        • InContrary verseto 17:what the Sanhedrin expected, the apostles went out with joy and enthusiasm for greater preaching. They considered the suffering of being beaten as sharing in the sufferings of Christ and a preparation for the glory of heaven.
        • The apostles continued steadfast in teaching in the temple and in homes, in the name of the Lord. They held the liturgies and Christian rituals in homes, as churches had not yet been built.
    • Chapter 6: 1-8 
      • "AllOrdaining flesh"deacons (Acts 6: 1-8) refers
        • The toordained bothseven Jewsdeacons:
          • Number seven:  it is one of the sacred numbers that symbolizes the work of the Holy Spirit, such as the seven sacraments of the Church.
          • Qualifications of deacons:
            • Good reputation': They are known for their uprightness and Gentiles—everyone who believes in Christ.fairness.
            • "ShallFull prophesy" means they will speak about Christ’s redemption, His kingdom, andof the needHoly to prepare for it.Spirit
            • "Visions"Wisdom': refersGood to spiritual scenes seen while awake.judgment
          • Verse 21:6: Ordination "Whoeverwas callscarried onout by the nameapostles through prayer and the laying of hands, and this same process continues today in our Church.
            • Here is a clear declaration of the Lordsacrament Shallof be saved."
              • Some people believe that just calling out to God is enough to be saved, but this verse tells us that true salvation comes through faithpriesthood in Jesus and by following the teachingsordination of one of the Church,priestly likeranks, baptism,which communion,is andthe prayer.diaconate. WeThis canpractice nothas separatecontinued in the Church to this verse from other biblical verses.day
            • Verses 24-28: Saint Peter the Apostle quotes the prophecy of David the Prophet, which David did not mean for himself, but spoke through the voice of Christ.
            • Verses 31-33: St. Peter is boldly telling the people that Jesus, whom they had rejected and crucified, is actually the Lord (God) and the Christ (Messiah or Savior) 
          • The Faith and Baptismarrest of the CrowdsStephen (VersesActs 37–41)6:12–15)

            • St. Peter asked the people to:

              1. Repent – Turn away from their sins and change their lives.

              2. Believe in Jesus Christ – Have faith in Him as the Savior, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

              3. Be baptized – Accept the sacrament of baptism.
          • The Life of the Early Church (Verses 42-47):

            • Listening to the teachings of the apostles.

            • Fellowship, which is the love feast that expresses unity.

            • Breaking of bread, meaning partaking of the Lord's body and blood.

            • Liturgical prayers, meaning the Divine Liturgy.

      1. Review/recap questions
         
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      8. Homework
         
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