Thematic Essay 3
Britt McManaway
BIBL 364-D01
August 6, 2019
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In Acts 1:8, Jesus says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV) In this third segment of Acts (13-28), we see the fulfillment of Jesus’
command to spread the Gospel come to fruition. Saul was once the main persecutor of the Way,
until his confrontation with Jesus along the road to Damascus. Jesus blinded him and sent him on
his way to wait for further instructions. While in Damascus, he was visited by Ananias who
restored his sight, and baptized him after God revealed Saul was his chosen vessel to “proclaim
his name to the Gentiles.” (Acts 9:15-16 NIV) From this point on, Sul’s mission becomes one
determined to further Christianity rather than destroy it.
In Chapter 13 of Acts, Paul and Barnabas receive word from God to “Set apart for me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2 NIV), and head from
Antioch towards Cyprus by way of Seleucia to witness to the Gentiles.[CITATION Ste04 \p
188 \l 1033 ] From Cyprus, they travelled on to Perga in Pamphylia, Pisidian Antioch,
Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Then he travelled back to Lystra, Iconium, Pisidian Antioch,
Pamphylia, Perga, Attalia, and back to Antioch.[CITATION Ste04 \p 185 \l 1033 ] This
completed his first mission. His second mission took him from Antioch to Syria, Cilicia,
Derbe, Lystra, Phrygia/Galatia, Mysia, Troas, Samothrace, Neapolis, Philippi, Amphipolis,
Apollonia,
Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, Cenchrea, Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem, and concludes
at Antioch.[CITATION Ste04 \p 222 \l 1033 ] His third mission, once again, began at Antioch
from where he travelled to Phrygia/Galatia, Ephesus, Macedonia, Greece, back to Macedonia,
Philippi, Troas, Assos, Mitylene, Samos, Miletus, Cos, Rhodes, Patara, Tyre, Ptolemais, and
concludes at Caesarea.
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I believe two of the most important themes from Dr. Fowler’s video are The Holy Spirit
and the Suffering of Believers.[ CITATION DrD181 \l 1033 ] Throughout the Book of Acts, we
see Paul travelling through areas full of Pagans and Jews who sought the destruction of Christ
followers. Others sought to exploit the power of the Holy Spirit such as the sorcerer in Paphos.
(Acts 13:6-12 NIV) Additionally, Paul was arrested and released by the Holy Spirit. Without the
power of the Holy Spirit, Paul would have had a significantly more difficult (impossible) time
witnessing across the known world. Paul also suffered for God. In the 9th chapter, God reveals to
Ananias that he had chosen Paul to proclaim the Gospel to all his people, and that he would
suffer for his name. (Acts 9:15,16 NIV) The Holy Spirit warned Paul each time he travelled to a
new city that “prison and hardships” were facing him. (Acts 20:22-24 NIV) “I consider my life
worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has
given me.” (Acts 20:24 NIV) Because of God’s Word, he knew he must continue on despite the
suffering he knew was part of his mission.
In this final section of Acts, we see the nine themes Dr. Fowler listed converge.
[ CITATION DrD181 \l 1033 ] God shows time and time again that he is unstoppable. God
even turned the Way’s biggest adversary toward him and made him his strongest missionary.
(Acts 9 NIV) Jesus states that they will be witnesses to “the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 NIV)
We see this fulfilled by the end of Acts 28 with “He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught
about the Lord Jesus Christ-with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31 NIV) The
Holy Spirit enabled the witnesses to succeed in their missions to spread the Gospel and
interceded on their behalf to protect them. By the end of the book, we see that salvation is no
longer limited to Jews, but to all peoples who choose to believe, leading to an all-inclusive
Kingdom. Prayer, another theme throughout the book, is the source of the healing the witnesses
were able to
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showcase. This showed the people that God was working through the witnesses, rather than the
witnesses healing others themselves. These Christians also continued their missions without
breaking any laws, verifying that Christians were not Rome’s enemies.
Paul gave three evangelistic messages in this third section of Acts: his sermon in the
synagogue of Pisidian Antioch, his plea to the people of Lystra, and his address to the
philosophers of Athens. Additionally, Luke presents Paul’s defense before Governor Felix,
Governor Festus, and King Agrippa 2. The way he approached his style of witnessing was
different depending on whether he was talking to Jews or Gentiles. Paul felt it was important to
appeal to the Jews first, as they were Gods chosen people-"the gospel is the power of God for
salvation to everyone who believes: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."[CITATION
DrD181 \p 189 \l 1033 ] (Romans 1:16 NIV) He knew, with the Jews, he would have to appeal to
them through the prophecies of the Old Testament. Ideally, the Jews would believe him, because
they have the foundational understanding of the faith and knew of the coming Messiah. Pagans,
on the other hand, lack the same understanding. Because of their belief in a concept of multiple
gods, Paul chose to focus on condensing the Creation and Resurrection to ten verses, paying
special care not to offend the Athenians by insulting their idolatry but also taking care not to
agree with it.[CITATION Ste04 \p 238 \l 1033 ] As he said, “To the Jews, I became as a Jew in
order to win Jews; to the Athenians, I became as an Athenian in order to win Athenians." (1
Corinthians 9:20-21 NIV)
Throughout the third section of Acts, Paul tried to the best of his abilities to reach and
enlighten the Jews, to no avail. They consistently expressed their jealousy over the inclusion of
Gentiles by rejecting the Gospel, ridiculing the Christians, exacting revenge against them, and
hatching murder plots against Paul. Because of God’s proclamation about Paul in Chapter 9, Paul
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knew he would suffer for this mission; he knew he would have great difficulty in appealing to
the Jews. However, he also knew that God would protect him and bless him. (Acts 19:9-11 NIV)
This faith in God was important for Paul considering the constant death threats and murder plots
he received. Yet, Paul is a shining example of what it means to rely completely on God, trusting
him to protect him in every way. He also serves as an example of true witnessing and humility;
characteristics we should all learn to adopt.
References
Fowler, Dr. Don. "Key Themes of Acts." February 09, 2018.
Ger, Steven. The Book of Acts: Witness to the World. Clifton: Scofield Ministries, 2004.
