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Acts Study #2: Survey of the Book of Acts, Part 1
Hechos Estudio #2: La visión general del Libro de los Hechos, Parte 1
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“This is the work of Jehovah! It is marvelous in our eyes.” Psalm 118:23
Book 4.5 (Acts): The apostles preached the gospel of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles (1:1 - 28:31)
Complement Part 1: The apostles and leaders of the assembly in Jerusalem were persecuted by the Jews (1:1 - 12:24)
Unique Chapter 1.1: Many Jews of the Diaspora believed the gospel of Jesus Christ (1:1 - 2:47)
Complement Chapter 1.2: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from the apostles (3:1 - 5:42)
Complement Chapter 1.3: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from Stephen (6:1 - 8:4)
Opposite Chapter 1.4: The salvation of Saul of Tarsus: a devout, but false Jew under the Old Covenant (8:5 - 9:31)
Opposite Chapter 1.5: The completion of Cornelius: a devout and true Gentile believer in Jehovah under the Old Covenant (9:32 - 12:24)
Complement Part 2: The missionaries from the assembly in Antioch were persecuted by the Jews and Gentiles (12:25 - 28:31)
Unique Chapter 2.1: The Jews of Asia Minor violently opposed the efforts of Paul and Barnabas to plant churches (12:25 - 15:35)
Complement Chapter 2.2: The Gentiles and Jews of Greece violently opposed the efforts of Paul and Silas to plant churches (15:36 - 18:22)
Complement Chapter 2.3: The Gentiles of Ephesus violently opposed the efforts of Paul to teach the Word (18:23 - 20:38)
Opposite Chapter 2.4: Paul the free man traveled to Jerusalem to witness to the Jews (21:1 - 23:11)
Opposite Chapter 2.5: Paul the prisoner witnessed to the Gentile Roman government in Caesarea before traveling to Rome (23:12 - 28:31)
Comment: The Book of Acts is a book of action; in that way, it is similar to Mark, except the action centers around the apostles in Part 1; and around the apostle Paul in Part 2.
The 2 most significant actors of Acts are the apostles Peter and Paul.
The Book is divided into two Parts or halves:
Part 1, where the action is mostly located in Jerusalem; and the main actors include all of the apostles (with Peter as their leader), and their opponents in the Jewish council of the Sanhedrin, which constituted the ruling religious and political body of the Jewish people of that day. The main characteristic of Part 1 is the persecution of the Assembly of Christians, led by the apostles, who were led by Peter.
Part 2, where the action is mostly located in an area stretching from Antioch in ancient Syria (now part of modern-day Turkey) westward to the Greek cities of Corinth, Athens, and Thessalonica. In the latter part of Part 2, Paul was forced to travel to Rome as a captive of the Roman government, so that he might present his case for clemency to the Emperor Augustine. But most of the action is in the region of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey).
As you can see from the outline at the beginning of this study, each Part of the Book of Acts has five Chapters; and these five Chapters manifest the Golden Ratio design of “UCC-OO” in both Parts.
What is the Golden Ratio design? It is a special pattern that is drawn from the first five numbers of the Fibonacci Sequence: 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8.
1 is Unique, 2 and 3 complement each other, and 5 and 8 oppose each other, so that the Golden Ratio design is a pattern of “UCC-OO” or “OO-CCU”. I’ve already explained how this works in detail in previous studies, so this is only a quick review. You can find the previous studies at the "TABLE OF CONTENTS" link at the top of this page.
First, let’s take a high-level look at the themes of the Gospel of Acts for Part 1:
Book 4.5 (Acts): The apostles preached the gospel of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles (1:1 - 28:31)
Complement Part 1: The apostles and leaders of the assembly in Jerusalem were persecuted by the Jews (1:1 - 12:24)
Unique Chapter 1.1: Many Jews of the Diaspora believed the gospel of Jesus Christ (1:1 - 2:47)
Complement Chapter 1.2: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from the apostles (3:1 - 5:42)
Complement Chapter 1.3: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from Stephen (6:1 - 8:4)
Opposite Chapter 1.4: The salvation of Saul of Tarsus: a devout, but false Jew under the Old Covenant (8:5 - 9:31)
Opposite Chapter 1.5: The completion of Cornelius: a devout and true Gentile believer in Jehovah under the Old Covenant (9:32 - 12:24)
In order not to get bogged down with details, try to scan the text of each quotation to get the general idea, rather than do a detailed study. This is the secret of learning the larger themes of Scripture. It is easy to get lost in details, and then give up. Scanning the text to catch the highlights will make it easier to see the larger picture. There will be plenty of time for a detailed study of each text in later studies.
The Golden Ratio design of the Chapters for Part 1 of Acts is “UCC-OO”: one Unique, two Complements, and two Opposites. The “dash” between the “UCC” and “OO” indicates a subtle break in the themes. The themes of the two Opposites are much different than the themes of the “UCC” part of the design, which is a manifestation of the Golden Ratio. I will show this as we survey the Chapters of each Part.
Survey of Part 1 of Acts
Unique Chapter 1.1: Many Jews of the Diaspora believed the gospel of Jesus Christ (1:1 - 2:47)
The first Chapter of Acts is all about the Day of Pentecost. This Chapter is unique among the other four Chapters in Part 1.
“And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly a sound came from Heaven like a rushing mighty wind; and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And cloven tongues like fire appeared to them; and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit; and they began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, religious men, out of every nation under Heaven. So when this sound occurred, the multitude came together. And they were confounded, because every man heard them speak in his own language.” (Acts 2:1-6)
This Chapter also includes Peter’s sermon to a large crowd of Jews from many nations who were visiting Jerusalem; and of them, 3,000 souls were born again and joined the Assembly in Jerusalem.
Chapters 1.2 and 1.3 complement each other in their themes:
Complement Chapter 1.2: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from the apostles (3:1 - 5:42)
Complement Chapter 1.3: The Sanhedrin violently rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ from Stephen (6:1 - 8:4)
Notice that the Jewish council of Sanhedrin is the center of each of these two Chapters:
Chapter 1.2: First, Peter and John preached the Gospel to another large crowd of Jews in the Temple area, and about 5,000 were saved; but this led to a confrontation with the chief priest, elders, and scribes that ruled Jerusalem; and they rejected the testimony of Peter and John:
“And it came to pass on the next day, that their rulers and elders and scribes, and Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the relatives of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, “By what power, or by what name, have you done this?” .... Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. And beholding the man who was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, saying, “What shall we do to these men? For that indeed a notable miracle has been done by them is plain to all them that dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. But, so that it spreads no further among the people, let us strictly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name.” (Acts 4:5 - 17) [portions were omitted for brevity]
Chapter 1.3: In this Chapter, the deacon Stephen was dragged before the Council to explain his beliefs about Jesus; and again, they rejected the testimony of Stephen to the resurrected Christ, and stoned him to death:
“And they stirred up the people, and the elders and the scribes; and they came upon him, and caught him; and brought him to the council. And they set up false witnesses, who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the Law: for we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place; and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.”... Then the high priest said, “Are these things true?” ....You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the Prophets have your fathers not persecuted? And they have slain them who showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom you have been now the betrayers and murderers! Who have received the Law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it!” ....Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears; and they ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him” (Acts 6:12 - 7:57) [portions were omitted for brevity]
Opposite Chapter 1.4: The salvation of Saul of Tarsus: a devout, but false Jew under the Old Covenant (8:5 - 9:31)
Chapter 1.4: But now, a great shift occurs in the Book of Acts. The focus begins to move away from Jerusalem toward the Gentiles, although not completely yet.
In the Introduction Section, Philip the evangelist preaches the Gospel to the Samaritans, and a great many were saved and healed.
“Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord paid attention to those things which Philip spoke: hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed by them; and many paralyzed and lame people were healed. And there was great joy in that city.” (Acts 8:5 - 8)
The Body Section begins with Philip again, who met the Ethiopian Eunuch and won him to Christ and baptized him (8:26 - 40)
“And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise; and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is desert.” And he arose, and went. And, behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning; and sitting in his chariot, he read Isaiah the Prophet.” (8:26 - 28)
The rest of this Chapter details how Saul of Tarsus met the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, was saved and baptized later in Damascus; began to preach Christ as the Son of God; fled to Jerusalem to meet the apostles; and later, he traveled to his home city of Tarsus.
The important thing to notice here is that the entire Chaper is about three special situations. In two of them, “sort of” Jews heard the Gospel and were saved (Samaritans, and the Ethiopian Eunuch - a Gentile convert to Israel). The Samaritans were Jews who had become intermarried with Gentiles, and carried on a syncretistic form of worship of Jehovah, but were not considered true Jews by most Jews. The Ethiopian Eunuch was a black man (a Gentile) who had converted to the Jewish faith of Jehovah. And Saul would go on to become the apostle to the Gentiles.
So it should be easy to see that the Book of Acts had started in a new direction, but was not quite there yet.
Opposite Chapter 1.5: The completion of Cornelius: a devout and true Gentile believer in Jehovah under the Old Covenant (9:32 - 12:24)
Chapter 1.5: This Chapter is the opposite of Chapter 1.4, because the people who were saved (Cornelius the Roman centurion, and later, a great many Gentiles around the city of Antioch) were all Gentiles.
“While Peter still spoke these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them who heard the Word; and they of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles: for they heard them speaking foreign languages, and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, “Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the Name of the Lord.” (Acts 10:44 - 48)
“Now they that were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but to the Jews only. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they came to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them; and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.... And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (11:19 - 26)
Opposite Chapter 1.4: The salvation of Saul of Tarsus: a devout, but false Jew under the Old Covenant (8:5 - 9:31)
Opposite Chapter 1.5: The completion of Cornelius: a devout and true Gentile believer in Jehovah under the Old Covenant (9:32 - 12:24)
Chapters 1.4 and 1.5 have opposing themes. So you should be able to see clearly the difference between the first three Chapters and these two. The Jewish Sanhedrin is no longer in the picture. God had given the Sanhedrin Council two great opportunities to hear the Gospel and repent and believe in Jesus as their Messiah and Savior. Since they decided to kill Stephen instead, they shut the door of the grace of God on themselves, and ensured their own destruction, and the destruction of Judea and Jerusalem at the hands of the Roman army of Titus in 70 A.D.
So in Chapters 1.4, God chose special Jews to be saved; and in Chapters 1.5, God chose special Gentiles to be saved: setting the stage for Part 2 of the Book of Acts, and the missionary journeys of the apostle Paul.
I will continue the survey of Part 2 of the Book of Acts in the next study.
How to be saved
The Bible clearly states that salvation can only be obtained if we repent and believe in Jesus Christ in order to be saved.
Luke 13:3: “I say to you, no; but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Romans 3:21-24: “But now, the righteousness of God apart from the Law is revealed (being testified by the Law and the Prophets), even the righteousness of God as it is through the faith of Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and have fallen short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
It is impossible to keep the Law of Moses! The sole purpose of the Law of Moses (the Ten Commandments) is to make you understand that you are a sinner who has sinned against God. It cannot make you righteous in God’s eyes:
Romans 3:19-20: “And we know that whatever the Law says, it says to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be shut, and everyone may become guilty before God; therefore by the works of the Law no flesh shall be justified in His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.”
Sins can only be paid for by the finished atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross! We cannot pay for our own sins with our suffering, neither in this life nor in the fictitious place called “Purgatory”!
Romans 3:23-26: “For all have sinned, and have fallen short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God has publicly exhibited, to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of past sins, through the patience of God; to declare, I say, at this time his justice; that God may be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus.”
Here is how you can be truly saved TODAY, and know that you have Eternal Life, right now!
The Bible says,
“that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved: for with the heart, man believes into righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made into salvation: for the Scripture says, “Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.” For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him: for it is written, “whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:9-13
Are you ready to do that? If so, then find a place to pray privately, and pray this prayer with all of your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against YOU. I am no good, and you are righteous! You are my only hope for salvation! I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, you were buried, and you rose again from the dead on the third day. I want you to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Please come into my heart right now. Forgive me for all my sins, and save my soul. In the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!”
If you have turned from your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and only Savior from sin, please message me through Facebook and let me know that you have done that, so that I can pray for you and rejoice with you in what God has done in your life. Amen.
Hechos Estudio #2: La visión general del Libro de los Hechos, Parte 1
¡Si está utilizando un teléfono inteligente, por favor, gírelo al modo horizontal! ¡Gracias!
Todas las citas bíblicas y el arreglo se encuentran exclusivamente en el Reino Estudio Biblia (REB) en español, publicada por los ministerios editoriales Jehová ha hablado.
Está publicado de forma gratuita en formato PDF en este sitio web.
No hay costo ni obligación de descargar este PDF, y ningún la publicidad.
“¡Esta es la obra de Jehová! Es maravilloso a nuestros ojos”. Salmo 118:23
Book 4.5: The apostles preached the Gospel of Christ to both Jews and Gentiles (Acts)
Complement Part 1: The apostles and leaders of the Assembly in Jerusalem were persecuted by the Jews
Unique Chapter 1.1: Many Jews of the Diaspora believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Complement Chapter 1.2: The Sanhedrin rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the apostles
Complement Chapter 1.3: The Sanhedrin rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Stephen
Opposite Chapter 1.4: The salvation of Saul of Tarsus: a devout, but false Jew under the Old Covenant
Opposite Chapter 1.5: The completion of Cornelius: a devout and true Gentile believer in Jehovah under the Old Covenant
Complement Part 2: The missionaries from the Assembly in Antioch were persecuted by the Jews and Gentiles
Unique Chapter 2.1: The Jews of Asia Minor violently opposed the church-planting efforts of Paul and Barnabas among them
Complement Chapter 2.2: The Gentiles and Jews of Greece violently opposed the efforts of Paul and Silas to plant churches among them
Complement Chapter 2.3: The Gentiles of Greece violently opposed the teachings of Paul against idolatry
Opposite Chapter 2.4: Paul the free man traveled to Jerusalem to witness to the Jews
Opposite Chapter 2.5: Paul the prisoner witnessed to the Gentile Roman government in Caesarea before traveling to Rome
Introducción
La traducción al español de este estudio está pendiente.
¿Exactamente cómo y cuándo naciste de nuevo?
He aprendido por experiencia que aquellos que se niegan a responder lo hacen porque nunca han nacido de nuevo; no tienen idea de lo que significa, y por eso no pueden responder.
Si ese es tu caso, entonces tu destino eterno en este momento es el Infierno; y más tarde, el Lago de Fuego.
Afortunadamente, podemos cambiar nuestro destino eterno del Infierno al Cielo, si nos arrepentimos de nuestros pecados y recibimos a Jesucristo como nuestro Salvador personal.
Primero, debemos creer que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios; que fue crucificado por nuestros pecados, que fue sepultado y que resucitó de entre los muertos al tercer día.
Romanos 10:8-11: “Pero ¿qué dice? “La Palabra está cerca de ti, incluso en tu boca y en tu corazón”, es decir, la Palabra de fe (que predicamos), que si confesarás con tu boca al Señor Jesús, y creerás en tu corazón que Dios le levantó de los muertos, tú serás salvado: porque con el corazón, el hombre cree para justicia, y con la boca, la confesión se hace para la salvación: porque la Escritura dice, “cualquiera que en él creyere, no será avergonzado”.
Entonces, debemos arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados e invocar el Nombre del Señor Jesús para salvarnos.
Romanos 10:12-13: “Porque no hay diferencia entre el judio y el gentil: porque el mismo Señor sobre todo es rico a todos los que le invocan: porque está escrito, “Cualquiera que llamará sobre el Nombre del Señor será salvado”.
Juan 1:12: “Pero cuantos le recibieron, él les dio autoridad para convertirse los niños de Dios: incluso a aquellos quien creen sobre su Nombre”.
Cuando hacemos eso, entonces nacemos de nuevo instantáneamente en el Reino de Dios.
Estas listo para hacer eso? Si es así, entonces busca un lugar para orar en privado y haz esta oración con todo tu corazón al Señor Jesucristo:
“Señor Jesús, sé que he pecado contra TI. ¡No soy bueno y usted eres justo! Creo que moriste en la cruz por mis pecados, fuiste enterrado y resucitaste de entre los muertos al tercer día. Quiero que vengas a mi vida y seas mi Señor y Salvador. Por favor entra en mi corazón ahora mismo. Perdóname por todos mis pecados y salva mi alma. En el poderoso Nombre de Jesús, oro, ¡Amén!”
Si se apartó de sus pecados y aceptó a Jesucristo como su Señor y único Salvador desde el pecado, por favor envíeme un mensaje a través de Facebook y hágame saber que lo ha hecho, para que pueda orar por usted y alegrarme con usted en lo que Dios tiene hecho en tu vida. Amén.