Plan and Outline
Luke weaves together
different interests and emphases as he relates the beginnings and expansion of
the church. The design of his book revolves around
(1) Key persons: Peter
and Paul;
(2) Important topics
and events: the role of the Holy Spirit, pioneer missionary outreach to new
fields, conversions, the growth of the church, and life in the Christian
community;
(3) Significant
problems: conflict between Jews and Gentiles, persecution of the church by some
Jewish elements, trials before Jews and Romans, confrontations with Gentiles,
and other hardships in the ministry;
(4) Geographical
advances: five significant stages Peter and the Beginnings of the Church in the
Holy Land (chs. 1-12)
- Introduction (1:1-2)
- Christ's resurrection ministry (1:3-11)
- The period of waiting for the Holy Spirit (1:12-26)
- The filling with the Spirit (ch. 2)
- The healing of the lame man and the resultant arrest
of Peter and John (3:1;4:31)
- The community of goods (4:32;5:11)
- The arrest of the 12 apostles (5:12-42)
- The choice of the Seven (6:1-7)
- Stephen's arrest and martyrdom (6:8;7:60)
- The scattering of the Jerusalem believers (8:1-4)
- Philip's ministry (8:5-40)
ACT 24 NLT
1 Five days later Ananias, the high
priest, arrived with some of the Jewish elders and the lawyer Tertullus, to
present their case against Paul to the governor.
2 When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented
the charges against Paul in the following address to the governor: “You have
provided a long period of peace for us Jews and with foresight have enacted
reforms for us.
3For all of this, Your Excellency, we are very
grateful to you.
4 But I don’t want to bore you, so please
give me your attention for only a moment.
5 We have found this man to be a
troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the
world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.
6 Furthermore, he was trying to desecrate
the Temple when we arrested him.
7
8 You can find out the truth of our
accusations by examining him yourself.”
9 Then the other Jews chimed in, declaring
that everything Tertullus said was true.
10 The governor then motioned for Paul to
speak. Paul said, “I know, sir, that you have been a judge of Jewish affairs
for many years, so I gladly present my defense before you.
11 You can quickly discover that I arrived
in Jerusalem no more than twelve days ago to worship at the Temple.
12 My accusers never found me arguing with
anyone in the Temple, nor stirring up a riot in any synagogue or on the streets
of the city.
13These men cannot prove the things they accuse
me of doing.
14 “But I admit that I follow the Way,
which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly
believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets.
15 I have the same hope in God that these
men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous.
16 Because of this, I always try to
maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.
17 “After several years away, I returned to
Jerusalem with money to aid my people and to offer sacrifices to God.
18 My accusers saw me in the Temple as I
was completing a purification ceremony. There was no crowd around me and no
rioting.
19But some Jews from the province of Asia were
there—and they ought to be here to bring charges if they have anything against
me!
20 Ask these men here what crime the Jewish
high council found me guilty of,
21 except for the one time I shouted out,
‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the
dead!’”
22 At that point Felix, who was quite
familiar with the Way, adjourned the hearing and said, “Wait until Lysias, the
garrison commander, arrives. Then I will decide the case.”
23 He ordered an officer to keep Paul in
custody but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to visit him and
take care of his needs.
24 A few days later Felix came back with
his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told
them about faith in Christ Jesus.
25 As he reasoned with them about
righteousness and self-control and the coming day of judgment, Felix became
frightened. “Go away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll
call for you again.”
26 He also hoped that Paul would bribe him,
so he sent for him quite often and talked with him.
27 After two years went by in this way,
Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And because Felix wanted to gain favor
with the Jewish people, he left Paul in prison.
