Acts Chapter Outline
Chpt. 15: Certain men from Jerusalem come to Syrian Antioch and begin teaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation. The issue is so controversial that Paul and Barnabas journey to Jerusalem to settle the matter.
What is called the Jerusalem Conference takes place in order to determine whether or not circumcision should be required of Gentile converts to Christianity.
[Paul's Second Missionary Journey Map]
The final decision of the conference was that circumcision would not be required of Gentiles who either were or wanted to become Christians. The conference also confirmed the keeping of the commandments and obedience to other aspects of God's law (Acts 15:21, 29).
Paul and Barnabas, after the conference, get into a fight over whether to take Mark with them on Paul's second missionary journey. They ultimately decide to split up, with Barnabas and Mark traveling to Cyprus and Paul and Silas journeying through Syria and Cilicia.
Chpt. 16: Paul and Silas travel to Derbe and Lystra on Paul' second evangelistic campaign. Paul, in Lystra, meets a young man named Timothy who, after having him circumcised, joins the group. They then continue their preaching of the gospel.
God forbids Paul from preaching in Asia and traveling to Bithynia. In Troas the apostle receives a vision that leads him to Macedonia.
Arriving in Philippi, Paul baptizes a woman named Lydia and her entire household. He also casts a demon out of female slave which infuriates her owners. They have Paul and Silas arrested, beaten and put in prison.
[Why Was Timothy Circumcised?]
Soon after the evangelists arrive in jail a miraculous earthquake causes all the cell doors to open and the bonds of all prisoners to be loosed. This amazing event leads to the conversion of the prison guard.
Chpt. 17: Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke journey to Thessalonica. Paul's preaching, as usual, causes such a stir that the group has to leave the city for Berea.
Although the Bereans are quite responsive to the gospel, Paul is forced to leave for Athens when Jews from Thessalonica show up and cause trouble.
[Thessalonica and the Apostle Paul]
[Map of Thessalonica's Location]
Paul's spirit is stirred in Athens after he sees the city's obsession with idolatry. His preaching on Mars Hill only convicts a few people to become Christians.
Chpt. 18: The Apostle Paul leaves Athens for his first visit to Corinth. While in the city he meets Priscilla and Aquila who are also tentmakers like him. He stays in Corinth for 1 1/2 years.
Paul then travels with Priscilla and Aquila to Cenchrea from which they sail to Ephesus. While in Ephesus he preaches for a short time, leaving the couple in the city while he travels to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
After the feast he heads to Syrian Antioch where he stays for several months. Paul then starts his third missionary journey by traveling again through Galatia and Phrygia strengthening the churches he started.
[What Is the Feast of Tabernacles?]
[Paul's Third Missionary Journey Map]
It is at this time that an eloquent and knowledgeable man named Apollos shows up in Ephesus. His bold preaching is enhanced after Priscilla and Aquila give him more information about Jesus. Apollos' ability to prove Jesus is the Messiah leads him to travel to Corinth in Achaia.
Chpt. 19: Paul, from the Phrygia region, journeys to Ephesus and stays in the city for a little more than three years.
God, while Paul evangelizes in Ephesus, performs incredible wonders through him. Cloths, for example, which came in contact with Paul's body, are able to heal others of their diseases and even cast out demons! When vagabond Jews try to mimic Paul, in an attempt to cast out a demon, they not only fail but are seriously wounded by the demonic spirit.
[Miracles of Apostle Paul Timeline]
In Ephesus, the increasing number of Christian converts means the loss of business to those who maintain their wealth through idols. Demetrius, a silversmith who crafts idols, notices this danger and gathers his fellow craftsmen to combat this threat. The craftsmen then whip themselves into a frenzy over the city's pagan god and cause a tumult in Ephesus.
Chpt. 20: The tumult in Ephesus leads to Paul journeying to Macedonia. He then makes a short trip to Corinth followed by retracing his journey back to Troas.
In Troas Paul resurrects a young man who fell from a window while listening to him preach.
The apostle then continues his travels by visiting Assos and then Miletus. From Miletus Paul requests that the elders in the Ephesian church visit him. When they arrive he warns them about the coming apostasy in the church.
[Where Was Macedonia Located?]
[Miletus and the Apostle Paul]
Chpt. 21: Paul sails from Miletus to Tyre where he meets with several disciples for a week. He then continues his journey to Caesarea where he stays with Philip the evangelist for several days.
While in Caesarea Paul is warned by a prophet named Agabus that arrest awaits him in Jerusalem.
Paul eventually arrives in Jerusalem and meets with James, Jesus' half-brother. He is then convinced to go to the temple with several others to prove he still supports God's law. Jews from Asia, who hate Paul, see him at the temple and assume he is bringing a Gentile into an Israelite-only area.
A riot erupts at the temple that is so severe that the Romans send in troops to quell the people. Paul is arrested but then allowed to address the hyperactive crowd.
[Where Was the Temple Located?]
Chpt. 22: Paul's sincere speech to the tumultuous crowd at Jerusalem's temple only makes the resentment against him even worse! He is led away by the Romans who then seek to scourge him for information. It is only Paul's Roman citizenship that saves him from being tortured!
[Map of Roman Empire at Its Peak!]
Chpt. 23: Paul is brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin to explain his behavior at the temple. Knowing he will not receive a fair trial, he uses the clever tactic of pitting the Sanhedrin's Pharisees against the Sadducees. His ploy works perfectly as the Pharisees side with Paul (a former Pharisee). The entire trial is thrown into chaos with the apostle having to be saved by the Romans yet again.
A zealous band of 40 Jews swear an oath to murder Paul. One of Paul's relatives overhears the plot to kill him and informs the apostle. The Romans respond by escorting Paul, under heavy guard, to the Roman Governor living in Caesarea.
[Is It a Sin to Swear an Oath?]
Chpt. 24: Apostle Paul ends up being a Roman prisoner in Caesarea from a little more than two years. During this period he defends himself several times before Governor Felix. In spite of the governor finding nothing worthy of death, he keeps the apostle in prison in the hope that a bribe will be offered to secure his release.
Felix, after two years, is replaced by Governor Festus.
Chpt. 25: Governor Festus hears the accusations against Paul made by several Jews from Jerusalem, none of which can be proved. The apostle, knowing he won't get a fair trial from the Jews, appeals his case to the Roman emperor.
King Agrippa and his wife arrive in Caesarea and allow Paul to defend himself against the charges laid against him.
Chpt. 26: Paul defends himself before King Agrippa and his wife Bernice. The king finds nothing in what the apostle says that is worthy of imprisonment or death.
Chpt. 27: Paul's destiny is to carry the gospel to Rome. His fourth missionary journey begins when he boards a ship bound for the Roman capital.
The ship Paul is on tries to go directly to Italy but is hindered by contrary winds. It ends up being driven to the southern coast of the island of Crete. After anchoring briefly at Fair Havens the ship, in spite of Paul's warning, sets sail again.
After Paul's ship leaves Fair Havens it encounters a fierce storm which drives it out to sea. The ship's crew loses control of the vessel which causes it to wander aimlessly in the Mediterranean for two weeks. It is ultimately run aground near the island of Malta where the boat's 276 people swim to safety.
[Paul's Fourth Missionary Journey Map]
Chpt. 28: Paul stays three months on the island of Malta where he is treated kindly. During this short stay he miraculously survives a poisonous snake bite, heals the father of the island's governor, and then heals the diseases of those on the island.
A ship wintering on the island is used to transport Paul and his fellow prisoners to Italy. Arriving in Puteoli the apostle is allowed to visit Christians in the area for one week before coming to his final destination of Rome using the Appian Way.
[Was Rome the Greatest Empire?]
The apostle, who is allowed to be under house arrest, is a prisoner in Rome for two years. While he is in the capital he is allowed visitors and continues to preach the gospel. Paul is acquitted of the charges against him and is released in early spring 63 A.D.