Just before Paul began the first of his three missionary journeys, he and others at the Church of Antioch were worshiping and fasting, when Holy Spirit set Paul and Barnabas apart on a special mission to the gentile cities. They journeyed throughout much of the Mediterranean coastline of modern day Turkey with John-Mark – a helper who would later be the cause of Paul and Barnabas’s separation in Acts 15. This first missionary journey is unique because Paul and Barnabas taught the Jews first and then the Gentiles (later on Paul would focus primarily to teaching the Gentiles) and tells of Paul and Barnabas’s response to a sorcerer who tried to lead a Roman Governor away from Christianity. What isn’t unique however, is how the Jewish leadership stirred up persecution against Paul expelling him and Barnabas from the region.

Peter and John were arrested and put into prison by the Priests and Sadducees, along with the temple guard for teaching against their Jewish beliefs. Who were these priests and Sadducees, what did they believe, and what was the Sanhedrin? What happened to Peter and John as an outcome of this arrest? The results are not what they expected, and we will look, in this chapter, what the outcome was to both the Jews and the apostles.

In the introduction, we discuss who wrote the Book and Acts? When was it written and for what reason? There is a very specific reason for it, and we will look closely into it. Then in Chapter 1, Jesus gathers the apostles are gathered together to meet with Him. Before He ascends, He commands them to stay in Jerusalem until they receive what was promised, that being the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. And since Judas was no longer with them, will they remain the eleven? We will look into all this in Chapter 1.