Part 1: The Establishment and Growth of the Church in Jerusalem (Chapters 1-7)
-Jerusalem/Jewish-centered missions

Lesson 1: The Ascension of Jesus and the Promise of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 1:1-26) 13
Lesson 2: The Coming of the Holy Spirit and the Birth of the Church (Chapter 2:1-47) 25
Lesson 3: The Ministry of the Holy Spirit (Chapter 3:1-26) 37
Lesson 4 Peter and John Before the Sanhedrin (Chapter 4:1-31) 45
Lesson 5: The Life of the Early Church (Chapter 4:32-Chapter 5:42) 52
Lesson 6: Division of Ministry (Chapter 6:1-7) 75
Lesson 7: The Martyrdom of Stephen (Chapter 6:8-Chapter 7:60) 83

Part 2: The Expansion of the Church (Chapters 8-12)
-Transitional period of mission to Judea and Samaria/Gentiles

Lesson 8: The Expansion of the Gospel (Chapter 8:1-40) 95
Lesson 9: Saul's Conversion (Chapter 9:1-31) 110
Lesson 10: Peter's Ministry in Lydda and Joppa (Chapter 9:32-43) 127
Lesson 11: The Preaching of Cornelius the Gentile (10:1-11:18) 134
Lesson 12: The Establishment of the Church in Antioch (Chapter 11:19-Chapter 12:25) 148

Part 3: World Missions (Chapters 13–28)
- Missionary work centered on the ends of the earth/foreigners

Lesson 13: Paul's First Missionary Journey 1 (Chapter 13:1-52) 163
Lesson 14: Paul's First Missionary Journey 2 (Chapter 14:1-28) 182
Lesson 15: The Council of Jerusalem (Chapter 15:1-35) 191
Lesson 16: Paul's Second Missionary Journey 1 (15:36-16:10) 202
Lesson 17: Paul's Second Missionary Journey 2 (16:11-40) 214
Lesson 18: Paul's Second Missionary Journey 3 (Chapter 17:1-15) 223
Lesson 19: Paul's Second Missionary Journey 4 (Chapter 17:16-34) 236
Lesson 20: Paul's Second Missionary Journey 5 (18:1-28) 246
Lesson 21: Paul's Third Missionary Journey 1 (18:23-19:41) 256
Lesson 22: Paul's Third Missionary Journey 2 (20:1-21:16) 268
Lesson 23: The Binding in Jerusalem (21:17-22:29) 281
Lesson 24: Paul Before the Sanhedrin (22:30-23:30) 289
Lesson 25: Paul Before the Governor (23:31-25:12) 298
Lesson 26: Paul before Agrippa (25:13-26:32) 306
Lesson 27: Paul's Journey to Rome (27:1-44) 314
Lesson 28: Paul's Testimony in Rome (28:1-31) 324

Appendix 1 Paul's First to Third Missionary Journeys and the Trip to Rome 335
Appendix 2: Greek/Turkish/Roman Pilgrimage Photographs 340

We invite you to the world of Acts.
The Book of Acts is also called the Book of the Holy Spirit.
It also has the motto ACTS 29, derived from Acts 28.
The story of the Acts of the Apostles continues today.
The book of Acts begins with the powerful work of the Holy Spirit, and its aftertaste continues to this day.
If we were to divide the history of God's redemption, it would be divided into the era of God the Father in the Old Testament and the era of the Son Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
However, the New Testament era is mostly the era of the Holy Spirit from the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost until the second coming of Jesus Christ.


Now, in the book of Acts, we will see how we can be with the Holy Spirit in the times we live in today, and how, through the work of the Holy Spirit, the gospel that began in Jerusalem spread throughout Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth.
The purpose of the Acts of the Apostles is not simply to teach us how to spread the gospel, but to invite us to follow its example in our own lives.
Just as those who had a zeal for God crucified and rejected Jesus, so too will those today who are ignorant of the Holy Spirit not be able to fully commune with Him even if they believe in Him.


To understand and read the Acts of the Apostles more deeply, we must pay attention to the following several meanings.


First, the Acts of the Apostles tells us about the meaning, role, and mission of the early church.
Of course, regarding the meaning of the church, we see in Matthew 16 that it is built on the confession of the right faith in Jesus Christ.
However, the church was specifically established through the words in Acts 2.
The church began with the descent of the Holy Spirit.
First, we must examine how the early church was established and ensure that we do not forget the original meaning, role, and mission of the church today.

Second, the book of Acts is an open story.
The characteristic of the Acts of the Apostles is that it is an open story, not a closed one.
To explain this characteristic, some say that Luke intended to write a trilogy, the first being the Gospel of Luke, the second being the Acts of the Apostles, and a third book, but he either did not accomplish his intention or the remaining books are not available to us today.
We must understand that the Holy Spirit gives us this open word to tell us that the story of the Acts of the Apostles is not a closed story, but a story that continues through us today.


Third, the book of Acts is a story that will be repeated.
The Holy Spirit caused Luke to write the Gospel and also gave him the story of the Acts of the Apostles, which tells the story of one generation of the early church.
The reason why the story of the Acts of the Apostles is not passed on to us today is because the story of the Acts of the Apostles equally illuminates the story of the next generation, and the story of all generations of faith is contained in the words of the Acts of the Apostles.
The history and power of faith are not confined to the Book of Acts, but are testified to us as an example for all generations.
The Gospel of Luke and the historical book Acts were written by the same person, Luke.
The stories in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were not dissimilar experiences for Luke.
This is the same for all people of faith, not just Luke.


Fourth, the Acts of the Apostles serves as a bridge between the Gospels and the Doctrine.
There is another crucial reason why the words of the Acts of the Apostles are so important.
That is, the Acts of the Apostles serves as a link, a bridge, and an intermediary connecting the Gospels and the Epistles.
All the Gospels end with the story of Jesus Christ's death on the cross, resurrection, and ascension.
The book of Acts now continues with the story of Jesus' ascension and tells the story of the early church beginning with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, setting the stage for the writing of the various epistles.
When we fully understand the book of Acts, our eyes are opened to the epistles.
Sometimes differences between the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles are apparent, but this provides a more three-dimensional picture of the situation in the early church.

Fifth, the book of Acts is composed of stories and sermons.
There are 19 sermons (speeches) in the book of Acts.
As the Book of Genesis mentions the ten toledots (genealogies), this is something that many people overlook.
In addition to 8 sermons by Peter and 9 sermons by Paul, there are 1 sermon each by Stephen and James, for a total of 19 sermons (including testimonies).
It is a considerable amount, accounting for one-fourth of the entire book of Acts.
The sermons in the Acts of the Apostles are proclaimed with various messages according to the given situation and purpose.
Therefore, we must pay attention to the message conveyed through sermons along with the various historical events and stories in the Book of Acts.


Sixth, the Acts of the Apostles is a story of witnesses.
The work of the Holy Spirit is manifested through witnesses.
The work that pleases God is not something that happens through natural phenomena, but rather, His works are revealed through the church and through people.
Therefore, the Acts of the Holy Spirit becomes the Acts of the Apostles, and further, the Acts of the Witnesses.
The Jesus Christ of the Gospels gave his life on the cross, but the Jesus Christ of the Acts ascended to heaven after his resurrection and sent the Holy Spirit to give life to his people.


The seventh and final point is the structural understanding of the Acts of the Apostles.
Structure is the message.
If you know the structure, you can see the message.
Chapters 1-7, which constitute the first part, are about the establishment and revival and growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8-12, which constitute the second part, show that the gospel, which had been centered in Jerusalem, expanded beyond Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, Palestine, and even to Antioch in Syria.
The final part, chapters 13-28, testifies to the spread of the gospel to the world, centered around the church in Antioch of Syria, during Paul's first, second, and third missionary journeys.
We will be able to examine the detailed structure of the text, its meaning and message in the future.


As an appendix, we have included a map of Paul's missionary journeys and photos of his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Turkey, Greece, and Rome.
I sincerely hope that this little textbook will serve as a small tool to bring your life closer to God.