Summarize Paul’s three missionary journeys.

• Paul and Barnabas set apart (Acts 13:2)
• Paul’s 1st Journey
  • Cyprus (Acts 13:4-12)
    • Blinded Bar-Jesus the magician (Acts 13:11)
    • The proconsul believed (Acts 13:12)
  • Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13:13-52)
    • Spoke the gospel first to the Jews (Acts 13:16-41)
    • The Jews begged them to preach again, and many followed Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:42-43)
    • The whole city came to hear them speak, but the Jews became jealous (Acts 13:44-45)
    • Paul and Barnabas turn to the Gentiles, the Gentiles rejoice, and the gospel is spread throughout the region (Acts 13:46-49)
    • The Jews drive Paul and Barnabas out (Acts 13:50)
    • Paul and Barnabas shake the dust from their feet and are filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:51-52)
  • Iconium (Acts 14:1-7)
    • A great number of Jews and Greeks believed (Acts 14:1)
    • They remained a long time preaching and in the name of the Lord who performed signs and wonders at their hands (Acts 14:3)
    • The Jews stirred up division and attempted to mistreat and stone them (Acts 14:2,4-5)
    • Paul and Barnabas fled (Acts 14:6)
  • Lystra (Acts 14:8-20)
    • Paul heals a man crippled from birth (Acts 14:8-10)
    • Lystra’s people mistake Paul for Hermes and Barnabas for Zeus and attempt to worship and make sacrifices to them (Acts 14:11-13)
    • They barely stop the people from worshiping them, telling them that they are also just men and that they should repent and turn to God (Acts 14:14-18)
    • Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuaded the crowds against them, Paul is stoned, dragged out of the city, and thought to be dead (Acts 14:19)
  • Derbe (Acts 14:20-21)
    • Preached the gospel and made many disciples (Acts 14:21)
  • Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:21-23)
    • Strengthened and encouraged the disciples (Acts 14:22)
    • Appointed elders in every church with prayer and fasting (Acts 14:23)
  • Antioch in Syria (Acts 14:24-28)
    • Gathered the church and declared all that God had done with them and how they had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27)
• The Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:1-21)
• Paul’s 2nd Journey
  • Paul and Barnabas deliver the councils letter to the Gentiles in Antioch (Acts 15:22-35)
  • Paul and Barnabas separate (Acts 15:36-41)
  • Timothy joins Paul and Silas (Acts 16:1-5)
    • They continued delivering the decisions of the council (Acts 16:4)
    • The churches were strengthened in faith, and their numbers increased daily (Acts 16:5)
  • Called to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10)
  • Philippi (Acts 16:11-40)
    • Lydia and her husband converted (Acts 16:11-15)
    • Paul drives an evil spirit out of a girl (Acts 16:16-18)
    • Paul and Silas are beaten and imprisoned (Acts 16:19-24)
    • Paul and Silas worship God in prison (Acts 16:25)
    • Their bonds are unfastened, and the doors are opened in an earthquake (Acts 16:26)
    • But they do not escape (Acts 16:28)
    • The Jailer and his household are saved and Baptized (Acts 16:29-34)
    • Paul and Silas are released from prison (Acts 16:35-39)
  • Thessalonica (Acts 17:1-9)
    • Paul spent three days reasoning and giving evidence for the gospel (Acts 17:1-3)
    • Many were persuaded and joined them (Acts 17:4)
    • The Jews became jealous and, unable to find Paul and Silas, they drag the believers before the authorities (Acts 17:5-9)
  • Berea (Acts 17:10-15)
    • Many believed the gospel preached by Paul (Acts 17:10-12)
    • Jews from Thessalonica followed and stirred up crowds against them (Acts 17:13)
    • Paul is sent to Athens, but Silas and Timothy stay behind (Acts 17:15)
  • Athens (Acts 17:16-34)
    • Paul saw that the city was full of idols, so he reasoned with the Jews and the people in the marketplace (Acts 17:16-17)
    • Some philosophers bring Paul to the Areopagus to teach (Acts 17:18-21)
    • Paul preaches the gospel and against idolatry (Acts 17:22-31)
    • Some mocked the resurrection (Acts 17:32)
    • Some followed and believed (Acts 17:33-34)
  • Corinth (Acts 18:1-17)
    • Paul meets and stays with Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:1-3)
    • Paul reasons with and tries to persuade Jews and Greeks in the synagogue every Sabbath (Acts 18:4)
    • Paul is reunited with Silas and Timothy (Acts 18:5)
    • After testifying that Jesus is the Christ, Paul is met with opposition and reviling from the Jews (Acts 18:5-6)
    • Paul shakes out his garments and states that he will go to the Gentiles from now on (Acts 18:6)
    • Many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8)
    • God tells Paul in a vision to go on speaking and not be silent, for He is with him and no one will attack or harm him (Acts 18:9-10)
    • Paul remains in Corinth for 18 months (Acts 18:11)
    • Eventually, the Jews accused Paul before the governor, but he left the matter to them, and they seized and beat the leader of the synagogue (Acts 18:12-17)
  • Cenchreae (Acts 18:18)
    • Paul cuts his hair at Cenchreae under a vow (Acts 18:18)
  • Ephesus (Acts 18:19-21)
    • Paul leaves Priscilla and Aquila in Ephesus (Acts 18:19)
    • Paul reasons with the Jews in the synagogue but declines their invitation for him to stay (Acts 18:19-20)
  • Jerusalem (Acts 18:22)
    • Paul greets the church (Acts 18:22)
  • Antioch (Acts 18:22-23)
    • Paul goes throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia strengthening all the disciples (Acts 18:23)
• Apollos (Acts 18:24-28)
  • Apollos spoke boldly and accurately about Christ, but his teaching was incomplete (Acts 18:24-25)
  • Priscilla and Aquilla taught him the way of God more accurately (Acts 18:26)
  • Traveled to Achaia where he greatly helped those who believed and powerfully and publicly refuted the Jews showing in scripture that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 18:27-28)
• Paul’s 3rd Journey
  • Ephesus (Acts 19:1-41)
    • Paul Baptizes disciples of Apollos in the name of Christ, and they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7)
    • Paul spoke boldly in the synagogue reasoning and persuading them for three months (Acts 19:8)
    • Some did not believe and spoke evil of the Way, and so Paul withdrew and took the disciples with him (Acts 19:9)
    • For two years Paul reasoned daily in the hall of Tyrannus and all the residents of Asia, both Jew, and Greek, heard the gospel (Acts 19:9-10)
    • God performed many miracles through Paul and even through objects that he had touched so that many were healed and evil spirits were driven out (Acts 19:11-12)
    • Jewish exorcists even attempted to invoke the name of Christ and Paul, but God did not work through them as through Paul, and some were attacked by the demon-possessed (Acts 19:13-17)
    • Fear fell upon the residents of Ephesus, and the name of Jesus was extolled
    • Many repented of sinful and pagan practices in the sight of all (Acts 19:19)
    • The word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily (Acts 19:20)
    • Paul resolves to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21-22)
    • A riot breaks out concerning the Way (Acts 19:23-41) 
  • Macedonia and Greece (Acts 20:1-6)
    • Paul gave much encouragement in the region of Macedonia (Acts 20:2)
    • Paul spent three months in Greece until the Jews made a plot against him (Acts 20:3)
  • Troas (Acts 20:6-12)
    • Paul speaks well past midnight (Acts 20:7-9)
    • Eutychus falls from a window and dies (Acts 20:9)
    • Paul raises Eutychus from the dead (Acts 20:10-12)
  • Miletus (Acts 20:17-38)
    • Paul summons the Ephesian leaders and knowing that returning to Jerusalem; he will be arrested, he speaks with them for the last time (Acts 20:17-38)
  • Tyre (Acts 21:3-6)
    • Paul spends a week with the disciples, and through the Spirit, they tell him not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4)
    • Before Paul departed they all prayed together (Acts 21:5)
  • Caesarea (Acts 21:8-14)
    • Visited Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8)
    • A visit from a prophet from Judea reveals that Paul will be bound and delivered to the Gentiles if he returns to Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-11)
    • Paul is urged to not return to Jerusalem (Acts 21:12)
    • Paul states that he is ready to be imprisoned and die for Christ’s name (Acts 21:13)
  • Paul returns to Jerusalem (Acts 21:15-16)

Wow, what a resume!!! Paul traveled all over the 1st-century Roman empire preaching the Gospel message. Everywhere he went, he made disciples. Likewise, wherever he went, he faced adversity.

By my count, Paul was either mocked, ridiculed, beaten, stoned, left for dead, imprisoned, or ran out of town, at least twelve times in at least ten different cities. Not only that, but he turned right around and returned to many of those same cities. Paul was fearless in his pursuit to advance the kingdom.

His fearlessness paid off, and the Holy Spirit worked through Paul everywhere he went. Over and over again, disciples we made, strengthened, and encouraged. Miracles were performed, the sick were healed, and at least one dead man was raised back to life.

The church exploded like wildfire. All because of the Holy Spirit’s work through the obedience of one man. Paul’s story should encourage and enliven each one of us to live with the same boldness and fearless urgency as he did.

What did you learn in chapter 15 about the decision making process of the early church?

When I look at the early church’s decision-making process in Acts 15, I see two things happening. First, they weigh the evidence, and then they compare it to scripture.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure about Peter’s statement in Acts 15:7 when he says, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” But after checking some commentary, some point to Acts 10 and the stories of Peter’s vision and Cornelius’ conversion, this cleared things up a bit, but I still wasn’t quite sure, that is until I read Acts 11:18.

After Peter reported his vision and Cornelius’ conversion to the church, presumably the church was made up of many of the same people in the council of Acts 15, Acts 11:18 states, “When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, ‘Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'”

After reminding the council of all this, Peter then goes on to state that “God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. ” (Acts 15:8-9)

Testimony is also given of the evidence as witnessed by Paul, Barnabas. (Acts 15:12-13)

Finally, at this point, James stands up and states that all of this evidence aligns with scripture. He quotes the prophet Amos “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.” (Amos 9:11-12)

Last modified on: June 10, 2020 - Original date of publication: June 10, 2020