Missionary Message and Methods in Acts

The Missional Task: Preaching the Good News of Christ

Εὐαγγέλιον / εὐαγγελίζω (“good news/gospel”)

The noun is used only twice in Acts:

• Peter: “the word of the gospel” (15:7).
• Paul: “the gospel of the grace of God” (20:24).

The verb (“to bring/preach good news”) is much more common, occurring fifteen times. It often takes an object specifying the content:

• “preach the good news about Jesus” (8:35; 11:20).
• “preach the good news about the kingdom of God” (8:12; 14:7; 28:31).

Ὁ λόγος (“the word”)

The most common shorthand for the gospel message in Acts.

• “The word of God” (λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ; e.g., 4:31; 6:2, 7; 8:14; 11:1; 13:5, 7, 44, 46, 48; 17:13; 18:11).
• “The word of the Lord” (λόγος τοῦ κυρίου; e.g., 8:25; 13:49; 15:35–36; 19:10, 20).

Ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ (“the kingdom of God”)

A summary content-term for what is proclaimed.

• It appears especially at the seams of Acts (1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31).
• The closing verse of Acts (28:31) pairs it with teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ἡ σωτηρία / σωτήριον (“salvation”)

The result or content of the gospel (4:12; 13:26, 47; 28:28).

• Acts 4:12—“there is no salvation in any other”—is programmatic.
• Acts 13:47 quotes Isaiah 49:6 to define the scope of the σωτήριον as reaching “to the end of the earth.”

Κηρύσσω (“to herald/proclaim”)

The standard verb for public proclamation.

• It is used of John the Baptist, Peter, Paul, and others (8:5; 9:20; 10:42; 19:13; 20:25; 28:31).
• It carries the connotation of a herald’s official, authoritative announcement.
• Direct object can be Christ himself: “to proclaim Christ” (9:20; 19:13).

Μαρτυρέω / μαρτύριον / μάρτυς (“to bear witness / testimony / witness”)

• The risen Christ commissions the disciples as μάρτυρες, “witnesses” (1:8; 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39, 41; 13:31; 22:15; 26:16).
• The term has two senses:
  1. An eyewitness sense, attesting to historical events, especially the resurrection.
  2. A legal sense, providing testimony in a legal proceeding.
• Both senses are active in the trial narratives of chapters 22–26.
• By the end of Acts, Paul’s witness before kings fulfills the commission of 9:15.

Διδάσκω / διδαχή (“to teach / teaching”)

Teaching is consistently paired with proclamation in Acts (2:42; 4:2; 5:21, 25, 28, 42; 11:26; 15:35; 20:20; 28:31).

• In the final verse, Paul proclaims the kingdom and teaches about the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Luke does not make a sharp distinction between evangelism and teaching.

Λαλέω τὸν λόγον (“to speak the word”)

A common phrase in Acts for gospel speech (4:29, 31; 8:25; 11:19; 13:46; 14:25; 16:6, 32).

It can be equivalent to authoritative gospel proclamation in public settings:

• Acts 4:29: “And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness.”
• Acts 13:46: “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you.”

Or it can be used of gospel speech in less formal settings.

• Acts 11:19: “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.” (ESV)
• Acts 16:32: Paul and Silas “spoke the word of the Lord to [the Philippian jailer] and to all who were in his house.” (ESV)

Rather than saying that “the church continued to increase and multiply,” Luke says that “the word of God continued to increase and multiply.” The church grows through the word:

• Acts 6:7: “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”
• Acts 12:24: “But the word of God increased and multiplied.”
• Acts 13:49: “And the word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region.”
• Acts 19:20: “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.”

The church should be devoted to the Word first and foremost, as well as to the other means of grace: “And they devoted themselves to (1) the apostles’ teaching and (2) fellowship, to (3) the breaking of bread and (4) the prayers” (Acts 2:42; cp. 20:7).

Ἀπαγγέλλω / ἀναγγέλλω / καταγγέλλω (“to announce/declare/proclaim”)

All three verbs are built on ἀγγέλλω (“to announce”).

• Καταγγέλλω is the strongest term and is used for the formal proclamation of Christ and the resurrection (3:24; 4:2; 13:5, 38; 15:36; 16:17, 21; 17:3, 13, 23).
• Ἀναγγέλλω often appears in contexts of reporting or declaring (14:27; 15:4; 20:20, 27).
• Ἀπαγγέλλω carries the sense of bringing back a report (5:22, 25; 11:13; 22:26; 28:21).

Παρρησιάζομαι (“to speak boldly”)

• Bold, open, unintimidated, and frank speech (9:27–28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26).
• The cognate noun παρρησία (“boldness, freedom of speech”) (2:29; 4:13, 29, 31; 28:31).
• Acts ends on this note: Paul, under house arrest in Rome, preaches Christ “with all boldness and without hindrance” (28:31).

Luke shows through narrative how the gospel reaches different people in different settings and therefore requires different modes of bearing witness.

The Missional Approach and Message

The missionary preaching in Acts appeals both to God’s revelation in creation and providence and to his special revelation in Scripture. The approach varies with the audience, but it always moves toward God’s climactic revelation in Jesus Christ and the universal call to repentance.

1. Going First to Those Nearest to Biblical Revelation

The apostles regularly began with Jews, proselytes, and God-fearers because they already knew Israel’s God, possessed the Scriptures, and awaited the fulfillment of God’s promises.

• The gospel’s outward movement began in Jerusalem before extending to Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
• At Pentecost, Peter addressed Jews and proselytes gathered from across the Roman world (Acts 2:5–11, 14).
• Peter interpreted Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation through Joel and the Psalms (Acts 2:16–36).
• Paul initially proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of Cyprus (Acts 13:5).
• At Pisidian Antioch, Paul addressed both “men of Israel” and Gentiles who feared God (Acts 13:14–16, 26).
• Paul told the synagogue audience that it was necessary for the word of God to be spoken to them first before the missionaries turned more directly to the Gentiles (Acts 13:44–47).
• Paul and Barnabas followed the same pattern at Iconium (Acts 14:1).
• Paul began in the synagogues at Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus (Acts 17:1–3, 10–12, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8).
• At Rome, Paul first summoned the Jewish leaders and attempted to persuade them about Jesus from “the Law of Moses and from the Prophets” (Acts 28:17, 23).

This synagogue-first pattern was both redemptive-historical and strategic. Those who possessed the Scriptures had the conceptual framework necessary to understand the gospel as the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.

2. Calling People Everywhere to Repent

Whether addressing Jews familiar with Scripture or pagans familiar only with God’s revelation in creation, the missionaries called their hearers to repent and turn to God.

• Peter called his Jewish audience at Pentecost to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:37–41).
• At the temple, Peter commanded his hearers to “repent” and “turn back” so that their sins might be blotted out (Acts 3:19).
• Peter called Simon the magician to repent of his wickedness and seek forgiveness from the Lord (Acts 8:20–23).
• Paul and Barnabas called the pagans at Lystra to “turn from these vain things to a living God” (Acts 14:15).
• Paul told the Athenians that God had overlooked previous times of ignorance but “now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30).
• The universal summons to repentance rests upon the coming judgment, which God will administer through the risen Christ (Acts 17:31).
• Paul summarized his ministry as testifying to Jews and Greeks alike “of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:20–21).
• Before Agrippa, Paul explained that he preached to both Jews and Gentiles that they should “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:19–20).

Natural revelation renders all people accountable to God, while the gospel authoritatively summons them to repent and believe in Christ.

3. Confronting Pagan Idolatry

Missionary preaching did not merely add Jesus to existing religious systems. It challenged false gods, images, magic, and the social and economic institutions built around them.

• When the people of Lystra identified Barnabas and Paul with Zeus and Hermes, the missionaries tore their garments and urgently stopped the crowd from offering sacrifices to them (Acts 14:8–18).
• Paul called the Lystrans to turn from their “vain things” to the living Creator (Acts 14:15).
• In Athens, Paul was inwardly provoked because the city was full of idols (Acts 17:16).
• He proclaimed that the Creator does not live in man-made temples or depend upon human service (Acts 17:24–25).
• Because human beings are God’s offspring, Paul argued, they must not imagine that the divine being resembles an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone (Acts 17:28–29).
• In Philippi, Paul’s deliverance of a slave girl ended her owners’ ability to profit from her spirit of divination, leading to public accusations, beatings, and imprisonment (Acts 16:16–24).
• Converts at Ephesus publicly confessed their former practices and burned their books of magic (Acts 19:18–20).
• Demetrius complained that Paul had persuaded many people that “gods made with hands are not gods” (Acts 19:23–27).
• Because the gospel threatened both the cult of Artemis and the trade that depended upon it, the city erupted into a riot (Acts 19:28–34).

The riots reveal how deeply idolatry was embedded in civic identity and economic life. The gospel provoked opposition because conversion required people to abandon rival objects of worship.

4. Appealing to Natural Theology

When speaking to Gentiles without a biblical framework, the missionaries appealed to what God makes known through creation, providence, and humanity’s dependence upon him.

• At Lystra, Paul and Barnabas identified the true God as the living Creator “who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14:15).
• God permitted the nations to follow their own ways, yet “he did not leave himself without witness” (Acts 14:16–17).
• Rain, fruitful seasons, food, and gladness testify to God’s providential goodness (Acts 14:17).
• Paul used these universally experienced gifts to call the Lystrans away from Zeus, Hermes, and other “vain things” to the living God (Acts 14:11–15).
• At Athens, Paul began with the Athenians’ evident religious consciousness and their altar “To the unknown god” (Acts 17:22–23).
• He identified the unknown God as the Creator and Lord of heaven and earth (Acts 17:24).
• God is independent of human temples and service, while every creature depends upon him for “life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24–25).
• God created every nation from one man and sovereignly determined their times and geographical boundaries (Acts 17:26).
• God’s providential ordering of human history is intended to lead people to seek him, although he is “not actually far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).
• Paul appealed to the shared human experience of dependence upon God: “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
• He also cited pagan poets—“For we are indeed his offspring”—to expose the inconsistency of representing the divine nature with manufactured images (Acts 17:28–29).
• Paul then moved beyond natural theology to special revelation: God has appointed a man to judge the world and has confirmed this by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:30–31).

Natural theology establishes the reality, power, providence, goodness, and nearness of God and exposes the irrationality of idolatry. It does not, by itself, reveal Jesus Christ or the saving significance of his resurrection. It functions as a point of contact and a basis of accountability, not as a substitute for the gospel.

5. The Content of the Gospel

1. The one true God is Creator, Lord, and Judge. This element is especially prominent when the apostles address pagan audiences unfamiliar with Israel’s Scriptures.

   • Acts 14:15–17 — “You should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”
   • Acts 17:24–25 — “The God who made the world and everything in it” is “Lord of heaven and earth” and “gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”
   • Acts 17:29–31 — Idolatry is condemned; God “commands all people everywhere to repent,” because “he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness.”
   • Acts 10:42 — Jesus is “the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.”
   • Acts does not focus on the doctrine of original sin, but it identifies man’s sins: idolatry, ignorance of God, wickedness, rejection of Christ, and the need for forgiveness.

2. God’s promises have been fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. The gospel is presented as the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel in the Scriptures.

   • Acts 2:16, 25–31, 34–35 — Peter interprets Jesus and Pentecost through Joel 2, Psalm 16, and Psalm 110.
   • Acts 3:18 — “What God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”
   • Acts 3:24 — “All the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days.”
   • Acts 10:43 — “To him all the prophets bear witness.”
   • Acts 13:23 — “Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.”
   • Acts 13:32–33 — “We bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.”
   • Acts 26:22–23 — Paul proclaimed “nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come to pass.”
   • This fulfillment motif is essential to the apostolic gospel.

3. Jesus is the divinely appointed Messiah, Lord, and Savior. The apostles identify the historical Jesus of Nazareth as God’s anointed king and unique Savior.

   • Acts 2:22 — Jesus was “attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs.”
   • Acts 2:36 — “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
   • Acts 3:20 — “The Christ appointed for you, Jesus.”
   • Acts 4:11–12 — Jesus is the rejected stone who became the cornerstone: “There is salvation in no one else.”
   • Acts 5:31 — “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior.”
   • Acts 10:36 — Jesus Christ “is Lord of all.”
   • Acts 13:23 — God has brought Israel “a Savior, Jesus.”

4. Jesus ministered publicly in the power of the Holy Spirit. Acts sometimes includes a brief account of Jesus’s earthly ministry, although this is less prominent than his death and resurrection.

   • Acts 2:22 — God performed “mighty works and wonders and signs” through Jesus.
   • Acts 10:37–39 — “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.” He “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.”
   • Acts 13:24–25 — Paul connects Jesus’s coming with the preparatory ministry of John the Baptist.

5. Jesus was crucified according to God’s saving purpose. The crucifixion is simultaneously a human crime and the accomplishment of God’s sovereign purpose.

   • Acts 2:23 — Jesus was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God,” although his hearers “crucified and killed” him.
   • Acts 3:13–15 — “You denied the Holy and Righteous One” and “killed the Author of life.”
   • Acts 4:27–28 — Herod, Pilate, Gentiles, and Israel did “whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.”
   • Acts 5:30 — “You killed [Jesus] by hanging him on a tree.”
   • Acts 10:39 — “They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.”
   • Acts 13:27–29 — By condemning Jesus, Jerusalem’s rulers “fulfilled the utterances of the prophets.”
   • Acts 20:28 speaks of the church that God “obtained with his own blood.”

6. God raised Jesus bodily from the dead. The resurrection is the dominant historical claim of the apostolic message.

   • Acts 2:24 — “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death.”
   • Acts 2:32 — “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.”
   • Acts 3:15 — “God raised [him] from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”
   • Acts 4:2 — The apostles were “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.”
   • Acts 4:33 — They gave “their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.”
   • Acts 10:40–41 — “God raised him on the third day and made him to appear” to chosen witnesses who “ate and drank with him.”
   • Acts 13:30–31 — “God raised him from the dead,” after which he appeared for many days.
   • Acts 17:31 — God gave assurance concerning the coming judgment “by raising him from the dead.”
   • Acts 26:23 — The Christ, “by being the first to rise from the dead,” would proclaim light to Jews and Gentiles.

7. Jesus has been exalted and reigns at God’s right hand. The gospel does not stop at the resurrection. Jesus has ascended, received universal authority, poured out the Spirit, and now reigns as Lord.

   • Acts 2:32–36 — Jesus was “exalted at the right hand of God” and poured out the promised Holy Spirit; God has made him “both Lord and Christ.”
   • Acts 3:21 — Heaven receives Christ “until the time for restoring all the things.”
   • Acts 5:31 — “God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior.”
   • Acts 7:55–56 — Stephen sees “the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
   • Acts 10:36 — “Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all).”
   • Acts 17:7 — The missionaries are accused of proclaiming “another king, Jesus.”
   • Acts 28:31 — Paul concludes Acts by “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
   • The preaching of Jesus and the preaching of the kingdom are inseparable: Acts 8:12; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31.

8. Forgiveness, salvation, and the Holy Spirit are given through Jesus. The blessings announced in the gospel include forgiveness, justification, salvation, the Spirit, and membership among God’s holy people.

   • Acts 2:38 — “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” with “the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
   • Acts 3:19–20 — “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come.”
   • Acts 4:12 — “There is salvation in no one else.”
   • Acts 5:31 — Jesus gives “repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”
   • Acts 10:43 — “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
   • Acts 13:38–39 — “Through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,” and “everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
   • Acts 15:9, 11 — God cleanses hearts by faith, and Jews and Gentiles are saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus.”
   • Acts 26:18 — Those who turn to Christ receive “forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

9. All people are commanded to repent, believe, and call upon Christ. This is the demanded response to the gospel, rather than strictly part of the accomplished events constituting its central content.

   • Acts 2:21 — “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
   • Acts 2:38 — “Repent and be baptized.”
   • Acts 3:19 — “Repent therefore, and turn back.”
   • Acts 8:12 — The Samaritans “believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.”
   • Acts 10:43 — “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins.”
   • Acts 11:21 — “A great number who believed turned to the Lord.”
   • Acts 13:38–39 — “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, [39] and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”
   • Acts 14:15 — “Turn from these vain things to a living God.”
   • Acts 16:31 — “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
   • Acts 17:30 — God “commands all people everywhere to repent.”
   • Acts 20:21 — Paul testified “of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
   • Acts 26:20 — People must “repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.”

The speeches in Acts proclaim the same Christ but begin from different points of contact, employ different kinds of evidence, and emphasize different aspects of the message according to the audience.

Audience	Passage	Form of adaptation
Jews gathered at Pentecost	Acts 2:14–36	Peter begins with Joel and appeals to Psalms 16 and 110 to prove that Jesus is the risen Messiah.
Jews at the temple	Acts 3:12–26	Peter appeals to Abraham, Moses, Samuel, and the covenant promises made to Israel.
Jewish authorities	Acts 4:8–12; 5:29–32	Peter emphasizes their rejection of Jesus, God’s vindication of him, and the apostles’ obligation to obey God.
Hellenistic Jewish opposition	Acts 7:2–53	Stephen retells Israel’s history to expose the recurring rejection of God’s appointed deliverers.
An individual reading Isaiah	Acts 8:30–35	Philip begins with the precise Scripture being read and explains how it announces Jesus.
God-fearing Gentiles	Acts 10:34–43	Peter stresses God’s impartiality, Jesus’ public ministry, the resurrection, and forgiveness for everyone who believes.
Diaspora Jews and God-fearers	Acts 13:16–41	Paul surveys Israel’s history and presents Jesus as the fulfillment of the Davidic promise and the source of justification.
Rural pagans at Lystra	Acts 14:15–17	Paul begins with creation, providence, rain, crops, food, and gladness rather than Israel’s Scriptures.
Philosophical pagans at Athens	Acts 17:22–31	Paul begins with Athenian religion, refers to their altar and poets, critiques idolatry, and moves toward judgment and resurrection.
Hostile Jewish crowd	Acts 22:1–21	Paul speaks in Hebrew or Aramaic and recounts his Jewish upbringing, zeal, conversion, and divine commission.
Roman governor Felix	Acts 24:10–21, 24–25	Paul gives a legal defense and speaks about righteousness, self-control, and coming judgment.
Agrippa and Festus	Acts 26:1–29	Paul respectfully addresses his royal audience, recounts his conversion, and appeals to Agrippa’s knowledge of the prophets.

The content remains constant: the one true God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ; Jesus was crucified and raised; forgiveness is offered through him; and all people must repent and believe. What changes is the point of entry, the selection of evidence, the vocabulary, and the specific errors or concerns addressed.

Missional Principles from Acts

1st - Mission Is Churchly

In Acts, mission is not merely the spontaneous activity of individual Christians. It is undertaken in connection with the church’s worship, authorized ministry, corporate oversight, ordained leadership, doctrinal unity, and fellowship with other churches.

a. Mission arises within the church’s corporate life of worship, fasting, and prayer.

• The Jerusalem church devoted itself to “the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).
• The believers prayed together for boldness in proclaiming the word (Acts 4:23–31).
• Peter’s preaching to Cornelius occurred in a worship-like gathering (Acts 10:1–9).
• The Antioch church was “worshiping the Lord and fasting” when the Spirit directed it to send Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:1–3).
• Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns while imprisoned in Philippi (Acts 16:25).

b. The church recognizes, sets apart, and sends qualified men for missionary preaching.

• The apostles were Christ’s authorized witnesses from Jerusalem to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
• The Jerusalem church sent Peter and John to assist the new work in Samaria (Acts 8:14–17).
• The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to investigate and strengthen the work in Antioch (Acts 11:19–24).
• The Holy Spirit commanded the Antioch church to set apart Barnabas and Saul for missionary work (Acts 13:1–3).
• Paul and Barnabas were therefore “sent out by the Holy Spirit” through the church’s public commissioning (Acts 13:4).
• Paul later departed on another missionary journey after being “commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord” (Acts 15:40).

Public proclamation is ordinarily performed by recognized and gifted representatives of the church. The pattern in Acts is:

1. The apostles bear authoritative witness to Christ—e.g., Peter and John (chs. 2–5; 8; 10).
2. The apostles appointed certain men—Stephen and Philip (chs. 6–8).
3. The church sends missionaries—e.g., Barnabas and Paul (13:1-4)—who return to the sending church to report what God through them (14:26-28).
4. Apostolic coworkers participate in organized missionary teams.
5. Churches are planted, elders are appointed, and missionaries remain connected to sending churches.

Informal evangelism by ordinary believers is present in Acts, but it is not a major narrative emphasis.

“Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” (8:4) “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. [20] But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.” (11:19-20) (ESV)

Sustained public gospel proclamation in Acts is conducted by apostles, apostolic coworkers, recognized teachers and evangelists, or missionaries commissioned and supported by the church.

Acts therefore permits and commends the informal witness of ordinary Christians, while placing its primary emphasis upon the church’s organized, authorized missionary ministry.

We must avoid two extremes:

1. “Evangelism belongs only to church officers.”
2. “Acts presents every Christian as an individual missionary with an identical evangelistic calling.” The narrative does not support that claim. Its center of gravity is the public ministry of specially called, gifted, and church-connected messengers.

c. Missionaries are accountable to the church that sent them.

• After completing their first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, “where they had been commended to the grace of God.” They gathered the church and reported “all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:26-27).
• Paul and Barnabas reported the conversion of the Gentiles as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria (Acts 15:3).
• They were welcomed in Jerusalem by the church, apostles, and elders and reported what God had done (Acts 15:4, 12).
• Paul later returned to Antioch after completing another missionary circuit (Acts 18:22–23).

d. Mission in Acts is ordinarily carried out by teams.

• Peter and John ministered together in Jerusalem and Samaria (Acts 3:1; 8:14).
• Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch, where they taught together for a year (Acts 11:25–26).
• Barnabas and Saul were sent out together, accompanied by John Mark (Acts 13:2–5).
• Judas Barsabbas and Silas accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Antioch as representatives of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:22–32).
• Barnabas took Mark, while Paul chose Silas (Acts 15:39–40).
• Timothy joined Paul and Silas in their missionary work (Acts 16:1–5).
• Paul’s later ministry involved a substantial company of coworkers representing several regions (Acts 20:4)

e. The missionary task includes gathering converts into local churches.

Two main types of Baptism

1. Baptisms administered on the basis of adult profession of faith (Acts 2:41; 8:12-13; 8:36; 9:18; 22:16; 19:1-5).
2. Baptisms administered on the basis of parental authority (household baptisms)
   1. Acts 10:2, 47-48: “… a devout man, and one who feared God with all his house, and gave many alms to the Jewish people, and prayed to God continually … Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
   2. Acts 11:14-18 Cornelius “reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, ‘Send to Joppa, and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he shall speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your house.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If God therefore gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
   3. Acts 16:14-15 And a certain woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple fabrics, a worshiper of God, was listening; and the Lord opened her heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her house had been baptized, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us.
   4. Acts 16:31–34: And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [32] And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. [33] And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. [34] Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
   5. Acts 18:8 And Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house, and many of the Corinthians when they heard were believing and being baptized.
   6. 1 Cor 1:14, 16: “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius … [16] (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.”

Baptism is tied to church membership (just as circumcision was). You see this especially in Acts 10-11, 15—the inclusion of Gentiles into the people of God by baptism without requiring circumcision.

• Those who received the gospel in Jerusalem were baptized and added to the church (Acts 2:41–47).
• The apostles established and strengthened the church in Samaria (Acts 8:14–17).
• Paul and Barnabas made disciples in several cities and then returned to strengthen them (Acts 14:21–22).
• They “appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting” (Acts 14:23).
• Paul revisited previously evangelized cities to see how the believers were doing (Acts 15:36).
• The churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in numbers (Acts 16:5).
• Paul summoned the elders of the church at Ephesus and charged them to shepherd the flock (Acts 20:17, 28).

f. Experienced ministers train younger coworkers.

• Barnabas brought Saul from Tarsus to Antioch and ministered alongside him (Acts 11:25–26).
• John Mark accompanied Barnabas and Saul as their assistant (Acts 13:5).
• Paul selected Timothy to accompany him in missionary ministry (Acts 16:1–3).
• Priscilla and Aquila privately instructed Apollos and “explained to him the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:24–26).
• Paul trained disciples during his extended ministry at Ephesus, with the result that the word spread throughout Asia (Acts 19:8–10).
• Paul surrounded himself with younger coworkers who learned through participation in ministry (Acts 20:4).
• He modeled pastoral ministry before the Ephesian elders and charged them to continue it faithfully (Acts 20:17–35).

g. Local churches in Acts are distinct but interconnected.

• The “churches” in the plural
  • Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
  • Acts 16:5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.
• When they heard that the Samaritans had received the gospel, the Jerusalem church sent Peter and John to confirm their inclusion in the people of God (Acts 8:14–17).
• The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 11:22–24).
• The Antioch church sent financial aid to the believers in Judea through Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:27–30; 12:25).
• The Antioch church consulted the apostles and elders in Jerusalem regarding the circumcision controversy (Acts 15:1–6).
• The Jerusalem council sent its doctrinal judgment to the Gentile churches through authorized representatives (Acts 15:22–31).
• Paul and his companions delivered these decisions to the churches (Acts 16:4–5).
• Paul strengthened churches across Galatia and Phrygia through repeated visitation (Acts 18:22–23).
• Representatives from several regional churches traveled with Paul, demonstrating cooperation in mission and benevolence (Acts 20:4; cf. 24:17).

2nd - Mission Is Cross-Cultural

The gospel crosses ethnic, linguistic, religious, and social boundaries. Its message remains unchanged, but its messengers understand their audiences and adapt their conduct and presentation where faithfulness permits.

a. God-Fearers as Linguistic and Cultural Bridges

God-fearers were Gentiles attracted to Israel’s God and Scriptures without necessarily becoming full Jewish proselytes. Their familiarity with the synagogue and the Old Testament provided a natural bridge for the gospel’s movement into the Gentile world. God-fearers occupied a cultural middle ground: they knew the Jewish Scriptures and worshiped Israel’s God, yet retained connections with the Gentile world into which the gospel was advancing.

• The Ethiopian eunuch worshiped Israel’s God and read Isaiah, making the Scriptures the point of contact for Philip’s proclamation of Jesus (Acts 8:27–35).
• Cornelius was “a devout man who feared God,” prayed continually, and gave generously to the Jewish people (Acts 10:1–2).
• Cornelius gathered his relatives and friends to hear Peter, creating an immediate Gentile audience for the gospel (Acts 10:24, 33–44).
• In Pisidian Antioch, Paul addressed both “men of Israel” and “you who fear God” (Acts 13:16, 26).
• Many Jews and “devout converts to Judaism” followed Paul and Barnabas after their synagogue preaching (Acts 13:43).
• In Philippi, Paul met Lydia, “a worshiper of God,” at a Jewish place of prayer; her conversion opened a household and a base for ministry (Acts 16:13–15, 40).
• In Thessalonica, “a great many of the devout Greeks” believed (Acts 17:1–4).
• In Athens, Paul reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and “devout persons” before addressing the broader pagan population (Acts 17:17).
• In Corinth, Paul lodged with Titius Justus, “a worshiper of God,” whose house was next door to the synagogue (Acts 18:7–8).

b. Missionaries accommodated local customs to remove unnecessary obstacles to the gospel.

• Paul circumcised Timothy because Timothy had a Jewish mother and because the Jews in that region knew his family background (Acts 16:1–3).
• This circumcision was a missionary accommodation, not a condition of justification or salvation; it occurred immediately after the Jerusalem council had rejected circumcision as a requirement for Gentile believers (Acts 15:1, 5, 19–29; 16:4).
• Paul adapted to Jewish religious sensitivities by taking and completing a vow (Acts 18:18).
• At Jerusalem, Paul participated in purification rites to demonstrate that he was not teaching Jewish believers to despise Moses or abandon their ethnic customs (Acts 21:20–26).
• Paul’s flexibility allowed him to move freely between Jewish and Gentile settings without altering the substance of the gospel.

Timothy’s circumcision therefore illustrates the distinction between voluntary accommodation for the sake of mission and compulsory observance imposed as necessary for salvation.

c. Yet cultural adaptation has definite limits.

The apostles would not compromise justification by grace, tolerate idolatry, or accommodate practices incompatible with repentance and allegiance to Christ. The apostles contextualized their manner of communication, but they did not contextualize away the exclusive lordship of Christ or the necessity of repentance.

• Some teachers claimed, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Paul and Barnabas engaged them in “no small dissension and debate” because the truth of the gospel was at stake (Acts 15:2).
• Peter refused the worship of Cornelius, declaring, “Stand up; I too am a man” (Acts 10:25–26).
• Paul and Barnabas rejected the attempt of the people of Lystra to offer sacrifices to them and called them to turn “from these vain things to a living God” (Acts 14:11–18).
• In Athens, Paul was deeply provoked by the city’s idols and proclaimed that God does not dwell in temples or need service from human hands (Acts 17:16, 22–31).
• Converts at Ephesus publicly renounced magic and burned their expensive books rather than retaining them as culturally acceptable practices (Acts 19:18–20).
• Demetrius complained that Paul had persuaded many people that “gods made with hands are not gods,” thereby threatening the cult and economy associated with Artemis (Acts 19:23–27).
• Paul testified that his message to Jews and Gentiles was that they “should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20).

d. Making Legal Defenses Before Civil Magistrates

The missionaries understood the political and legal structures of the Roman world and used them to protect the church, vindicate the gospel publicly, and secure freedom for continued mission. The apostles made no attempt to establish Christianity as the public, official religion of the Roman Empire. Instead they defended Christians as not seditious, and used lawful means to preserve the church’s freedom to proclaim the gospel.

• In Philippi, Paul invoked his Roman citizenship after being beaten and imprisoned without trial (Acts 16:35–39).
• At Corinth, Paul appeared before Gallio, whose refusal to treat Christianity as a criminal movement provided a measure of legal protection for the church (Acts 18:12–17).
• The Ephesian town clerk defended Paul’s companions against mob action and directed legitimate complaints to the courts and lawful assembly (Acts 19:35–41).
• Paul invoked his Roman citizenship to prevent an unlawful examination by flogging (Acts 22:25–29).
• Before Felix, Paul answered accusations of sedition and explained his faith in the resurrection (Acts 24:10–21).
• Before Festus, Paul denied violating Jewish law, the temple, or Caesar, and exercised his right to appeal to Caesar (Acts 25:8–12).
• Before Agrippa, Paul related his conversion and divine commission in terms appropriate to a ruler familiar with Jewish beliefs and customs (Acts 26:1–29).
• At Rome, Paul continued proclaiming the kingdom of God “with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:30–31).

3rd - Mission Follows God’s Providential Lead

The missionaries in Acts made plans and acted deliberately, but the course of the mission was ultimately directed by God. They recognized unexpected developments—closed doors, persecution, imprisonment, and available venues—as providential opportunities for advancing the gospel.

a. God Sometimes Closed One Door and Opened Another

The early Christian missionaries pursued opportunities while remaining willing to have their plans redirected by the Holy Spirit.

• An angel directed Philip away from the flourishing work in Samaria to the desert road leading from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26–35).
• The Spirit instructed Philip to approach the eunuch’s chariot and engage him in conversation (Acts 8:29–30).
• Peter’s vision at Joppa prepared him to enter the home of the Gentile Cornelius, while the Spirit directed him to accompany Cornelius’s messengers “without hesitation” (Acts 10:9–20).
• The Holy Spirit directed the church at Antioch to set apart Barnabas and Saul for missionary work (Acts 13:1–4).
• Paul and his companions attempted to preach in Asia, but they were “forbidden by the Holy Spirit” (Acts 16:6).
• When they tried to enter Bithynia, “the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them” (Acts 16:7).
• Paul’s vision of a Macedonian man redirected the missionaries westward. They concluded “that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:9–10).
• In Corinth, the Lord encouraged Paul to remain and continue speaking because he had “many in this city who are my people” (Acts 18:9–11).
• Paul later understood his journey to Jerusalem, despite the suffering awaiting him there, as something to which he was constrained by the Spirit (Acts 20:22–24).
• The risen Christ assured Paul in Jerusalem that he would also bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11).

b. Scattered Believers Shared the Gospel Wherever They Found Themselves

Persecution did not stop the mission. God providentially used it to move believers beyond Jerusalem and bring the gospel into new regions and cultures. The scattered believers did not necessarily travel as formally commissioned missionaries. They simply spoke the word wherever persecution and providence placed them. God thereby turned the church’s apparent setback into a means of geographic and cross-cultural expansion.

• After Stephen’s death, “a great persecution” arose against the Jerusalem church, scattering believers throughout Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1).
• The apostles initially remained in Jerusalem, while the scattered believers “went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).
• Philip went to a city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ there, resulting in widespread attention and joy (Acts 8:5–8)
• The gospel’s movement into Judea and Samaria through persecution corresponded to the geographic pattern announced by Christ in Acts 1:8.
• Those scattered by the persecution traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch (Acts 11:19).
• Some initially spoke only to Jews, but believers from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching the Lord Jesus to Greeks in Antioch (Acts 11:19–20).
• “The hand of the Lord was with them,” and many Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:21).
• The resulting church at Antioch became a major center of teaching, benevolence, and missionary sending (Acts 11:22–30; 13:1–4).

c. Arrests and Trials Became Opportunities for Public Witness

The missionaries did not seek arrest or persecution, but when brought before rulers and authorities, they treated the occasion as an opportunity to testify publicly about Christ. What appeared to be an obstacle repeatedly became a platform.

• Peter and John’s arrest gave them an opportunity to proclaim Christ’s resurrection before the Jewish rulers, elders, and scribes (Acts 4:1–12).
• When commanded to stop speaking, they declared that they could not cease speaking about what they had seen and heard (Acts 4:18–20).
• After another arrest, the apostles testified before the high priest and council that God had raised and exalted Jesus as Leader and Savior (Acts 5:17–32).
• Stephen used his appearance before the council to interpret Israel’s history and indict his hearers for resisting the Holy Spirit and rejecting the Righteous One (Acts 6:12–15; 7:1–53).
• Paul and Silas used their imprisonment in Philippi as an occasion for prayer, worship, and ultimately the evangelization of the jailer and his household (Acts 16:22–34).
• After his arrest in Jerusalem, Paul addressed the crowd and publicly recounted his conversion and commission (Acts 21:37–22:21).
• Paul’s examination before the Sanhedrin allowed him to identify the resurrection as the central theological issue (Acts 23:1–10).
• Before Felix, Paul defended himself against political accusations and testified concerning the resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:10–21).
• In a private audience with Felix and Drusilla, Paul reasoned “about righteousness and self-control and the coming judgment” (Acts 24:24–25).
• Before Festus, Paul used his legal right as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar, opening the way for his witness to reach Rome (Acts 25:8–12).
• Before Agrippa, Bernice, Festus, military tribunes, and prominent citizens, Paul recounted his conversion and called his hearers to believe the prophets (Acts 25:23; 26:1–29).
• Even during the voyage to Rome, Paul’s status as a prisoner gave him opportunities to testify to God’s promises before soldiers, sailors, and fellow prisoners (Acts 27:21–26).
• Paul’s Roman imprisonment resulted in the proclamation of the kingdom of God “with all boldness and without hindrance” (Acts 28:16–31).

d. Missionaries Used Whatever Venues Were Available

The missionaries did not depend upon specialized religious buildings. They used homes, synagogues, marketplaces, lecture halls, courts, and other settings wherever people could be engaged. Go where people are, use the setting providence supplies, and continue speaking as long as there is a genuine opportunity to be heard.

• The apostles taught publicly in the temple and privately from house to house (Acts 2:46; 5:20–21, 42).
• Philip evangelized the Ethiopian eunuch during a roadside encounter (Acts 8:26–35).
• Peter preached to Cornelius’s relatives and close friends inside Cornelius’s home (Acts 10:24, 27, 33–48).
• Paul regularly began in local synagogues, where Jews and God-fearing Gentiles were already gathered to hear the Scriptures (Acts 13:5, 14–16; 14:1; 17:1–3, 10–12).
• In Philippi, Paul went outside the city to a riverside place of prayer and spoke with the women assembled there (Acts 16:13–15).
• At Athens, Paul reasoned both in the synagogue and “in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there” (Acts 17:17).
• His discussions in the marketplace led to an invitation to speak before the Areopagus, where he addressed Epicurean and Stoic philosophers and other Athenians interested in new ideas (Acts 17:18–21).
• When opposition arose in the Corinthian synagogue, Paul moved his ministry into the neighboring house of Titius Justus (Acts 18:5–8).
• At Ephesus, Paul taught in the synagogue for three months. When opposition hardened, he withdrew and reasoned daily in the hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:8–10).
• Paul taught the Ephesian elders in both public and household settings (Acts 20:18–21).
• At Troas, believers gathered in an upper room to hear Paul teach (Acts 20:7–11).
• Under house arrest in Rome, Paul welcomed visitors and taught them from morning until evening (Acts 28:16–23, 30–31).
• Διαλέγομαι (“to reason/dispute/dialogue”) is used of Paul’s synagogue and agora practice: arguing, reasoning, and engaging interlocutors (17:2, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8, 9; 20:7, 9; 24:25). The word implies reasoned persuasion rather than a one-way monologue.
• Πείθω (“to persuade”) often appears alongside διαλέγομαι (18:4; 19:8; 26:28; 28:23).
• The missionary task includes rational persuasion, not merely announcement.
• Agrippa asks: “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?” (26:28).