THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH (ACTS 1:1–7:60)
The book of Acts documents a span of time unlike any other era in history. Like the Exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt —with its plagues, Red Sea parting, glowing shekinah pillars, and manna from heaven —the early days of the church saw supernatural events that will never be repeated. As Luke’s second volume opens, the church doesn’t exist; the Holy Spirit has not yet come to reside in Christ’s followers; the apostles possess no power, no courage, no authority, no direction. Yet by the last verse, the church will span the Roman Empire from Jerusalem to Rome. In the first few months of church history, recorded in Acts 1:1–7:60, a glorious explosion of divine power energized a group of ordinary men and women to carry out a God-sized mission using supernatural abilities.
Just as Jesus had said (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8), the disciples would begin their mission in Jerusalem, declaring the new covenant message of redemption in the presence of the very religious leaders and temple authorities who had handed Jesus over to Pilate. In this first stage of the divine plan for the church’s growth (1:8), the believers would learn to trust in God’s plan and power to overcome all obstacles, including persecution from without (4:1-31), failures and tension within (5:1-11; 6:1), and even the loss of important leaders to martyrdom (6:8–7:60). Jesus’ miraculous power and message would be manifest through the suffering of His followers.
Within days of His ascension, the believers received the first part of His promise: The Holy Spirit filled every believer, granting each one the power to fulfill his or her role in God’s redemptive plan. At Pentecost, the first believers stunned their peers with supernatural, miraculous abilities, prompting thousands of Jews to embrace Jesus as their Messiah. They, in turn, also received power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses, preaching in the temple and evangelizing Jerusalem. In time, the church of Jerusalem grew strong and vibrant while Peter and John provided solid leadership, guiding the congregation despite constant pressure from the Sanhedrin. Even persecution by Saul did little to curb the church’s growth —until the martyrdom of Stephen dealt the community of believers its first significant blow.
KEY TERMS IN ACTS 1:1–7:60
apostolos (ἀπόστολος) [652] “apostle,” “sent one,” “official envoy,” “commissioner”
The noun form of the verb apostellō [649] (“to send,” “to send with a commission or with authority”) described an official government envoy, who might carry official news or read proclamations publicly across the empire. Greek religion and philosophy later used the term to refer to divinely sent teachers. In Christianity, it came to describe both the function and official capacity of certain men; to be called an “apostle,” one must have personally encountered Jesus Christ after His resurrection and received His commission to bear the good news to others.
existēmi (ἐξίστημι) [1839] “to be amazed,” “to be separated from something,” “to be beside oneself,” “to be out of one’s senses”
Literally, this word means “to be displaced.” Figuratively, it refers to a psychological state of mind in which one no longer has control over oneself. By the time of Jesus, this had become hyperbole, in the same way we might say someone “lost his mind” with excitement. Another, milder term used often by Luke is thaumazō [2296], which simply means “astonished” or “filled with wonder.” Existēmi is decidedly more colorful, used to characterize someone as animated in his or her astonishment.
thaumazō (θαυμάζω) [2296] “to wonder,” “to be amazed,” “to marvel,” “to be in awe”
This term describes being extraordinarily impressed, awed, or even disturbed by something, especially when confronted with some form of divine revelation. In the Septuagint it indicates worship, honor, and admiration, generally referring to “religious experience face to face with what transcends human possibilities.”[7]
martyria (μαρτυρία) [3141] “witness,” “testimony,” “evidence”
This term refers to “confirmation or attestation on the basis of personal knowledge or belief”[8] and was commonly used in connection with legal proceedings. In ancient courts, the corroborating testimony of independent witnesses was considered virtually irrefutable.
sēmeion (σημεῖον) [4592] “sign,” “authenticating mark,” “token,” “miracle”
The most basic meaning of this word is “something that gives a true indication of something else.” A road sign accurately indicates what lies ahead for the traveler. The Greeks gave the term special attention as a physical indication of divine will or supernatural omens. Lightning, for example, indicated the will of Zeus, and thunder was considered a foreboding indication that he was about to speak through a sign. For the Jews, a “sign” provided visual confirmation that a prophet was authentically from God or was a physical manifestation of God’s glory.
teras (τέρας) [5059] “wonder,” “portent,” “omen,” “miracle”
Never used alone and frequently appearing in tandem with sēmeion, this word refers to something that astonishes or causes people to wonder. The term often denotes an extraordinary event that suggests something much deeper or more important has occurred or will occur soon. For example, Augustus claimed that the wonder of a bright comet was, in fact, the spirit of his adopted father, Julius Caesar, entering heaven.