Chapter one of Acts stands alone as a chapter concerned with preparation. Then in chapter two we have the beginning of the propagation. Chapters two through five are one portion. These four chapters are concerned with Peter’s propagating ministry. In chapter two we have Peter’s first message, given on the day of Pentecost, and then in chapter three we see the miracle done for a man lame from birth. Based upon that miracle, Peter gave another message, which is recorded in chapters three and four. This is related to what took place in chapter five. Therefore, these four chapters form a section concerned with the propagating ministry of Peter.
Acts 6 begins with the appointment of seven serving ones. Among these seven was Stephen, who was a teacher of the Word. In chapter seven we have a record of Stephen’s teaching. Another of the seven serving ones was Philip, who was an evangelist. Chapter eight gives us a record of the preaching work of this evangelist.
Stephen was persecuted and eventually put to death. A young man named Saul took part in that persecution. The case of Stephen caused the Jewish leaders to be stirred up to persecute the followers of Jesus. Concerning this, 8:1 says, “There occurred in that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem.” Following this we are told, “Saul was devastating the church” (8:3). This indicates that Saul was one of the main leaders of the persecution against the followers of Jesus. But as this leading persecutor was on the way from Jerusalem to Damascus, he was saved. Not only was he saved—he became a prevailing preacher, as indicated by the record in 9:20-30.
Saul’s conversion and his becoming a prevailing preacher do not mark the end of Peter’s ministry. Immediately after the record of Saul’s preaching, Peter comes back into the scene. The scene, however, is not in Judea but in a place not far from Caesarea. As we have seen, this place became a stepping stone for Peter to go into the Gentile world and open the gate for the Gentiles to enter into the kingdom of God.
Readers of the book of Acts may find it difficult to divide this book into sections. In our study of Acts, we may regard chapters six through eleven as a section. In this section of Acts we see that Saul’s ministry in its initial stage is mingled with Peter’s ministry. But although these two ministries are mingled, Peter’s ministry is still primary in these chapters.
As we shall see, Saul’s ministry comes in gradually. Peter went to Joppa, which became a stepping stone to the Gentiles in Caesarea. This was a preparation for the gaining of the Gentiles so that Saul, who was to become an apostle to the Gentiles, may begin his ministry to the Gentiles. In chapters six through eleven Peter, although his ministry is still primary, is beginning to move out of the scene. Also in these chapters Saul is coming into the scene. We first hear of Saul at the end of chapter seven where we are told that the witnesses to Stephen’s stoning “laid down their garments at the feet of a young man called Saul” (7:58). This indicates that when Paul came into the scene, he came in as a persecutor. Then in chapter nine this persecutor was converted into a prevailing preacher. Toward the end of Acts 9, Saul begins to step into his ministry. As we shall see, his ministry to the Gentile world began in a definite and prevailing way in chapter thirteen. By that time Peter is out of the scene, and Paul is fully in the scene.
In these chapters we see the Lord’s sovereignty in propagating Himself by spreading into His chosen people. The Lord spent three and a half years plus an additional period of time to prepare Peter. Then the Lord spent another period of time to prepare Saul. In our reading of Acts, we need to realize that between the end of chapter nine and the beginning of chapter thirteen there is an interval. During that interval Saul received a great deal from the Lord. However, what took place is not recorded in the Scriptures. We only know that for a time Paul was in Arabia (Gal. 1:17). We have no way to find out what he did there. Nevertheless, we believe that during this interval Paul received a great deal more from the Lord. Therefore, when he came forth to preach in chapter thirteen, his preaching was much more inclusive than that in chapter nine. Paul’s preaching in Acts 9 was simple and brief. According to this chapter, he emphasized Jesus as the Son of God and as the Christ; that is, he emphasized Christ’s Person and His work. But in chapters thirteen through twenty-eight his preaching was much more inclusive.
As we study Acts, we see that the Lord had His sovereign way to prepare a chosen vessel such as Saul of Tarsus. The Lord turned this one from a leading persecutor to one who became a great blessing to the believers.