Luke wrote a two-volume history of early Christianity – the Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts. The latter surveys the growth of the church from 120 frightened followers of Jesus in an upper room in Jerusalem to the spread of the faith throughout the Roman Empire through the ministry of the apostles and others. More than half of the book of Acts is devoted to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, who is in a Roman prison when the book ends. I’ve divided the study of Acts into two portions. This first course covers the sections of the book that deal with Gospel messengers other than Paul, primarily Peter and John, Stephen, and Philip. My goal is later to add a second adult Sunday School course that covers the rest of the book, concentrating on the travels of the Apostle Paul.
