Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

This is the place where Luke joins up with Paul’s entourage (v. 10). He may have been the man in the vision, but regardless, we know that he joined them here. When they cross over to Macedonia, this is the first recorded evangelistic foray into Europe. This is where the Philippian church is established, and reading Philippians alongside this narrative will be especially rewarding.

In this portion of the book of Acts, we are first introduced to Timothy, Paul’s companion and co-worker over the course of years. As we get to know Timothy, we are going to get to know Paul better, and we are going to see some areas where we can be strengthened and encouraged.

The early church, no less than ours, was a church that was filled with personalities. Sometimes those personalities clashed. Sometimes it was messy. And still the Word of God grew and flourished.

This is the moment where all the trouble that has been brewing finally comes to a head. And remember that John Mark deserted them in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13), the place where the resistance to Paul’s mission was most pronounced. John Mark most likely did not come back to Jerusalem with a good report either, which may account for Paul’s low opinion of him later on in this chapter.

As the gospel slowly spread out from the center at Jerusalem, it began to be accepted by various representatives of the variegated Gentile world. Remember . . . Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth (Acts 1:8). There were the Samaritans (Acts 8:5ff). There was the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:38). There was Cornelius and his people (Acts 10:34). There was Sergius Paulus, the first out-and-out pagan (Acts 13:12). There was resistance to this, and some complaining (Acts 10:45; 11:2-3, 12), but nothing was definitively settled.