The Book Of ActsIsampula

The Growth of the Kingdom in Jerusalem: Acts 1:9–8:4 

Jerusalem was the capital city of ancient Israel, God’s special nation in the Old Testament. Jerusalem was the starting point of Luke’s account because of the central role it had played in God’s kingdom throughout the Old Testament, and also in Jesus’ ministry. Moreover, Luke wrote about events in Jerusalem at a number of other places in the book of Acts, regularly showing that the apostles’ work in spreading the gospel to new lands was still rooted in this special city.

Luke reported the growth of the kingdom through the gospel in Jerusalem in four major batches of narratives: first, the anticipation and outpouring of the Spirit in Acts chapters 1 and 2; second, Peter’s temple sermon and the persecution that followed in Acts chapters 3 and 4; third, the story of Ananias and Sapphira and the persecution that followed in Acts chapter 5; and fourth, the selection of deacons and the persecution that followed in Acts chapter 6:1-8:4. 

By way of illustration, internal growth appears in a number of well-known events that took place in Jerusalem, such as: 

• The apostles’ commission in Acts chapter 1;
• The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in Acts chapter 2;
• The experience of miracles in Jerusalem, especially by Peter, in Acts chapters 3, 4 and 5;

At the same time, we also see tensions within the Christian community in a number of ways, including:

• The question of who would become the twelfth apostle in Acts chapter 1;
• Ananias and Sapphira’s lie about the money they had donated in Acts chapter 5;
• Discrimination against Hellenistic widows in Acts chapter 6.

Beyond this, Luke’s record of the gospel witness in Jerusalem also follows the pattern of external growth and opposition. For example,

• On the day of Pentecost, about 3,000 people were added to the church in Acts chapter 2;
• Membership in the church grew to around 5,000 when John and Peter were jailed in Acts chapter 4; and
• Many Jewish priests were added to the church in Acts chapter 6.

This outward growth was often set alongside strong opposition from the unbelieving world, such as: 

• The arrest and beating of Peter and John in Acts chapter 5;
• The martyrdom of Stephen in Acts chapter 7; and

The church’s scattering by persecution from Jerusalem in Acts chapter 8.