Teaching Acts: Growth of the Early Church (Series 3 of 4)

Slides that accompany presentation at the Lighthouse Church of All Nations
October 25, 2025. This is the third in the series of four.

This presentation covers the growth in the early church focusing of cultural elements and conflicts from Act 3:13.

#Acts #bookofActs, #HolySpirit #NameofJesus #Jesus #Conflictintheearlychurch

1. Growth of the Early Church
Lighthouse Church
of All Nations
Jan Paron
10/22/25
1

2. “But you shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come
upon you; and you shall be
witnesses to Me in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria, and to the end
of the earth”
(Acts 1:8).
2

3. “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small
a thing that You should be My
Servant To raise up the tribes
of Jacob, And to restore the
preserved ones of Israel; I will
also give You as a light to the
Gentiles, That You should be
My salvation to the ends of
the earth’” (Is 49:6). 3

4. Jerusalem
Acts 2:47
Judea
Acts 2-7
Samaria
Acts 8
End of the Earth
Acts 9-28
4

5. Jerusalem
Acts 2:47
Judea
Acts 2-7
Samaria
Acts 8
End of the Earth
Acts 9-28
Local: same culture and religion
Regional: culturally similar, but some
religiously different
Same language, different culture,
ethnicity, religion
Distant: Different geographically,
religiously, culturally, linguistically, and
ethnically
5

6. Jerusalem120 Disciples 3000 souls
Acts 2:41 5000 souls
Acts 4:4
6

7. Jerusalem Key Events
Acts
2:4
Spirit poured
out
People from 15
language heard
the 120
Acts
2:41
3000 souls
added
Cont’d steadfastly in
the apostles' doctrine
& fellowship, in the
breaking of bread, and
in prayers (2:42).
Acts
3:6
Blind man
healed
Peter taught at
Solomon’s
portico
Acts
4:18,31
Commanded not to
teach in the Name
of Jesus
Prayed, place shaken, filled
with the Holy Ghost, spoke
the Word boldly
Acts
5:15,16

Many healed on
Solomon’s
Porch
Apostles Jailed,
angel brought
them out.
7

8. Stephen
THE TIPPING POINT
8

9. 9
SCATTERED!
Ralph F. Wilson
Therefore those who were scattered
went everywhere preaching the Word
(Acts 8:4)

10. 10
Paul,
then Saul
(Acts 9:5)

11. 11
Paul (in Damascus)
(20) Immediately he preached the Christ in
the synagogues, that He is the Son of God.
(22) But Saul increased all the more in
strength, and confounded the Jews who
dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus
is the Christ.
(23) Now after many days were past, the
Jews plotted to kill him.
(Acts 9:20, 22-23)

12. 12
Philip:
Revival in Samaria
(Acts 8:5)

13. 13
The place in the Scripture
which he read was this: "HE
WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO
THE SLAUGHTER; AND AS A
LAMB BEFORE ITS SHEARER
IS SILENT, SO HE OPENED
NOT HIS MOUTH.
IN HIS HUMILIATION HIS
JUSTICE WAS TAKEN AWAY,
AND WHO WILL DECLARE
HIS GENERATION? FOR HIS
LIFE IS TAKEN FROM THE
EARTH."
(Acts 8:32-33)

14. 14
Peter’s vision (Acts: 10:15)

15. Ger:
Belief
Instruction
Circumcised (Men)
Baptism as as a heathen
was essentially unclean.
Sacrifice in the temple
Yarei Elohim:
Gentiles who revere God
Do righteousness, to live
uprightly
Interested/sympathetic to
Judaism
Uncircumcised
Follow aspects of the
Jewish religion
Jewish community gave a
degree of respect for their
piety & faith
Proselyte God fearer
15

16. Growth and Conflict
16
“I HAVE SET YOU AS A LIGHT
TO THE GENTILES, THAT YOU
SHOULD BE FOR SALVATION
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH”
Acts 13:47 (cf. Is 49:6)

17. 17The
Present The
Future
God’s intervention
Jewish Eschatology
God’s singular eschatology
Burge & Green

18. 18The
Present The
Future
Jesus’ 1st Coming
Christian Eschatology
Jesus Followers:
Life between two realities
Jesus’ 2nd Coming
Burge & Green