(4) The tearing down of the middle wall of partition. This took place in Cæsarea, and to Peter was given the great privilege of tearing this wall down. What was this wall? (Eph. 2:14.) It was one divinely built centuries before. Up to the experience at Cæsarea (Acts 10) no Gentile might come into the church of God, excepting by way of the Gate of the Proselyte. He must submit to Jewish ordinances and customs before he could be one of the Covenant People. The Apostles themselves had no thought that the Gentiles ever could come into the church excepting in the usual way. Without circumcision, they believed no man could be acceptable to God. Now the time had come when this "middle wall" must come down, and to Peter was given the high privilege of accomplishing this task. But to convince Peter that the command was of Divine origin, it was needful for God to perform a double miracle, the like of which had never been seen. Therefore to Peter on the housetop at Joppa, and to Cornelius the centurion, in Cæsarea, God gave a vision, and when the two visions were brought together, they were found to match exactly. Then when the Holy Spirit came to the men at Cornelius' house, Peter was convinced that the middle wall was down, and that to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews the door was open on condition of faith in the Messiah. In this event and that of the church on the day of Pentecost, when Peter opened the door of the church to 3000 Jews, we see, in part at least (and in large part), the fulfilment of "the power of the keys" (Matt. 16:19). To exaggerate the importance of this breaking down of the middle wall is not possible, for had not that been done, we in this day would still have to become Jews before we could be members of God's church on earth. This action by Peter was afterward endorsed by the Council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-31), at which the apostle rehearsed his experiences in Caesarea.
(5) The organizing of missionary work by the church. This was done in Antioch, as seen in Acts 13:1-3. In this action, guided by the Holy Spirit, the church at Antioch became the pioneer church in missionary labor. It is worth noting that the Holy Spirit chose for this missionary work, not the inferior members of the church, but their very best men. What an example to the church of later days! To this day we need not the lesser lights for missionary work, but the great lights of the church. Let the lesser lights burn at home, but the great lights be sent into the outer darkness to illuminate that. This is the Divine plan.
(6) The crossing of the gospel from Asia to Europe. This took place from Troas to Philippi. It was in accord with the Divine plan (Acts 16:9). This army of invasion consisted of only four men, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke. A feeble force, as viewed from the merely human standpoint; but a potent force viewed from the Divine position. The story is one of the most fascinating in all history. Noteworthy it is that in Europe the first two converts were women—Lydia was the first, and the poor woman possessed of a spirit of divination the second (Acts 16). This woman was under the control of a syndicate of men, who made gain from her misfortune. In these two cases we see a kind of prophecy of the work that the gospel does for womankind. All other religions degrade woman. Only the Christian religion puts her where God originally placed her, by man's side, as his helpmate.
Alas! soon half of this army of invasion finds itself in prison on account of its beneficent work. Yet even here they make a conquest, and before morning the jailor, who put them in the inner prison, is himself a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ. An army with such a spirit as Paul and Silas had is practically invincible. Thus, the gospel started on its westward way, destined in due time to reach these western shores, then as yet unknown to the eastern world.
Test Questions
Why is the Acts of the Apostles the most important book in the New Testament?
Name the first of the six pivotal events recorded in the Acts.
To what danger was the early church exposed?
About how many members did the church in Jerusalem have before the persecution broke out?