Peter heals a lame man (Acts 3:1-10). Stephen is stoned to death and becomes the first Christian martyr (Acts 6:8-15, 7:54-60). Saul persecutes the Christians (Acts 8:1-3). Saul has a dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19).

Acts covers the story of the founding of the Church under Peter, the founder of this church according to Luke, as well as the missionary journeys of Paul, a Jew who encounters the risen Jesus while traveling to, ironically, persecute Christians, and ending with Paul in Rome under house arrest.

Acts depicts the shift from Jewish Christianity to Gentile Christianity as relatively smooth and portrays the Roman government as regarding the Christian doctrine as harmless. This book is the earliest “church history,” viewing the church as guided by the Spirit until a future Parousia (coming of the Lord).

Acts continues the story of Christianity in the 1st century, beginning with the ascension of Jesus to Heaven. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, describe the Day of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit), the expulsion of Christians from Jerusalem and the establishment of the church at Antioch.