Day 321 Reading Schedule: Acts 15:36-18:22 

Acts 15:36-41: The Jerusalem Church Meeting 

[Overview] 

This chapter consists of the second missionary journey and the dispute between Paul and Barnabas (verses 36-41). 

Acts 16: Missionary Work in Philippi 

[Overview] 

This chapter focuses on Paul’s second missionary journey. This is evidence that Christianity was spreading to the Gentile world. Through Paul’s activities, the gospel left Asia Minor, crossed the Mediterranean, and advanced into Europe. Just as the martyrdom of Stephen enabled the gospel to go beyond the land of Judea, the gospel was able to go beyond Asia Minor and advance into Europe by overcoming the difficult hurdle of the Jerusalem Council. Christianity was able to overcome nationalism and emerge as a world religion because it won the battle against Judaism. This chapter is composed of the joining of Timothy (verses 1-5), the vision Paul saw (verses 6-10), the conversion of Lydia (verses 11-15), the healing of the demon-possessed slave girl (verses 16-18), the imprisonment of Paul and Silas (verses 19-24), the miraculous escape and the conversion of the jailer (verses 25-34), and the honorable release (verses 35-40). 

Acts 17: Missionary Work in Athens 

[Overview] 

This chapter continues to mention Paul's second missionary journey. The content of this chapter can be said to be the most important part of Paul's missionary journey. This is because the 'world mission' that God wanted to accomplish through the Apostle Paul was accomplished by Christianizing the southern European region (Greece, Rome, etc.), which was the center of the world at the time, so this chapter, which deals with the evangelization of this region, can be said to be the core. This chapter in this context consists of the Thessalonians mission (verses 1-9), Berea mission (verses 10-15), Athens mission (verses 16-31), and departure from Athens (verses 32-34).

Acts 18:1-22: Missionary work in Corinth and preparation for the third missionary journey

[Overview]

This chapter contains scenes of the end of the second missionary journey and the beginning of the third missionary journey. In particular, nine people with clear names other than Paul appear throughout this chapter, and of these, except for Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, and Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, the remaining seven were all gospel workers who helped Paul in his missionary work. In this way, Paul had colleagues who comforted him and welcomed him in a friendly manner, just as much as his enemies who tried to hinder him, and these people must have been a great source of courage and strength to Paul. The content of this chapter consists of the mission to Corinth (verses 1-11), the persecution by the Jews (verses 12-17), and the return to Antioch (verses 18-22).