Acts

Most of the time these days, I see the book of acts listed as the second part of a single document - "Luke/Acts." This combination most likely was originally written as a single document, but if so, it was monkeyed with. The book of Luke ends rather awkwardly, and the book of Acts starts awkwardly, as if a clumsy editor was trying to make this one book look like two. There are a few other items that I'll comment on as we get into the book. It's a story of the development of the Christian church, told apparently by a very primitive spin doctor.

Acts 1:3 - After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
Here's the first clue that I could see that Luke's book has been tampered with. If you read the book of Luke, the last chapter appears to describe only one day after the resurrection before Jesus went up to heaven. Here, Luke appears to be trying to reconcile with the gospel of John.

Acts 1:16-19 - "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry." (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. This became known to all the residents of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their language Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
The problem with the idea of a tampering theory is big errors like this. In Matthew, Judas threw away his money and hanged himself, the money then being used to purchase his burial plot. This story is completely different. In any event, not much care has been taken in the New Testament to present a story with things in agreement!

Acts 1:23-26 - So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
There are quite a few odd things going on here. First, there's the different names, like you'd find in a criminal organization or a secret society. The same thing happens later when Saul changes his name (oh so cleverly) to Paul. Also, these guys weren't much on logical thinking. They narrowed the field down before talking to God on the matter, then forced God to make the choice. In other words, once they decided to cast lots, God was taken effectively out of the picture, in case he really wanted some other person as the new twelfth gang leader. I suppose that they basically said to themselves that if God didn't want either guy, he'd send a lightening bolt to communicate with them on the issue. We also see that voting was not even thought of on this issue. They were following the old Jewish practice here, something that went by the wayside as the Christians became more hellenized later. So much for the idea that this religion doesn't change!

Acts 2:4-6 - All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.
Here, we start off into the wacky world of "speaking in tongues." Let's start off right, on this first occurrence, and note that the purpose was to allow the Christians to preach to all who were around, so that they'd hear the preaching in their native tongue. This would be a pretty cool concept, but as we'll see, there will be major changes in the workings of this "miracle."

Acts 2:30,31 - Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, 'He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.'"
This is Peter speaking, in his first sermon after receiving inspiration from God. However, the facts and logic are a little faulty here. First off, the Old Testament says that God's promise to David was a conditional one - that so long as the laws were obeyed, there would always be a descendant of David on the throne. Since David and all of his descendants failed in that task, there should not be a question about putting another on the throne now. The other problem I see is that the claims of a virgin birth would negate any claim that Jesus could have descended from David.

Acts 2:44,45 - All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.
I found this interesting, as this communal life-style (otherwise known as communism) was practiced by the Essenes, and is yet another bit of evidence (supported by many scholars today) that the Christian church was related in some way to the Essene community. One wonders why they chose this cultish practice - after all, there was no real reason for it, certainly it wasn't indicated by anything Jesus said, except in his orders to avoid personal contacts with outsiders.

Acts 3:13-15 - The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.
Well, Peter sure knew how to make friends! If anyone were to look to the Bible for good support in their hatred of Jews, for instance, they'd come across this, along with a host of other passages. These people weren't on good terms with the Jews, that's for sure. And think of the results brought on by these ill-advised statements!

Acts 4:17-20 - "But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name." So they called them and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, "Whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard."
Here's an interesting concept. The idea that obedience to God is more important than obedience to more earthly authorities sounds good. However, in practice, it leads inevitably to chaos. Any religious person thinks they hear from God. Any look at any gathering of religious people will show that they rarely agree on what they think God's telling them - and there's no guarantee that there will ever be a gathering where even a plurality of people would "get it right," even if God were talking to the True Believers. Of course, Paul heard about this, and worked hard to defeat that attitude of confrontation with authorities - but that's a different comment for later!

Acts 4:27-30 - "For in this city, in fact, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look at their threats, and grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
There are a couple of interesting thing here. First, we see this prayer from the Christian leaders includes the idea of complete predestination by God. This idea supports the idea of God's omnipotence, but contradicts the notion, favored by most Christians I know, of free will. Secondly, there's the request by the Christians of supernatural powers to accompany the preaching, as if they knew that their preaching would not be enough to convince people.

Acts 4:36,37 - There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"). He sold a field that belonged to him, then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.
This certainly shows some hallmarks of a cult. A secret new name is given the initiate, and all his worldly goods are presented to the leaders of the cult (who were trusted to handle it as God saw fit).

Acts 5:1-5 - But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife's knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles' feet. "Ananias," Peter asked, "why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!" Now when Ananias heard these words, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard of it.
Well, of course great fear seized all who heard about this! It sounds like a proper thing to be happening in a cult. If you don't hand over all your money, you'll get wasted. Man, those guys were pretty tough back then! For those who fully believe that Ananias died because he lied to God, think again. This was a matter of the apostles putting themselves in God's place and executing a person who didn't put enough money at their feet. After all, was lying such a sin that it required instant death?

Acts 5:35-39(a) - Then he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them-in that case you may even be found fighting against God!"
Once again, we see a lapse in the ability of someone to think clearly. Obviously, not all human religious endeavors are doomed to quick failure - look at all the old, established religions that Judaism was surrounded with and that they considered to be false. Secondly, I wonder if it might have occurred to this speaker that it was possible that the Christian movement was created by the devil? That would put a new slant on the success of the new religion. This looks more to me like a Christian writer trying to imagine what was said, and not doing a very good job of it.

Acts 6:1-4 - Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word."
There's something screwy with this, don't you think? I mean, the Greek followers come to complain about some pretty serious problems with discrimination. How do they react? They shirk responsibility, without any hint of apology or wrong-doing and create a committee to deal with the problem!

Acts 6:12-14 - They stirred up the people as well as the elders and the scribes; then they suddenly confronted him, seized him, and brought him before the council. They set up false witnesses who said, "This man never stops saying things against this holy place and the law; for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed on to us."
Once more, with feeling! How could a witness that said this be a false witness? These were the very things that the Bible says were the core of the Christian message! Peter bad- mouthed the Jews, calling them murderers of God, that faith in Jesus did away with the importance of the laws, and that Jesus was coming back to send non-believers to hell. I don't see the problem here.

Acts 7:51-57 - "You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do. Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers. You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels, and yet you have not kept it." When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.
What can we find wrong with this little speech of Stephen, the famous martyr? He asks which prophets weren't persecuted. I think that list would include Moses, Elisha, Jonah, Samuel - well a fair number, actually! Then, he adds fuel to the anti-Semitic fire - a true service to all of humanity! Next he states that the laws of the Jews were ordained by angels! Excuse me? Where did that come from? Stephen must not have been very well versed in the Old Testament. Which I think is odd, since he claimed to see God himself, just before getting put down. You'd think God would have made sure Stephen got that right, at least!

Acts 8:9-12 - Now a certain man named Simon had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he was someone great. All of them, from the least to the greatest, listened to him eagerly, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great." And they listened eagerly to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. But when they believed Philip, who was proclaiming the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Boy, the interesting stuff just doesn't let up! We see a religious charlatan who conned people into believing he was "someone great" for a long time without being exposed. Then, here comes Philip with his own road show of religion, and the people, gullible as they were, flocked to him instead! Was Philip's message superior? Possibly. Does this prove Philip's message was "the real thing"? No, only that Philip was a more convincing speaker when facing people who had very little ability to think for themselves and see through the tricks of a religious huckster.

Acts 8:15-17 - The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
OK, so the rules have changed, it seems! Now, becoming a believer and being baptized is only part of the process of becoming a Christian. Next, you have to receive the magic touch of someone who has the Holy Spirit. Aren't you glad we got that cleared up?

Acts 8:29-31 - Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
Here's another cool thing to learn! Those who aren't Christian can't understand the "true meaning" of the old scriptures without help from an experienced Christian. This includes the explanations of small scraps of text, taken out of context and called prophecies, ignoring other, better labeled prophecies that haven't taken place and promising the Jesus will fulfill them, and making sure that at all times the proper spin is put on each verse!

Acts 9:11-14 - The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."
Boy, information technology was pretty efficient back then! I read in the beginning of this chapter that Saul had just asked for and gotten letters giving him this authority. Presumably, he was carrying the letters with him to present to the synagogue leaders at his arrival. I seriously doubt anyone in Damascus would have known about this situation before Saul's arrival.

Acts 10:39-41 - We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Isn't it just so convenient that Jesus only appeared to a chosen few? How much better could it have been, do you think, if he had appeared to all the people in Jerusalem? Another interesting thing is that in 1 Corinthians, Paul claims Jesus appeared to 500 people, which looks like it contradicts this story.

Acts 10:44-46(a) - While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God.
Well, now the rules change (or they made up a different story for this event - the effect's the same!) of the process of salvation. Now, belief happens and without anyone baptizing or laying on hands, the Holy Spirit pops into place! Do you think this is the last word on this subject? We also hear about speaking in tongues, though the reason for this doesn't appear to be for the purpose of communication, but rather some outward sign that the "speaker" had received the spirit.

Acts 12:21-23 - On an appointed day Herod put on his royal robes, took his seat on the platform, and delivered a public address to them. The people kept shouting, "The voice of a god, and not of a mortal!" And immediately, because he had not given the glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
So it appears here that God is pretty tolerant of Herod's abuses of power, but let a crowd call him a god, and when he doesn't try to calm them down - zap! He's history! Forget all the other rulers all over the Mediterranean basin who set themselves up as gods and lived long and prospered!

Acts 13:27,28 - Because the residents of Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize him or understand the words of the prophets that are read every sabbath, they fulfilled those words by condemning him. Even though they found no cause for a sentence of death, they asked Pilate to have him killed.
Here's a lesson in brainwashing. Repeat a lie often enough, with enough enthusiasm, and people will accept it as the truth. According to the Jewish laws (Deuteronomy 13:1-5), Jesus had supplied sufficient cause for a religious death sentence.

Acts 13:45 - But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul.
I think it's quite revealing that the act of contradicting what Paul said was considered blasphemy. The writer didn't include any hint of what these Jews actually said - you just have to accept that if they said anything against Paul, it was blasphemy! It appears that this book may have been written after Paul's words became considered Scripture.

Acts 13:48 - When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.
And if others hadn't been destined for eternal life, what choice did they have? What chance could they have?

Acts 14:3,4 - So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles.
We come up to another of those big questions here. You really have to wonder why it was that people could see miracles happening and not believe? My guess is that the "wonders" they had were not very convincing, and were probably just as easily faked as those done in tent revivals to this day. I also wonder if "miracles" were a stock in trade for other "mystery" religions, wich would make people look askance at such goings-on?

Acts 14:8-10 - In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, "Stand upright on your feet." And the man sprang up and began to walk.
Here's a miracle you don't often hear about! Paul was able to just look at a person and see how much faith he had! This sounds to me for all the world like a faith healer "picking" his associate from a crowd of real cripples and saying: "You have the faith that's needed for healing! Too bad about all those unbelieving cripples around you."

Acts 14:12-15 - Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice. When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, "Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them."
Paul shows a distinct lack of understanding of the Greek minds surrounding him. He and Barnabas are called Hermes and Zeus. Paul protests and tells the people they should worship the creator of all the world. However, he apparently forgets that Zeus was the name these people used to talk about the creator. I can imagine quite a few people being rather confused by this failure to make minds meet.

Acts 15:19,20 - Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood.
Hooo boy! The first attempt to get at the fundamentals of the religion! So far as these people could tell, the faith of the non-Jewish Christians wasn't enough for their liking. So they add on some items that they consider "essential" to stay in God's new family! I would have thought that this was a bad idea, but they went ahead and made the decision!

Acts 16:1-3 - Paul went on also to Derbe and to Lystra, where there was a disciple named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
It sure looks like Paul was quite the Machiavellian! Is there the slightest possibility that someone will slip through our fingers? We'll set it right! In any event, Timothy got his you-know-what sliced and diced!

Acts 16:6,7 - They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them...
So now, Paul has a problem - everywhere he wants to go, he gets told not to go there. I'd have thought that God would be a little more pro-active and just go ahead and tell Paul where he really OUGHT to go.

Acts 16:14-18 - A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us. One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.
More wackiness from the world of demons! Here, a demon decides to give Paul some free advertising (the best price going) and Paul doesn't like it! In fact, he sends away the free, supernatural confirmation of his status. I wonder why?

Acts 17:15,16 - Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and after receiving instructions to have Silas and Timothy join him as soon as possible, they left him. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply distressed to see that the city was full of idols.
Paul must have led quite a sheltered life, if he was so shocked at seeing idols in Athens, of all places! Did he think they were only Jews living there?

Acts 19:3-6 - Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied- altogether there were about twelve of them.
Well, we're getting another change here in the details! Now, we no longer have just one sort of baptism, but two! And one more change, we go back to the "Holy Spirit is passed on by physical contact" route. I don't know about you - I'm getting sea sick!

Acts 19:13-16 - Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit said to them in reply, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.
That's interesting! In the gospels, Jesus talked about people who would (specifically) cast out demons in his name but wouldn't be true followers! Here, it seems to be not possible!

Acts 19:18,19 - Also many of those who became believers confessed and disclosed their practices. A number of those who practiced magic collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to fifty thousand silver coins.
NOW we're getting into some really serious stuff here! Good Christian practices of taking the books you used to read before joining the group, and burning them in a big public bonfire! Seems I've heard of a large group of Christians doing this not so very long ago - in Germany!

Acts 20:28-30 - Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them.
Here, Paul tries to do the exact same thing we saw in the book of Deuteronomy 13 - freeze the form of the religion without any way to change it. Any who try to change it after Paul will be defined as heretics, according to this passage, regardless of anything they may have to say.

Acts 21:3,4 - We came in sight of Cyprus; and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
Here's a fresh, new lunacy! Earlier, we saw that Paul was moving around specifically on the orders of the Spirit, going on orders, or avoiding places on those orders. We can only assume that Paul was in the habit of following his marching orders, and Jerusalem was his next, preordained destination. Yet here, Luke tells us that some believers with this same Spirit were telling him not to go to Jerusalem, and he refused! Was Paul disobeying God? Or were these people just saying what they thought and just saying that it was from God? How could we possibly tell the difference, especially if the writer of this passage couldn't?

Acts 21:8,9 - The next day we left and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.
Isn't it interesting that earlier we saw a woman with a spirit (read: demon) of prophecy - but she wasn't a Christian and Paul cast it out. However, when the same sort of thing happens with believers, it becomes a "gift" or prophecy!

Acts 21:20-24 - When they heard it, they praised God. Then they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the law. They have been told about you that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, and that you tell them not to circumcise their children or observe the customs. What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. So do what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow. Join these men, go through the rite of purification with them, and pay for the shaving of their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself observe and guard the law."
This is called "pandering" these days. The leaders of the Church, in order to appease the misgivings of their followers were ordering Paul to do this thing in order to give the followers what they wanted. I find it most interesting that Paul had no objection and went ahead with these orders, instead of standing up and saying that he had done nothing from which he needed to be purified. In 1 Corinthians, we'll see that Paul was very dedicated to "being all things to all people."

Acts 22:8,9 - I answered, "Who are you, Lord?" Then he said to me, "I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." Now those who were with me saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
Apparently, these guys didn't have their story straight, since in Chapter 9, it says that Paul's fellows did hear the voice!

Acts 22:25-29 - But when they had tied him up with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned?" When the centurion heard that, he went to the tribune and said to him, "What are you about to do? This man is a Roman citizen." The tribune came and asked Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?" And he said, "Yes." The tribune answered, "It cost me a large sum of money to get my citizenship." Paul said, "But I was born a citizen." Immediately those who were about to examine him drew back from him; and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
There's something missing here. As in some actual documentation to support Paul's claim. I mean, if all that these people needed to do was to say "I was born a citizen" I expect they'd have no end of people popping up, claiming their rights as Roman citizens. Yet here, these guys hear Paul's words making this very claim, and they apparently believe without doing any checking!

Acts 23:6-8 - When Paul noticed that some were Sadducees and others were Pharisees, he called out in the council, "Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead." When he said this, a dissension began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)
Boy, Paul was a proper little politician! When he saw that he was in deep trouble, and had no logical ground on which he could stand, he resorted to trying to cause problems within the ranks of his enemies. And, like the idiots they were, they fell for it.

Acts 23:12-14 - In the morning the Jews joined in a conspiracy and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul."
These people were pretty extreme in their fanaticism. They also had very little in the way of sense if they thought that taking such an oath was a good idea. This sounds like something you'd see in a second-rate "B" movie!

Acts 26:6-9 - And now I stand here on trial on account of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship day and night. It is for this hope, your Excellency, that I am accused by Jews! Why is it thought incredible by any of you that God raises the dead? Indeed, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Paul attacks a strawman here. He says his accusers stand against the concept of Jesus' resurrection, when it's pretty obvious that they are more concerned with following their laws concerning breaking people away from the Jewish faith.

Acts 27:30-32 - But when the sailors tried to escape from the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, on the pretext of putting out anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and set it adrift.
Here, we're well into the unbelievable. As in a Mediterranean storm lasting over a week. Now, we have sailors and soldiers following the orders of a prisoner. I wonder that if they were so desperate, why they didn't pull a Jonah, and start casting lots and tossing prisoners overboard?

Acts 28:3-5 - Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live." He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
Obviously, we needed to see somewhere in the New Testament a display of the awesome power of Jesus' promise (in Mark)that his followers would not be harmed by snakes. Here it is! I suppose this means all true believers should be able to handle snakes without any danger to them! Any takers?