Want to learn more about Acts? Use these Bible Studies for personal devotion, group Bible studies, or teaching a church class. Below are links to the lessons in this 14-part series.
Have you ever faced a crisis in your life when someone
let you down? You had a certain plan for the future, but then your
plans all changed. Do you remember the turmoil in your mind? You did
not know what to believe and you did not know what the future held.
I think that is where we meet the disciples in this lesson. Let’s
dive into our study of the Bible and learn more!
When I read internal criticisms of the Church of which
I am a member, they most often deal with theological differences, or
a concern about appropriate standards of behavior. This reminds of
my car. If I were missing a headlight, or had a dent in the fender, I
would think it needed to be fixed. But, if my engine didn’t work,
that would be my first concern. In the Church, the presence (or not)
of the Holy Spirit should be our first concern. Without discounting
the importance of other matters, we need to have the right focus. Our
lesson today helps our focus. Let’s dig into the Bible and learn more
about the Holy Spirit!
Our study this week is the church after
Pentecost. Is it a model for us today? It is certainly
different than the church today. What lessons can we learn?
The early church called on sinners to repent. What does that
mean? If we see different opinions, and one side resorts to
threats rather than persuation, what should we conclude? Let’s
plunge into our study of Acts and see what we can learn!
Would you like to do great things for God? Is your
desire to do great things hindered by the fact that your Church
assignment is something ordinary? For example, “soul-winning” is not
your assignment, rather coordinating potluck. This week we turn our
attention to a man who stands out in the potluck crowd when it comes
to witnessing. His assignment was food distribution. Let’s jump into
our study of the Bible and learn more!
Do you know people who are so hostile to the
gospel that you think they will never change? Perhaps you are
wrong. This week we study a person who hated the gospel so
much that he made it his mission to imprison or kill
Christians. Yet, God turned him completely around. We should
never doubt the power of God! Let’s dig into our study of the
Bible and learn more!
If you read the Gobible.org lessons regularly, you know
that I routinely remind you that salvation is by grace alone, our
works do not save us. However, that should not cloud the fact that
our works generally make a difference in the quality of our life.
God favors those who obey Him. At the same time, life is often not
fair. Our obligation is to bring glory to God, and not worry about
whether we are being treated fairly by the events of life. Our study
this week touches on this issue of why some Christians fare better
than others. Let’s dig into our study of the Bible and learn more!
Is it sometimes difficult to be a church leader? Does
opposition and name-calling get discouraging? Our study this week is
about Paul’s first missionary journey. We will read about the ups and
downs of his work. However, the encouraging conclusion to Acts 13 is
its conclusion: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the
Holy Spirit.” Let’s plunge into our study to learn how we can be
filled with joy and the Holy Spirit!
Times change, but God does not change. Is the Church
authorized to modify or reject the commands of God? My natural
reaction is an emphatic, “No!” But, our study this week shows that an
emphatic “No!” cannot always be correct. That should make every
serious student of the Bible a little anxious because it moves the
foundation of our beliefs from the solid rock of the Bible. Except
for this: it is the Bible that suggests the rules can change. Let’s
plunge into this important Bible study and see if we can correctly
understand God’s will!
Last week we discussed the conflict over circumcision.
The church resolved the conflict, put its resolution in writing, and
Paul and Barnabas delivered the resolution to the believers in
Antioch. Almost immediately after that conflict was resolved, another
conflict arose between Paul and Barnabas. This was not a theological
dispute, but a conflict over personnel. What happens when you have
conflict among the leadership of the church? Is this a failure of
faith? Does it mean that someone is unqualified to be a leader? Or,
is conflict to be expected? Can it be a good thing for the church?
This week our study of the Bible includes a major conflict among
church leaders. Let’s dive into our study of the Bible and learn
more!
In our study of Acts we read that at times Paul was
prevented by the Holy Spirit from entering Asia. We don’t know why,
because Asia is on God’s map for Paul’s evangelistic work. We know
that is true because this week our study focuses on Paul’s work in
Ephesus, which was the capital of the Province of Asia. Let’s dive
into our study of the Bible and learn more!
Where we last left Paul he had just raised Eutychus to
life as he was about to leave the city of Troas. From there Paul did
a little more missionary work. Then in Acts 20:16 we read that Paul
is in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the feast of Pentecost.
He reports that he is compelled to go by the Holy Spirit (Acts
20:22), but we have seriously conflicting signals on that. Our study
this week is about Paul’s difficult experience in Jerusalem. Let’s dig
into our study of the Bible and learn more!
Very few people look forward to a trial. When we last
left Paul, the Governor told him, “I will hear your case when your
accusers get here.” In our study this week, Paul’s accusers arrive
and we study the charges and how Paul defends himself in not one but
two trials! Let’s plunge into our study of the Bible and learn more!
Paul appealed to Rome! We learned last week that Paul
would have been found “not guilty” of the criminal charges against
him – or so the judges said privately to each other. But, Paul was
concerned that he would be turned over to the Jews, and so he
appealed to Caesar in Rome. My clients often find that the judicial
system is a lot slower than they expected. Paul learns that same
lesson. This week we discover Paul’s travel delays in the next phase
of his litigation. Let’s dig into our Bible and learn more!
