The book of acts is a fascinating account of the early disciples as they formed the early church and spread the good news of jesus. Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after jesuss ascension. Designed for individuals and small groups alike, this 12week study through the book of acts explores the history of the early church after christs ascension. Bible study online versebyverse bible study and biblical commentary. Bible study lesson sheets these are lessons designed for either a class or personal study. A major figure in the book of acts and the new testament is the apostle paul. Content includes book studies on luke, ephesians, thessalonians, james, 1 samuel, john, and acts. John macarthur takes readers on a journey through biblical texts to discover what lies beneath the surface, focusing on meaning and context, and then reflecting on the explored passage or concept. This reading plan explains 7 biblical concepts brought up in the book of acts to help you understand the book more completely.
The book of acts, above all else, is a story about the churchand what a story it is. Study 1 going through the book of acts words of life. Acts cliffsnotes study guides book summaries, test. June 27, 2014 james is an intensely practical book, filled with exhortations to christians about the way they should live their lives now that they have been given new life in jesus.
A chapterbychapter bible study of the book of acts 2 acts the beautiful, amazing, powerful, weak, dysfunctional church table of contents scripture passage page 1. Peters activities are described at some length, and john and philip are mentioned, but more than half of the book is about paul and his connection with the christian movement. In this book we see the first mention of the dispensation of the holy spirit and jesus command to take his gospel to all the world. The book of acts demonstrates jesus christs promise and his commission to the church being fulfilled. Each class member will have their own book to enjoy and study. The bible can sometimes be confusing, especially for kids and new believers. The book of romans completed up to chapter 14 very in depth msword 420 kb the book of genesis. The book of acts study guide the book of acts class goals. It is a bridge between the gospels and the epistles. Hostile criticism has not succeeded in disproving the detailed accuracy of lukes political and geographical designations. A bible study lesson series about the beginning of christianity as revealed in the book of the acts of the apostles. Book of acts bible study book of acts bible study stories.
This commentary is based upon my personal devotional notes and reflections on the book of acts. The book of the acts new international commentary on the new. If the book of acts were gone, there would be nothing to replace it the last recorded fact about jesus in the gospel of matthew is the resurrection. Acts tells what happened following the ascension when jesus started to work through his new body, which is the church. The healing of the lame man and the heralding of the gospel acts 3. The book of the revelation a verse by verse study of this exciting book msword 485 kb the book of proverbs in html. Learning and observing themes in certain books of the bible can have a tremendous effect on your understanding of the book and whole bible.
This summary of the book of acts provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of acts. Lukea doctor who traveled along on some of these adventurestells the story in an interesting, accurate and reliable way. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. Luke has several important themes that he develops in acts. In this passage, luke is restating the great commission challenge jesus gave in luke 24. The importance of the book of acts liberty university. A kids guide to acts devotional reading plan youversion.
The goal of lifelight is that through a regular program of in depth personal and group study of scripture, more and more christian adults may grow in their personal faith in jesus christ. Bible commentaries on the book of acts acts of the apostles. In acts, the gospel expands not through human strength, but through weakness, opposition, and persecution. Book of acts versebyverse bible study and indepth commentary of the acts of the apostles in plain english for everyone to understand. Bible study tips for the book of acts unlocking the bible. Luke is the writer, as he states in his introduction v. According to williams, a historical reading of acts would result in not only a better understanding of the new testament, but also a more intelligent comprehension of the origin, organization, and early development of the church.
Especially their worship, leadership, sharing, perseverance, and involvement in the. Wrights study guides for everyone of the bible book of acts, 24 studies for individuals and groups. Doughty southside christian church january 2014 introduction. This course consists of a running commentary on a theatrical production of the book of acts. The most significant help in discovering the author of acts is simply recognizing this books relationship to the gospel of luke. This book is titled the acts of the apostles, or more literally acts of apostles. The book of acts bible study christianity oasis ministry has provided you with the book of acts bible study on the book of acts bible study events. Both the books of luke and acts are addressed to the most excellent theophilus. The book begins with the ascension of jesus and goes on through pauls jail time in rome, which opens his ministry to the church at rome.
The book of acts, sometimes called the fifth gospel, is a continuation of the gospel of luke. Glenn and the audience watch the dvd together, with glenn frequently pausing the video to explain points of history, theology, cultural background, and scriptural context as well as the impact the biblical text had on the audience in each scene. In what acts did the early church continue steadfastly in. Bible study of acts join us for an inspiring study on. In many ways acts is the most exciting book in the new testament because it is. The full name of it is, the acts of the apostles, but there are not many apostles mentioned in it. This bible study is in depth but uses plain english that everyone can understand. What can we learn and apply from the book of acts today. It simply begins once he is no longer bound by the limitations of time and space. In depth articles brief topics religions ebooks commentaries book of acts course a instructions. Includes lessons about the kingdom of christ, church organization and worship, examples of conversion, the nature and purpose of miracles, and the work of the holy spirit. Acts of the apostles introduction title commonly called the acts of the apostles, it is simply titled acts in some of the oldest manuscripts. It might appropriately be called some of the acts of some of the apostles since it does not try to describe all of the acts of all the apostles.
He turns our traditional understanding upsidedown by saying that. The acts actions of those whose lives were changed when they became christians. How did the residents of jerusalem react to the church. The acts of the apostles, student church leadership resources. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes twovolume work can. This course is an indepth study of the book of acts, and is designed to demonstrate the place and importance of the book of acts in the new testament. Luke wrote his gospel and also the book of acts compare luke 1. Here are a few of the reasons why actsand thus our study of this bookis so important. To better understand the growth and practices of the new testament church. Specific questions about the readings in the book of acts can be found in the attached study new testament acts study. If you have not done all the lessons of previous courses, please click here to go to the beginning. The book of joshua a very practical verse by verse studyhtml format msword 391 kb adobe pdf format. The introduction of acts and the book of luke help us to determine the author of acts. Bobdeffinbaugh graduated from dallas theological seminary with his th.
The esv study bible includes maps on many of the pages in the book of acts that help illustrate the various places mentioned in acts and routes taken by the apostles as they proclaim the gospel. Bradd words in boldboldbold and underlined are the answers to the blanks on the acts study guides acts 1 the book of acts was written by luke to a man named theophilus. As such, it provides us with a valuable account of how the church was able to grow and spread out from jerusalem into the rest of the roman empire. It is intended to help you better understand some of the background and issues in lukes second volume. A life application bible study is inexpensive and contains lessons, charts, maps, study questions and notes. This study is part of the lifelight bible study series of in depth studies of bible books. A full chapter by chapter study would take more than six months, so feel free to select from our available lessons below. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. Studies in acts chapters 1 3 by francis dixon study verses. May god give your small group rich and rewarding insights as you study his word together. Beginning with a bang, or rather with a sound like the blowing of a violent wind acts 2. As you study the book of acts, keep in mind that god wants to do thrilling things in your life through the agency of his spirit in you. Acts of the apostles, by william barclay is great both as an in depth study of acts for a group and as a daily guide for individuals.
After finishing john, we our class will begin our next bible study with n. Visit the web site to browse or download additional material for church or personal use. A better title for this book is the acts of the holy spirit and because of this the book of acts is an unfinished book. Each study is designed to first teach the leaders the passage and then provide them with questions they can use to lead their group through a process of selfdiscovered learning. The book has been called the acts of the apostles, really a misnomer because acts has very little to say concerning most of the original twelve apostles. Luke, the author of the book of acts, recorded the plight of the disciples before the holy spirits anointing and the thrilling activity that followed this anointing. An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. The book of acts is the action book of the new testament, and it constitutes therefore one of the most exciting books of the bible. The main issues revolve around whether he is a man perhaps a greek official for whom lukeacts is an apologetic for the gospel or a kind of generic everyman since the name means lover of god. Consequently, acts is the continuing story of jesus work. Book of acts read, study bible verses online bible study tools.
Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. The book of acts also known as the acts of the apostles is uniquely significant among the new testament books because it provides the historical framework for the first 30 years after the cross and the resurrection of christ. A commentary on the acts of the apostles by pastor galen l. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts. Bishop tom wright focuses in depth on the opening verses of the book of acts. Davidistre abstract% thistrainingcoursestudiesthebook ofacts toprovideinsightintotheway theearlychurchworkedand. This the book of acts bible study on the book of acts bible study verses looks at the book of acts bible study stories and asks what is the book of acts bible study about, who is in the book of acts bible study stories, why is the book of acts. Visit our life application page for more information on how to use this work in a bible study.
It opens with a greeting to theophilus, who was also the intended recipient of lukes gospel. This seminarylevel study also retains its depth and uses an engaging interactive format. Makes up over onefourth of the entire new testament. In only three decades, a small group of frightened believers in jerusalem transformed. Although the author does not name himself, evidence outside the scriptures and inferences from the book itself lead to the conclusion that the author.
This is the third in a series of three smallgroup bible study discussion guides luke 19, luke 1024 and selected portions of acts which explore the meaning. Luke had written to him before and had told him about the things that jesus did and taught. The new testament without the book of acts leaves a great yawning gap. The acts actions of those who were being persecuted because of their faith. Bob is a pastorteacher and elder at community bible chapel in richardson, texas, and has contributed many of his bible study series for use by the foundation. Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. But he did not start off as a hero to the church of god, but rather a villain. James, john, peter, and paul are the only ones who appear in any prominence.