Study the Bible in Two Years

Tuesday – Acts 27-28

1.  The Lord used Paul wherever he went to testify to the truth about Jesus and show his great power.  In the terrible storm at sea, what had God promised?  See Acts 27:24.   How has the Lord guided you through the storms of life?

2.  What miracles did the Lord do in Malta?  See 28:5 and 28:8-9.  For what purpose do you think that the Lord did these miracles?   Compare what Jesus says in Mark 16:15-18.

3.  As Paul awaits trial he is not put in a prison, but what is his situation?  See 28:16.  What does this allow him to do for two years? See the last two verses of Acts.  We too continue on, wherever the Lord puts us, to do the same thing!

Advertisements

Study the Bible in Two Years

Monday – Acts 24-26

1.   Governor Felix is a Roman, but to whom is he married?  See 24:24.  Why would he also be so familiar with “the Way?”  Hint:  What happened in Caesarea with a Roman centurion in Acts 10?  Yet what does Felix do with his opportunities to hear the Gospel?  See Acts 24:25.  Can you think of people who react the same way when you share the Gospel?  Sometimes do you react that way?

2.  It has been two years and there’s a new governor in Palestine!  In Acts 25, Paul realizes he will be killed if he is taken to Jerusalem.  To whom does he appeal his case?  See 25:11.  King Herod Agrippa II also shows up.  He is the son of the King Agrippa who killed the apostle James (Acts 12:1).  Festus has a problem with Paul’s appeal, and looks to Agrippa for advice.  What is his problem?  See 25:26-27.  (Note: what Festus decides is not revealed.)

3.  In Acts 26, Paul almost convinces Agrippa of the truth!  Note Agrippa’s reaction in 26:28. The Lord is accomplishing what he promised to Paul in Acts 9:15-16.   On what promises of God can we depend?  Ponder Acts 26:18.

Study the Bible in Two Years

Saturday – Acts 21-23

1.  To go or not to go to Jerusalem – that’s the question.  Many believers urged Paul not to go there.  See 21:4 and 10-12.   But Paul felt equally led by the Spirit to go there. See 20:22.  Which way did the Spirit want him to go?  Compare a pastor today who is holding two calls, both directed by the Holy Spirit.  How will he decide where to go?

2.  Paul was unjustly dragged out of the temple and arrested. The commander tried to question him while the crowds were yelling for his death.  Do you see similarities with what happened to Jesus?  But Paul asked to address the crowd.  Why didn’t Jesus do that?

3.  So, was it a wise idea for Paul to go to Jerusalem?  See what the Lord says to Paul in 23:11.  The Lord had a plan for this all along, and used what Paul decided to do to accomplish His will.   How is this a comfort for us?  Compare Romans 8:28.

Study the Bible in Two Years

Friday – Acts 19-20

1.  In this 3^rd Missionary Journey, Paul first went through Asia Minor, revisiting the churches there and arrived at Ephesus by an overland route.  He stayed at Ephesus for 3 years, the longest of anywhere.  Just like Apollos in the chapter before, Paul finds some believers who were never instructed properly about baptism, nor were they properly baptized.  What groups today do you see who know something about Jesus, but really don’t have the truth?

2.  What hidden sins were going on in Ephesus, which some of the new believers found hard to give up?  See 19:18-19.   What hidden sins must we deal with in our culture that some may find hard to give up?

3.  Ephesus was the location for the famous temple of Artemis (Diana) and it was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.  What business was Paul hurting by his preaching?  See 19:24-27.  What conflict does the Gospel have with money today?  Think of what Jesus says in Matthew 6:24.

4. Paul went rather quickly through both parts of Greece, and then came back again to say goodbye to the Ephesian leaders.  What encouragement did he give them that is still appropriate for our leaders today?  See especially 20:28-32.

Study the Bible in Two Years

Thursday – Acts 17-18

1.  Like usual, Paul went to the synagogue first in Thessalonica.  What was it that got many of the Jews agitated and jealous?  See 17:4.  Berea had a synagogue whose people were almost the exact opposite in character.  What good example do the Bereans give us?  See 17:11.

2.  On to Athens, the capital and “university” city with the school of philosophers on the Areopagus (Mar’s Hill).  Note how Paul started his presentation with something that the philosophers know and agree with. But then he went on to Jesus.  What topic brought his presentation to an end?  See 17:32.  Why is that the key item about Jesus to share to this very day?  See 1 Cor. 15:17-19.

3.  The last main stop on the 2^nd journey is Corinth, where Paul spent 1½ years establishing a new congregation that would have lots of problems.  Part of the problem was that Corinth had a lot of abuses and temptations.  It had the reputation of Las Vegas today.  For Paul, however, the main conflict was with the unbelieving Jews.  When they took him to court, Proconsul Gallio had a wise ruling that fits in our courts to this day.  What was it?  See 18:14-16.

Study the Bible in Two Years

Wednesday – Acts 16

1.  Paul recruits Timothy to go on this 2^nd journey.  What did he do with Timothy and why? See 16:3.  But the church council had just decided that this was no longer necessary for Gentiles!  Why do you think Paul gave in to the Jewish opinion?  See 1 Cor. 9:19.  What in our day do we avoid doing, so as not to offend those we are trying to reach for the first time?

2.  With a vision of a man from Macedonia, the Lord led Paul to go to Europe for the first time.   There’s a little hint about a change in Paul’s group!  Starting with 16:10,11, it is no longer “they” but “we.”  Who was now coming along with Paul, starting in Troas?  Hint: Who wrote the book of Acts?  What does this also tell you about his character?

3.  Paul and Silas are unjustly imprisoned and beaten.  What were they doing in the middle of the night in the midst of this tragedy?  See 16:25.   What does that lead to for the jailer? What do Paul and Silas’ actions while in jail teach us about our afflictions?

Study the Bible in Two Years

Tuesday – Acts 15

1. This chapter could be called the First Church Council to settle a controversy.  What was the main problem?  See 15:1,2.

2.  How did they resolve this merging of Jewish and Gentile Christians?  Note that James led them in the Word of God, 15:16-18.  What was the resolution? See 15:19-21.  How does that instruct us in handling disagreements in the congregation?

3.  When it was time to start the 2^nd Missionary Journey, Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement.  What was it?  See: 15:37-38.   Since neither one would give in, what did they do?  Since this was not a doctrinal disagreement, why was it better to do what they did?

Study the Bible in Two Years

Monday – Acts 13-14

1.  The Lord Jesus had called Saul/Paul directly to be his missionary.  But note how the Holy Spirit made use of the congregation in Antioch to commission them for the first missionary journey.  See 13:2,3.  Note similarities in the way we send out missionaries today.

2.  In the first “church planting” in Pisidian Antioch, note the steps that the mission team followed to begin the congregation.

Step 1:  13:14-15  Paul starts where and with whom?

Step 2:  13:16-41  The message – note how he relates it to Old Testament fulfillment.

Step 3:  13:43   Follow-up

Step 4:  13:46   To whom does he now reach out?

How does this parallel our church planting today?

3.  Mission work will have its extremes!  What was the first reaction in Lystra to the miracle of healing the lame man?  14:12-13.  What was the next reaction?  14:19.   What highs and lows have you experienced in sharing your faith?

Study the Bible in Two Years

Saturday – Acts 12

1.  The persecution in Jerusalem gets stronger, with King Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, who tried to kill the baby Jesus.  Who is the first of the 12 apostles to die for his faith?    Herod plans to do the same with Peter.  What were the rest of the Christians doing for Peter?  See 12:5.   What answer to their prayers did God provide, an answer they wouldn’t believe at first?  Think of a time when the Lord has surprised you with an answer to prayer.

2.  How did the Lord take care of this dangerous persecutor?  See 12:21-22.  How is this an example of the truth found in Ephesians 1:22?

Study the Bible in Two Years

Friday  – Acts 10-11

1.  With visions, the Lord brings the Gentile Cornelius and the Jewish Peter together.  What was the Lord teaching Peter with the vision of eating unclean animals?  What did Cornelius do to prepare for Peter’s arrival?  See 10:24.

 

2.  Read Acts 10:34-35.  God plays no favorites and is not prejudiced.  Besides the salvation of souls, the Lord used this incident to teach Peter and others that they must abandon their ingrained prejudice against the Gentiles.  What prejudices must we overcome today?

3.  Barnabas lived up to his name, which meant “encourager.”  How did he encourage the church in Antioch?  See 11:23.  How did he help Saul? See 11:25-26.  How can you be an encourager today to a fellow Christian in your life?