Purpose of the Bible Study:
Keep these question in mind as we study; we hope to some answers to them at the end of this study.
- In what ways is this first Christian Community parallel to our own, UTCCF?
- What is the Holy Spirit in relation to the ministry?
- So that we will see the relevance:
o what they do as a group, understand the power of the Holy Spirit;
- How do we develop a passion to pray for this campus and wait for the work of the Holy Spirit?
Background
The Book of Acts written by Luke to Theophilus (a name which meant “lover of God”). Theophilus might have been a specific person or a label for struggling Christian in general. (Quest)
It records the events in the time soon after Jesus has been taken up. It’s a sequel to the gospels.
The Book of Acts ŕ “The Acts of the Apostles”, more accurate title, “The Acts of the Holy Spirit”
Why written? Perhaps we can discover as we go along.
v.1-8
1. Understanding of the big picture: What were the conditions of things in the time Luke is describing in this passage? What was the situation the disciples were in? What were they going through?
v.1-6
What just happened? What was happening?
What was
Jesus’ instruction for them (v.4-5)
What
do these verses say about the Holy Spirit with regard to ministry (Digress))?
v.6
Yet what did these early disciples think Jesus was going to do?
Did the disciples fully grasp all Jesus had taught them?
v.7-8 What was Jesus’ answer? What did Jesus want them to do?
“Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
What type of (“impossible”) task has Jesus given his disciples (v.8)? (Digress)
v.8
“Power” in the original Greek is dynamis.
Our English word “dynamite” is derived from this Greek term.
What does the use of this term say about the impact of the Holy Spirit
within the lives of believers?
What was Jesus' expectation of his disciples? What was the disciples' expectation of Jesus?
Are the two similar or different? How come?
v.9-10 Now Jesus had been taken up, and disciples left alone
v.11 Jesus now taken up, but one day he’d be back. So, “now what?” before Jesus comes back the second time? Note: As we get a chance to study further into the Book of Acts, we will get to see a lot of the things that the first groups of Christians did, how they have touched other people. As some of you have read this book, you’ll find out that many things had happened. Right now, let’s simple focus on these few verses v.12-14.
v.12-13 They are walking down the hill, a Sabbath Day’s walk from the city.
Just imagine what it looked like. (Sum up this important picture before we move on).
How
certain are these disciples about what's coming up next?
What
is coming up next for them in the near future (chapters ahead)? (Digress)
Bringing in the Equivalence
What are we, as CCF? How are we similar to this first
Christian Community described in Acts?
What is coming next for us?
(Digress)
What is next coming up for you? What is next coming up for us as a fellowship? How is what’s coming up for us similar to what’s coming up for this first Christian Community?
3. How are we feeling? What do we know? How similar are we to these disciples?
What
about Prayer?
v.14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer along with the women…
How does this
relate to v. 4 Jesus instruction and v. 8 the impossible mission?
What did the disciples do after Jesus was taken up and the coming of the Holy Spirit?
How
does this relate to us (Digress)?
Reference:
Ungers Bible Dictionary.
Quest Study Bible, Zondervan.
When God walked on Campus by Michael Gleason.