Week 1 July 4th Acts Chapters 1- Ch 2
Week 2 July 11th Acts Chapters 3- Ch 5:11
Week 3 July 18th Acts Chapters 5:12- Ch 8:4
Week 4 July 25th Acts Chapters 8:5-Ch 9:31
Week 5 August 1st Acts Chapters 11:18- Ch 12
Week 6 August 8th Acts Chapters 13- Ch 15:35
Week 7 August 15th Acts Chapters 15:36- Ch18:22
Week 8 August 22nd Acts Chapters 18:23-Ch 21:16
Week 9 August 29th Acts Chapters 21:17- Ch 28:30
Some helpful hints as you begin reading the Book of Acts:.
- Author-- Luke written as companion to Gospel of Luke (Gospel of Luke tells the story of Jesus and Acts tells story of the Acts of the Holy Spirit and birth of the Christian faith)
- Recipient of Both Luke and Acts was Theophilus, Luke’s benefactor
- Luke was not an eye witness to Jesus, his involvement came with Peter and Paul and the spreading of the Gospel
1. To present a history
2. To give a defense
3. To provide a guide
4. To depict the triumph of Christianity in the face of persecution
So let’s just talk:
1. Jesus foretells His disciples of the coming of the Holy Spirit and then leaves.
I find it fascinating that right before Jesus ascends to the Father he promises them again that they will not be alone and that when the Holy Spirit comes they will receive “power“. - What power is Jesus talking about?
- What does it mean for us?
2. The disciples are all in one place and the Holy Spirit comes and people were astonished that they could hear in their native tongue. Imagine what that must have been like? I remember when I was living in China and someone spoke English--it was like music to my ears.
- Why was speaking in native languages so important to the spreading of the gospel (the good news of Jesus Christ)?
- When was the last time you were filled with awe?
- Do you ever feel awe at worship on Sunday am? If not--how can we do better?
My NLT Study Bible indicates that this power received from the Holy Spirit includes "courage, boldness, confidence, insight, ability, and authority." Funny how I have never considered receiving the Holy Spirit as becoming filled with power. To me there is a fear of claiming this power - actually taking authority in the name of Jesus? How scary! Not just claiming it but trusting myself to use it righteously...
ReplyDeleteThe apostles center so many of their decisions and actions on prayer. I love 1.14 where my translation says they were "constantly united in prayer". There is a unity in prayer that I seem to shy away from... maybe that fear of power again? I might be asked by Him to do something I am not prepared to do.
In contemplating awe... I can say I am more open to feeling awe when I am more broken... more vulnerable. Those are the times that I have been filled with awe. There is an inner longing to be awed again and become more real as a result of the encounter. Somehow awe evokes a compulsion to action - to be different. I have experienced it on a Sunday am. But it has been too long.
Awe for me comes in the most surprising ways--often in complete quiet.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we want those awe moments to come again and again sometimes they don't. Mother Theresa talks about her inner darkness longing for a moment of awe--she didn't get it but says she learned to smile at the darkness because she knew God was there. Interesting.