Jeremy Hoover

1. What is significant about the why the "certain individuals" came from Judea to Antioch (1)? What did they do when they arrived?

2. How did they decide to resolve the problem (2)? Who decided this (2-3)?

3. What strategy did Paul and Barnabas use en route to Jerusalem that likely helped them (3)?

4. What was the environment like when they arrived in Jerusalem (4)?

5. What conflict arose (5)?

6. Who spoke for the apostles and elders? Why (7)?

7. What is the main point of Peter's statement (7-11)?

8. How did Paul and Barnabas contribute to the discussion (12)?

9. What is remarkable about James' interpretation of scripture (15)?

10. What is James' judgment (19-21)? Does this still hold the Gentiles under the law? What is the point of these prohibitions?

11. How did the apostles and elders resolve this problem outside Jerusalem (22-23)?

12. What do you see that is interesting in the letter from the apostles and elders (23-29)?

13. How was this situation resolved (30-35)? What good came of it?

14. What happened next between Paul and Barnabas (36-41)? Who was right and who was wrong?

15. What does this chapter teach us about decision-making in the church?

1. How has Paul and Barnabas' evangelistic strategy developed (1)? What is their strategy?

2. Were they successful on this occasion (2)?

3. What were the two different reactions to their preaching (1-2)?

4. How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the negative response (3)?

5. How was the delivery of their message enhanced (3)? Were they always able to perform signs and wonders? What does this teach about the Holy Spirit and God?

6. What was the continued reaction (5-6)? How did Paul and Barnabas respond? Was this cowardly? When is it ever the right time to leave an evangelistic opportunity and how would you know?

7. What did Paul do in Lystra that was worthy of attention (8-10)? Who healed the man?

8. Why did they not go to a synagogue first?

9. What was the reaction of the crowd to the healing (11-13)?

10. How did Paul and Barnabas respond (14-18)? What is the content of the sermon? Why is it devoid of scriptural references? Is it a "biblical" sermon if it does not use the bible? What points are made and how are they made?

11. What happened next (19)? How did Paul respond (20)? Why did he go back into the city when earlier he fled at the threat of violence (cf. v. 6)?

12. What did Paul and Barnabas do after leaving Derbe (21)? What functions did they perform during these return trips (22-23)? What pattern do you discern?

13. How did Paul and Barnabas end their first missionary journey (26-28)?

In this 10 minute audio teaching, I briefly describe 3 models we can learn in Acts about evangelism.

1. We can perform a sign of the kingdom (anything that points the way to Jesus and the kingdom of God) which will open a path to teaching (Acts 3).

2. We can teach a larger group and follow up with those who are interested, either in smaller groups or individually (Acts 13, esp. vs. 42-43).

3. We can teach people individually in homes (Acts 18:24-26).

What do you think? What would you add? Please leave your comments.

In his commentary on Acts, Luke Timothy Johnson points out how Luke (the writer of Acts) correlates the trial of Jesus with the person of Stephen (Acts 7), the resurrection of Jesus with the prison experience of Peter (Acts 12), and the beginning of Jesus' ministry with the beginning of Paul's ministry.

Luke's main objective with the latter is to establish Paul's ministry as correlated with Jesus and the kingdom of God. Below is a chart that shows these correlations.

Below are study questions to help you work through Acts 13. What do you think? What questions do you have?

ACTS 13 -- Barnabas and Saul Begin Their Missionary Activity

The Sending (1-3)

1. What mission did Barnabas and Saul return from? (12:25)

2. Where did they return to? (1)

3. What was the function of the prophets and teachers? Were these "assumed" roles or roles given by the Holy Spirit? (1-2)

4. Was this a Sunday worship? An extended period of worship? Were the worship and fasting concurrent or complimentary? (2)

5. Who commissioned Barnabas and Saul? (2)

6. Did the believers know what/where they were setting Barnabas and Saul apart for? (2)

7. How were Barnabas and Saul set apart by the believers? (3)

Cyprus (4-12)

1. How did Barnabas and Saul know where to go? (4)

2. What did they do when they arrived on Cyprus? (5) Why start in a Jewish synagogue? What evangelistic lesson do you learn from this?

3. What incident happened in Cyprus? (6-12)

4. What "power" does this incident reveal God's power over? How is this seen in how the incident plays out?

5. Who witnessed this incident and how did he respond? (12) What is significant about his response? Why is he mentioned as being "intelligent"? (7)

6. What "teaching" did the proconsul witness? (12)

7. What evangelistic lesson do you learn from this conversion?

Pisidian Antioch (13-52)

1. What happened as Barnabas and Saul reached shore in Pamphylia? (13) What does this foreshadow? (15:36-41)

2. What was their strategy in Pisidian Antioch? (14)

3. When Paul was invited to speak, what did he speak about? (16-41)

4. What is the content of Paul's speech? What are the key points?

5. How did the people respond to Paul's preaching? (42-43)

6. What happened on the following Sabbath? How did "the Jews" respond? (44-45)

7. How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the Jews? (46-47)

8. How did the Gentiles respond to Paul and Barnabas' declaration? (48)

9. What does the phrase "all who were appointed for eternal life" mean? (48)

10. What were the results for the gospel? (49, 52)

11. What conflict occurred? (50) What resulted from this conflict? (51-52)

Several things come to pass in this chapter: Peter is the main character but exits the scene "to another place", leaving the leadership in Jerusalem in the hands of James; Paul and Barnabas are reintroduced; and a tyrant is dispatched by the power of God.

1. Who is the main character in this chapter?

2. How is Herod described in this chapter?

3. What did the church do while Peter was in prison (5)? Why?

4. How did Peter understand what happened to him (9)? What did he then realize (11)?

5. What happened when Peter arrived at a meeting of believers (12-14)? What did the believers think (15)?

6. What does "he left for another place" mean (17)? Why is this important?

7. What did Herod do as a result of Peter's escape (18-19)? What happened next to Herod (20-23)? Why?

8. Why is the success of the word of God linked to Herod's demise?

9. What lessons did you learn from Herod? What lessons did you learn from Peter?

Below is the bible study guide for Acts 11 (for our Wednesday night bible study). No audio devotional today. I've been stuck at home with a car in the shop and my audio equipment is at the church building! Sorry. I look forward to creating a new devotional tomorrow.

I. Peter explains his actions (11:1-18)

1. How quickly did news travel? Why do you think this happened? (1)
   
   
2. Was the news received as “good” news (2)?
   
   
3. What was the attitude of the Jewish believers (2)?
   
   
4. How did Peter respond (4)?
   
   
5. What was the content of Peter’s response (4-18)?
   
   
6. What is the criteria for determining whether something is clean or unclean (9)?
   
   
7. How was Peter led to the truth (12)?
   
   
8. What was Peter’s conclusion about the Gentiles and Holy Spirit (15)?
   
   
9. What did Peter learn (17)?
   
   
10. Why did the others stop objecting (18)?
    
    
11. What is the gift to the Gentiles seen as (18)?
    
    

II. Ministry in Antioch (11:19-30)

1. When were these events happening (19)?
   
   
2. What were these believers doing? Who were they? Were they apostles? (19)
   
   
3. Who did they preach to (19-20)?
   
   
4. Were they successful? How do you know? Why were they successful (21)?
   
   
5. Who heard about this activity (22)? How did they respond? Why?
   
   
6. What did Barnabas do when he arrived (21)?
   
   
7. What was Barnabas’ response (23)? What were the results (24)?
   
   
8. What did Barnabas do next (25)? What did Barnabas and Saul do together (26)?
   
   
9. What did the traveling prophets say? (28)
   
   
10. What was the response of the church to the prophetic message (29)?
    
    
11. What was unique about their gift (29)?
    

Below is our bible study guide for Acts 9. You may view it online or download it through the link below.

This is a bible study guide for our discussion in Acts 8:4-40 tonight. Previous study guides are linked beginning here.

You may download the study guide at the link below our use the questions listed in this post.

1. What happened as a result of Stephen's stoning (8:1)?

2. How did the ones that were dispersed respond (8:4)? What is impressive about this? Why do we generally not respond like they did?

3. Who is Philip? What is impressive about him?

4. What is significant about where Philip preached (8:5; 1:8)?

5. Did the crowd respond to the message alone? What's more important--the message, or the actions accompanying the message? What do you learn about evangelism today from Philip's example?

6. Describe Simon (8:9-13). What kind of man was he? Was he sincere in his conversion? Why or why not?

7. Why did the apostles send Peter and John to Samaria (8:14)? What did they do there? Why? Why hadn't the Holy Spirit come upon them? How does this fit with Acts 2:38? What does this teach us about overcoming prejudice?

8. How did Simon respond to the apostles (8:18-19)? Why do you think he offered to buy this power? How does his response regarding money and possession portray the intentions of his heart?

9. How did Peter respond (8:20-23)?

10. Did Simon repent (8:24)?

11. How did Philip encounter the Ethiopian eunuch (8:26; followed the Spirit)? What is significant about this man (8:27; also see Deuteronomy 23:1 and Isaiah 53:6-8; fulfillment of scripture)?

12. What do you learn from the interaction between Philip and the eunuch about evangelism (8:30-35)? What was the result?

13. What function does this story serve in the overall theology of Acts (1:6; 1:8; cf. Isaiah 56:3-8; the regathering of Israel)?

14. What did you learn about evangelism from this study?

15. What will you do or think differently about because of what you learned?