Sunday, November 22nd, 2015
Acts 18:18 – 20:38
This week we studied Acts 18:18 – 20:38.
As you begin your study each week, pray that God will speak to you through His Word. Come each week prepared for discussion. Be willing to participate and ask questions. As much as possible, stick to the topic at hand. Be sensitive to the other members in your group and listen attentively.
Intro To ACTS:
In the book of Acts, we see God birth the church by sending the Holy Spirit to indwell followers of Jesus. A great way to frame the entire book of Acts is in the following themes:
The beginning of the church (1:1 – 2:47)
The church and the Jewish authorities (3:1-5:42)
The church begins to expand (6:1-9:31)
The beginning of the Gentile mission (9:32-12:25)
The mission to Asia Minor and its aftermath (13:1-15:35)
Paul’s missionary campaign in Macedonia and Achaia (15:36-18:17)
Paul’s missionary campaign in Asia (18:18-20:38)
Paul’s arrest and imprisonment (21:1-28:31)
As we read and study Acts together, our prayer is that deep study of the Word of God would result in changed hearts and renewed spirits to pursue the things of God in our day and time.
“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”
Romans 8:11
Questions for this week:
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Read Acts 18:1-18. What do you learn about Paul in 18:1-4. What drastic action did Paul take when the Jews resisted his message this time in 18:6-7? What are the consequences (v. 8-10, 12-15)?
- What do we learn about Apollos in 18:24-28? How is Aquila and Priscilla’s response to him an example to us?
- Read Acts 19:1-22. As you look through these verses, what good fruit do you see from Paul’s ministry in Ephesus? What opposition did Paul encounter?
- In Acts 17, discuss some of the characteristics of the people of Athens? Were they spiritually aware? Did they enjoy learning? What was their ultimate response (through verse 32)? Did a great movement of the spirit break out there? Discuss why you think that was so (think about James Chapter 2, especially verse 19, in terms of storing up ideas versus living things out).
- Corinth was a city of great debauchery. It was the home of the temple to Aphrodite, where as many as 1,000 temple prostitutes worked. The city was known for pursuing pleasure in many forms. In your experience, does the pursuit of pleasure apart from God satisfy? Talk about times in your life when you worked through this. Discuss why you think the people of Corinth were more responsive to the gospel than the people of Athens.
- Look at the letter Paul wrote to the people of Corinth, especially chapter 9:19-23. How do you see this attitude in the recent chapters in the book of Acts? Was this attitude fun for Paul? How was he often rewarded for this attitude? Why did he do it? Describe how you think living out this attitude can look today. What safeguards would you put on yourself in trying to live out this attitude?