Have you even seen a movie or read a book where the story is so compelling that it leaves you a little bit changed? Well that’s the story of Acts! It’s filled with stories about the early church’s wild adventures, astounding miracles, life & death decisions, and people exercising faith in the wildest circumstances. In other words, it’s full of people whose faith is on fire for Jesus. We hope we finish this series changed, and on fire.
Small Group Study
Related Resource
Acts records the events of the early church. In this study, we’ll explore the growth of the early church through persecution, hardship and trials.
The Witness to Christ in & Around Jerusalem
Acts 1:1-7:60
The book of Acts is, in many ways, a sequel to the gospel of Luke. It’s written by the same author, Luke, to the same person, Theophilus, and many of the themes present in the Gospel of Luke are continued throughout the Acts of the Apostles. This first section of Acts picks up where the Gospel of Luke left off at Jesus’ ascension. It describes how the gospel of Jesus spread around Jerusalem following the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.
The Witness to Christ in Judea & Samaria
Acts 8:1-12:25
Believers in the Jerusalem church were scattered “throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria” following the stoning of the Stephen, the first martyr (cf. Acts 8:1). Contrary to the early church sputtering out & losing steam, those who were scattered “went about preaching the word”, so the church grew beyond the bounds of Jerusalem. This section of Acts details not only how the gospel spread throughout the region, but also the Holy Spirit also being given to Gentiles (non-Jews).
The Witness to Christ to the Ends of the Earth
Acts 13:-21:15
After Saul’s conversion to Christianity in Acts 9, he became a primary leader in bringing the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jewish people). As amazing as this was, the early church struggled to understand if Gentiles should follow some tenets of the Law of Moses after becoming Christians; circumcision was a particularly debating issue. This section of Acts focuses primarily on the Jerusalem Council, where the church discussed that issue, and Paul’s missionary journeys around the Mediterranean to the Gentiles.
Paul’s Arrest & Voyage to Rome
Acts 21:16-28:31
The last several chapters of Acts focus almost solely on the Apostle Paul. After having planted churches across the Roman Empire, he decides to return to Jerusalem where he is arrested on charges of violating certain tenets of Jewish Law. Being a Roman citizen, he appeals to Caesar and so begins a voyage to Rome.