Series 3 – The New Testament    The Lord Is My Shepherd

April 24, 2002         The Book of Acts

 Opening Prayer

Gracious God, our Good Shepherd, help us to remember that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from you.  Make us hungry to eat the bread of your word daily that our souls may be restored. In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

  1.  Theme Psalm verse for the day

            he restores my soul.

He leads me in right paths

for his name’s sake.

2.  Review:  Any experiences of evidence of the Kingdom of God in your life or the world?  Can we together name the major characteristic of each gospel?

 3..  This history section  What is the purpose of retelling history?  What benefits come to us from reflecting on our own, personal, history?

 4.  The book of Acts

Acts of the Apostles: Beginnings of the church, Peter, Paul.

Acts is the spreading of the kingdom:  Acts 1:1-8.

This book is a single narrative, together with the Gospel of Luke, forming a two-part book, Luke-Acts.  See Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1.

Sample texts: 

Hand out Paul’s list of the main stories of the book.  We will focus on those which are listed below.

 5.  The church in Jerusalem, Chapters 1-12

A.  The story of Pentecost, Chapter 2. - This is to be a focus text.  Go around the room and read 2:1-13, then tell that Peter gives a long sermon, then cover 2:37-47.  Some Christians experience the Holy Spirit in dramatic ways like in this story.  Others experience the Spirit in much less dramatic fashion.  How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in your life?

B.  The Stoning of Stephen, Chapter Ch. 7

C.  The conversion of Paul, Ch. 9

D.  The story of Peter & Cornelius, Ch. 10. - This is to be a focus text.  Go around the room and read 10:1-10:48.  How does the Holy Spirit help you to be more inclusive?

 6.  Part Two – The spread of the church throughout the Roman Empire.  Chapters 13-28  Paul’s three subsequent journeys.  Pass out the map here.

 The Council in Jerusalem, Ch. 15, as a consequence of the first journey.  The issue of circumcising new believers comes up in the first journey and is resolved in the council.

The healing, uproar and imprisonment and conversion in Chapter 16.  Go around the room and read 16:16-40.  Ask here which character in this story they identify with.  (healing or conversion experiences, in prison or suicidal)

Acts ends in chapter 28 with Paul in prison in Rome.

 Integrative activity:  Draw your own “spiritual life journey.”  Take the diagram on the reverse of the map page and fill in the blanks using two each of the following:

Two high points

Two low points

Two spiritually significant points.

We may want to make the connections between low points and spirituality or at least point out that the low points can be spiritually valuable to us also.

Then we refer back to the verses of Ps 23 at the opening of this lesson. 

 Pray

 Homework:

Where do you see the Kingdom of God in your life?  (Home, church, nation, world?)

Read Acts 7, 9 & 15.  Plus anything else you would like in Acts!!