Acts 15:1-35 All we need for salvation is Jesus. Yet so often we think this is too simple. We think that faith in Jesus seems too easy and there must be something more. Do you ever feel that as well? Many people think one needs faith in Jesus plus baptism, a high level of morality, tithing, or any number of other things to be saved. There were many in the early church, like those in Acts 15:1, who...

Acts 14:8-28 Following God is not always easy. The example of Jesus was one of faithful obedience even to death. Most likely ten of the original twelve disciples were martyred for their faith. We can easily think that following Jesus will make our life easy, happy, and worry free; but though it will fill our lives with joy, peace, and eternal life, it will not always be pain free.How do you feel a...

Acts 13:42-14:7 We have seen throughout the New Testament that God is the sovereign king of the universe. At the same time people have free will. When we think about God's sovereignty and human freedom, it inevitably ends with some level of mystery. How do you put these seemingly contradictory ideas together? Look at Acts 13:48, "All who were appointed for eternal life believed" and 14:1, "A great...

Acts 13:16-41 God is the sovereign king of the universe. There is nothing which happens outside of that which he allows. Look at Acts 13:16-41 and underline everything God did. For example, God “chose our ancestors” (v.17), “he endured” (v.18), “he has fulfilled (promises) for us” (v.33) and God was patient for forty years as “he endured their conduct in the wilderness” (v. 18). He slowly, patient...

Acts 12:24-13:15 Do you ever feel like Jesus is losing? Do you ever wonder whether the church is going to last against the pressures of our culture? Thankfully, these are not things we have to consider or worry about because Jesus is victorious, and his church will prevail. We live in a broken world, but a world that is saturated by the presence of God. Therefore, there are constant hardships and ...

Acts 12:1-23 What is your initial response when life gets hard? Where do you turn when you face difficulty? In Acts 12 the church found themselves under intense persecution; James had been killed and Peter was next on the docket for death. Their response was not to freak out—instead, to pray. How closely does this parallel your response to hardship? Verse 5 says the church was "earnestly praying t...

Acts 11:1-30 How do you deal with criticism and conflict? For most of us, our initial response is defensiveness, anger, and frustration. It is tough when you face criticism from anyone, but especially from those who you would expect to love and support you. Peter had been obediently following God’s commands, but when some of the church found out about his interaction with Gentiles, they were appal...

Acts 10:24-48 It can often seem overwhelming to enter into a spiritual conversation with someone. We may wonder: What should I say? What questions should I ask? Peter’s conversation with Cornelius gives us an understanding of the most important things we should share with others. Peter begins right away by talking about Jesus. He could have talked about creation, the patriarchs, or the prophets, b...

Acts 10:1-23 Most of the early Christians were ethnically Jewish and they continued to follow the Mosaic laws after coming to faith in Christ. Yet in Acts 10 God clearly helps us to understand that Jesus brought a clear break from the old way of things. Peter received a vision of a sheet falling from heaven filled with a variety of animals. The Mosaic Covenant mandated that animals like pigs, many...

Acts 9:26-43 One of the marks of the early church was a resolute commitment to Christ regardless of the consequences. Immediately after Paul's conversion, he began to share the message of Jesus everywhere. Sometimes it went well, and people came to faith in Christ, and other times it led to murder attempts (see 9:29). No matter the result, he kept on spreading the message wherever he went. One of ...

Acts 9:1-25 Every person that comes to faith in Jesus is a lost person who becomes found. They are a person who is in darkness coming to the light. Every conversion is a miracle, but some are more surprising than others. As you consider people who seem to be beyond salvation, it is hard to imagine someone more unlikely than Paul. He was seeking to arrest Christians and even oversaw their murders—u...

Acts 8:14-40 God’s heart is for all people. He has always wanted all people from all nations to come to faith in him. Acts 8 is the beginning of the church breaking into the Gentile world. It is the beginning of God’s kingdom going out to the whole world. We see the apostles go to Samaria and see the Holy Spirit come upon them. This scene is essentially the Gentile Pentecost. This nearly unparalle...

Acts 7:51-8:13 We need to learn to have eyes to see what God is doing. The early church was rapidly expanding and it seemed like nothing could stand against it. Even when apostles were arrested, they were miraculously released from prison. Then suddenly things seemed to change. When Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin, he was soon murdered through stoning. There was no miraculous angelic interventi...

Acts 7:30-50 If God is faithful, why do people embrace faithlessness? If God rescues, redeems, and saves, why do people turn away from him to other gods? After Stephen recounted the faithfulness of God as evidenced in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, he placed the spotlight on Moses and the wilderness generation. God amazingly rescued his people from Egypt and was going to bring them...

Acts 7:1-29 Where have you seen God’s fingerprints of faithfulness on your life? When you are struggling to make sense of you current circumstances, what do you recount to remember God’s ultimate faithfulness? As Stephen stood before the Sanhedrin, awaiting an uncertain fate, he recounted God’s works on behalf of the Jewish people beginning from the book of Genesis. As he spoke of Abraham, Isaac, ...

Acts 6:1-15 We are called to serve and minister to those who are often overlooked. Who do you feel like are those in your life? Who could you love whom others might not be noticing or reaching out to? Early in the church the Gentile widows were being overlooked for material assistance. Jewish widows were receiving daily food, while the Gentile widows were neglected. When this came to the attention...

Acts 5:1-42 To what extent are you willing to obey God? In Acts 5 we see a picture of both disobedience and obedience and the results that follow. First, Ananias and Sapphira wanted to fit into the culture of generosity in the early church, but were not concerned about truly obeying God. They valued social acceptance more than God’s acceptance. The result was death. Disobedience will rarely lead t...

Acts 4:1-37 Jesus is unique. As the eternal Son of God, he alone transformed all human history through his life, death, and resurrection. He further wants to transform our lives and our ability to respond to all of life. How do you generally respond to difficult circumstances? Acts 4 shows us a response that is truly supernatural in nature. Peter and John were arrested, and probably wondered if th...

Acts 3:1-26 How similar is your life to that of Jesus? In what ways do people see Jesus in you? After receiving the Holy Spirit, the disciples continued the ministry of Jesus. They came upon a crippled man and healed him in the name of Jesus. In the same way Jesus healed for years, these men performed similar acts. When the healing drew attention though, they put all the focus on Jesus. Their mira...

Acts 2:1-47 How is your life different because you know Jesus? In just a few short weeks, the disciples went from a scared group to powerfully experiencing the power of God. The day came when the power Jesus promised descended upon them. The Spirit in-dwelt them, and the proof was in their ability to speak in many languages. This speaking in tongues in the exact way described in Acts 2 was rare ev...