Studies in the Book of Acts: Paul in Philippi: What’s Love Got to Do With It?
Digging Deeper into Acts 16
- Luke tells us that “The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to respond to the things spoken by Paul” (Acts 16: 14). Share with the group how God first opened your heart to believe. Describe what aspects of the Gospel struck you most profoundly: e.g., conviction of your sin, God’s love for you, Christ’s death on the cross, etc.
- Read Acts 16: 19-34. Remind each other of the description Lukas gave regarding the prison conditions Paul and Silas were in. Lukas also suggested that Christ’s love for Paul compelled him to serve with joy no matter his situation (read 2 Corinthians 5: 14-15). How much thought have you given to Christ’s love for you? To what level does it motivate you to serve no matter the consequences?
- Read Acts 16: 35-40. Why do you suppose Paul required the authorities to come and release him instead of just going away quietly? How did this serve the Gospel? Is there any application for us today?
Studies in the Book of Acts: Paul’s 1st Missionary Journey
Digging Deeper
- Read Acts 13: 1-4
- Many people today go out to plant their “own” churches. What should be the role of the local church in sending people out to start new ministries (whether church planters or missionaries)?
- There is both a human side and a divine side to people coming to faith in Jesus. Let’s discuss them both.
- The Human side: The role of proclaiming and hearing the Gospel.
-Read Romans 10:9-17 and Acts 13:38-47; 2 Peter 3:8-9 - The Divine Side: The role of God’s electing grace
-Read Acts 13: 46-52
-Read John 6: 37-44, 65; 12: 36-43
-Romans 8: 28-30
- Jesus said to count the cost of following him (Luke 14: 25-33). Read Paul’s words to the believers in Lystra about the cost of following Jesus after he was nearly stoned to death (Acts 14: 19-23). What does it cost to us today?
Digging Deeper into Acts 10-11
1. Acts 10: 9-16 demonstrates that Israel’s food laws were very detailed and Peter took them very seriously. Read and discuss Deuteronomy 14: 1-21 and the ramifications of how these laws separated Israel from the surrounding nations.
2. Read Matthew 16: 13-19 and discuss how this might relate to Peter’s role with the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8), and the Gentiles all coming to faith.
3. Discuss the content of Peter’s Gospel in Acts 10: 34-43. Focus on the following three aspects.
- Life, death, & resurrection of Jesus
- Jesus is judge of all humanity
- Forgiveness comes through faith in Him Should we include these in our Gospel presentations also? Is there anything else that we should present in our Gospel presentation that is not recorded here?
Pastor Tony Slavin continues the Studies in the Book of Acts. This week we look at the conversion of Saul to Paul.
Digging Deeper:
1: In your own time, read and compare the 3 accounts of Paul’s conversion. What do we learn from the 2nd two that is important to Paul’s story? Acts 9: 1-19 • Acts 22: 6-16 • Acts 26: 9-18
2. In Acts 9: 15-16, Jesus tells how much Paul must suffer for the His name. Read 2 Corinthians 11: 21-30 and discuss why Jesus put him through such suffering.
3. Read through Philippians 3: 2-16 and discuss Paul’s attitude about his heritage and his current passion to know Jesus. How does this compare to your passion for knowing Jesus?
4. Paul also had a passion to make Christ known; discuss 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23 and discuss how this strategy can be applied in our culture today.
Cornerstone Church