Bible Discussion — Acts 1

August 6, 2008, 9:00 pm; posted by
Filed under Bible, Connie, David, Josh J, Steve  | 1 Comment

This week, Bweinh.com begins discussing a new book: the first chapter of Acts!

PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS:
Genesis: 1-4 | 5-9 | 10-14 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26
27-29 | 30-32 | 33-36 | 37-39 | 40-43 | 44-46 | 47-50
Exodus: 1-4 | 5-8 | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-18
19-22 | 23-26 | 27-30 | 31-34 | 35-40
Romans: Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | Ch. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 (I)
Ch. 8 (II) | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15-16
Luke: 1:1-38 | 1:39-2:40 | 2:41-3:38 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
11 | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24
Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10

 
INTRODUCTION:
David:
Matthew, Mark and John offer valuable Gospel narratives, but only Luke follows it up with a second volume that goes beyond what “Jesus began both to do and teach,” recording the Acts of the Apostles who founded the Christian church.

Connie:
Background and preparation is what this chapter is all about. And just in case you thought we were done with gambling, we have another round of casting lots in order to determine the new 12th disciple.

 
SOMETHING YOU’D NEVER NOTICED BEFORE:
David:
I saw anew the naiveté of the disciples who wanted to jump to the conclusion immediately — thinking the conclusion was restoration of the kingdom to Israel (v. 6). They didn\’t have a clue what was coming.

Steve:
Already the disciples had expanded tenfold — with another drastic expansion on the horizon.

 
BEST BAND NAME FROM THE PASSAGE:
Josh: Vacancy
Connie: Akel Dama
David: The Promise
Steve: By the Mouth

 
STORY IT REMINDS YOU OF:
Josh:
When I\’m playing board games with a large group of people, I often use games of chance (pick a hand with a colored token) to separate players into random teams. It\’s somewhat disconcerting to think this was basically how a disciple was picked.

David:
This book always reminds me of when I was newly saved, reading the Bible for the first time. I started with the Gospels, then plowed into Acts, calling Dave Maxon almost every day, saying, “Whoa! Have you read this chapter yet? This is amazing! Can we do this stuff?”

 
WHERE IS JESUS IN THIS PASSAGE?:
David:
Ascending into Heaven to be seated at the right hand of God Almighty, ever living to make intercession for us.

Josh:
Heaven. But He\’ll be right back.

 
DEEP THEOLOGICAL MEANING:
David:
This book is the only account of the formation and character of the early church, and our best hope at recapturing the power and simplicity of those times.

 
PORTION YOU WOULD MOST LIKE EXPLAINED IN HEAVEN:
Steve:
What was the problem with Joseph “Barsabas” Justus? And how did he react to making the Final Two, only to be sent away?

 
RANDOM THOUGHT:
Connie:
I am surprised they couldn’t come to a decision on the new disciple without casting lots. They somehow got it down to two. They seem to have been able to follow God’s direction on everything else, down to the smallest details.

David:
When the foundations of Heaven’s gate are described as inscribed with the names of the 12 apostles, I always wonder whose name is on the 12th stone. Matthias? Paul? Certainly not Judas.

 
VERSE TO REMEMBER:
Connie, Josh; Steve:
1:8 — “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

David:
1:4-5 — “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ ”

 
LESSON TO TAKE AWAY:
David:
The turning of this world upside-down by the Gospel was accomplished by more than devotion and good intentions. They had to wait for power from on high.

Josh:
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

There are a lot of people, both Christian and not so such, who try to put a date to the plans of God. Scripture is quite clear that we can\’t know these things; they are not for us to know. There is real danger in trying to learn what God himself has said is His alone to know, particularly as it distracts us from the great things with which we have been entrusted.

 
CONCLUSION:
David:
I am so excited! The second chapter of Acts is up next!!


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1 Comment to “Bible Discussion — Acts 1”

  1. Bible Discussion — Jonah 3-4 : Bweinh! on February 3rd, 2009 11:06 pm

    […] | 12 | 13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 Esther: 1-2 | 3-5 | 6-8 | 9-10 Acts: 1 | 2 | 3-4 | 5 | 6-7 | 8 | 9-10 | 11-12 | 13-1415-16 | 17-18 | 19-20 | 21-22 | 23-24 | 25-26 | 27-28 […]

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