Acts Study Questions #7
Serving the Lord with your hands and life.
Acts 6:1- 8:1
INTRODUCTION: The first five chapters of Acts have seen the establishment of the church in Jerusalem and the beginnings of opposition to it because of its preaching of Jesus. In the next main section of Acts we see the missionary work of the church beginning to expand in various ways.
- First, we have the story of the increase in the church in Jerusalem and its spread among Greek-speaking Jews; this led to the martyrdom of Stephen (6:1–8:3).
- Secondly, we have the spread of the church to Samaria (8:4–25).
- Thirdly, there is the conversion of an Ethiopian (8:26–40).
- Fourthly, there is the conversion of Saul, who was to be the most significant Christian missionary to the Gentiles (9:1–30). The Jewish persecution of the Christians comes to a peak in the death of Stephen, but at the same time this incident leads to the geographical spread of the church and hence to the beginnings of witness outside the strict limits of Judaism; the ground is being prepared for the critical question of the place of non-Jews within the church.[1]
This next section is going to start off by giving us a vivid picture of the type of faithfulness that is valued in the Kingdom of God. Stephen’s story is an amazing one. But, it starts fairly anonymously. Yes, we all remember the way he died and his bold faithfulness at that moment. But, it was the many years of faithfulness in the little things that resulted in a call to serve and ended in faithfulness in death. What we really need to see in his story is, ordinary faithfulness is an extraordinary thing.
GETTING STARTED – Faithfulness is a highly valued trait. As you start your time together, share about someone from your life that is faithful and how their example is powerful to you. Or, talk about how being faithful in the small things led to something larger that required even more faithfulness.
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
[1] I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 5, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980), 132–133.