Acts Chapter 15 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for December 14 - December 20, 2006
(Read Acts 15 Online)

Reflections on Acts 15 byMark Chesner, Coach

You know, there are some days when looking in the Yellow Pages under "churches" can make you dizzy. There are Catholic churches, Protestant churches, there are Evangelical churches, Baptist churches, Methodist churches, Wesleyan churches, Lutheran churches, Eastern Orthodox churches, Russian Orthodox churches, and the list goes on and on and on. It is easy to wonder, "How can so many Christians disagree on so many things, if there is one God and one Christ?" After all, we see the church agreeing on everything in Acts, right?

In Acts 15, we see that Christians do not always agree, and sometimes the disagreements are passionate. Now that the church has finally gotten used to the idea of Gentiles joining the church, the debate changes gears to a new question. "If Gentiles are welcome in the Church, how 'Jewish' do they have to act in order to stay in the Church?" And the Pharisee Christians believe the answer is obvious: Christian means acting like Jesus did in all things, and Jesus followed the Law of Moses and was circumcized. Therefore, Gentile Christians must do the same things!

(Please note that calling these people "of the party of the Pharisees" was not an insult. They were people who honestly had been Pharisees beforehand, and had become Christians upon hearing the words of Christ or of the apostles. These days we tend to think of 'Pharisee' as an insult, meaning 'hypocrite', but at the time it referred to a political party and way of thinking. More like saying in our day "of the part of the Democrats" or "of the party of the Republicans.")

But rather than get into an all-out shouting match, as some Christians in our time might do, the Christians of that time did the right thing. They got together and talked it out. They listened carefully to the recognized spiritual leaders: Peter, Paul, Barnabus, and James. And they came to a consensus and a compromise.

And then they did one more important thing. They not only came to a decision amongst themselves, but they sent back the full decision to Antioch - where the debate had first begun. They let no one doubt the decision, and made sure that it was clear that it was the decision not just of Peter, not just of Paul, but of the whole assembly.

When you see debates and divisions within the church, keep in mind this model from Acts 15. Don't grumble or just walk away from a disagreement. Start a discussion, look for spiritual elders, and try to bring about a consensus.

Questions to Consider
- When have you seen a division in the church that seemed insoluable?
- When have you walked away from a spiritual debate, rather than try to come to common ground with another Christian?
- Do you think there would ever be a time that the consensus would be wrong? Why?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 15
C. The Council at Jerusalem Concerning the Gentile Mission (15:1-35)
1. The Occasion: Judaizers in Antioch (15:1-5)
2. The Meeting of the Apostles and Elders at Jerusalem (15:6-21)
a. The Setting (15:6-7a)
b. Peter’s Message (15:7b-11)
c. Barnabas’ and Paul’s Testimony (15:12)
d. James’ Concluding Thoughts (15:13-21)
3. The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers (15:22-35)
a. The Selection of Barnabas and Paul as Letter-Bearers (15:22)
b. The Contents of the Letter (15:23-29)
c. The Response in Antioch (15:30-35)
D. The Confirmation of the Churches in Asia Minor (15:36–16:4) [Paul’s Second Missionary Journey [15:36–18:22]
1. The Dispute between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (15:36-41)
a. The Desire to Return (15:36)
b. The Discussion over John Mark (15:37-39a)
c. Barnabas and Mark Depart for Cyprus (15:39b)
d. Paul and Silas Depart for Tarsus (15:40-41)

Acts Chapter 14 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for December 7 - December 14, 2006
(Read Acts 14 Online)

Reflections on Acts 14 by Mark Chesner, Coach

Currently, we are experiencing something in the church many are calling a "Praise Movement" where Christians try to "rediscover" praise as a center of the Christian experience. Christian rock bands are sometimes moving away from their own original music toward "praise albums" where they sing traditional or modern spiritual songs with the intention of leading others in praising God. Sometimes it can even be hard to find a CD on the shelf for a Christian band that has original music on it, because everyone is doing yet another version of "Awesome God" or "Shout To the North". The current Christian culture is steeped in "praise", it seems. But what is the proper way to regard "praise"?

Scripture often uses contrasts to remind us that we all reach the same decisions, but that there is a right way to go and a wrong way to go. In Acts 12 and Acts 14 we see the same situation coming about to two different people. First, in Acts 12:21-25 we see Herod give such a magnificent speech that the people start calling him "a god". In Acts 14:11-18, we see Paul and Barnabus perform a miracle and the people start calling them "gods". The situation is almost identical, but their responses are very different.

Herod, hearing the praise, leans back and soaks it in. He knows that he is no god, but probably figures it can't hurt and might even help his mission to Tyre and Sidon for the people to feel a little awe. After all, it makes them more likely to accept his decisions later on when they start talking about the food supply. But God doesn't see it that way. He sees plenty of harm in people glorifying another person as a God, and immediately punishes Herod with death.

Paul and Barnabus on the other hand, react very differently. They hear people calling them Zeus and Hermes, and immediately rip their clothes (a traditional sign of Jewish mourning) and run around trying to convince anyone who would listen that they were not gods, but that there was only one God and only He deserved praise and worship. They do manage to convince the people, but not without making them mad enough to try and stone Paul. But God spares him and he survives.

What is the lesson here? Proper praise is not about us. It is not about making us feel good or special or even making our eay in life easier. Proper praise is for God, about God, and focussed on God. Anytime we see someone trying to glorify us, we should be turning them toward God. And any time we feel tempted to use praise to bring attention to ourselves, we should remind ourselves that we're not gods, no matter how beautiful we are, no matter how wonderfully we speak or sing, and no matter how talented or intelligent we may be..

Praise is a wonderful thing, but there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it.

Questions to Consider
- When have you accepted praise that should rightfully have gone to God?
- Have you ever been tempted to use praise music to bring attention to yourself, instead of God?
- When have you let others think something special about you - talent, intelligence, looks, etc. - was due to your own specialness, rather than God's gift to you?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 14
3. South Galatia: Iconium, Lystra, Derbe (13:51–14:21a)
a. In Iconium: Jewish and Gentile Response (13:51–14:5)
b. In Lystra and Derbe (14:6-21a)
1) From Iconium to Lystra and Derbe (14:6-7)
2) A Healing in Lystra (14:6-18)
a) The Healing of a Man Crippled from Birth (14:8-10)
b) The Response of the Crowd (14:11-14)
c) The Message of Paul and Barnabas (14:15-18)
d) The Stoning of Paul (14:19)
3) Escape to Derbe (14:20-21a)
4. Return to Antioch (14:21b-28)

Acts Chapter 13 Study Guide is ONLINE

Family Study Guide for November 30 - December 6, 2006
(Read Acts 13 Online)

Reflections on Acts 13 by Matt Chesner, Coach

Ever get so excited about telling someone something that you begin your story in the middle? Have you ever been out with friends or family and been thinking about something while a different conversation is going on and started your conversation in the middle of your thoughts instead of the beginning? Some of us have gotten a Quiz Team nickname from this. (”cough...Wang...cough.” Excuse the writer, he must have a cold.) We have all done this at one time or another. What we fail to do is give context to our story or thoughts. Instead, we assume everyone knows where our train of thought has come from and where it is going.

In chapter 13 Paul is sure to bring his audience along from the beginning to the end of his argument that Jesus is the fulfillment of scripture. He gives a quick review of Jewish history and then quotes Old Testament verses that Jesus fulfilled. His audience is sure to understand his line of thought. Even if the non-gentiles there were not thrilled with the message.

Do we as Christians forget to give context when we are sharing about God with our friends? Or do we sometimes start our arguments for moral causes assuming that the person we are talking to understands our background and where we are coming from. We must remember that even when we think we are talking to those of like mind, it is a good idea to give our comments some context. Our words and message will be better understood and perhaps we will bring more people to Christ.

Questions to Consider
- When was the last time you were so excited about something that you started your story in the middle?
- Have you ever tried sharing your faith with someone, but forgot to give context to your testimony?
- How can we follow Paul's example when sharing our faith with those who don't have much Bible knowledge?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 13
A. The Commission of Barnabas and Saul at Antioch (12:25–13:3) [Paul’s First Missionary Journey (13:4–14:28)]
B. The Mission of Barnabas and Paul In Asia Minor (13:4–14:28)
1. Cyprus (13:4-12)70
a. From Antioch to Seleucia to Cyprus (13:4)
b. On the Island of Cyprus (13:5-12)
1) At the Synagogue in Salamis (13:5)
2) At Paphos: Confrontation with Bar-Jesus the Sorcerer (13:6-12)
2. Pisidian Antioch (13:13-52)
a. From Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia: John Mark’s Departure (13:13)
b. From Perga to Pisidian Antioch (13:14a)
c. In Pisidian Antioch (13:14b-52)
1) Paul’s Message on the Sabbath (13:14b-41)
a) Setting (13:14b-15)
b) Introduction (13:16)
c) Body (13:17-37)
1] Preparation for Christ in the OT (13:17-22)
2] Proclamation of Christ to the Hearers (13:23-37)
d) Application (13:38-41)
2) Initial Jewish Response to Paul’s Message (13:42-43)
3) Later Gentile Response and Jewish Opposition to Paul’s Gospel (13:44-50)
3. South Galatia: Iconium, Lystra, Derbe (13:51–14:21a)
a. In Iconium: Jewish and Gentile Response (13:51–14:5)