Acts Chapter 20 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for January 26, 2006 - January 31, 2007
(Read Acts 20 Online)

Reflections on Acts 20 by Mark Chesner, Coach

Middle School and High School are times of uncertainty. You are emerging from the person you were raised to be, and becoming the person you are deciding to be. You are making choices, for good or for bad, that will shape the person you will be for the rest of your life. Whether the choice is the friends you hang out with, the activities you do after school, or the college you are looking to attend after graduation, every choice seems critically important and every decision seems so unclear.

It may surprise some to see that Paul was going through something similar in Acts chapter 20, as he turns and considers his next trip to Jerusalem.

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
Acts 20:22-24

At this point in Paul's ministry, he has emerged from a clear path of his missionary journeys He has gone from town to town, from province to privince, preaching and teaching. He has faced riots, stoning, prison, and worse. He now knows that he has another journey ahead of him - the Holy Spirit is speaking to him clearly - and now he has to make the choice to go... or to flee instead. He knows that if he goes to Jerusalm, things will only get worse for him. But he also knows it is the course that God would have him take.

So, what does Paul do? First, he reviews where he has been, and what God has done for him.

You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Acts 20:20-21

Then he looks ahead and knows that the right choice is to follow God's priompting. he warns his friends about the hardships he sees for them, but does not worry about the hardships he himself wil face.

As you come to the big decisions in your life, remember Paul's approach to decision-making. Listen for the Holy Spirit's prompting. Look back to what you have done, and what God has done for you. Understand realistically the challenges ahead. But do not let the challenges stop you from following the course God has laid out in front of you.

Questions to Consider
- What big life decisions are you facing today? What little life decisions may easily become "big" if you let them?
- What is the Holy Spirit leading you toward?
- How can you both recognize the challenges to come, and still go forward without worrying about them?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 20
C. The Journey to Jerusalem (20:1–21:16)
1. Through Macedonia and Greece (20:1-6)
2. In Troas: The Raising of Eutychus (20:7-12)
3. From Troas to Miletus (20:13-17)
4. In Miletus: Farewell Message to the Ephesian Elders (20:18-38)
a. Paul’s Message (20:18-35)
b. The Elders’ Response (20:36-38)

Acts Chapter 19 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for January 18, 2006 - January 25, 2007
(Read Acts 19 Online)

Reflections on Acts 19 by Mark Chesner, Coach

Studying is hard work. I hardly need to tell this to quizzers and teens who are still in school. You know that your life from dawn to dusk (and often beyond) is consumed with learning new things, and preparing for that next exam that is around the corner. One of the reasons we quiz - instead of just reading the bible together 0- is that a quiz meet is a deadline which forces us to work hard to learn and be ready by a certain time.

But it is easy to get complacent in our Christian walk, and to think that once we have learned a little bit about God that it is enough. Humans are naturally lazy, and it is inevitable for most of us at some point to think, "I learned about Jesus, I got saved, my ticket to heaven is punched and ready to go. So why do I need to keep studying the Bible? Why do I need to go to Sunday School, study for Bible Quizzing, or listen to the sermon on Sunday?"

Acts 19 gives us three examples of people who thought they knew "enough", but were quickly proved wrong by events.

First, we meet the believers at Ephesus. They are called "disciples" which indicates they knew about Jesus and believed they were following Him correctly. They thought they knew everything they needed to know. But Paul arrives and asks them a very simple question, "Do you know about the Holy Spirit?" But they had no idea what he was talking about. Knowing about Jesus was good - it was a start. But it was not enough, and their lives are transformed by Paul's teaching and the laying on of hands.

Second, we meet the seven sons of Sceva, who are a very different sort. They probably are not believers. But they have heard Paul speak and they have seen the miracles that he has been doing. They note the form by which Paul casts out demons: always invoke the name of Jesus and tell them to come out. They figure that Paul is doing magic the same way that other magicians do, and it is all about knowing the proper incantation. So they go to a demon-posessed man and try their luck. And they get beaten severely, when the demon tells them he knows all about Jesus and Paul but that has nothing to do with them. Again, they have a little knowledge, but not enough for the task at hand.

Third, we meet a group of former sorcerers who have amassed GREAT knowledge. They have a library of books about magic of great value (50,000 drachmas - a drachma is a day's wage for the average worker - about $3,000,000 if we assume an 8 hour day and use he current minimum wage for comparison). But these people, after listening to Paul, have come to understand that they have invested in the wrong knowledge. So, they burn this great library, and turn to learning about the new life instead.

As Christians, we should never assume we have "learned it all" or even "learned enough." We should recognize like the Ephesian believers that we need to be looking for the truths we have not learned, we need to recognize unlike the seven sons of Sceva that we may need to learn more before we try to be a superstar, and like the former sorcerers we need to make sure what we are learning is beneficial in an eternal sense, or else let it go.

Questions to Consider
- What can you do to ensure you are always looking for more knowledge of God and His gospel?
- What is a task you have ahead of you that you need to ensure you truly have the right amount of knowledge and experience about, before you try to do it?
- What is one bit of knowledge or interest that you might need to leave behind in order to follow Christ?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 19
3. In Ephesus (19:1-19)
a. With Twelve Disciples of John (19:1-7)
b. In the Synagogue of the Jews (19:8-9a)
c. In the Lecture Hall of Tyrannus (19:9b-10)
d. In Conflict with the Occult (19:11-19)
H. Conclusion of Book Six (19:20)
VII. Book Seven: The Extension of the Church to Rome (19:21–28:31)
A. The Plan Announced (19:21-22)
B. The Riot in Ephesus (19:22-41)
1. The Accusations by the Silversmiths (19:22-27)
2. The Demonstration in the Theater (19:28-34)
3. The Quieting of the Mob by the Town Clerk (19:35-41)

Acts Chapter 18 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for January 11, 2006 - January 17, 2007
(Read Acts 18 Online)

Reflections on Acts 18 by Mark Chesner, Coach

As a teenager, life seems like a very ordered and well-planned operation. You're born, you grow up, you enter grade school, play soccer, learn to play a musical instrument, go to middle school, join youth group, enter high school, take the S.A.T.'s, find a college, graduate, get a job, get married, and so on. Especially those of us here in America tend to think that there is one way of doing a "normal" life, and that we need to plan for every step along the way.

But in Acts 18, we are reminded that while God wants us to be thoughtful and considerate about our plans, His plans for us are not always those we can predict. Paul comes to Corinth and sets up shop with two local tentmakers. He preaches in the synogogue and in the main thoroughfares of town. Based on past experience, we would now expect Paul to be opposed by the local Jewish leaders and driven out of town. But God changes things up this time. Paul finds opposition, but they can not get the local authority to punish him. This time, suddenly, Paul has a chance to put down some roots, and preach for over a year! It would appear that God has decided Paul's place for the rest of his life. But that was not God's plan. Instead, God sends Paul to Syria and Ephesus. And as he leaves Ephesus, Paul says something that sums up his view of God's working in his life.

But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
Acts 18:21

Paul realizes that his life is not his own to plan. God takes His people where He will, whether it fits with their plans or not. We need to realize the same thing. Even as we plan for the future, we need to be open when God's plans and our plans are not the same. And we need to be ready to be obedient and realize that His plans are the better ones!


Questions to Consider
- What plans do you have for your life that God may think differently about?
- What is one promise you want to make, that you need to add "if it is God's will" to the end of?
- When have you see God change your plans for you? Are you ready for the next time?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 18
E. Corinth (18:1-18a)
1. With Aquila and Priscilla: Tentmaking and Preaching (18:1-4)
2. With Silas and Timothy: Eighteen Months of Ministry (18:5-11)
3. Before Gallio (18:12-18a)
F. Return to Antioch (18:18b-22)
1. From Cenchrea to Ephesus to Caesarea (18:18b-22a)
2. Arrival in Antioch (18:22b)
G. Ephesus (18:23–19:19) [Paul’s Third Missionary Journey (18:23–21:16)]
1. Return to the Galatian-Phrygian Region (18:23)
2. Apollos in Ephesus: Forerunner to Paul (18:24-28)
a. Apollos’ Arrival in Ephesus (18:24)
b. Apollos’ Instruction by Aquila and Priscilla (18:25-26)
c. Apollos’ Departure for Corinth (18:27-28)

Acts Chapter 17 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for January 4, 2006 - January 10, 2007
(Read Acts 17 Online)

Reflections on Acts 17 by Mark Chesner, Coach

There is an interesting idea that you can see floating around the American airwaves. It is that a religious person must be fundamentally illogical - a slave to their emotions, who is somehow weak in needing God as a "crutch". This idea is commonly espoused by atheists and agnostics on the airwaves, as they attempt to tear down religious arguments and assumptions, and for some reason many Christians have accepted this. They tend to assume they need to check their brain at the door of the church on Sunday, and pick it up again for school or work on Monday.

Acts 17 shows us that this idea is simply wrong. As we see Paul going from town to town, and place to place within the towns, he is not acting the part of a hyper-emotional preacher, but rather carefully laying out the facts of Jesus's life and the logic of his identity as the Messiah. Consider these verses:

As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said.
Acts 17:2-3

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
Acts 17:11

So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. 18A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him.
Acts 17:17-18

You will note in each of these passages that Paul is not appealing to his audience's emotions and unreasoning fears, but rather to their minds. Furthermore, the author of Acts praises he Bereans especially because they did not take Paul's words at face value, but compared them to the prophecies in scripture! Apparently, Paul's favorite audience is the one who is intellectually engaged and eager to learn.

Christians need to be aware that when the world tells us that religious people are somehow inferiour intellectually, they are ignoring the evidence of history. Christians are a reasoning and reasonable people who are eager to find audiences who want to honestly evaluate the intellectual side of the gospel. Let us not forget that many of our modern heroes - Josh McDowell and C.S. Lewis among others - actually started out as atheists or agnostics who set out to disprove the claims of scripture. But scripture holds up under scrutiny, and general converts those who give it an honest evaluation.

Questions to Consider
- When has someone tried to convince you that Christianity is illogical? How did you answer them?
- Have you ever wondered why some of the greatest philosophers and scientists of the past were also devout believers? Do you think that is a coincidence or an accident of history, or an indication of something else?
- How can you bring your intellect to bear on scripture to prove out what it says?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 17
B. Thessalonica (17:1-9)
1. Through Amphipolis and Apollonia (17:1a)
2. In Thessalonica (17:1b-9)
a. Paul’s Proclamation in the Synagogue (17:1b-3)
b. The Conversion of Some Jews and Greeks (17:4)
c. The Hostility of other Jews (17:5-9)
C. Berea (17:10-14)
D. Athens (17:15-34)
1. Discussion in the Agora (17:15-18)
2. Dispute on the Areopagus (17:19-34)
a. Paul’s Message (17:19-31)
b. The Athenians’ Reaction (17:32-34)

Acts Chapter 16 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for December 27, 2006 - January 3, 2007
(Read Acts 16 Online)

Reflections on Acts 16 by Mark Chesner, Coach

There is a verse in Matthew that has always bothered me.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Matthew 10:16

As I read the verse the "innocent like doves" part makes perfect sense to me. It fits in with "turn the other cheek", "do unto others as you would have them do to you", "live at peace with all men", and the other commands that Jesus gave. But "shrewd as snakes"? That seems completely out of place here, doesn't it? The devil is depicted as a snake in Genesis, and we aren't supposed to be like him are we?

In Acts 16, we see this verse played out in the marketplace and jail of Macedonia. Paul and Silas start out preaching in the marketplace. But quickly they are joined by a woman who is posessed by a demon. The demon follows them around screaming out "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." At first glance, this seems like a great thing - a respected fortune teller calling upon the people of the city to listen to the missionaries. An "innocent dove" would be pleased. But you will note that she keeps it up day after day, and the "shrewd snake" in Paul recognizes what she is really doing - she is heckling the disciples and driving away the crowds who would quickly get tired of her same shout over and over and over again. So Paul casts the demon out of the woman, ending the scene.

But this displeases the woman's owners who were using her demon-inspired powers to earn money, so they have Paul and Silas publicly beaten, and thrown into prison. Now, we are back to seeing "innocent like doves" as Paul and Silas pray and sing to God in prison, as though they had not a care in the world. An earthquake comes and opens all the doors, and still they act the part of the "dove" by staying in prison despite an easy escape. This leads the jailer to listen to the gospel and become a Christian. Finally, a message comes from the magistrates: "Let them go", and Paul shifts back into "shrewd as a snake" mode. He notes that they were publicly beaten which will lead all the people to assume they are guilty. If they are released secretly because they are innocent, that won't change public opinion about them! So they force the local leaders to escort them out of prison, showing everyone they were innocent of any crime. Thus, no one is left to wonder if a servant of Christ was also a crook.

In serving Jesus, we are called upon to be innocents, viewing the world like a child. But we also need to use our minds critically, and seek to be shrewd in dealing with the world. Doing both gives us the balance that God is looking for as we seek to serve him.

Questions to Consider
- When have you seen a time when a Christian needed to be "shrewd as a snake"?
- When would it be important to set shrewdness aside, and just be "innocent like a dove"?
- What is a situation in your life that could use both innocence and shrewdness right now?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 16
2. In South Galatia (Derbe, Lystra): Timothy Joins Paul and Silas (16:1-4)
E. Conclusion of Book Five (16:5)
VI. Book Six: The Extension of the Church to the Aegean Area (16:6–19:20)
A. Philippi (16:6-40)
1. Throughout the Phrygian-Galatian Region (16:6)
2. To Troas in Mysia (16:7-8a)
3. Paul’s Vision: Come to Macedonia (16:8b-10)
4. Troas to Samothrace to Neapolis to Philippi (16:11)
5. In Philippi (16:12-40)
a. The Conversion of Lydia (16:12-15)
b. The Exorcism of a Slave Girl (16:16-18)
c. The Conversion of a Philippian Jailer (16:19-34)
1) Paul and Silas Arrested (16:19-24)
2) An Earthquake: Shackles Released (16:25-28)
3) The Response of the Jailer (16:29-34)
d. The Release of Paul and Silas (16:35-40)