Acts 24 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for February 22, 2006 - Feburary 28, 2007
(Read Acts 24 Online)

Reflections on Acts 24 by Mark Chesner, Coach

There are times in our lives when it seems like God takes forever to answer our prayers. When I was a child, my father was diagnosed with brain cancer. It was a tumor and we prayed unceasingly for his healing. He had one surgery to remove the tumor, but God held off his answer and the tumor returned a few years later. He had a second surgery to remove a tumor, but God held off His answer to our prayers, and after a number of years another tumor returned. My father went in for surgery one last time, and came out and we learned that God had finally given His answer to our prayer for healing: No. My father died a few months later.

But in our impatience for an answer, we might have failed to see that God's lack of an answer was all part of His plan for our lives. When my father was first diagnosed with cancer, I was in fifth grade. Second time, I was a teenager. When he died, I was in college. While God had held off his final answer for us, in doing so He had given us what we all really wanted - time for my father to live to see his sons grow into young men.

We see this same principle here in Acts 24. Paul is brought before a Roman court and a Roman governor. Governor Felix hears the case against Paul, and his defense, and apparently understands Christianity well enough that he knows Paul is no threat to the Empire. Paul's friends and companions must have been praying daily for Paul's freedom, and his vindication before the court. But God had other plans and held off his answer of these prayers. But in doing so, He gave Paul two more years to live and to be a witness to the court of Felix. And we will see in the next chapter that these same sets of circumstances will allow Paul to be a witness for Christ before more and more important officials, until finally he will be sent to Rome.

Remember, when God appears to not be answering your prayers, the non-answer may be better for you in the long run than the answer you are looking for.

Questions to Consider
- Is God withholding His answer to a prayer in your life?
- How has the waiting for an answer affected you? What has it given you time to do, and to think about?
- When you pray to God, do you ever consider that His answer to your request may be "No"?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 24
2. The Trial before Felix (24:1-26)
a. Accusations of the Jews (24:1-9)
b. Defense of Paul (24:10-21)
c. Adjournment by Felix (24:22-23)
d. Intermittent Interviews by Felix (24:24-26)
3. The Trial before Festus (24:27–25:12)
a. Felix Replaced by Festus (24:27)

Acts 23 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for February 15, 2006 - Feburary 21, 2007
(Read Acts 23 Online)

Reflections on Acts 23 by Matt Chesner, Coach

Great political candidates not only know what they want to do if elected, but know how to control the debate. They can take any question and bring it back to the themes that they want to discuss or sometimes more importantly, to the issues that their opponents don't want to discuss. The gracefully take the conversation from one place to another to give themselves the advantage in their current situation. We often think of this as a negative, but we can see in Chapter 23 that Paul does this after being brought before the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem.

Paul deflects criticism for a time by changing the issues that are being debated and turns some who oppose him into his allies. In Acts 23:6-9 Paul turns his accusers against each other by bringing up classic difference between the Sadducees and Pharisees. The Pharisees turn to support Paul based on the fact that he is a Pharisee. This seems like it may save him, but in the end Paul is rescued by the Roman authorities.

Paul sets an example for us that although we should not manipulate others for evil gain, it is OK to use the mind that God gave us in creative ways to get out of unjust situations.

Questions to Consider
- When have you been in a difficult situation where creative thinking did or could have saved you?
- Is Paul's example really a good one or is he setting a bad example?
- What groups in Modern Christianity might have these same type of issues?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 23
5. Paul before the Sanhedrin (22:30–23:10)
a. Confrontation with the High Priest (22:30–23:5)
b. Dispute over the Resurrection (23:6-10)
6. Night Vision of the Lord (23:11)
7. The Plot to Kill Paul (23:12-22)
a. The Plot by the Jews (23:12-15)
b. The Revelation to the Romans (23:16-22)
8. The Protection of the Romans (23:23-30)
a. Protection provided (23:23-24)
b. Cover-Letter Written (23:25-30)
E. Paul in Caesarea (23:31–26:32)
1. A Roman Escort to Caesarea (23:31-35)

Acts 22 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for February 8, 2006 - Feburary 14, 2007
(Read Acts 22 Online)

Reflections on Acts 22 by Mark Chesner, Coach

Often in reading the Bible, it seems like when we call ourselves Christian, we can not be anything else. Jesus says that He must be the most important person in our lives, and that even family can not come before our walk with God. God is a jealous God, wanting everything of us. Does this mean that we can not also be other things? Can we still be part of families? Can we be Americans? Can we ally ourselves with sports teams, with schools, with hobbies? Or does God want our only identity to be Christian?

We gain a glimpse into this issue in Acts 22, where Paul is facing torture after having been shouted down by a crowd of riotous Israelites.

As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, "Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn't even been found guilty?"
Acts 22:25

We see here, as Paul in the midst of suffering for his faith, that he uses his identity as something other than Christian to further his Christian witness. By claiming Roman citizenship, he saves himself from further flogging, and ultimately this appeal will lead him to Rome where he will be able to witness to those of the Emperor's court.

God uses every part of us to serve His Will. While our primary identity shoud be as His child, He will make use of those other identities that we take on and the other groups we join with. We should not be afraid to reach out, and to always be looking for ways that our activities "outside church" can be used to glorify God.

Questions to Consider
- How has something you do outside of church been used to glorify God?
- What is one activity you take part in, where you can use the time to witness to others?
- What is one identity other than "Christian" that God can use?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 22
b. Recounting His Conversion (22:1-11)
c. Recounting His Call (22:12-21)
4. The Disclosure of Paul’s Roman Citizenship (22:22-29)
5. Paul before the Sanhedrin (22:30–23:10)
a. Confrontation with the High Priest (22:30–23:5)

Acts Chapter 21 Study Guide

Family Study Guide for February 1, 2006 - Feburary 7, 2007
(Read Acts 21 Online)

Reflections on Acts 21 by Jim Brake, Head Coach

In chapter 20:22 Paul declares that he is now headed for Jerusalem. Chapter 21 begins with Paul setting sail and heading for Jerusalem. Along the way the ship stops at several ports. In Caesarea Paul stays with Philip the evangelist one of the Seven. This is one of the men chosen to oversee the distribution of food to the widows in Jerusalem in chapter 6. It is also probably the same man who had the encounter with the Ethiopian in chapter 8.

Next we see Agabus the prophet for the second time. We first saw him in chapter 11 when he predicted a famine in Jerusalem. Now he is predicting that Paul will be bound in Jerusalem. Although Paul’s companions try to persuade Paul not to continue on to Jerusalem because of this prophecy but Paul will not be dissuaded.

When Paul finally arrives in Jerusalem he is greeted by James and all the elders. They are pleased to hear all that God has been doing among the Gentiles through Paul’s ministry. They are concerned however that some Jews will falsely accuse Paul of persuading Jews to break the Law of Moses. To avoid this they convinced Paul to join in and pay for the purification rites of 4 men who had made a vow. This was done to disprove any rumors that Paul tried to discourage Jews from following the Law and customs of Moses. Why would he pay for these men’s vows if he was encouraging them not to take them?

It is not wrong for Jewish believers to continue to follow the customs of Moses (v. 24). Paul would later write that he would become all thing to all men so as to win some (1 Cor. 9:22). The Old Testament sacrificial system is no longer necessary for the covering of sins (Leviticus 16). Salvation is through acceptance of Jesus who is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). Neither Jew of Gentile is bound to the Law of Moses (Romans). Just as it is acceptable for Jews to follow Jewish customs it is also not necessary especially for Gentile believers (v. 25). So that the earlier decision by this same group as to the requirements for Gentile believers not be confused they are again reiterated. Gentile believers are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. We would be better off today as American Christians if we would simply follow the standards set forth by the first century elders here and in Chapter 15. A word to the wise is sufficient.

Questions to Consider
- What does it mean to be "all things to all men"? Is it hypocrisy or just reaching out?
- Why did God set aside the Old Testament system for Gentile believers?
- Why does Paul agree to pay for the vow costs of some Jews?

Bible.Org Outline for Acts 21
5. From Miletus to Tyre (21:1-6)
6. From Tyre to Caesarea (21:7-14)
a. Staying with Philip (21:7-9)
b. The Prediction of Agabus (21:10-14)
7. Arrival at Jerusalem (21:15-16)
D. Paul In Jerusalem (21:17–23:30)
1. The Meeting with James and the Elders (21:17-26)
2. The Arrest of Paul in the Temple (21:27-36)
3. The Address of Paul to the Crowd (21:37–22:21)
a. The Request to Speak (21:37-40)