8/9/2019 Acts Connect Group Study Wk1

1/2[1]

~T.S. Eliot

Someone said, "The dead

writers are remote from us

because we know so much

more than they did."Precisely, and they arethat which we know.

August 2010

Connect Group & Personal Study

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF ACTS:In this study we will be looking at the writer of Acts (Luke) and the background and context ofwhen it was written, as well as the significance of it for us at Cross Central.

The Value of Perspective:

Perspective, like punctuation,

makes a vast difference in

meaning. Read through the

paragraph below without

punctuation, and then put the

appropriate full stops and

commas to change the mood of

the passage.

he is a young man yet

experienced in vice and

wickedness he is never found in

opposing the works of sin he

takes delight in the downfall of

his neighbors he never rejoicesin the prosperity of his friends

he is always ready to help in

destroying the peace of society

he takes no pleasure in serving

the Lord he is uncommonly

active in spreading hatred

among his friends he takes no

pride in helping to promote the

cause of Christianity he has

never been careless in trying to

teardown the church he makes

no effort to overcome his evil

passions he strives hard to build

up Satan's kingdom he lends no

aid to the support of the Gospel

among heathenpeople he

contributes largely to the devil

he will never go to heaven hemust go wherehe will receive

his just reward

8/9/2019 Acts Connect Group Study Wk1

2/2[2]

Just as punctuation is

important to make sense of

a story, so it is important to

understand the

background of any writing

to appreciate it's fullmeaning.

TEXT:

Read Lk 1:1-4 & Acts

1:1-2

DISCUSSIONLuke began his book,

which we call the Acts, by

continuing his story where

he ended it in the Gospel.

His Gospel had described

Jesus' work in Galilee,

Judea and especiallyJerusalem. It ended, as

did the other three

Gospels, with Jesus'

death and resurrection.

Acts continues the

story. It describes the

growth of the church and

the spread of the gospel

from Jerusalem to

important cities of the

Roman Empire, and then

Rome itself. Luke was one

of the few writers to

explain why he wrote his

works, and this helps us to

know what his purposes

were. Knowing his aims

makes us better able to

understand Acts.

1. Why would Luke need towrite and orderly account?

2. What is the importance

of the book of Acts?

3. What are some things to

think about when reading thebook of Acts?

4. What information did

Luke want to convey to his

readers?

REFLECTIONS THISWEEK:The importance ofhaving background and

context when reading and

studying God's Word. How

has this study helped you

in better understanding

the book of Acts as we

begin our "Unstoppable"

series?

PRAYER FOR THE WEEK:

Write a personal prayer

from this study, as well as

any prayer requests from

other members of the

connect group that you

can pray for during the

week.

My Prayer:

Group Prayer: