Lying (Acts 5)

1. What's wrong with Ananias keeping part of the proceeds from the sale (Ac 5:1-4)? Why did he do that (Ac 4:36-37)? What percent of your total assets belong to Jesus?

2. How serious of a sin is lying (Ac 5:5-6; Exo 20:16; Rev 21:8)? How serious are all other sins (1 Cor 15:3; Rom 6:23a)?
   

3. Why did Peter ask Sapphira and learn from her answer (Ac 5:8-9)? Did Peter kill her (Ac 5:10)? Were Ananias and Sapphira Christians? How did this affect the church (Ac 5:11)? Who are "Christians" who disobey God (Jn 14:21; Mt 7:21-23)?

4. Why did they keep gathering at Solomon's Colonnade/Porch (Ac 5:12; 2:46; 3:11)? Why did and did not dare to "join" the Christians (Ac 5:13-14)?

5. How busy were they during this time of rapid church growth (Ac 5:15)? Who were healed (Ac 5:16) Does God still grant miraculous healing today?

6. What could happen when God blesses Christians (Ac 5:17-18)? What did an angel of the Lord do (Ac 5:19-21a)? What did the religious leaders find out and do (Ac 5:21-28)?

7. What did Peter and the apostles do (Ac 5:29-32)? How did Gamaliel persuade the Sanhedrin not to kill the apostles (Ac 5:33-40)?

8. How did the apostles respond to being flogged and warned (Ac 5:41-42)?

Boldness and Courage (Acts 4)

1. Who were the 3 Jewish authorities who approached Peter and John while they were speaking (Ac 4:1)? Who were the Sadducees and what did they believe (Mk 12:18; Lk 20:27; Mt 22:23)? What upset them about Peter's preaching (Ac 4:2-3)? Why do those in positions of power feel threatened by those with a Spirit of power (Mk 10:42-44; Ac 1:8; 2 Tim 1:7)?
2. What did those who heard the message believe (Ac 4:4; 3:13-16, 17-26)? Why is "salvation ... found in no one else" (Ac 4:12; Jn 14:6)? Why is this exclusive claim controversial and hard to embrace [for unbelievers and skeptics]? How crucial is this claim for the church to hold on to?
3. Why were the religious leaders astonished [alarmed, angry, agitated, annoyed] by the courage of Peter and John (Ac 4:13)? What gave them their remarkable courage? How can you have such boldness and courage today (Ac 1:8; 2 Tim 1:7)?
4. Why could they not suppress their message (Ac 4:14-16, 21-22)? Why could Peter and John not obey their command to stop speaking and teaching in Jesus' name (Ac 4:17-20)?
5. What did the Apostles do on being released (Ac 4:23-24)? Why should we spend as much time praying 'after an incident' as before it? What Psalm did they quote and what were the main points in their prayer (Ac 4:25-26, 27-30; Ps 2:1-2)? How do you use the Bible in your prayer life? To aid your prayer life? What was the immediate result of their prayers (Ac 4:31)?
6. What were the after effects of their prayers (Ac 4:32-36)? What have you learnt that could help your prayer life?

https://www.bibleversestudy.com/acts/acts4-bible-study-questions.htm

https://wordlibrary.co.uk/article.php?id=327

The Breaking of Bread (Acts 2:42)

• Have we replaced the Lord's Supper with "one guy and his pulpit"?
• Have we memorialised and marginalized the Lord's Supper to elevate the role of preaching?
• Do you believe in Jesus's presence at the Supper? Should we have a high view of the Supper?

There is a particular chapel that had a communion table with a stained-glass window above it depicting the scene from the Gospels where the women visited the empty tomb. The words of the angel to the women, "He is not here!" were inscribed underneath the window. So, ironically, whenever you looked at the communion table, you could see the words "He is not here!" Does this sum up how many people feel about the Lord's Supper (or Communion or Eucharist)? Jesus is remembered, but he is not present! But that is a deficient view of the Supper; Jesus' presence is the whole point!

Paul says, "For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Cor 11:26). So the meal looks forward to the Lord's bodily return and thus presupposes his bodily absence in the interim. So whatever presence we have in the Eucharist, it is not Jesus's physical body that is present since his glorified body is exclusively located in heaven.

There is no denial by anyone, including Catholic and Orthodox, that the Eucharist is a memorial meal of sorts since the Eucharist commemorates and celebrates the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. However, there is clearly more to the Eucharist than the memory of Jesus's death and reminding us that Christ is with us.

Consider the two travelers to Emmaus. They told the disciples how they met Jesus on their journey and how he was made known "to them in the breaking of the bread" (Luke 24:35). The eucharistic echoes are transparent here. Luke is evidently pointing ahead to Acts 2, where the disciples were dedicated to "breaking bread" together in their fellowship (Acts 2:42, 46). When the disciples met together to break bread, they also met with Jesus in the bread.

In addition, Paul teaches about a real encounter with Christ through the elements. Through the wine, there is a real "participation" in the blood of Christ, and through the bread, there is a real "participation" in the body of Christ (1 Cor 10:16). The Greek word for "participation" is koinōnia, meaning "fellowship" or "sharing." Plain as day, through bread and wine, we actually commune with Christ, and this communion requires an exclusive allegiance that forbids us from partaking of pagan sacrifices. The bread and wine of the Eucharist actually fosters a vertical communion with the exalted Christ and facilitates a closer horizontal relationship with fellow believers.

The other thing is that the early church quickly developed the notion of a real presence of Jesus at the Eucharist. Justin Martyr said, "For we do not receive these things as common bread or as common drink; but as Jesus Christ our Savior being incarnate by God's word who took on flesh and blood for our salvation, so also we have been taught that the food consecrated by the word of prayer which comes from him, from which our flesh and blood are nourished by transformation, is the flesh and blood of that incarnate Jesus" (1 Apol. 67). And Irenaeus declared, "For as the bread, which is produced from the earth, when it receives the invocation of God, is no longer common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of two realities, earthly and heavenly; so also our bodies, when they receive the Eucharist, are no longer corruptible, having the hope of the resurrection to eternity" (Adv. Haer. IV.18.5.) Ambrose of Milan argued for divine power to change the elements: "But if the word of Elijah had such power as to bring down fire from heaven, shall not the word of Christ have power to change the nature of the elements?" (De Mysteriis, 52). The early church probably arrived at this conclusion of a real presence by reading Jesus's words of institution (Matt 26:26–29) in light of the Johannine eucharistic discourse (John 6:26–65). The question is: What kind of presence is found in the Eucharist, and by what instrument is that presence communicated to us?

In the end, some think the Reformed position is the one that has the most explanatory power for understanding Jesus's presence in the Eucharist. The Reformed view is that the presence of Christ is not mediated through the church's mutation of the elements into Christ's body and blood (i.e., transubstantiation or consubstantiation). The presence of Christ is not restricted to the believer's faith, reducing the bread and wine to a memorial. The Holy Spirit energizes the elements to convey the presence of Christ and the grace that accompanies his work (see Michael Horton, People and Place, 124-53).

Also, Calvin's words from his Shorter Treatise on the Lord's Supper are robust on this matter:

We begin now to enter on the question so much debated, both anciently and at the present time—how we are to understand the words in which the bread is called the body of Christ, and the wine his blood. This may be disposed of without much difficulty, if we carefully observe the principle which I lately laid down, viz., that all the benefit which we should seek in the Supper is annihilated if Jesus Christ be not there given to us as the substance and foundation of all. That being fixed, we will confess, without doubt, that to deny that a true communication of Jesus Christ is presented to us in the Supper, is to render this holy sacrament frivolous and useless—an execrable blasphemy unfit to be listened to. 

You read him right! No presence means there is no point and no purpose to this meal. If there is no communication of Christ in and through the bread and wine, then this meal is an exercise in futility. But if Christ is present in the bread and the wine through the Spirit, we have here a means of grace, a harvest of blessings, and a real communion with Christ.

Healing and Refreshment (Acts 3)

Acts 3-7 describes the life and increase of the early church in Jerusalem (Ac 1:8a), and the simultaneous opposition to it from the Jewish religious leaders. Acts 3-4 is a drama in 3 parts:

1. The mighty work (3:1-10). Healing of a man lame from birth.
2. The mighty word (3:11-26). Peter preaches to the crowd his temple sermon, his 2nd sermon.
3. The mighty ones (4:1-21). The bold, brave courageous and ordinary apostles on trial.

1. What do we learn about prayer from Peter and John (Ac 3:1; 2:42; 4:24)? [The temple hours of prayer were set at the 3rd, 6th and 9th hours.]
2. What was the strategy of the lame man and/or those who "carried" and "put" him daily  at the temple (Ac 3:2-3)?  Putting yourself in the place of the beggar, how would you have felt about your life?
3. Why did Peter say, "Look at us!" (Ac 3:4)? Do you feel comfortable looking at and asking beggars to look at you? What was the beggar expecting (Ac 3:5)?
4. Did Peter have "silver and gold" (Ac 3:6; 2:45)? What is the value of "the name of Jesus" (Ac 3:6, 16; 4:10)? How do you respond when others ask for help? What do you have to give them? What has Peter and John experienced over the past 60 days that has changed them?
5. How quickly was the lame man healed (Ac 3:7)? What did he do (Ac 3:8)? How did the people respond (Ac 3:9-11; 2:22, 43)? To whom did the crowd attribute the miracle (Ac 3:12)? Could God use you to be part of a miracle? Why or why not?
6. Why did Peter connect Jesus with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ac 3:13a)? What did Peter accuse the Jews of doing (Ac 3:13-15; 2:23, 36; 4:10)? What did God do? Is this a justification for anti-semitism?
7. Were the Jews and their leaders ignorant in killing Jesus (Ac 3:17; Lk 23:34)? Who had foretold that the "Messiah would suffer" (Ac 3:18)?
8. What 3 successive blessings follow when you repent (Ac 3:19-21)? Explain these words along with refreshment that follow repentance: rest, respite, relief, restoration, regeneration, renewal.

9. What did Peter conclude with prophecies from Moses, Samuel and Abraham (Ac 3:22-25; Dt 18:15-16, 19; 2 Sam 7:12; Gen 12:3; 18:18; 17:4; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14)?

https://www.bibleversestudy.com/acts/acts3-bible-study-questions.htm

http://www.growingdisciples.org/Studies/Acts3Q.htm

The Power of Praying People (Acts 2:42-47)

The Power of Praying People (Acts 2:42-47)

• What has Jesus begun in you (Ac 1:1)? What is Jesus continuing to do in your life?

• What power [dynamis] do you experience from the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:8; 2 Tim 1:7)?

• What vision do you have for your life (Ac 2:17)?

1. What are you devoted to (Ac 2:42)? What does it practically mean to be:

• "devoted ... to the apostles' teaching" (Ac 2:42)? Are you empowered by "words" (Jn 6:63; Mt 24:35; Lk 11:28)? By truth (Jn 8:31-32)? By preaching (Ac 2:14, 22)? What is your delight (Ps 1:2; 119:97)? How does the Bible correct and train you (2 Tim 3:16)?
• Without attention and devotion to the "teaching" of Scripture, what happens to Christians (1 Tim 4:1-2, 6-8, 11-13)?
• Is there a tendency toward emotional experiences rather than teaching based on the truth?
• How would you submit to "the apostles' teaching" today?

• "devoted ... to fellowship [koinonia]" (Ac 2:42)? What do we "share in" together (1 Jn 1:3; 2 Cor 13:14)? What do we "share out" with others (Ac 2:44-46a)? What does sharing help us to "know" (Lk 12:15)?
• Without attention and devotion to the Christian community and family, what will happen (Eph 4:3)?
  

• "devoted ... to the breaking of bread" (Ac 2:42, 46b)?
• Without attention and devotion to communion and the Eucharist, what can happen (1 Cor 11:26)?
  

• "devoted ... to prayer" (Ac 2:42; Lk 18:1)? What is continuous prayer associated with (1 Th 5:16-18)? How did Jesus exemplify prayer (Lk 3:21; 6:12-13; 9:18, 28; 22:41-42; 23:34, 43, 46)? How did this influence his disciples (Ac 1:14, 24-25; 3:1; 4:23-31; 6:4; 8:15; 9:11; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25)?
• Without attention and devotion to communal prayer, what happens?
  

• "filled with awe" (Ac 2:43)?

• "praising God" (Ac 2:47a)? "enjoying the favor of all people" (Ac 2:47b).

• Ac 1:1, 8; 2:17 - "I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach..."  "...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses..."  "...your young men will see visions..."

• 2 Tim 1:7 - "For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline [self-control, sound mind, sound judgment, instruction, sobriety]."

• Jn 6:63 - "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. [Human effort accomplishes nothing. Human strength can do nothing. Human power is of no use at all. Human nature is of no help. The flesh doesn't help at all. The body does not benefit anything.] The words I have spoken to you--they are full of Spirit and life."

• Mt 24:35 - "Heaven and earth will pass away [won't last forever, disappear], but my words will never pass away."

• Lk 11:28 - He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it [put it into practice]."

• Ps 1:2; 119:97 - "But his [whose] delight is in the law of the Lord [LORD JEHOVAH] [finds pleasure in obeying the Lord's commands], and on his law he meditates day and night."  "Oh, how I love your law [instructions]! I meditate on it all day long." [Law are words.]

• 2 Tim 3:16 - "All Scripture is God-breathed [inspired by God, breathed out by God] and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." {All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration] and is profitable for instruction, for conviction [of sin], for correction [of error and restoration to obedience], for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God's will, both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage." Amplified Bible.}

• 1 Tim 4:1-2, 6-8, 11-13 - "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron."

• Lk 18:1 -  "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up."

• 1 Th 5:16-18 - "Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."