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Bible Studies


Acts of the Apostles
Lesson 1
The Holy Spirit Comes to the Apostles

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Reading assignment for this lesson: Acts 1:1 – 2:42

Acts picks up the story of Christianity at the point the four Gospels leave off - the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was crucified on or near the Jewish feast of Passover (Mark 14:16, John 19:14-16). It was 40 days later that He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:3). The Holy Spirit came to His disciples on the feast of Pentecost, which occurred 50 days after Passover (Acts 2:1-3). So, the disciples waited about 10 days between Jesus' ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

The works of the Holy Spirit transformed the fearful apostles into bold advocates of the Gospel message and set in motion the expansion of the tiny Jewish sect of Jesus' followers into a worldwide faith.

1. What do you hope to gain from studying Acts of the Apostles?

2. What useful things did you learn from reading the Introduction?

3. a) What were Jesus' instructions to His apostles before he ascended to heaven? (See Acts 1:1-5.)
b) How did the apostles, and other people of the time, misunderstand Jesus' mission? (See Acts 1:6, Luke 24:13-26, Mark 9:31-37, Mark 10:35-45, John 18:36.)

4. a) What things did Jesus promise before ascending to heaven? (See Acts 1:8, 11-12, John 14:2-3, 16:7,13.)
b) What do Jesus' promises mean to you?

5. Who were Jesus' followers at this point in time? (See Acts 1:13-15.)

6. What happened to the large crowds who had followed Jesus before He was crucified? (see Matthew 21:1-17, 26:33-34, 26:55-56, Luke 23:17-25.)

7. Why was it important to replace Judas and restore the number of apostles to twelve? (See Acts 1:15-22, Genesis 35:22-26, Matthew 19:28-30, Luke 22:28-30, Revelation 7:4-8.)

8. How did the disciples pick a replacement for Judas? (See Acts 1:15-26.)

9. a) Who or what is the Holy Spirit?
b) Describe the coming of the Holy Spirit in your own words. (See Acts 2:1-4).

10. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? (See Acts 2:4, 1:4-5, Luke 3:16-17, John 3:5-8, 1 Corinthians 12:3, 12:13, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22.)

11. How does the gift of tongues described in Acts 2:4-12 differ from the tongues described by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:6-19?

12. What were the main points of Peter's speech to the crowds in Acts 2:14-35? (See Acts 2:21, 2:36, 2:38.)

13. How did the tiny Christian community change that day? (See Acts 2:41-42.)

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