Preaching Through Acts

“To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3.

The church is not the kingdom of God, yet they are closely connected. What did Jesus teach during these times? How does it differ from the Gospel of Luke? Provide a thematic outline of the entire book.

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8..

Acts is all about breaking through stereotypes. We think of the Jews back then and how they viewed the church incorrectly. We too ask the wrong questions and make poor decisions. It's not that everything we do is wrong, but that we are not doing it in the wonderful way it could be. Provide an outline of the expansion of God’s kingdom throughout the entire book.

“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.” Acts 1:14.

Why pray? What occurs when we pray? Why should they pray? Will God's Spirit flow through their prayers? Or is it a moment for them to connect with God before the many activities that will occupy and challenge the small group in just a month? Discernment. Unity. Filling.

“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:31.

God desires to do mighty things. Is it because we do not pray that we do not see these things happen? Are we supposed to connect such things with cause and effect? If so, how can we pray effectively like that?

“But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4.

What role does prayer play in ministry? Clearly, it is essential, but is it something we simply do, or is it how God operates through ministry? Is our ministry prayer-centered? How can we tell? How can we strengthen it? Why is prayer so vital?

“But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them;” Acts 16:25.

How can I get out of this rut? I feel so depressed. I feel controlled and as if the Spirit of God isn’t alive. How can prayer help me? How can I help others through my prayer?

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

“And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:33.

Are we all in this together? Do others do it much better? Yes, the Lord wants all of us to be His witnesses to His great work. Our witness is different from back then when they actually saw the risen Lord Jesus, but it is more like the many others throughout Acts and the world today who know of the Lord’s grace in their lives.

Does the physical resurrection of the Lord Jesus really matter? Whether our head was dead or alive makes all the difference.

“Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?’” Acts 2:37.

Notice the power of the Word of God in the way it changes lives.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”” Acts 4:12, NASB.

Focus on the power of Jesus’ Name.

“And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they also had John as their helper.” Acts 13:5.

Like prayer, we recognize the importance of the Word of God. God enters lives and communities through the preaching of His Word (Romans 10:17).

“For in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His offspring.’” Acts 17:28.

We have different ideas about evangelism. We need to see, through Paul’s example, that our way of presenting the message might change, but the core of the Gospel remains the same. Let’s observe how Paul was attentive both to the people he spoke to and to the Living God, as well as to his duty to preach the Gospel.

“And they spent a long time with the disciples.” Acts 14:28.

We live in a quick and instant society. We want to insert a coin into a machine and immediately get a disciple. Disciples are not made that way. Fortunately, disciples can grow much faster than a toddler to an adult, but each must grow through different stages. What are these stages? What did Paul teach when he was with the disciples? Who has spent a lot of time with you, teaching you? Have you spent time with others?

“You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.” Acts 7:51.

How do we respond to God? Is it possible to resist the Holy Spirit’s work? It certainly is, at least for some people, at certain times. God will accomplish His intended work, but we should not assume that we cannot harden ourselves against His work. Why do some people resist the Spirit’s work? How do we resist His work?

“And he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.” Acts 18:26.

How can you make a real difference? See how one couple made a big impact by spending time with this incredibly gifted individual.

“And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42.

What does it mean to be dedicated to prayer? How did they demonstrate that dedication? Was it simply a convenient time like a retreat (due to Pentecost), or was it intended to highlight the important connection between powerful evangelism, revival, and prayer?

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” Acts 13:1, NASB.

Marks of a healthy church: 2. Mission, multiple leaders, and example.

“Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things were so.” Acts 17:11.

“But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.’” Acts 23:11.

Rejection. Difficulty. Personal loss. All these things can happen when we step out into the world proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus. God is present to comfort us, strengthen our resolve, and guide us into His full glorious purpose. God’s mighty intervention, so to speak. Delivered but still held.

“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.” “And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.” Acts 2:1, 3.

Everyone is important. Everyone has a vital role in God’s kingdom. We won’t progress until we recognize what the Holy Spirit has done here and speaks elsewhere (the Holy Spirit is in each Christian, empowering and guiding). Follow the Holy Spirit in the scriptures.

“But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.” Acts 9:27, NASB.

Encourage Barnabas. Younger leaders are emerging. Mark was helpful. It’s not about right or wrong, but about different approaches.

“Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food.” Acts 6:1.

Changes that growth brings will make the old way of doing things insufficient. We see this in Acts 6 and elsewhere. Will we recognize this need? Will we bother enough to make meaningful changes? Will we have enough faith? Do we care to build more faith for the situation at hand?

“But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property,” Acts 5:1.

Take our faith seriously and commit to God’s kingdom. Integrity. Holy Spirit’s discipline.

“And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.” Acts 15:6, 7.

Never be afraid of the truth. Only let the truth shape your life, habits, and perspective. God is always trying to teach us through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit makes us holy. How does that work? How does He work through rules, habits, guidelines, and our conscience? It is all part of ‘walking in the Spirit.’

“And the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea; and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.” Acts 17:10.

Crises will come. Make sure you join God’s people and fight the enemy together.

“and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” Acts 20:30.

Dangers from outside are easier to manage than those from within. We must consistently stay focused on the Word of God, prayer, and missions.

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Acts 13:1, 2.

Missions begin at home. God always desires to send workers from among us to fulfill other purposes elsewhere. Think of it as transplanting, if you will. The church and its leaders should prioritize this sending out and support.

“Now there was a certain man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city, and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;” Acts 8:9.

Simon the Sorcerer had a distorted understanding of the gospel. What was wrong with his? What do we learn we need to be careful of?

“And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of all; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.” Acts 19:19.

One clear sign of the power of the Gospel is how it transforms a person or group’s sense of confidence. It is in this transformation that they burned many of these evil books. They gained a new faith they turned away from. What false confidences are present in your society? Do you rely on any? How can you break free? What is holding you back?

“And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” Acts 19:6.

The word tongues is incorrectly translated throughout the Book of Acts. No one uses it now to mean foreign languages, so why do we still use it that way? For that matter, is speaking in ‘tongues’ a sign of the Spirit? If I haven’t spoken in tongues, does that mean I don’t have the Spirit? Study on tongues in the Book of Acts.

“But select from among you, brethren, seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task.” Acts 6:3..

The Holy Spirit is for all of us, not just a small part, but so we can be fully affected by it, like Stephen and others in the early church. What does it mean to be full of the Spirit? How can we become more ‘full’?

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Acts 20:32.

By examining the destination, we better understand the direction to reach a specific place. The Book of Acts reveals what God was doing through the preaching. The Holy Spirit is powerfully doing these things today! The same end goal is in sight. Part of our objectives should include church planting—establishing God’s people as a unified group with recognized and responsible leaders—so they can grow, mature, and carry out the church's mission independently.

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest,” Acts 9:1, NASB.

Reflect on how he used Philip, Ananias, and Peter. God opens doors and actively participates in growing His kingdom. We need to stay alert and attentive because it can stretch us, just like it did Peter and later the entire Jewish community of believers. God’s purpose is greater and eventually leads to a shift in how the kingdom grows. Notice the breakthrough in 10:34-48 that results from this. Consider how God might challenge you or lead you into uncomfortable or inconvenient situations, or to associate with people who have different preferences or backgrounds.

“Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.” Acts 28:31.

The beginning of Acts starts with the kingdom of God, and it ends that way! But the way it's written suggests that this purpose should continue until Christ’s return. We need a strong drive and purpose to accomplish the most important things in life.