Class 22 – Christ Directs the Early-day Church

Suggested Pre-Class Readings

Many people are unfamiliar with the book of Acts. To prepare for this class, consider doing one of the following:

Option #1: Read Acts chapters 1-6, and Acts 9. I recommend trying the New Revised Standard Version (link to Acts 1). In your reading, just focus on experiencing the story of these chapters and becoming familiar with the basic storyline.

Option #2: Watch the two overview videos about Acts produced by BibleProject (total video time = 17 minutes). The point of these videos is to grasp the big picture message and themes of Acts. Video #1, Video #2.

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Questions to focus on

How do we see a focus on Jesus Christ in the Book of Acts?

List at least three core messages taught frequently by the early apostles in Acts 1-6.

When was “the day of Pentecost” in relation to Christ’s death, and what happened on the day of Pentecost?

How does Ananias respond to the Lord when the Lord tells him to heal Saul? How could you apply this situation into your own life?

Be able to summarize the storyline relating to Cornelius’ conversion and Peter’s dream, including how those two events relate to each other.

What was the issue and the resulting action from the Jerusalem Conference in Acts 15?

Know a couple of details about Lydia, Priscilla and Phoebe—how did they help lead in the early Church?

Check Your Understanding

Practice Questions Part 3 - Class Two

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Optional Post-Class Readings

Take an hour or two and read the Book of Acts from front to back–it’s not that long. What do you learn from your study?

If you’re interested in learning more about how to find scriptural patterns, I recommend you read these two talks by Elder David A. Bednar: “A Reservoir of Living Water” and “Come Unto Christ.” In these talks, Elder Bednar describes his approach for finding scriptural patterns and gives examples of doing so.

Acknowledgements

Insights from, discussions with, and resources authored by Dr. Lincoln Blumell, Dr. Anthony Sweat, Dr. Stephan Taeger, Dr. Mark Ellison, and Joe Cochran, were used in the creation of this video.