The Book of Acts Overview of Acts Resources December Reading Plan (Underlined Text Is Linked to Online Resources.) on Sundays, Take a Break Or Catch Up
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DECEMBER 2020 The Book of Acts Overview of Acts Resources December Reading Plan (Underlined text is linked to online resources.) On Sundays, take a break or catch up. The Holy Spirit empowers disciples to share (Links are to the NRSV text.) the good news with the nations of the world. Enter the Bible Intro & Overview Acts December 1: Acts 1 Before Jesus ascended into heaven, where he was enthroned with God to rule over the world, NIV Study Bible Intro & Outline December 2: Acts 2 he instructed his followers to spread the news of Acts December 3: Acts 3 God’s kingdom to the world. The book of Acts December 4: Acts 4 details the work of his followers and the NIV Dramatized Audio Bible December 5: Acts 5 formation of the early Church. Acts December 7: Acts 6-7 Jesus’s followers received the Holy Spirit on December 8: Acts 8 Pentecost and became filled and equipped to The Big Picture spread the good news that would restore God’s The book of Acts is volume 2 of a set; volume December 9: Acts 9 kingdom over the world. Through persecution, 1 is the Gospel of Luke. Acts 1 picks up where December 10: Acts 10-11 followers of Jesus were scattered, but they Luke 24 leaves off, with the ascension of Jesus December 11: Acts 12 continued to preach, and the church at Antioch and the promise of power from on high. Both was born. December 12: Acts 13 books were written by the same author, thought December 14: Acts 14 This church grew into the first multiethnic, to be Luke the physician, a co-worker of Paul. international Jesus community, from which Acts tells the history of the earliest days of the December 15: Acts 15 missionaries were sent throughout the world to church, as the missionary movement spread December 16: Acts 16 preach about Jesus, the Jewish Messiah and out from Judea to the Gentile world, as far as December 17: Acts 17-18 risen King of all nations. Paul even continued to Rome. At the center of this movement is the preach despite imprisonment and wrote December 18: Acts 19 persecutor-turned-apostle, Paul. December 19: Acts 20 important letters to the churches. Key Information December 21: Acts 21-22 https://thebibleproject.com/explore/acts/ December 22: Acts 23 Pentecost: At the end of Luke, and again at Overview videos the beginning of Acts, Jesus tells his disciples December 23: Acts 24 to wait in Jerusalem for the power from on high. December 24-27: Christmas Break Immerse: This power arrives in the form of an outpouring December 28: Acts 25 Luke-Acts I: https://youtu.be/UBOVzxI10rs of the Holy Spirit during the Jewish feast of December 29: Acts 26 Pentecost. This event is a reversal of Babel: Luke-Acts II: https://youtu.be/hNPt5sgTVYs December 30: Acts 27 people from all over hear the gospel preached The Bible Project: in their own language, and as they respond to December 31: Acts 28 Acts 1-12: https://youtu.be/CGbNw855ksw this message the church is born. Acts 13-28: https://youtu.be/Z-17KxpjL0Q For more daily resources, visit Jerusalem, Judea, the Ends of the Earth: In smlcfamily.org/Walk-through-the-Word Acts 1, Jesus tells his disciples that they will Resources for Paul’s Journeys take his message beyond Jerusalem to Judea Key Passages and Samaria and then to the ends of the known In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul and his (At the very least, read these texts.) world. This is the pattern their ministry follows companions go on a series of missionary travels, as persecution scatters them from Jerusalem, referred to as Paul’s first, second, and third 1:1-14: The Ascension and Waiting and then missionary journeys send them journeys. On these three trips, Paul travels a 2:1-47: Pentecost & the First Converts beyond Judea, toward Rome and Spain. While circuit around the Mediterranean that brings him 5:1-11: Ananias and Sapphira other missionary journeys may be implied, Acts back to Antioch or Jerusalem. On a fourth and focuses in on the travels of Paul. 6:8-8:3: Stephen’s Martyrdom final journey, Paul takes a one-way trip to Rome. 8:26-40: The Ethiopian Eunuch The Gentiles and Acts 15: Two pivotal events 9:1-30: Saul’s Conversion • Descriptions and maps (ESV) in Acts transform the Jesus movement. First, 10:1-48: Peter and Cornelius - First Missionary Journey through a vision by Peter and God pouring out - Second Missionary Journey 12:1-19: Peter in Prison the Holy Spirit on the Gentile Cornelius and his - Third Missionary Journey 13:1-52: Paul in Cyprus & Pisidian Antioch household, the new covenant is opened up to - Final Journey to Rome 15:1-35: The Jerusalem Council the nations. Second, as the Jewish Christian 16:11-17:9: Paul in Philippi & Thessalonica leaders in Jerusalem discuss whether Gentile • Paul’s Life and Journeys 17:16-18:23: Paul in Athens & Corinth - Timeline by Scott Hahn believers should be bound by the Jewish law, the leaders decide that with a few exceptions, 20:17-38: Paul’s Speech to Ephesians • Animated maps (videos by Graphe) the Gentiles should not be constrained with this 21:17-22:5: Paul Arrested in the Temple - First Missionary Journey same burden that has weighed down the Jews. 24:1-25:12: Paul before Felix & Festus - Second Missionary Journey With these shifts, the Jewish and Gentile 27:1-44: Shipwreck on the Way to Rome - Third Missionary Journey Christians form one body of Christ. 28:1-31: Paul in Malta & Rome .