Participatory Bible Study

Study Outline for Acts

Introduction

Reading in Preparation

I suggest reading the book of Luke in preparation for studying Acts. Don't get hung up on the small points. Read Luke as a story so you know where the disciples are as we begin this story of the early church. Think how they would have felt under the circumstances. Luke and Acts were written to work together.

Basic Study Materials

The following materials will help introduce you to the participatory study method.

Participatory Study Outline
A point outline of the method.
I Want to Study the Bible! (Pamphlet)
A slightly expanded outline in pamphlet form.
Basics of the Participatory Bible Study Method
Essay length description, expanded from the pamphlet.
Interpreting History
Specifics on interpreting historical sections of the Bible.
Interpreting Stories
How to interpret stories, dealing with the shorter story elements apart from the broader history of which they are a part.

Each of the first three items on the list covers the participatory study method, in progressively greater detail. I recommend reading the full essay on the basics, and then the articles on interpreting history and stories. All of these methods will prove useful in studying the book of Acts.

I am entering this guide from notes, beginning August 10 2005. As each lesson is entered, it will be linked from the table that follows. If there is no link, that lesson has not been entered.

#	Lesson Title	Acts Reading	Verse Count	Epistles
1	Pentecost	1 & 2	73	1 Peter
2	Signs and Wonders	3 & 4	63	2 Peter, Jude
3	Structure	5 & 6	57	1 & 2 Timothy, Titus
4	Persecution	7:1-8:3	63	Hebrews
5	Spreading Out	8:4-9:31	67	1 - 3 John
6	Gentile Mission (Peter)	9:32-12:25	114	1 & 2 Peter
7	Gentile Mission (Paul)	13-14	80	Galatians
8	Church Council	15	41	Galatians
9	Planting: Asia to Berea	16:1-17:15	55	1 & 2 Thessalonians
10	Planting: Athens & Corinth	17:16-18:23	41	1 & 2 Corinthians, Philippians
11	Planting: Ephesus	18:24-20:38	82	Ephesians, Colossians
12	Back to Jerusalem	21:1-24:27	132	Romans
13	Rome!	25:1-28:31	134	1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon

+ - Recommended three lesson plan. * - Recommended eight lesson plan.

Each lesson will have particular objectives, and a series of questions and suggested exercises. There are more exercises than most classes or study groups will complete in a session. It is intended that you choose the ones that interest you most. You will not exhaust the value of the book of Acts in a single series of studies.

I chose the epistles to read alongside Acts based on four criteria in order, dating, author, topic, and finally the total amount of reading per lesson. Most groups should not attempt to read the epistles with Acts as this will tend to either slow the group down or be an overwhelming amount of material to cover. Those who are spending multiple sessions on each lesson may want to do so, and some Bible students in a group may want to do that reading as background. Exercises that involve comparison of material in Acts with something from the epistles are obviously intended for those who are reading the epistles.

Additional questions and exercises will be suggested by the material in the essays Interpreting Stories and Interpreting History, as well as the introductions to the participatory study method listed above. If you are reading the epistles, the essay Interpreting Letters may help as well.