Acts 1: Wait in Jerusalem
In ancient Greek writing, all the letters were capitals, making it impossible to distinguish THEOPHILUS (meaning “lover of God”), in which Luke would be addressing all individuals who had a love for God, versus THEOPHILUS as the name of a person. Do you think Luke is addressing any lover of God or a certain person? Why?
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King James
The original Greek text has no chapter breaks, numbered verses, or paragraphs. There weren’t even spaces between the words. How might this make our interpretation of Scripture difficult?
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King James
For forty days after the resurrection, Jesus gave many undeniable proofs that he was alive. In what ways did he do that?
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King James
Prior to his death, Jesus said, “There are many things I’d like to tell you, but you can’t handle it right now.” What new things might he have told them after the resurrection?
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King James
When Jesus talked to his disciples about the “Kingdom of God,” how might they have misunderstood what he was describing?
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King James
Jesus told his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the promise from his Father. In what ways could their expectations differ from what actually happened?
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King James
What do you see as similarities between John’s baptism in water and the baptism of the Holy Spirit?
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King James
Jesus said the promise would come “in a few days.” How do you think that indefinite promise affected their expectation?
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King James
Prior to his death, Jesus said, “Some of you standing here will not die before they see the Kingdom of God come with power.” How might that revelation have affected their question about when that promise would be fulfilled? How do you think they felt about his answer?
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King James
In total, how many people saw Jesus after the resurrection?
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King James
Without power, engines won’t run and their purpose cannot be fulfilled. In what ways do you think the power of the Holy Spirit was important for the witnesses?
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King James
What do you think was going through the minds of the disciples as they watched Jesus ascend into the sky?
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King James
How would you describe the appearance of the two men dressed in white. What do you think their tone of voice was like?
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King James
Luke lists eleven disciples who went to the upper room in Jerusalem, where Jesus presumably had earlier appeared to them and where they observed the last supper together. Where might others from Galilee have been staying?
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King James
Christian tradition makes the Upper Room a place for prayer, but in the first century, Jewish tradition put the place for prayer in the Temple outer court. How many others might have joined them at different times?
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King James
Scripture tells us that Jesus’ brothers were not believers. What do you think happened to cause his brother James to believe and become a leader of the Jerusalem church?
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King James
How many days prior to the day of Pentecost might the 120 in the Temple have been assembled when a replacement for Judas was chosen?
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King James
What prediction did King David make concerning Judas (Psalm 41:9; 109:8)?
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King James
We see Judas’s remorse in his returning to the Temple his thirty pieces of silver. How do you think his remorse differed from Peter’s repentance after denying the Lord three times?
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King James
Luke says Judas fell to his death. Matthew says he hanged himself. How might both of those statements be true?
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King James
What were the qualifications for the men being considered to replace Judas?
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King James
In making a choice between Justus and Matthias, what method was used? Do you think that was a good approach? Why?