The Book of Acts
Wednesday Night Bible Series
Wednesday Night Bible Series
Staff Letter
Thank you for teaching through the book of Acts on Wednesday nights for our church!
Acts was decided on, simply because it's a natural step to take following the Gospel of John. We'll look at the early church, the apostles ministries, the conversion of Paul, among others, and I think this will be great to walk through together each week. Just as a refresher, we are looking for approx 30 minute teaching sessions. Give or take a bit is fine, but please don't go for an hour and a half! (or 5 minutes, if possible!)
I hope you'll look over the resources I list below. They will help you in your study. We want to teach the text, not just an application of the text. I've tried to carve out logical sections from the book to make your lesson coherent. Try to find the big idea, the main purpose, of the text assigned to you.
Once you've identified the Big Idea, make sure everything you're sharing in the text points back to that main idea. Those are what we call supporting elements. You don't have to be exhaustive by covering the deep meaning behind every verse. Exposition draws out of the text its intended purpose. Then, along the way, you're making application of those supporting elements and illustrating them by using other Bible stories or events in the world around us. But it's the text we want to shine into the hearts of those we teach. I'm confident you'll do great toward that end.
Below are resources that will help you in your study and presentation. I am so grateful for your partnership in ministry and in teaching, as well as seeing how God uses our various personalities to encourage and edify our church.
Blessings!
Jacob
Acts was decided on, simply because it's a natural step to take following the Gospel of John. We'll look at the early church, the apostles ministries, the conversion of Paul, among others, and I think this will be great to walk through together each week. Just as a refresher, we are looking for approx 30 minute teaching sessions. Give or take a bit is fine, but please don't go for an hour and a half! (or 5 minutes, if possible!)
I hope you'll look over the resources I list below. They will help you in your study. We want to teach the text, not just an application of the text. I've tried to carve out logical sections from the book to make your lesson coherent. Try to find the big idea, the main purpose, of the text assigned to you.
Once you've identified the Big Idea, make sure everything you're sharing in the text points back to that main idea. Those are what we call supporting elements. You don't have to be exhaustive by covering the deep meaning behind every verse. Exposition draws out of the text its intended purpose. Then, along the way, you're making application of those supporting elements and illustrating them by using other Bible stories or events in the world around us. But it's the text we want to shine into the hearts of those we teach. I'm confident you'll do great toward that end.
Below are resources that will help you in your study and presentation. I am so grateful for your partnership in ministry and in teaching, as well as seeing how God uses our various personalities to encourage and edify our church.
Blessings!
Jacob
Studying the Text/Chapter
1. Work through your assigned passage.
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Bible Study Worksheet (Beginner)
The following Bible Study Exercise was developed using principles from Bryan Chapell's Christ-Centered Preaching. The book is helpful but not necessary in following the process. Bible Study Exercise Worksheet 12 Step Exegetical Guide (Advanced)
David Allen shares a 12-step approach to text-driven teaching/preaching. Allen is an extraordinary theologian and preacher and moves through the original Greek and Hebrew with ease. You can find his steps published in Text-Driven Preaching. |
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2. Consult Resources
What others have written about the text (1) validates that your personal study is on the right track, and (2) provides insight that you have missed in your analysis. Below are some commentary resources that are free and online.
What others have written about the text (1) validates that your personal study is on the right track, and (2) provides insight that you have missed in your analysis. Below are some commentary resources that are free and online.
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Bible Gateway - Best online tool for online commentaries.
For the Gospel of John, look particularly at: Asbury A Wesleyan one-volume relatively simplistic and brief. It has a good introduction to the book. Matthew Henry's Commentary This is abridged, but a short explanation of passages. IVP New Testament Commentary Series This is an absolute treasure for free online and is a great exegetical resource to dig deeper into the text. Blue Letter Bible - Best online tool for exploring the text.
Go to a passage of Scripture and click the "Tools" button to the left of the Bible text. Click the Commentaries tab at the top of the open window. Don't forget to peck around at the Interlinear and the Cross-Ref tabs for some fun exploration in the text. Look particularly at: Harmony of the Gospels This will demonstrate other parallel stories from other gospel accounts. Jamieson, Fausset & Brown This is a solid but basic commentary. NetBible.org - I don't have a lot of experience with this site but it's beautifully designed and has some helpful links.
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Teachers in the Rotation
If you have a schedule conflict, feel free to reach out to one of our other teachers below to substitute. Please notify me once a substitution has been agreed to so I can update the master schedule below.
Teachers: David French, Ryan Folsom, Mel Kenrick, Mike Mahoney Jason McFarland, Bob Mildram, Bob Sharp
Teachers: David French, Ryan Folsom, Mel Kenrick, Mike Mahoney Jason McFarland, Bob Mildram, Bob Sharp
Teaching Schedule
Text |
Subject |
Speaker |
Date |
Acts 1:1-11 |
The Story Continues |
David French |
February 15, 2023 |
Acts 1:12-26 |
Next Man Up |
Ryan Folsom |
February 22, 2023 |
Acts 2 |
Speaking So That All May Hear |
Jason McFarland |
March 1, 2023 |
Acts 3:1-10 |
Giving What We Have |
Mike Mahoney |
March 8, 2023 |
Acts 3:11-26 |
Pay Attention to What's At Stake |
Bob Mildram |
March 15, 2023 |
Acts 4:1-22 |
Peter and John's Arrest |
Bob Sharp |
March 22, 2023 |
Acts 4:23-31 |
A Response of Faith |
Mel Kenrick |
March 29, 2023 |
Acts 4:32-5-16 |
Appearance Isn't Everything |
Flex Week |
April 5, 2023 |
Acts 5:17-42 |
To Preach or Not to Preach? |
David French |
April 12, 2023 |
Acts 6 |
Called to Service |
Ryan Folsom |
April 19, 2023 |
Acts 7:1-53 |
Stephen's Defense |
Jason McFarland |
April 26, 2023 |
Acts 7:54-8:3 |
Persecution of the Church |
Mike Mahoney |
May 3, 2023 |
Acts 8:4-25 |
Christ's Work Through Philip |
Bob Mildram |
May 10, 2023 |
Acts 8:26-40 |
Obey Without Delay |
Bob Sharp |
May 17, 2023 |
Acts 9:1-31 |
From Saul to Paul |
Mel Kenrick |
May 24, 2023 |
Acts 9:32-43 |
Peter's Ministry |
Flex Week |
May 31, 2023 |
Acts 10:1-33 |
God, Cleansed, Holy |
David French |
June 7, 2023 |
Acts 10:34-48 |
Preach the Gospel |
Ryan Folsom |
June 14, 2023 |
Acts 11:1-18 |
Listen Intently |
Jason McFarland |
June 21, 2023 |
Acts 11:19-30 |
The Church at Antioch |
Mike Mahoney |
June 28, 2023 |
Acts 12 |
Peter's Arrest and Deliverance |
Mel Kenrick |
July 5, 2023 |