This is the study page for the Thursday Night Bible Study Group meeting December 9, to study Acts 2. And it's late...sorry about that.
Read through the chapter a few times and note details of action. There is a lot of speech in this chapter but try to focus on the action. Make notes of who's doing what. That should help you put yourself into the scene in different places. Jot down what you think about what's happening. And write down questions about the text. What Luke wrote, why that particular way, and so on. You will have more questions if you read the chapter in more translations.
Once you have your notes, go back through with a commentary or study Bible and make any modifications to your own notes and questions. You may have more questions after looking at a commentary. Bring these to the study group.
After you go through a commentary, go back through with the questions below:
- The disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit who then gives them the ability to speak clearly in other languages. Why do you think it was important for the Holy Spirit to enable them to speak clearly? And yet, everyone seems to know they are Galileans. If it wasn't their accent, then how do you think the people knew?
- Some think they're drunk. If all could hear clearly spoken things of God in their own language, why do you think that would suggest drunkenness? When does drunkenness increase intelligibility?
- Peter draws from the end of Joel, who prophesies about the "Great Day of the Lord". How do you think Jesus' life and ascension is the "Great Day of the Lord"? How did His life, death, resurrection, and ascension match the description Peter quotes?
- So, of those from all over (see verses 9 to 11) join the 120, adding 3,000 to their number, how many stayed in Jerusalem? Did some go back to those areas? What can you find out about the Jewish pilgrimage process in the first century AD?
- If the group of disciples grew from 120 to 3,000, what sort of problems do you think that would cause? What do you think of their solution in verses 44 and 45?
