On The Road Again (Or Sea As It Were)

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Study Group meeting on February 28.  We will be studying Acts chapter 20.  The chapter is about half travelogue and half dialogue.  The route is not what was intended, but to avoid trouble the travelers took the long way.

There are lots of odd elements to the trip, and most of them are left unexplained.  In essence, this chapter forms a connection to the trip to Jerusalem, or would if it weren't for the long monologue of Paul.  Be thinking about why Luke included the elements he did, and consider what is missing that you would have liked to have known.  Some things may have been assumed to be common knowledge of the day, but a lot wouldn't.

Read the chapter through several times.  It may be helpful to read ahead just to get a sense of how this chapter fits into the story Luke is relating.  Remember to look for things that seem out of place or incomplete.  Ask questions about what Luke wrote.  It would be nice to be able to ask him personally, but we'll just have to put ourselves in his shoes and see what we can figure out that way (not a great method really, but it's what we have).  Look stuff up in commentaries you may have or other sources you find online.

After reading it through a few times, consider the questions below:

• Where was the uproar that ceased?
• How long was he in Greece?
• Why did he return back through Macedonia?
• Which names of his companions did we run across in chapter 19?
• Where was this guy from?  Who else was from there?
• From verse 5, who is now another of the companions of Paul?
• What was taking all night in Troas?
• What has Luke, the "physician", left out of the story in verse 11?
• If Paul is in such a hurry to reach Jerusalem, why travel by foot instead of boat?
• Find Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, and Miletus on a map.  How far are they traveling?  Why would this take them a while to navigate?
• How far did the Ephesian elders need to travel to see Paul?
• What is Paul doing in the first part of his speech?
• What does he expect in Jerusalem?
• Since he doesn't think he will see them again, what does he begin to do?
• What warnings does he give them?
• From verse 31, how did Paul work with people?
• In 33, what is he doing?  Isn't this the third time he does this in some fashion?
• When did Jesus say the quote Paul claims for Him?
• Where would Paul have gotten this quote?
• What, after all that, really bothered the elders?

That should do.  There are lots of other stuff.  Read up and bring your thoughts and questions to group.  I look forward to seeing you all then!

Fun Times In Ephesus

This is the study page for the Thursday Study Group meeting on February 21.  The passage being studied is Acts 19 where Paul spends two years in Ephesus.  A lot happens in that time.  We also have a picture of the sorts of things that happen around Paul when he's ministering.

Read the chapter through several times.  Note the different events, people, backgrounds, responses, and actions taken.  It gets somewhat muddled when we look at the sequence or timing, Luke doesn't seem to be that concerned about timing until he sets up the riot.  Jot down questions and details you note as you go through the chapter several times.  It may help to continue on into chapter 20 some way for context.

As you go through a last few times, consider the questions below.  Add to or modify any of them with your own observations/questions.

• How does Luke setup Paul's entrance into Ephesus?  Why mention Apollos?
• What does Paul find immediately as he gets to Ephesus?
• This is the second time running across the Baptism of John, where did this one come from?
• Are these Jews or Greeks?  What are the clues?
• After the synagogue refuses to listen, where does Paul go? (sound like a fun school?)
• After two years, how far has the good news of Jesus gone?
• How often do we hear of Paul healing?  So how common might this be?  What does this sound like/remind you of? (remember Acts 5?)
• Without Jesus, how do Jewish Exorcists function?  Why might this work for some?
• Why wouldn't it work for the "Seven Sons of Sceva"?
• Wat is the result of these miracles?
• There are several terms for "magic".  Look up this one at G4021.  It's a compound word, so look at both words  used to make it up.  What English word/phrase does it sound like?  What might characterize this sort of magic?
• How much was the cost of the "burned books"?  Why not sell them and give the money to the church?  What might that tell you about "fund raising"?
• What does Paul decide to do?  Why stay in Ephesus?
• What do these silversmiths do?  Why is business so bad?  What is their answer to the problem?  Where else was this solution attempted?
• Who is this "Artemis of the Ephesians"?  What about the temple is impressive?
• Who do the rioters grab?  Later on, who do the Jews put forward? What are the "Jews" doing there?
• Who calms the rioters down?  What is his reason for there being no reason for the riot?

That should be a good start to this chapter.  Be sure to bring your own observations and questions as well. 

The Beginning of the End

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Group meeting on February 14, and the text is Acts 18.  This chapter is made up of lots of pieces that might seem disconnected.  Actually they form an excellent backdrop to 1 Corinthians, possibly 2 Corinthians as well.  These two letters were most likely written before the completion of the next two chapters (19 and 20) where Paul returns to Corinth.  They aren't very long, and it's possible to read them straight through and still have time to study this chapter.  Lots of reading, but it's also very illuminating.

Read the text through several times (it's not long).  Jot down questions and observations that occur to you as you read.  It might be a good idea to read ahead a chapter or so as things accelerate from here to Rome.  Knowing the context may help understand various events and pieces of this chapter.  As you read it through a final time, consider the questions below:

• Paul was waiting for Timothy and Silas in Athens, what reasons might he have for leaving before they arrive?
• Where are Aquila and Priscilla from?  What do they do?  When have we heard that Paul has a trade skill?
• What does Paul do different when Silas and Timothy arrive?
• How far did Paul go after leaving the Synagogue?
• Who is the first person noted as baptized and what does he do? (keep that in mind for later)
• Paul has a vision, what was the content?  What is different about that?
• What does this Proconsul Gallio do different than others we've encountered so far?
• Who is being beaten up yet ignored?
• Who beats him?  (read verse 17 in as many translations as you can)
• What does Paul do as part of a "vow"?  (save this reference for later)
• Who does Paul take with him to Syria?
• Where do they reach first?  Who continues on with him?
• Paul lands at Caesarea, and then "goes up" to the church, and then "down" to Antioch.  Where was the "church"? (look at a map of this journey below, it might surprise you)
• What happens in verse 23?  What would you call this?  What's odd about where he goes?
• Back at Ephesus, who arrives there?  Where is this guy from?
• What does he know and preach so powerfully?
• What do Aquila and Priscilla do for him?
• Where does he go from Ephesus?
• Read 1 Corinthians 1:10-15, and 3:1-9.  What sort of effect did Apollos have in Corinth?

That should be plenty for now.  Notice that there really is not much distinction between where this chapter ends and 19 begins, so you're only helping yourself when you read ahead.  Like I said, Acts accelerates from here, and we're heading rapidly to the end.

See you Thursday!

No Likie Thessaloniki - Athens Okay, But Berea Is Best

This would have been the study page for the Thursday Night Small Group meeting January 31, 2013, but few could make it.  So now it's the study page for the Thursday Night Small Group meeting February 7, 2013.  The passage for this week is Acts 17.  A lot happens and not all of it is sensible.

Be sure to read the passage several times through.  Also, bracket a few of those passes with the end of chapter 16, and the first part of 18, just for context.  See if you can find a map which details the area traveled through by Paul.  Here's a great opportunity to pay attention to pronouns and person once more.

Once you've been through the passage a few times yourself, go through again considering the questions below:

• From verse 1, who is now no longer traveling with Paul and Silas?
• How long does Paul and Silas discuss in the Thessalonikian synagogue?
• Who do the "Jews" find to help them form an angry mob?
• Who do they substitute for Paul since they can't find he and Silas?
• What do the authorities do in response to the mob?
• What do the believers do in response to the local peace disturbance?
• What proves the Bereans were "more noble" than the Thessalonikans?
• How different is the make up of believers in Berea than Thessalonika?
• What disturbs the peace in Berea?  Who is the disturbance centered around?
• Look at a map.  How much further is it to Athens from Berea than from Thessalonika to Berea?  What send him that far away?
• What "sharpens" Paul's spirit in Athens?
• He discusses in the synagogue here too, but where else is he discussing Jesus?
• Where is "Mars Hill" or the Areopogus in Athens? How about in relation to the market?
• What "Scripture" does Paul use in his "defense"?
• Where would Paul have learned of these 'poets'?
• Is Paul finished, did he just lose his audience, or what?
• How successful is his defense?

That'll do for now.  Be sure to bring your own questions as well.

See you Thursday!

Choices Withheld, Guided to Jail

This is the study page for Thursday, January 24 covering Acts 16.  This is the second missionary journey of Paul.  There is a map below of a possible route he may have used.  Other maps may show a more probable route.

As you read the chapter look for things that you didn't expect to find; things that make you go "huh".  There should be several.  Also look a map and see how things are arranged around the Aegean Sea to get a sense of where things happened. Jot down observations and questions, and bring them to the meeting Thursday.

After reading through the chapter a few times and jotting down your own observations, consider the questions below:

• Who did Paul find in Lystra?
• What was his "parentage"?  Why does this become important?  Why circumcise him if he's already well thought of by the churches in the area?
• What did Paul and Silas do at the churches where they had been before?
• What was the response of these churches to the letter from Jerusalem?
• When they start passing through Phrygia and Galatia, in what direction are they heading?
• Why not go back the way they had in the last journey?
• Where are they trying to go?  Why can't they get there?
• Where do they end up?  Where is this place along the Aegean Sea?  Read this entry on the Blue Letter Bible site (it's short).
• Consider a sunset?  From where they are, where would the "sunset" be?
• Who joins them as they travel from there?
• Where do they go from Troas?
• From the "New City" where do they end up?
• It says that Philippi was a "colony".  Read this entry on the Blue Letter Bible website about Roman colonies.  
• Remember what you read about Troas, they seem to have gone from one colony to the other.  What's the benefit of doing that?
• What seems to be missing in Philippi?  Why would that be?
• They find people praying along the river.  What is interesting about the one who becomes their "patron" in Philippi?
• The girl following them has a "python spirit".  Read this entry on Python.  So, what is she?
• What is the problem with the "free advertising" they receive from the slave-girl?
• What happens to Paul and Silas when the girl is freed from the spirit?
• What is odd about the reaction of the crowd and the magistrates?  What element to the story seems to be missing?  What would you deduce if you connect this event with the lack of a Synagogue?
• Once jailed, how do Paul and Silas respond to their circumstance?
• What happens at midnight?
• Why would everyone stay if all the doors and bonds open?
• What does the jailer ask Paul and Silas?  What is interesting about how he addresses them?
• Whatever the jailer really meant, what is his response to their answer?
• What do the magistrates do the next day?  What does this tell you about what they thought about what they had done?
• What is Paul's response to the "policemen"?  Why not bring this up earlier?
• What do Paul and Silas do after their release?  Is it what they were "asked" to do?  Where else did they respond this way?  What was their point?
• What's different about the status of the believers in Philippi now that the jailer is among their number?
• Why would that be important?

That should take care of the hour or so we'll be studying.  Be sure to also make your own notes and bring them.  There's a lot of stuff in this passage I'm missing, so please help fill in the blanks.

Getting On the Same Page

This is the study page for the Thursday Night Small Group Meeting on January 17.  We'll be studying Acts 15, and getting as far as we can through.

This is a fascinating chapter.  It might be a good idea to read Galatians before we meet (it's not long).  The  reason is that it deals with the primary issue in Acts 15, but there are interesting...differences.  As you read Acts 15, look for interesting details, ask "why" a lot, and try and get a sense of what it would have been like to over hear some of these "conversations".  Ask questions about the people involved.  Imagine them in the conversations, what might have been their "body language" in the midst of them.

After you read through the chapter a few times, read through again and consider these questions:

• How does Galatians 2 differ from this event here, and what are the similarities?
• What is the claim/teaching of these from Judea?  Why teach that?  Where did they get it?
• How do Paul and Barnabas respond when they teach this?
• What does the church decide to do?
• What did they do on the trip up to Jerusalem?
• How were they received?  What did they do upon arrival?
• Who opposes them?  What does that reveal about the "source" of the original teachings?
• Why would they be so adamant about this issue?
• So how does the church in Jerusalem respond to the debate?
• What does Peter contribute?  Why is it odd that he has to do this?
• What do the people do after Peter's done?
• So after Peter, Barnabas, and Paul, who speaks?  What does it tell you about him that he speaks last?
• Read Amos 9.  So, how does James' quote work here?  Is it close?
• Why those four things to abstain from?
• One of them should have really helped Paul deal with an issue in Corinth, which one?
• What is James' reasoning about only four things to require?
• They send the letter back with Barnabas and Paul, and who else?
• Does this "Barsabbas" fellow sound familiar?  Where have we run across his name before?
• What strikes you as odd about the "letter"?  How do you think Paul felt about it?
• How does the church in Antioch respond?
• Who's idea was it to go back through and visit the churches?
• What do Barnabas and Paul disagree about?  So where is Mark?  Where did we think he was?
• Why is Paul so adamant?  Look at Luke 9:61-2, what sort of support does Paul have?  But this is in no other of the Gospels, so perhaps it is a perspective of Luke?
• Who does Paul take with him instead of Barnabas and Mark?  I thought he went back to Jerusalem, who is this guy?
• So who goes where?

The map used in the previous week might help here, but isn't necessary.  Do look up people in a Bible dictionary (Blue Letter Bible site has several if you don't have one).

See you all Thursday!

Wow, Tough Crowds

This is the study page for the Thursday Night small group meeting.  The passage is Acts 14, and it completes the account of the first missionary journey of Barnabas and Paul. 

It might be helpful to read the last portions of chapter 13 to get a better sense of the setting for 14.  Read the chapter a few times.  Be sure to look for incongruities.  Look around in the setting for what they might mean or indicate.  Look up some background material on the region (it's weird).  See the page for the previous chapter to get some ideas of where to look for background material. Jot down questions and observations.

Once you've read through a few times, go through once more considering the questions below (if you haven't already).

• What had prompted Paul and Barnabas to come to Iconium?
• What was similar about the response in Iconium to what they had experienced in Pisidian Antioch?
• How long were they in Iconium before they had to leave?  Why did they leave?
• Where did they go after Iconium?  Look at a map, how far did they go?
• What does Paul do in Lystra that he doesn't do elsewhere (at least recorded)?
• How do the people react to Paul's healing of the lame man?
• What does their names for Paul and Barnabas reveal about how they are perceived by the crowds?
• What does that reveal about the faith of the multitude of people?
• Who shows up with a bull and wreath?  Why is that weird?
• What do Paul and Barnabas do when they realize what the crowd is doing?
• Luke doesn't say, but how long might have passed between verse 18 and 19?
• He also doesn't say how long it took for those from Iconium to stir up trouble, but what impression do you get about the time frame?
• When and where do they go from Iconium?  How far is that? (look at a map)
• After all the description in Cyprus, Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra, what's the deal with Derbe?  Was it even successful?
• Where did they go after Derbe?  Why not just head for Antioch from there?
• What did they do along the way back from Derbe?  What did they do in each church?  Why was that important?
• When they get back to Antioch (where they started from) what sort of reception do they receive?
• How long did this trip take?

 That should do for now?  Be sure to use other resources for background and setting, both cultural and geographical.

We may do this on January 3 or we may wait a week and do it on January 10.