This is part of the 66 in 52 Bible Journaling Challenge. Over the course of the 52 weeks in 2018, I will focus in on one verse from each book of the Bible with many others who have signed up to join me. Each week I will be posting a summary page with some thought about that week’s book(s) of the Bible along with some links that may help our reflection. Click here to sign up if you want to join us at any point along the journey!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Big Picture of Acts:
Acts is the story of the very beginning of the Christian Church. While Jesus was on earth he trained and walked with His disciples preparing them to carry out His mission once He left. In Acts we see the Holy Spirit come (as Jesus promised it would before He left) and the church exploded throughout the world. Paul (named Saul at the beginning of the book) and Peter are two of the men we see God use in these early stages. This time in the early church was not always easy as those who followed Jesus faced great persecution. Despite this persecution the church continued to spread and because of the faithful work of the men and women we read about in this book, the church continues to spread to this day. Now it’s our turn!
Main Timeline of Acts:
- AD 30 – Jesus dies, rises from the dead, and ascends into heaven
- AD 30-33 – God sends the Holy Spirit and the Church begins to spread, Saul persecutes the early church
- AD 34/35 – Jesus meets Saul on the road to Damascus and changes his life (and his name… the rest of his life he’s known as Paul)
- AD 34-62 – Missionary journeys and other events of Acts
- AD 60 – Paul imprisoned
- AD 62 – Paul on trial and preaches around Rome
A Few Key Verses and Possible Reflection Questions/Prayers:
Some of us are planning to read through the whole book or books each week, while others are just focusing in on one verse per book. This section of the weekly intro post might help you narrow down a verse to reflect on for the week, but you do not have to choose one of these verse, pick any section of the book you want! These are just some ideas.
- “From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27
REFLECTION: Where has God put you during this time in history? Literally where are the places you go each day? Where do you live? In what ways do you see verse 27 true that God put you there so people, including yourself, might seek and find Him?
- “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
REFLECTION: What is one way you can commit (or mentally re-commit) to Christian community this week? /
- “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Acts 2:17
REFLECTION: Who is the Holy Spirit to you? What have you learned in reading Acts that tells you about Him?
Some Other Resources:
- The Bible Project summary video of Acts 1-12
- The Bible Project summary video of Acts 13-28
- A Pinterest board with resources and pictures for Acts
- The 66 in 52 Schedule and Tracking Sheet
The Challenge:
So now it’s your turn! Pick a verse and settle in this week, or read through the whole book. If you post any picture or blogs on social media, tag them with #66in52challenge so we can all share in this journey together!
joyfullyblessedblog.com 