Tomorrow's Bible Study

Often I don't look carefully at the Bible study that Marc Keith sends out in advance of our 9:00 AM Sunday morning together at Crossroads but this time I did; and I'm SO glad.  I am praising God for this sign of His foreknowledge and grace that he is POURING out upon us as we navigate another stage in our life together as body of believers.  We NEVER need to be afraid!

The study is on Acts 15:1-21.  Here are the questions:

• Open It
  When faced with a problem, do you want someone else to solve it, or do you like to figure out for yourself what you should do? Why?
  *What is most challenging to you about enforcing rules?
  When you think your opinion is right, how do you tend to express your view?
• Explore It
  *Who came to Antioch? Why? (15:1)
  What were the men from Judea teaching the Christians? (15:1)
  On what did the men of Judea base their theology? (15:1)
  How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the teaching problem at Antioch? (15:2)
  *How did the apostles determine to resolve the problem in Antioch? (15:2)
  What were the apostles’ experiences on their way to Jerusalem? (15:3)
  When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Jerusalem, how did the church receive them?
  (15:4)
  What did the believing Pharisees say? (15:5)
  How did the church leaders respond to the Pharisees? (15:6)
  What did Peter say to the party of the Pharisees? (15:7-11)
  What did Paul and Barnabas add to Peter’s testimony? (15:12)
  *How did James summarize his views? (15:13-21)
  How did James deal with the circumcision question from a biblical standpoint?
  (15:15-18)
  What practical judgment did James make? (15:19-21)
  What did James mean by his concluding statement? (15:21)
• Get It
  *What was wise about using a council to deal with the thorny issue of how non-Jews could be saved?
  How was the problem of this council larger than the issue of circumcision?
  *When dealing with difficult issues, what do we need to include in the decision-making process?
  Why were Paul, Barnabas, Peter, and James the right men to resolve the conflict?
  How could your church follow the council’s approach in dealing with issues that trouble the church?
  What areas of your faith create conflict within you?
  What beliefs or practices do Christians add to the gospel?
  How can we remind ourselves to require of new believers only what God requires?
• Apply It
  *Where can you get help resolving an issue about which you are unsure?
  This week, what change in your schedule can you make to allow enough time for
  studying God’s Word?

Marc sends these to us each week with the scriptures and two commentaries.  The entire package (8 pages) can be accessed here.

Please pray that whenever we face differences we will confidently trust that the Lord is going to lead us through them, not matter how thorny the issue(s) may be.

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