Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
The Fellowship
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
ACTS 2:1–4
OPENING REFLECTION
The book of Acts is a portrait of COMMUNITY + UNITY. The fellowship of the early church — and the believers who gathered — show us we were never meant to walk our faith journey alone. And because of the actions of the Holy Spirit in an upper room, believers gathered around a feast table were forever changed.
What if we could learn God's promises, understand, and apply the Word in our community, believing the feast makes us stronger? Verse mapping is just that; it's thriving in community, pulling out a chair at the table made ready for every heart to unlock the feast of God's Word.
What if we were never meant to walk our faith journey alone?
FEASTING AND GETTING STARTED
Welcome to the first session of Acts: Feasting on the Abundance of God's Word.
Whether you've gathered in a favorite coffee shop corner, a church fellowship hall, in your home, or even on your neighbor's porch, this is meant to be a feasting study. The book of Acts is perfect for a verse mapping journey like this, because at its core, it's all about two things:
• The thriving COMMUNITY of the newly formed church — its beginnings and the gospel's spread from Jerusalem to Rome,
• And still a part of that word COMMUNITY — the believer's UNITY with the Holy Spirit.
This is our invitation to the table — to talk faith, life, and story roads — to pull out a chair at the place set for us and invite the Holy Spirit into our every day.
If this is the first time you've gathered together, take a few moments to get to know your group. Introduce yourself with something as simple as your name and why you've come to study God's Word. And if you want to jump in to get things started, discuss the following questions:
• What do you know about verse mapping? What do you hope to learn on this verse mapping journey?
• What's your biggest barrier to overcome in studying God's Word? Is it a lack of time? Knowledge? Or something else?
Feasting: Video Story
Play the video segment for session one. As you watch the first video, follow the verse mapping guide points starting on the next page and refer to the completed map on pages 24–25. Take brief notes or record questions that might lead you to further research in your independent study time this week.
Notes
1 verse
What makes the book of Acts (Acts of the Apostles) unique:
Out of twenty-seven books in the New Testament — the Gospels (Matthew to John), the Acts of the Apostles, Paul's letters (Romans to Philemon), the remaining general letters (Hebrews to Jude), and a book of prophecy known as Revelation — Acts is the outlier as we place categories to the books
Acts is the only sequel written by a Gospel author (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) and the only book (with the Gospel of Luke) to offer a detailed account of Jesus' ascension
In the book of Acts, Luke builds a foundation of faith for the early church — based on accounts of Jesus' majesty and authority, His atoning death and resurrection, and the arrival and empowering work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers (Acts 2:1–4)
2 design
There are two defined acts of the Holy Spirit in this passage: "the blowing of a violent wind," and the "tongues of fire that separated and came to rest" on all those in the room
The New King James Version describes "a rushing of mighty wind" and "divided tongues, as of fire"
Other translations: "a sound like a strong wind, gale force" (MSG) and "a violent, rushing wind" (NASB). And of the fire, these translations describe it as "what seemed to be tongues of fire" (MSG) and "tongues of fire, distributing themselves" (NASB).
Violent wind FILLED the room and then the disciples were FILLED with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit FILLED the COMMUNITY — and each believer — to individual completion.
3 develop
In the Greek, pléroó (S. 4137) [S. is an abbreviation for The NIV Exhaustive Concordance] is used to describe the violent rush of breath in the room, meaning "to fill or amply supply; to complete, or fill to individual capacity"
In the Greek, the word used for "fire" is pýr (S. 4442), meaning "fire, a spark or flame."
It's used figuratively here, describing God's Spirit as a holy fire, light or lightning, or an eternal flame.
In the Greek, glóssa (S. 1100) means "speech or language." The believers in the upper room were each made individually complete ... by the BREATH of GOD filling their lungs ... to thereafter speak the LANGUAGE of LIGHT.
4 actions
Holy Spirit's ACTIONS to establish the church:
Violent wind FILLED the upper room (Acts 2:2)
Disciples were FILLED with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3–4)
Holy Spirit FILLED the COMMUNITY — and each believer — to individual completion (Acts 2:4)
Resulting actions:
"Every nation" of those gathered hear the rush of WIND (Acts 2:5)
Crowds are "utterly amazed" to hear disciples speaking foreign TONGUES (Acts 2:7)
Peter stands up to explain what is happening — some three thousand people come to believe in Christ that day (Acts 2:40–41)
5 outcome
Acts is a portrait of COMMUNITY among believers + UNITY with the Holy Spirit. We have the same access to the Holy Spirit that the disciples did, and the same empowering actions for the church to grow.
4 actions meant to walk our
Holy Spirit's ACTIONS to establish the church —
• Violent wind FILLED the upper room (Acts 2:2)
• Disciples were FILLED with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3–4)
• Holy Spirit FILLED the COMMUNITY — and each believer — to individual completion (Acts 2:4)
Resulting actions —
• "every nation" of those gathered hear the rush of WIND (Acts 2:5)
• Crowds are "utterly amazed" to hear disciples speaking foreign TONGUES (Acts 2:7)
• Peter stands up to explain what is happening — some 3,000 people come to believe in Christ that day (Acts 2:40–41)
5 outcome
Acts is a portrait of COMMUNITY among believers + UNITY with the Holy Spirit. We have the same access to the Holy Spirit that the disciples did; and the same empowering actions for the church to grow.
ACTS 2:1-4 (NIV)
1 verse
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
2 design
• NKJV: "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind ... Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire ..."
3 develop
• WIND — pnoé (S. 4157):
"wind" — but wind that comes as a BREATH; a respiration breeze, with gale-force strength
• FILLED — pléroó (S. 4137):
"to fill or amply supply; to complete, or fill to individual capacity"
• FIRE — pýr (S. 4442):
"fire; a spark or flame." Used figuratively: "God's Spirit — a holy fire, light or lightning, or an eternal flame"
• TONGUES — glóssa (S. 1100):
"speech or language"
From the Video
I took a deep breath and walked into the women's Bible study. The fellowship hall was packed with more than a hundred women. Smiling faces were everywhere, and cheery voices created a hum in the air. The women carried Bibles and notebooks. I watched as they hugged at the donut table and caught up over cups of coffee I could smell lingering in the air. Everyone seemed energized about this fellowship thing called "Bible Study."
I stopped and stood in the back of the room, feeling a little intimidated because I didn't know anyone. A crippling thought kept running through my mind: How was I going to hide the fact that I didn't always understand the Bible? Instead of being excited, I wanted to turn around and run out of that room. (But I didn't. I stayed.)
Jesus appeared to disciples after His crucifixion and opened the Scriptures to them. "He said to them, 'How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself" (Luke 24:25–27).
Feast Table: Discussion
Take a few moments with your group to discuss the video you just watched and explore these concepts in Scripture.
1. Think about Luke's documentation of events that led to the birth of the church in Jerusalem, around AD 30–35. How does he use these accounts to paint a detailed portrait of our heritage as believers? Starting out on this faith journey, do you think the members of the early church could have envisioned the message of the gospel traveling from Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, and eventually all the way to Rome?
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2. Select a volunteer (or more than one) to read Luke 3:16, John 4:1–2, and Acts 1:7–8 aloud to the group. How do these verses foretell the arrival and actions of the Holy Spirit seen in Acts 2:1–4? What kind of authority does the Holy Spirit bring to believers?
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3. Select a diferent volunteer to read Acts 2:14–38 aloud to the group. How long did the Holy Spirit wait before enabling Peter to speak out — in this, his first public sermon? Are we empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak out and share the gospel in the same way?
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4. When we put our faith in Jesus, His Holy Spirit breathes life into our lungs and baptizes our tongues. How does the Holy Spirit bring individual UNITY to each of us, and cultivate a COMMUNITY of believers?
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Define "fellowship." How is fellowship different from community? What do these mean to you?
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How important is community in the life of a believer?
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FEAST TABLE: GROUP ACTIVITY
For this activity, each participant will need a Bible, pens/markers, and a smart device (such as a phone or tablet).
• Using a Bible or Bible app on a smart device, look up two additional translations of Acts 2:1–4, and then record them on the completed map on pages 24–25.
• To start your verse mapping journey, pray as a group and select one verse you'll map from Acts 1–2 in individual study time this week. Gather in Week 2 and discuss how your map is the same or differed from others' maps.
Feast Table: Closing Prayer
If you've gathered for a verse mapping study before, you know the experience begins and ends with prayer.
Today we gather around the table with open hearts, expecting the Holy Spirit to breathe life into this space, and as we pray, to open the Word of God in us like never before.
INDIVIDUAL STUDY
The Fellowship
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
ACTS 2:1–4
We're in the same COMMUNITY today as those in the upper room. We have the same Holy Spirit and the same opportunity to cultivate His church. We've also pulled our chair up to the FEAST table, "hands out," carrying all our FEARS and FAILURES, with intimidated FAITH and cracks in the FOUNDATION of our beliefs. And we're PRAYING to know what to do, just like those early believers.
FEAST: INDIVIDUAL STUDY INVITATION
Fellowship. Followers. New believers and spiritual family ...
The book is called the Acts of the Apostles — but by now, you're learning the acts outlined in its pages shine a spotlight not just on the early believers but more so on the miraculous outworking of the Holy Spirit. That's the invitation you'll find in Acts 1–2: to step into an upper room with Him (1:12–14); to engage in the promise that He'll meet you there (1:7–8) and immediately qualify you with authority for far greater things than you could have ever imagined (2:14).
Breathe in — that's His respiration breath enveloping you as you explore (2:1–2).
Dwell in — that's His presence completing you as you study (2:3–4).
Remove the words "I can't" from your vocabulary. Because with the Holy Spirit — in constant, power-laden, authentic fellowship — you find the shift you've been waiting for in your own story. And like Peter who immediately steps out of the upper room to find any former shred of meekness has been replaced with boldness, you'll find you're qualified by and in Him alone (2:14).
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
(ACTS 2:1–4)
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Acts Study Guide Six Sessions"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Kristy Cambron.
Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson.
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