The Kingdom Begins (Acts)

AscensionHoly SpiritMission/Evangelism

Acts 1:1-11

To Be Continued

Acts begins by showing that Luke’s Gospel was only the beginning of what Jesus did and taught. The risen Jesus teaches His apostles about the kingdom, promises the Holy Spirit, and ascends to heaven, revealing that the story of Acts is not the church acting alone, but Jesus continuing His mission through Spirit-empowered witnesses.

Lesson 2

PrayerUnityWaiting on God

Acts 1:12-26

Waiting in One Accord

After the ascension, the disciples return to Jerusalem and wait in prayerful unity. Peter interprets Judas’s betrayal through Scripture and leads the group to restore apostolic witness by selecting Matthias, demonstrating a church rightly postured before public mission begins.

Lesson 3

Holy SpiritPentecostMissions

Acts 2:1-21

The Spirit Poured Out

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit is poured out on the disciples with the sound of a mighty wind, tongues of fire, and miraculous speech in foreign languages. Peter explains this event through the prophet Joel as the arrival of the last days, empowering God's people to proclaim His mighty works so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Lesson 4

Gospel ProclamationRepentance and BaptismDivine Sovereignty

Acts 2:22-41

Cut to the Heart

Peter proclaims Jesus as the man attested by God, crucified by lawless hands according to God’s plan, raised from the dead, and exalted to God’s right hand. Convicted by this truth, the crowd is cut to the heart and asks how to respond. Peter commands them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Lesson 5

Church CommunityGenerositySpiritual Disciplines

Acts 2:42-47

The Life of the New Community

After Pentecost, Luke provides a beautiful portrait of the new community formed by the gospel. They devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. The risen King is not only saving individuals; He is forming a Spirit-shaped people marked by awe, generosity, shared life, and evangelistic growth.

Lesson 6

The Name of JesusHealingPersecution

Acts 3:1-4:31

In the Name of Jesus

Peter and John heal a lame man in the name of Jesus, sparking a powerful public testimony of the risen Christ. When religious authorities demand silence, the early church responds not with fear, but by praying for unstoppable boldness.

Lesson 7

GenerosityHypocrisyHoly Spirit

Acts 4:32-5:16

One Heart and Holy Fear

Luke contrasts Spirit-produced generosity with deceptive hypocrisy in the early church. While believers share with one heart, Ananias and Sapphira face severe judgment for lying to the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the church grows in unity, holiness, awe, and witness.

Lesson 8

ObediencePersecutionBoldness

Acts 5:17-42

We Must Obey God

The apostles are arrested, freed by an angel, and commanded to keep preaching. Faced with the council's threats, they declare they must obey God rather than men. Even after being beaten, they rejoice at suffering for Jesus' name and continue teaching the gospel.

Lesson 9

ServiceMartyrdomChurch Unity

Acts 6:1-7:60

The Word Spreads Through Servants and Witnesses

A complaint over neglected widows threatens the early church's unity, but wise servant leadership protects the ministry of the word and prayer. Stephen then becomes a powerful witness whose sermon and martyrdom expose Israel's history of resistance to God's messengers.

Lesson 10

PersecutionEvangelismHoly Spirit

Acts 8:1-40

Scattered, But Not Silenced

After Stephen’s martyrdom, severe persecution scatters the Jerusalem church, unintentionally spreading the gospel outward. Philip preaches to the Samaritans and an Ethiopian official, demonstrating that the Spirit's power transcends geographic, ethnic, and social boundaries.

Lesson 11

GraceConversionUnion with Christ

Acts 9:1-31

The Enemy Becomes a Witness

Saul, the fiercest persecutor of the early church, is dramatically confronted by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus. Blinded and humbled, he is ministered to by Ananias, filled with the Spirit, and immediately begins proclaiming the gospel. This remarkable conversion demonstrates the sovereign mercy of Christ and His power to transform enemies into chosen instruments.

Lesson 12

Gospel InclusionOvercoming PrejudiceMissions

Acts 9:32-11:18

God Shows No Partiality

Peter’s ministry prepares for a groundbreaking shift as God dismantles deep-seated prejudices through a vision. The Holy Spirit falls on Cornelius's household, proving that God accepts all who respond to Jesus. The early church realizes that repentance leading to life is a gift freely given to all nations.

Lesson 13

Gospel ExpansionChurch UnityPrayer

Acts 11:19-12:25

Antioch and the Hand of the Lord

Following intense persecution, scattered believers bring the gospel to Greeks in Antioch, sparking a massive, Spirit-led revival. As Barnabas and Saul nurture this new Gentile congregation, the church demonstrates profound unity through generous famine relief. Meanwhile, King Herod violently attacks the Jerusalem church, but God sovereignly delivers Peter from prison and strikes down the proud king, proving that the word of God cannot be stopped.

Lesson 14

MissionsHoly SpiritJustification

Acts 13:1-52

Sent by the Spirit

The church in Antioch worships, fasts, and sends Barnabas and Saul as the Holy Spirit directs. Through their journey, they proclaim Jesus as the promised Son of David, raising up a new diverse family of God while facing intense spiritual and physical opposition.

Lesson 15

PerseveranceSufferingMissions

Acts 14:1-28

Through Many Tribulations

Paul and Barnabas continue preaching amidst severe opposition, idolatrous misunderstandings, and physical suffering. After Paul is violently stoned, they refuse to quit, instead returning to strengthen the disciples and teaching that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Lesson 16

GraceJustification by FaithChurch Unity

450m prep

Acts 15:1-35

Grace for the Nations

The Jerusalem council addresses the critical question of whether Gentile believers must adhere to the law of Moses to be saved. The early church concludes that salvation is entirely by the grace of the Lord Jesus, removing unnecessary burdens while calling all believers to a unified, holy fellowship.

Lesson 17

MissionsHoly SpiritProvidence

Acts 15:36-16:40

Come Over and Help Us

Paul and Barnabas separate over John Mark, leading Paul to begin a new journey with Silas and Timothy. The Holy Spirit redirects their path away from Asia and into Macedonia, bringing the gospel to Philippi. There, the power of Jesus confronts and saves a wealthy businesswoman, an exploited slave girl, and a desperate Roman jailer.

Lesson 18

EvangelismApologeticsResurrection

Acts 17:1-34

Turning the World Upside Down

Paul reasons from Scripture in Thessalonica, is received with eager examination in Berea, and proclaims the unknown God in Athens. Acts 17 shows the gospel confronting synagogues, mobs, careful Bible students, and philosophers with the resurrected Jesus.

Lesson 19

MissionIdolatrySpiritual Warfare

Acts 18:1-19:41

The Word Prevailed

Paul’s ministry in Corinth is sustained by partnership and the Lord’s promise, while Apollos receives fuller instruction in Ephesus. As the mission expands, Ephesus becomes a center where the word of the Lord prevails mightily over incomplete understanding, magic, idolatry, and economic opposition.

Lesson 20

Church LeadershipPastoral MinistryThe Gospel of Grace

Acts 20:1-38

Shepherds of the Church of God

Paul's journey brings him to a heartfelt farewell with the Ephesian elders, offering a profound model for Christian ministry. He charges them to vigilantly guard the flock—a people purchased by God's own blood—while demonstrating a life marked by humility, tears, and unwavering courage.

Lesson 21

SufferingTestimonyObedience

Acts 21:1-22:29

Bound for Jerusalem

Paul travels toward Jerusalem despite clear warnings of the suffering that awaits him. After arriving, he is falsely accused, violently mobbed, and arrested, yet he uses this exact crisis as a platform to testify about Jesus.

Lesson 22

ProvidenceCourageEvangelism

Acts 22:30-24:27

Take Courage

Paul faces a chaotic council, an assassination plot, and political delays under Felix. Yet, the Lord stands by him, commanding him to take courage and promising that he will testify in Rome. This lesson explores how God uses divine encouragement and ordinary providence to preserve His witness.

Lesson 23

EvangelismResurrectionTestimony

Acts 25:1-26:32

Before Kings

Paul appeals to Caesar and boldly testifies before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice. He proclaims the resurrection and presses Agrippa to believe the prophets, proving the gospel stands before rulers as public, world-changing truth.

Lesson 24

ProvidenceEvangelismSovereignty of God

Acts 27:1-28:31

Unhindered

Paul’s perilous voyage to Rome includes storms, a shipwreck, and snakebites, yet God faithfully preserves him to testify in the imperial capital. Though Paul arrives as a chained prisoner, he boldly proclaims the kingdom of God to all who visit him. Acts ends open-ended, showing that the gospel mission remains unhindered and continues through every generation.