by Jen | Apr 23, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Whew! Friend, does your life ever make you feel like you’re so far behind you’ll never catch up? This past week, our grandbabies (and their parents) came to visit us. What a blessing… and a challenge! I realized the last time I’d spent more than a few hours (minutes?) in the presence of an infant or 3-year-old was when my own daughter was that age (over three decades ago)! Understatement alert: I was a little rusty. And so concerned my inattention would injure or otherwise spoil their time with us that I tweaked my back. Nothing serious, just a strained muscle, but enough to force me to the sidelines rather than having as much fun as I wanted with them. I miss them all so much already!
With all that excitement, though, I confess I neglected my homework for this week.
But that’s the beauty of self-directed Bible study: we don’t have to beat ourselves up when life (and especially family life) temporarily takes over. The Holy Spirit guides and challenges us in this study, but He doesn’t punish us when we can’t do what we thought we could.
I thought I would be able to sneak in some studying while they were here, but when I went down with the back issue, I realized I wanted to spend as much time as I could with them, so I decided to trim last week’s work down to the translation comparisons and save the cross-reference work for this week when I can take more time and just wallow in God’s Word.
I did it, and the Spirit blessed me with another eye-opening discovery! How I love digging into Scripture with Him and you!
Last Week’s Work
Next week, I’ll get back on track with cross-references. Here’s what the Spirit showed me in other translations.
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
As with our last study, I compared my primary verse, verse 8, in the study text from the English Standard Version (ESV) to the New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20), the Amplified Bible (AMP), the New International Version (NIV), and the Good News Translation (GNT).
As I read each translation, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the moment God saved my life with Psalm 23:4. I don’t remember feeling any more powerful than I’d felt seconds before (when the demons of doubt were assailing me, goading me to pull the trigger), but I did experience peace I didn’t understand. The hopeless fear of the future driving me to suicide was replaced in an instant with an inexplicable conviction that things would be okay, even though I didn’t know how or why they would.
This week, as I read, “when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me…” (Acts 1:8 GNT, emphasis mine), I believe I understand exactly what took place that day. God not only saved my life, but also filled me with His Holy Spirit so that I could witness for Jesus, too.
I wrote, “This happened to me, but I didn’t realize it. I knew I would be okay. I knew I could trust God with the details, but I didn’t know how or why because I didn’t know God’s Word.”
Now I do. And now you do, too, Friend. Thank you for being a part of this journey with me—I hope you’ll keep digging into Scripture. Maybe it can help unlock something in your past, too.
No Dig-In Challenges…
… this week (while I play catchup). If you’re studying with me and have already completed your review of cross-references, you have a week off! See you next time!
GO TO WEEK 8 >
by Jen | Apr 16, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back! I hope the Holy Spirit has guided you to some amazing treasure here. Let me share what I dug up this past week.
Last Week’s Work
WRITING TYPES
Since our study text is located at the beginning of the first chapter of Acts, I skimmed much of the rest of the book and noticed two overall writing types (I think this is the first time I’ve ever noticed an overlap like this!) and instances of a couple others. They are:
- Narrative (throughout the book). Acts is clearly all about what the apostles did after Jesus died and was resurrected, and
- Letter (throughout the book). In Acts 1:1 it’s directed to one person—Theophilus—whose name means friend of God in Greek.
- Instruction (a few instances). These include Jesus’s response, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
- Prophecy (a few instances). The promises I discovered two weeks ago are considered prophecy: they are statements that are expected to occur any time after the statement was delivered. I know from other studies and reading in Acts that these men did indeed receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and become Jesus’s witnesses throughout the known world after Jesus ascended into heaven.
We know we can interpret narrative, letter, and instruction literally: the author means exactly what he wrote. With prophecy, though, we need to take an additional step to determine if the author might have used symbolism (terms that the author’s audience would realize actually stand for something else). In this case, I verified the literal interpretation of the prophecy has been fulfilled, and the Spirit isn’t urging me to dig deeper there, so I’m comfortable that the author and his audience understood verse 8 to mean what it says.
LITERAL CONTEXT
In the literal context of this story, I discovered the author addressed this writing to someone called Theophilus and mentioned the first book. Which, of course, begs the question, “what first book?”
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
From reviewing the Introduction to Acts from the ESV Global Study Bible, I learned this book is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke (which was also addressed to Theophilus—the first book mentioned above!). Luke was a physician who traveled with Paul. In Luke 1:3-4, the author explains why the book was written: so that Theophilus could be certain about what he’d been taught.
Acts is believed to have been written about AD 62, and it recounts the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome, covering about three decades between AD 30 and AD 60.
ORIGINAL LANGUAGE TOOLS
As I looked over verse 8 in the original language, I was drawn to three items:
- Power – in the Greek, dynamis (G1411), which is defined as inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth; the power of Christ invisibly present and operative in Christian church formally assembled. The spelling of this word makes me think of the power of dynamite: how helpful it can be when properly used and controlled.
- Holy Spirit – in the Greek agios (G40) pneuma (G4151): God’s power and agency — distinguishable… from God’s essence in itself considered — manifest in the course of affairs, and by its influence upon souls [producing] in the church all the higher spiritual gifts and blessings.
- Has come upon – in the Greek eperchomai (G1904) epi (G1909): upon arrival of the Holy Spirit, descending and operating in one.
Dig-In Challenges
This week, we’re going to wrap up the second half of our Refine step by examining cross-references and other translations.
- Don’t forget to begin with your prayer from Step 1.
- REFINE: Then consult a concordance or online cross-reference study tool (for v8, I’ll start at this blb.org page) to find and read through the available cross-references for the verses you’re most interested in and note what the Spirit shows you.
NOTE: if you’re interested in other verses, follow the above link, then point to the TOOLS button to the left of a verse, and choose Cross-Refs from the menu.
- REFINE: Finally, compare at least a few other translations’ version of the same verses and write about what you find in your study journal. I’ll be comparing ESV, AMP, NIV, and GNT on this biblehub.com page. You can compare your own verses from that link by entering them in the Enter Reference or Keyword box at the top of the page and clicking the spyglass there.
It’s hard to believe we’re almost through this study, my friend: just two more weeks! I hope the Lord has used it for your good and His glory! See you next week!
GO TO WEEK 7 >
by Jen | Apr 9, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
Hello again! I’m writing this while much of the US observes a total solar eclipse (April 8, 2024). I can’t help but think again about God’s timing in the studies I do here. If things went according to my plan last year, I would not be studying Acts 1:6-11 with you now—it would have wrapped up in December 2023. But, instead, I’m thinking about the sign in the heavens this week, its relevance to the study text, and in particular, the only comparison I found (in verse 11)…
Last Week’s Work
COMPARISONS
This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (Acts1:11 ESV, emphasis added).
Did you wonder if the sign in the heavens this week signals a second coming of Christ? It would seem not since His followers were told Jesus would return the same way He departed and there’s no description of an eclipse in our study passage. But I don’t know for sure. I do know this, though, Acts 1:7 reminds us:
“It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”
If the men Jesus trusted to begin the spread of Christianity weren’t privy to God’s timeline, neither are we. But that’s okay. I’m just marveling at how two verses in a study I was supposed to finish last year turn out to be so relevant to current events today. Only God can do that, friends!
CAUSES/MOTIVATIONS
Next, I looked for connectors that might indicate cause (because, for, in order that, in order to, lest, since, so, so that, that, to, therefore), and didn’t find a single one in this study text!
NOTE: although the words for and to do appear in verses 6, 7, and 8, they don’t join an action to an explanation. A simple way to determine this is to find the action before the connector and see if what comes after it explains why the action takes place. For example: I went to the store to buy milk. Why did I go to the store? To buy milk. Or I went to the store for milk. Why did I go to the store? For milk.
In verse 6, the action is restoring the kingdom. The word after the to connector, Israel, doesn’t explain why the kingdom would be restored, only to whom it would be restored. No causal connection there.
In verse 7, to is part of the verb itself—to know—not an explanation of why they don’t get to know times or seasons. The word for there doesn’t tell us why, either.
Neither does the word to in verse 8. It tells us one area of where “…you will be my witnesses,” (to the end of the earth) but not why.
Honestly, I’m surprised. I think this may be my very first study where I didn’t discover at least one cause or motivation this way!
CONDITIONS/METHODS
Last, I noticed two descriptions of conditions in verse 8 and verse 11.
In 8—my personal treasure verse for this study—I learned the condition under which they would receive power was the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them. I wonder what they thought of this prediction. Had Jesus spoken to them about the Holy Spirit before this mention? This week, I’ll dig a little more around that to see what I can discover.
In 11, I noted what was happening when the two men appeared and prophesied that Jesus would return: the “men of Galilee” were gazing into heaven, Jesus went up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Dig-In Challenges
Now that we’ve collected all these fact gems, we need to make sure we’re viewing them the same way the author of Acts and his audience would have interpreted this story.
We know God intentionally chose the author and time and place for Acts to be written. That means the correct understanding of this writing is from the author and his audience’s first century perspective. Here’s how we’ll work toward that this week:
- As always, start with the prayer we created in Step 1.
- REFINE: next, let’s read all of Acts 1 to determine which writing type(s) he used, and list them in our study journals or on a copy of the passage.
NOTE: I’ll be looking for an overall type and individual instances where the author used instruction, law, letter, narrative, poetry, and/or prophecy. Knowing this will help us determine whether to take what is written literally or look for a potential symbolic meaning.
- REFINE: At the same time, we want to notice and record any relevant details or events leading up to or following our study text. This will help us establish the literal context of the study passage.
- REFINE: Next, let’s find out what we can about the historical context by identifying the author of this book, and when, to whom, and why he wrote it. You can usually find this information in your bound Bible if it contains an introduction to Acts. If you don’t have a bound Bible with introductions, check out the Introduction to Acts from the ESV Global Study Bible.
NOTE: Bible introductions aren’t the inspired Word of God, but they usually provide factual details about the author and his audience we can use to adjust our perspective. Keep in mind, if you decide to research this further, stick with factual, historical resources and avoid commentary.
- REFINE: Finally, examine key words and/or phrases using an interlinear Bible, and note what the Spirit reveals. These Bibles are available on several study websites (I’ll be using the Blue Letter Bible Interlinear tool). They show a verse in the original Hebrew or Greek and provide detail about each word, including its meaning in context. As usual, I encourage you to log anything the Spirit illuminates from this exercise.
This “refining” step is a little more involved than the “mining” we did earlier, but I encourage you to use these tools and dig as much as you can this week. I pray the Spirit will bless your efforts, my friend!
GO TO WEEK 6 >
by Jen | Apr 2, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
As I write this, I’m slowly recovering from a stomach bug I picked up on vacation more than a week ago. My husband and I were supposed to be celebrating another year of marriage, along with a few months of what seemed to be good health for both of us. We might have celebrated that last milestone a bit prematurely!
I am feeling better now, thanks to time and the prayers of a special group of warrior women who have prayed me through many difficult situations. The effective prayers of righteous Christians really do accomplish much (James 5:16)!
Here’s what I noticed about repetition, special statements and lists in this passage.
Last Week’s Work
REPETITION
I found just one repeated concept here—not to say there aren’t others, just that the Spirit only called my attention to what the author said about seeing in the study verses.
First, Jesus tells the men they will be His witnesses (v8) to the world. Then, in the remaining verses, I noticed the following:
- were looking on, and sight (v9);
- were gazing into heaven (v10);
- were looking into heaven, and saw him go into heaven (v11).
I can’t help but wonder what they thought as they were standing there. How does somebody believe their eyes in a situation like that?!
SPECIAL STATEMENTS
I found three special statements in this passage, and all three are promises:
- you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you (v8)
- you will be my witnesses (v8)
- Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven (v11).
I know the first two promises were fulfilled, but was the third?
LISTS
Finally, I noticed just one list: the geographical locations where Jesus said they would be His witnesses:
- Jerusalem
- All Judea and Samaria
- To the end of the earth.
Again, I’m struck that these “men of Galilee” were called not to their fellow Galileans, but Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the world at large.
Does it seem to you as we dig up these facts they beg more questions than they answer? Me, too! The only thing I know to do is to keep digging!
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, we’ll be wrapping up Step 3 by looking for three more elements of the lesson we’re learning from Acts 1:6-11:
- PRAY: As always, start with the prayer we wrote for Step 1.
- MINE: Read through the passage again to see if the author uses any comparisons. The quickest way to locate these is to look for phrases containing the words like or as, as well as more than/ less than and better than/ worse than. Do you find any comparisons that connect directly with your personal focus area?
- MINE: Next, look for causes or motives in the text. These are actually pretty easy to spot, but there is some thinking involved here.
First, look for these key words or phrases:
because, for*, in order to, lest, since, so*, so that, that*, to*, therefore.
Finding them almost always means you’ll find an action phrase (noun + verb) with the reason for that action, too. The *exceptions are for, so, that, and to—when these are used as other parts of speech like prepositions or articles, you won’t find an action or a reason.
Next, look for the action (what’s being caused or motivated). With most of these words/phrases, you’ll find the action before the key word/phrase, and the reason will be after it.
For example, I went to the store because I was out of milk.
The action = I went to the store
because
The reason = I was out of milk.
Occasionally you may see the order of the statements reversed, but the reason will still follow the key word or phrase: Because I was out of milk, I went to the store.
However, with therefore and its synonyms so and hence, the action appears after these key words:
Here’s an example using the same reason and action as above, just changing the key word:
I was out of milk; therefore, I went to the store.
Same reason = I was out of milk [but different location!]
therefore
Same action = I went to the store.
Try it. I think you’ll see it’s easier than all these words make it seem (and, of course, feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] if you have questions)!
- MINE: Finally, see if you can find any conditions/methods by asking: does the author condition the action you’re studying on something else happening—for example, if or when this condition is met, [then] that will happen? Or does he describe a particular method by which something happens—for example, specific steps taken to achieve something, or more generally by or through attributes or action (i.e., grace, faith)? Does he use any adverbs (-ly words) that describe how the action was accomplished?
These exercises are a little harder, but I know you can do this—give it a try and check back with me next week. I’m looking forward to it. I hope you are, too.
GO TO WEEK 5 >
by Jen | Mar 26, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hi again! As I write this, I’m looking forward to celebrating my favorite holiday (Easter 2024) this weekend. This year, I’m planning to revisit what the Spirit revealed to me in the study of Matthew 28:1-15 we just concluded. If you worked through the passage with me, I hope you also have plans to reflect on what the Spirit showed you from that miracle of miracles. Happy Easter!
Last Week’s Work
MY PERSONAL TREASURE
This time, I’m drawn to the promise I found in v8, “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” I can’t wait to see how the Holy Spirit uses this “wow!” to help me grow and perfect my walk with God!
Now that I know what to focus on, let’s talk about what I learned as far as the setting of this passage.
WHO (CHARACTERS)
Three characters are referred to in v8:
- you (predicted to be my witnesses in v8 and identified as Men of Galilee in v11),
- the Holy Spirit, and
- my (also referred to as the Lord in v6, and This Jesus in v11).
I’m already familiar with the Holy Spirit and Jesus, the Lord, but I have more questions about the people Jesus made that promise to. I want to know if I have anything in common with them. I’m certainly not a man, nor am I from Galilee, but I do believe I have witnessed Jesus’s miracle-working power myself.
WHERE (LOCATIONS)
Key locations in this text are found in v8: Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
In v10, I discovered Jesus was lifted up into heaven, and (as I mentioned above), v11 identifies the you characters as being of Galilee, which I recognize from other studies I’ve done as being a region north of Samaria and Judea (where Jerusalem is). Of course, this gives me pause. Why would Galileans be called to testify to those living in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria? I definitely want to scratch around this more when I get to Step 4 (Refine)!
I was almost done with this blog when I realized the text doesn’t indicate where this conversation took place. I do see in Acts 1:12, “they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem…” so I’m thinking it happened on Olivet, but I’m not sure. I’ve written myself a note when I get to step 4 to see if Mark, Luke, or John indicate where it happened, since I know Matthew doesn’t mention it in the last chapter of his gospel.
TIMEFRAMES
I can’t believe I almost missed the subtle but powerful word when in v8! I know it always starts a phrase that impacts the timing of something in God’s Word, and I even picked it up in verses 6 and 9! But it wasn’t until I read through the passage again that the Spirit revealed power comes WHEN the Holy Spirit [comes] upon you. In other words, no Holy Spirit, no power.
If you’ve studied with me before, you know this is a constant struggle of mine—to rely on the Spirit for power instead of trying to do things in my own strength.
I also felt a personal connection to the time data in verse 7. To the men’s question about the restoration of Israel’s kingdom, Jesus says, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.
The passage doesn’t tell us why Jesus said that, but from my perspective it’s not hard to anticipate one likely reason. If I knew when it was coming, I’m sure I’d waste a lot of time and energy worrying about it and/or trying to change the timing or some other aspect of it.
Dig-In Challenges
I love how the Spirit is already showing me more than I anticipated in this study. I hope you’ve discovered some interesting gems here, too, and it spurs you to work through more of this process. Here’s what I’ll be doing this week:
- PRAY each time I start to study using my prayer from last week.
- MINE: Look for repeated concepts in this passage and, if I find any, consider how that repetition might be relevant to my personal treasure from v8;
- MINE: Locate any special statements (blessings, commands, curses, prayers, promises, and warnings) connected to that treasure; and
- MINE: See if I can find any lists (3 or more similar items mentioned in the text) and their relevance to my treasure.
See you next week!
GO TO WEEK 4 >
