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 >
by Jen | Mar 19, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome back, I’m glad you’re here, my friend! I just want to remind you I’m sharing my answers in these posts to provide an example of the treasure that can be discovered through this process. If you’re working with the Holy Spirit and are seeing different results, know that you’re on the right track, even if your findings are different from mine.
That’s because He knows what each of us needs in our faith journey. How awesome is God that He provides our own personal Bible tutor—and the more we study, the more we will develop the skills to hear the Spirit’s voice. So, let’s keep studying!
Last Week’s Work
MY PRAYER
The first task from last week was to develop a prayer I promised to pray every time I sit down to study this section of Scripture. Here’s mine:
Father God, thank You for Your Word and for clear steps to help me see, understand, and apply it to my life now. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit, who opens my eyes, ears, and heart, and brings to mind all that you have taught me about Your Word so far. Bless this study of Acts 1:6-11 and all those who are studying with me. May we see You in all that we encounter here! In Jesus’s name I pray. Amen.
Because I’m still sometimes forgetting to pray before I start digging, I copied this onto a colored notecard I use as a bookmark in my study journal. It really is hard to teach this old dog new tricks!
HUH? and WOW! MOMENTS
Next, I slowly read through the study text, focusing on my reactions, and noting the parts that caught my attention. Here are my responses:
- HUH? Verse 6 reads, “… they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?’” What does the bold text mean?
- WOW! Jesus told the disciples in verse 8, “… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
- WOW! Verse 9: “… he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”
- WOW! and HUH? Verse 11: “This Jesus… will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” What does the bold text mean?
I’m not sure what to think about this story. There isn’t a lot of detail: who is “they” with whom Jesus met as these things happened? The 11 remaining disciples? Others? Where did this take place? When did it take place? We have a lot of fact-finding to do in the next few weeks, and it appears we’ll have to look to the verses’ context to see if we can find any of this out.
I’m looking forward to it! I hope you are, too.
Dig-In Challenges
Next week, I plan to:
- Read my prayer bookmark each time I start studying this passage!
- MINE: Identify which aspect of this study I feel the Spirit leading me to dig deepest into right now. It could be one (or more) of the Huh? and Wow! Moments I wrote about this week, or some other item the Spirit hasn’t yet called to my attention.
- MINE: See if I can find out more about the setting of the scene in Acts 1:6-11 (who’s involved, where and when did the action take place), and note anything the Spirit emphasizes.
See you again soon!
GO TO WEEK 3 >
by Jen | Mar 12, 2024 | 6-11, Acts 1, DISO studies, Introduction
Welcome, and thank you for joining me for this Digging into Scripture Ourselves (DISO) study!
Let’s Study Acts 1:6-11!
When I suspended our studies in October 2023, we were working through a select group of miracles of Jesus, and now it’s time to complete that series with Acts 1:6-11, which recounts Jesus’s ascension.
This week, I’ll work through two of the five steps in the new process using Acts 1:6-11. If you want to work along with me, here’s what I recommend you start with:
- A copy of Acts 1:6-11, plus access to the entire book of Acts.
I copy the text from www.blueletterbible.org, paste it in a word processing program (Google docs or MS Word), change the formatting to suit my preferences, and print it out. If you want to use the ESV translation, here’s a copy I created that you can use.
- A study journal.
I’m old-school and like the pen/pencil and paper method for journaling my studies, but you can do this any way you want. If you don’t think you have time to physically write or type your notes, consider recording an audio of your thoughts, or use your smart phone to dictate into a notes app.
But really, if you studied with me before, you know you’re welcome to just read the posts I publish here. They’ll help you become more familiar with the process and show you how the Spirit speaks to my situation. I’m praying that there will be enough similarities between my life and yours that you’ll find it worth your while to keep checking in with me, even if you can’t study along on your own yet.
Dig-In Challenges
So here’s what I’m going to do this coming week:
- PRAY: I’ll be creating a prayer that I can pray every time I study Acts 1:6-11. I’m going to write it in my study journal, so I’ll have it handy each time I study.
- SURVEY: And then I’ll read Acts 1:6-11, noting anything that makes me say, “huh?” (as in, “I wonder what that means?”) or “wow” (as in, “that is so awesome!”). I’ll record these so I can come back and choose one I think the Spirit wants me to dig more deeply into right now.
I’m looking forward to sharing what I discover in this process with you—I hope you’ll stop by next week!
GO TO WEEK 2 >
by Jen | Mar 5, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Welcome to the last blog in this series on Jesus’s resurrection! If you’ve studied with me online before, you might have noticed we’re finishing a little faster than we used to: eight weeks instead of nine weeks. Let me know what you think of the changes I’ve made on my contact page or via email.
And if this is your first study, I’d love to hear from you at either of those places, too.
Last Week’s Work
LESSON(S) LEARNED
Overwhelmingly, the lesson I’m taking away from this study is the reassurance that seeking Jesus is a strategy for overcoming fear. The divine messenger in this story clearly told the women (whom he’d charged with Christian communication—a similar calling to mine) not to fear because he knew they were seeking Jesus (v5).
CONVICTION
I felt convicted that I don’t always follow this strategy: often I allow our enemy’s seeds of doubt and fear to disable me. My struggle to finish writing the book I first mentioned in this blog more than a year ago comes immediately to mind, and though I am making slow progress toward a new and much improved version of it, I am still sometimes completely undone by feelings of inadequacy.
CORRECTION
As has often been the case in these studies of mine, I felt the Spirit correcting me in one of the cross-references. This time it’s from Matthew 14:
But when he [Peter] saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:30-31 ESV)
So many times, I relate to Peter! I want to try what I see others are doing, but part-way through I take my eyes off the goal, or Jesus, or both, and focus on the things that scare me. Even when I know—as I’m sure Peter did—that my Savior is in control of all those scary circumstances and will come to my aid when I’m doing what He commanded me to do. I still allow the demons of doubt and fear to weaken my faith to the point of giving up and going under.
ACTION PLAN
By memorizing these verses, I want to cement in my mind and heart Peter’s simple prayer seeking His help: “Lord, save me!” If, as Peter, I am doing what He’s told me to do (Matthew 14:29), I have every assurance He will come to my aid. Thank you, Jesus!
Our Next Study
I’m excited to begin the final posts of the 2023 Miracles of Jesus series next week. I hope you’ll join me to dig into Acts 1:6-11 and learn everything we can about Jesus’s ascension.
I’m also looking forward to uploading my older blogs from the other four studies in this series. They were lost late last fall when I had to change website providers, but I do have my drafts and should be able to start reconstructing them next month.
In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me next week to kick off Acts 1:6-11. See you then!
by Jen | Feb 27, 2024 | 1-15, DISO studies, Matthew 28
NEW TO THIS STUDY? START HERE.
Hello again! I appreciate you dropping by! Isn’t God’s timing—that we are studying the resurrection of Jesus just weeks before Easter Sunday 2024—just amazing?! As part of my personal observance, I plan to revisit my steps here in the days leading up to my favorite holiday!
Last Week’s Work
In the meantime, though, let’s have a look at what I discovered this past week in other parts of Scripture and through other translations.
CROSS-REFERENCES
As I worked through the cross-references for vv5-7, I was again drawn to the angel’s statements do not be afraid, and I know that you seek Jesus. Remember a few weeks ago when we discovered the angel’s reason the women didn’t need to fear was because he knew they were seeking Jesus? That’s really good news! Friend, if we are seeking Jesus, we don’t need to fear, either.
My review of cross-references for verse 5 reminded me again of that truth when I read Matthew’s account of Jesus night-time water walk (Matthew 14:22-33). The vision so frightened the disciples, they cried out in fear. Jesus told them do not be afraid in v27. Then Peter wanted to walk on the water, too, Jesus invited him, and he went. Partway there, Peter saw the wind, became afraid, started to sink, and cried for help(v30). Jesus replied, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (v31).
Throughout my studies of Jesus’s miracles last year (which I hope to make available here very soon), I observed a strong link between faith and miracles. Maybe that explains why the women in this text could act even though they were afraid (v8). Maybe their great joy was a byproduct of faith that Jesus had done what He said He would do (seven times according to Matthew 12:40, 16:21, 17:9, 17:22-23, 20:18-19, 26:31-32, 27:63)!
The second part of the angel’s statement in v5 mentions the women were seeking Jesus. I realized that, too, occurred in all the other miracles I studied. The cross-reference that resonated most there was from John 20:14-15. This is part of John’s resurrection account, where Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene, but she doesn’t recognize him. Jesus Himself asks her, Whom are you seeking? but she’s so distraught she can’t focus on his question, she just cries out, They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Of course, Jesus absolutely knew whom she sought before He ever asked. But His question made me, thousands of years later, sit up and take notice. Whom am I seeking? And why? Do I just want Him for what He’ll do for me? Or, like the women in our study passage, am I looking for Him so I can serve Him?
OTHER TRANSLATIONS
If you’ve studied with me in the past, you might remember I like to review at least a couple word-for-word (following most closely the original text and its arrangement) translations. Then I’ll look at least one thought-for-thought (more loosely following the grammar and vocabulary of the original) and paraphrase (less likely to reflect the actual words or phrases while trying to convey original meaning) translation each.
This time I felt led to include the Amplified Bible in my review. This Bible, published by the Lockman Foundation (which also publishes the New American Standard Bible), incorporates synonyms and clearly marked extra-biblical explanations to help us better understand the meaning of the text.
I didn’t find anything remarkably different in Matthew 28:5-7 among the translations I compared: the English Standard Version (ESV), the New American Standard Bible 2020 (NASB20), the Amplified Bible (AMP), the New International Version (NIV), and the Good News Translation (GNT). Nor did I perceive the Spirit calling my attention to anything in particular this time.
Dig-In Challenges
Wow, we’re almost to the end of another study already! This week, let’s
- Read the prayer we created in Step 1.
- ALIGN: Then review our study notes and other work, focusing specifically on what we’ve learned.
- ALIGN: As we consider those “lessons learned,” notice what the Spirit is using to convict us in this study. In other words, where is He showing us misalignment between what we’ve discovered and how we practice our faith?
- ALIGN: Next, we’ll think about a part of this study that offers us a way to correct that misalignment. For me, this has often—but not always—been a verse either from the study text or from one of the cross-references.
- ALIGN: And finally we want to reflect on how we can change our walk or talk (or both) to align more closely with God. To really make this work, I commit to changing something and do my best to act on that commitment everyday for at least three weeks.
That may seem like a lot to consider in one week, but my experience has been the Spirit often leads me through steps 2-5 very quickly (though sometimes I have to pray about it more than a couple of times during the week). If you’re working with me, just do what you can. Any study done with the Spirit is good study, my Friend!
Also, I’m looking forward to sharing what the Spirit reveals next week, as well as a preview of our next study text, the final one from our series on miracles of Jesus from last year.
GO TO WEEK 8 >
