Acts 1:12-14
ACTS STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What encouraged you from our study of Acts 1:12-14 on Sunday?
Before we explore some of the characteristics that Luke highlights in these verses, what characteristics
do you observe in Acts 1:12-14 about the disciples and the earliest community of believers?
Why do you think Luke provides the detail that they returned to Jerusalem and to the upper room? What did Jesus command the disciples to do in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4, and what do they do in verse 12? What characteristic does this highlight about the disciples?
In Luke 6:13-14 Luke provides a list of the apostles. In Acts 1:13, the order of their names is changed, placing Peter, John, and James first (the list of brothers is broken up, and priority is given to the three disciples who would play prominent roles in Acts). What is already beginning to happen in the early church (cf Acts 1:15)?
What are the disciples doing while they wait in the upper room, according to verse 14? How is their activity while waiting on the Holy Spirit an instructive example for us, and how does it differ from what we tend to do when we are waiting on the Lord’s will? What characteristics of prayer and waiting do we learn from verse 14? What does it mean to be persistent in prayer? What might a lack of prayer communicate about ourselves?
Why is it significant in a first-century context that Luke emphasizes that women were part of the assembly of early believers and included in prayer? Who else does Luke emphasize as also being in the upper room, praying, and waiting on the Spirit (cf John 7:5 for context)? What does this assortment of people teach us about the early church?
These verses show us an eclectic band of apostles, disciples, men, and women from diverse backgrounds, obedient to Jesus’ commands, gathered in unified prayer, and waiting on the Spirit to lead. What does this teach us about the power of the gospel, the early church, and the starting point for a great movement of God?
What are your takeaways from Acts 1:12-14? How are you convicted or encouraged regarding prayer, waiting on the Lord, or the unity of the church as a result of studying these verses?
