Acts 17:1-9
ACTS STUDY DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Was there anything that caught your attention or you found interesting in the text and during our study of Acts 17:1-9?
When Paul came to Thessalonica, he entered into a synagogue as was his custom (cf Rom 1:16, Acts 3:26). What does it mean that he reasoned, explained, and proved the necessity of Christ’s suffering and resurrection, and why is this necessary and important? According to Acts 17:3b, what is Paul’s ultimate point and aim?
What did Paul use to reason with them, and why is that also important? What did Jesus say to the Emmaus Road disciples in Luke 24:25-27 and what did he use to reason with them? Why is reasoning, dialoguing, and discussing so difficult for us? Is it a common tool we use today in our evangelistic toolbox? Why or why not?
To say that Paul reasoned “from the Scriptures” shows us Paul’s primary source and foundational authority. But it also shows us more. It shows us that Paul was very familiar with their own beliefs, that he started with those beliefs, pointed out where those beliefs were insufficient, and then, working from their own beliefs, he pointed them to Jesus. Why is that important and helpful to notice? What do we learn in Acts 17:1-3 and Luke 24:25-27 about evangelism and apologetics?
What happens as a result of the ministry of Paul and Silas? What do the demographics in Acts 17:4 tell us about the gospel?
Why is it important for us to see the two responses to Jesus in Acts 17:4-5: 1) that “some of them were persuaded” and 2) some “were jealous...formed a mob...and set the city in an uproar?” What is Luke trying to communicate to Theophilus and to us?
Similar to the Gentile mob in Acts 16, the accusation in Acts 17:6 by the Jewish mob is that these Christians are destabilizing the world. But does Christianity destabilize the world or offer the world the only hope of true stability? Why is that an important distinction for Christians to hold on to?
What irony do you see between what the accusers do in verse 5 and what they accuse Christians of in verse 6? Why can’t the accusers see this irony or the true hope and stability that Paul and Silas offer? How does the world's blindness affect our empathy, prayers, and evangelism?
One of the accusations is that these Christians “are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” A similar accusation is made in Luke 23:2 when Jesus is called just “a king.” However, Jesus is not just another king seeking a throne alongside Caesar. Neither is Jesus seeking the throne of Caesar. Jesus is on the throne over all and gives the rulers of men their temporary thrones (cf. Rom 13:1, Dan 2:21). Why are these observations so important for us to hold on to?
What does it look like to live as though Jesus is king? In light of Jesus’ kingly rule over our lives, how are Christians instructed to respond to earthly rulers Mark 12:16-17, Romans 13:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-4, Titus 3:1-2, and 1 Peter 2:13-17? Why is this so hard for us to do? How can we walk graciously together and help one another live these scriptural truths?
What attitudes, actions, or affections need to change as a result of our study of Acts 17:1-9?
