Bible
Lessons from Acts
26 lessons
With Building BricksJoseph Stores the GrainGenesis 41:1-57; Genesis 50:20; Acts 7:9-10; James 1:5Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had two strange dreams – seven fat cows eaten by seven skinny cows, and seven full heads of grain swallowed by seven thin ones. No one could explain them. Joseph was brought out of prison, and he said, "I cannot do it, but God will give Pharaoh an answer." God showed that seven years of plenty would come, then seven years of famine. Joseph wisely planned to store a fifth of the grain in the good years. Pharaoh put him in charge, and when the famine came, people from all over the earth came to Joseph for food. True wisdom comes from God, and He gives it to all who ask.Old TestamentWisdom
The Gates of JerusalemThe Gates of Jerusalem: The East GateNehemiah 3:29; Mark 13:3-4, 32-37; Acts 1:9-12; Titus 2:13Shemaiah was the guard of the East Gate. His job was to keep watch. The East Gate faced the sunrise and the Mount of Olives. On that same hill, Jesus told His friends a story about a doorkeeper who was told to keep watch. Later, from that hill, Jesus went up to heaven. The angels said, "This same Jesus… will come back." While we wait, we stay faithful. We do the jobs Jesus gave us, glad and not afraid.Old TestamentFaithfulness
With Building BricksJonah and Nineveh: RepentanceJonah 1–3; Acts 3:19; Matthew 12:41God told Jonah to go to the big, wicked city of Nineveh. But Jonah ran the other way! God sent a storm, and Jonah was thrown into the sea. God sent a huge fish to swallow him. Inside the fish, Jonah prayed and turned back to God. The fish spit him out on dry land. Then God gave Jonah a second chance. Jonah went to Nineveh and gave a very short message. "Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!" The whole city believed God. From the king to the cows, they turned from their evil ways, and God showed them mercy. Repentance means turning away from sin and back to God.Old TestamentRepentance
The Church BeginsJesus Goes Back to HeavenActs 1:1-11; Matthew 28:18-20Forty days after He rose, Jesus gave His friends a job, to tell the whole world about Him, and promised the Holy Spirit's power. Then He went up to heaven, and angels said He will come back.New TestamentResponsibility
The Church BeginsThe Holy Spirit ComesActs 2:1-47; Genesis 11:1-9On Pentecost, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit like a rushing wind and tongues of fire. The disciples told about Jesus in many languages, Peter preached, and 3,000 people believed. The church was born with great joy.New TestamentFreeJoy
The Armor of GodThe Armor of God: Sword of the SpiritActs 2:14-41; John 18:10-11; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12On the night Jesus was arrested, Peter swung a real sword and cut off a man's ear. Jesus told him to put it away. Seven weeks later, filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter stood before thousands with a different sword, God's Word. He told them what the Scriptures said about Jesus, and they were "cut to the heart." About 3,000 people believed! The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is living and powerful, and the Spirit uses it to change hearts, starting with ours.New TestamentGod's Word
The Church BeginsThe Church SharesActs 2:42-47; Acts 4:32-37The first Christians loved each other so much that they shared everything they had. They ate together, prayed together and made sure no one was in need. Barnabas even sold a field and gave the money to help.New TestamentGenerosity
The Church BeginsPeter and John Heal a ManActs 3:1-4:31; Isaiah 35:5-6Peter and John healed a man who couldn't walk, in the name of Jesus. When leaders told them to stop talking about Jesus, they bravely said, "We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard."New TestamentCourage
The Church BeginsStephen ForgivesActs 6:8-8:4; Luke 23:34, 46Stephen loved Jesus and told others about Him. When angry men hurt him, Stephen saw Jesus in heaven and prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," forgiving them just as Jesus forgave.New TestamentForgiveness
The Church BeginsPhilip and the EthiopianActs 8:26-40; Isaiah 53:7-8God sent Philip to a desert road to meet an important man from Ethiopia who was reading the Bible. Philip told him the good news about Jesus, the man was baptized, and he went home full of joy.New TestamentJoy
The Church BeginsSaul Meets JesusActs 9:1-22; 2 Corinthians 5:17Saul was trying to hurt Jesus' followers. But on the road to Damascus, the risen Jesus stopped him with a bright light and spoke to him. Saul turned around, followed Jesus, and became one of His greatest messengers.New TestamentRepentance
The Church BeginsDorcas Helps PeopleActs 9:36-43; Mark 5:35-43Dorcas loved Jesus and was always doing kind things, like making clothes for widows. When she got sick and died, her friends sent for Peter. Peter prayed, and God brought Dorcas back to life, and many people believed in Jesus.New TestamentKindness
God Shows No Favorites: Peter and CorneliusActs 10:1-48; Acts 11:18Cornelius was a Roman army officer who loved God, gave to the poor and prayed. An angel told him to send for Peter. At the same time, Peter had a vision of a sheet full of animals that Jewish law said not to eat. God said, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Just then, Cornelius's men arrived. Peter went with them, even though Jews didn't usually visit Gentiles. He told Cornelius's household about Jesus, and while he was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came on them. Peter said, "God does not show favoritism." God loves people from every nation, and we should too.New TestamentLove
Fruit of the SpiritFruit of the Spirit: GoodnessActs 11:19-26; Acts 9:26-28; Acts 13:2, 43; Galatians 6:9-10When the church in Antioch was growing, Barnabas was sent to help. He was glad to see God's grace there, and then he went looking for Saul and brought him to teach too. Later Saul, also called Paul, became the leader, and Barnabas was glad. Goodness is a fruit of the Spirit. God is good, and His Spirit makes us glad to do good to others and glad when God blesses them.New TestamentGoodness
The Church BeginsPeter Escapes PrisonActs 12:1-19; Exodus 12:11King Herod put Peter in prison, chained between soldiers. The church prayed hard for him, and God sent an angel to lead Peter out. When Peter knocked at the door, the praying friends could hardly believe it!New TestamentPrayer
God Opened Her Heart: Lydia BelievesActs 16:6-15God gave Paul a vision of a man from Macedonia begging, "Come over and help us!" So Paul and his friends sailed across the sea to the city of Philippi. On the Sabbath, they went to the river outside the city to find a place of prayer. There they met some women, and one was Lydia, a businesswoman who sold expensive purple cloth. As Paul talked about Jesus, the Lord opened Lydia's heart, and she believed. She and her household were baptized, and she opened her home to Paul's team. Faith in Jesus is a gift from God.New TestamentFaith
The Church BeginsPaul and Silas Sing in JailActs 16:16-34; Philippians 4:4Paul and Silas were hurt and locked in jail for telling about Jesus. At midnight they prayed and sang to God. An earthquake opened the doors, and the jailer and his family believed in Jesus and were filled with joy.New TestamentJoy
Seeing God's WorldTest EverythingActs 17:10-12; Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:21When Paul taught in Berea, the people listened eagerly, then checked everything he said against the Scriptures every day. In the garden, Eve didn't know God's word well and listened to the serpent instead. God gives wisdom to test everything we hear by His Word.New TestamentWisdom
To an Unknown God: Paul in AthensActs 17:16-34While Paul waited in Athens, he was upset to see the city full of idols. He talked about Jesus and the resurrection in the synagogue and the marketplace, and the city's thinkers brought him to a council called the Areopagus. Paul bravely stood up and said, "I found an altar that says, 'To an unknown god.' I will tell you who He is." He told them God made the world and gives everyone life and breath, and He raised Jesus from the dead. Some laughed, some wanted to hear more and some believed. God gives us courage to tell others about Him.New TestamentCourage
Priscilla and Aquila: Friends Who HelpedActs 18:1-4, 18-28; Romans 16:3-5; 1 Corinthians 16:19; John 15:13-15When Paul came to Corinth, he met Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife who had been forced to leave Rome. They were tentmakers, just like Paul, so he stayed and worked with them, and they became close friends. Later they sailed with Paul to Ephesus. There they heard a gifted teacher named Apollos, who didn't yet know the whole story about Jesus. They took him aside and kindly explained the way of God more accurately, and Apollos became a great help to the believers. Friendship means loving others at all times and helping them grow, because Jesus calls us His friends.New TestamentFriendship
With Building BricksEutychus Falls AsleepActs 20:7-12; John 11:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20On the first day of the week, the believers in Troas gathered in an upstairs room to break bread. Paul was leaving the next day, so he kept talking until midnight. A young man named Eutychus sat in the window and fell sound asleep – and fell three stories to the ground. They picked him up dead. But Paul went down, hugged him and said, "Don't be alarmed! He is still alive!" Everyone went back upstairs, ate together and talked until morning, and they took Eutychus home alive. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, so we have a living hope.New TestamentHope
The Church BeginsShipwrecked!Acts 27:1-44; Jonah 1:4-5Paul was on a ship to Rome when a terrible storm raged for 14 days. Everyone lost hope, but God sent an angel to promise Paul that every person would live. Paul kept trusting God and encouraged everyone, and all 276 people made it safely to shore.New TestamentPerseverance
Thanks Before the Rescue: Paul in the StormActs 27:13-44; Luke 22:19Paul was a prisoner on a ship to Rome when a terrible storm hit. For two weeks the sailors saw no sun or stars, and everyone gave up hope of being saved. But God sent an angel to tell Paul that everyone on board would live. Paul told them, "Take courage, for I believe God that it will happen just as He told me." Before dawn on the fourteenth night, with no land in sight, Paul took bread, gave thanks to God in front of them all, broke it and ate. Everyone was encouraged, and in the end all 276 people reached land safely. We can trust God's promises and thank Him even before the rescue comes.New TestamentTrust
Fruit of the SpiritFruit of the Spirit: JoyPhilippians 1:12-14; Philippians 4:4-13; Philippians 4:22; Acts 28:16, 30-31Paul wrote a letter full of joy while he was chained to a Roman soldier. His chains even helped the good news spread through the palace guard and into Caesar's household. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. It doesn't come from how things are going. It comes from Jesus, who is with us and always at work.New TestamentJoy