Pre-amble to Acts

Hope you all had a great summer and feel organised and ready for the new year –long may we feel organised!
The - aliveandonline biblestudy group – is ready to start, hope you find it uplifting and enlightening as we learn from each other and build up our fellowship, knowledge and love in these unsettled times.
Peace in Christ – is the name of the game. A little effort from us but I hope it good for us all, let me know if you think something is not working or could be done differently.

I am very happy to send you a paper copy of studies and readings if it makes life easier for you.

Rosanna

Pre-amble:
It’s interesting that Acts is named 'Acts of the Apostles' when in fact Luke’s attention is focused on the preaching and activities of Peter and Paul leaving aside other Apostles and preachers. Luke gives a detailed account which enables readers a fuller historical understanding of how Christianity spread.When I think of Acts the ‘upper-room’, the ‘coming of the Holy Spirit’ and ‘Paul’ are my main memories. We will discover that it is firstly Peter who holds the key for the door to be opened to the Gentiles to enter the Kingdom of God. Paul then becomes the main figure with his band of ‘merry men’ travelling through ~Turkey, Greece and finally to Rome.

There are many interesting and diverse figures, themes and messages, I look forward to hearing what you discover and sharing mine also.

Here is a thought for you:
Luke hopes that we 'may be confident in all that we have been taught' (Luke 1:4).Are you a sports person, a musician or do you have a love of travel?
Do you believe what you are told about a match or piece of music by those commentating?
Do you read about a country and decide to go or not based on what you have read?

Some of us hear what is said and believe what we are told without questioning - we simply enjoy what we are doing and go with the flow. This is fine, but Luke’s readers were probably not like that. He had written one book explaining up to a point in Jesus’ life and now he was going to write about the life of the disciples and apostles – The effect of Jesus death if you like! I find it striking that Luke wrote his first book so that the reader may be confident in what he had been taught. I want to encourage you then that our aim should be confidence in what we have worked out and believe. That means a healthy mix of enjoying what we are learning and going with the flow and also wanting to question and look at things from a different angle. We need to have worked out what we believe and why!Acts is the story of the history of SALVATION (the act of saving or protecting from harm, risk, loss, destruction, etc) and REDEMPTION (paying off, as of a mortgage)
The resources I am likely to use are:
http://www.seite.co.uk/seitecms/ Up to date online resources via links from the SEITE theological porthole

Wiersbe, Warren W. 1989 The Bible Exposition V.1 Acts (Victor Books) SP Publications

Barclay William 1956 The Daily Study Bible (The Saint Andrew Press, Scotland)

Maclaren Alexander D.D 1826-1910 Expositions of Scriptures - Acts

Calender for studies

My hope is that we will have a study put online every two weeks, the first and third Sunday. And the last Sunday (Sat if people prefer) of the month will be the social.

I also propose we go through ACTS 2 ish chapters a month.

Sept ch.1 and ch.2
Oct ch.3-4:31 and 4:32-5
Nov ch.6-7:8 and 7:9-end
Dec ch.8 and ch.9 (notice the 2 themes)
Jan ch.10 and ch.11-12
Feb (quiet day ch.13 and ch.14) ch.15-ch.16:5 and ch.16:6-end
Mar ch.17 and ch.18
Apr ch.19 and ch.20
May ch. 21-22:21 and ch.22:22-23
June ch.24-25:22 and ch.25:23-end
July ch.27 and ch.28

Calender for socials

The last Sunday of the month will be a social where we will get together with friends and do something fresh and family orientated. Invite friends, family, associates.

Here is the proposed social calender Sundays 3.30-5.30pm
Sept 11th 8pm Coffee or Wine and web at 11 Oatfield Drive (for us to see site and chat)

Sept 28th Walk in Angely Forest back for Hotchoc, sarnies n marshmellows
(this went really well with such a bright dry day, the kids loved acting as frodo with firns on their heads!)

Oct 18th Vestry Hall, Louise leaving party

Nov 30th Chilli BBQ Fun Bring and Share

Dec 21st christingle prep &christmas Party (changed week) Church House

Jan 4th No social unless someone invites us all to their house!

Feb SAT 28th Quiet Day children can spend day with Rosanna while parents have a retreat! minimal cost of about £10

Mar 29th Hastings Chips on the Beach

Apr 10th Hot cross Bun service (if it is still on?)

May 31th Lights and Candles Fun bring n share Church House

June 28th Pool Play (cant promise we wont all get wet) bring n share

July 19th BBQ bring n share

Intro to aliveandonline cell

Hi Rosanna here

from last year it was obvious that there are many of us for whom a cell in a home is just not easy to attend. This is probably because our husbands or wives work abroad alot, travel to work and get home real late etc.


With the business of family lives or just life I hope those with and without children for whom this style of cell may work will be able to study, fellowship and have input.

My hope is that doing 'cell' this way will give us the time to begin reflecting on a study with it fitting into our lives conveniently.

We can study as individuals and if we find it helpful also as a community; being able to share, discuss, challenge and question in our own space and time via the comments bit at the bottom of each study.

Enjoy