Bible Study - Acts 10

Bible Study – Acts 10

Directed by God’s Spirit, the Christian community breaks out of its Jewish roots to become multi-cultural. The centurion Cornelius becomes the first recorded Gentile to be baptised into the fellowship.

v. 1-8: Cornelius has a vision instructing him to make contact with Peter
v. 9-20: Peter’s vision
v. 24 ff. Cornelius and Peter meet; Peter tells the gospel to Cornelius, his relatives and his close friends and witnesses the Holy Spirit poured out on these Gentiles, evidenced by their speaking in tongues. The story climaxes in v47-48, with Peter’s exclamation “Surely no-one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.”

Q1 What do we learn about Cornelius in verses 1 and 2? Would this man have been considered a friend or an enemy by the Jewish Christian disciples?

Q2 Which is more important, to believe the right things about God or to live the way God wants us to live? In what ways was Cornelius’s life pleasing to God?

Q3 What should our attitude be towards people who are living ‘godpleasing’ lives but who are not Christians? Should we try to convert them?

Q4 The two men had different reactions to their visions. Discuss the different experiences we can have/have had to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

Q5 How is God’s power demonstrated in this chapter?

Q6 In what ways does God demonstrate that he believes in Peter?

Q7 Trace Peter’s gradual understanding of God’s will. What does this tell us about leadership?

Q8 What do you make of the gospel story as retold by Peter in verses 34 to 43? How does it compare to the way the gospel is usually told?

Q9 Jesus’ commission “Go make disciples of all nations…” (Matt 28:19) (Acts 1:8) shaped the missionary endeavours of the church. Discuss the similarities and differences with the challenge faced by the church today.

Q10 The early church had to break out from its old culture in order to grow as the Spirit directed. What “old cultures” might hold back and inhibit our current church?