[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from The Gospel Project curriculum.
Bible Passage: Acts 24–26
Discussion Questions:
— Which person or group of people has God impressed upon your heart to pray for, specifically for their salvation?
— When was the last time you shared your personal testimony with someone? With whom could you share your testimony this week?
— What are some circumstances in your life that could lead to sharing the Gospel with others?
[2]Food for Thought:
Read Acts 26:1-32. There’s power in a person’s testimony. We may turn to people’s reviews online to determine if we want to try a new restaurant or which company to go with for a maintenance issue in our home. Personal testimonies are used in court cases to help the judge and jury determine what took place. Testimonies are given space in our society so someone can be heard.
We must realize that our personal testimony of how we embraced Jesus carries power. Why? Because it is centered on the Gospel. Our personal testimony communicates how we once lived before we knew Jesus. It expresses how we heard about Jesus, His death and resurrection. Our testimony tells what took place within us by the work of the Holy Spirit to help us realize our need for Jesus to save us. Our testimony helps us share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who do not know Him.
But not everyone we share the Gospel with will embrace Jesus as Savior. We have to remember that salvation is a work of God, not us. God the Holy Spirit is the One who changes the hearts of nonbelievers in order to give them new life (John 3:3-8). We must couple our evangelistic efforts with prayers for God to remove the blinders from the eyes of nonbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:4). At the same time, we must practice the work of evangelism since God has determined that the Gospel must be preached in order for nonbelievers to call upon the Lord to be saved (Romans 1:16-17, 10:9-17).
We see in Paul’s life that he made it a habit to pray for God to save those who didn’t know Jesus. He prayed for his fellow Jews (Romans 10:1), and he prayed that every type of person would come to know Jesus, even kings and rulers (1 Timothy 2:1-6). Spend some time today praying for people in all positions of life to know Jesus.
The Gospel Project
The Gospel Project is a chronological, Christ-centered study for kids, students and adults. The Bible is not a collection of stories. It is one story of God’s plan to rescue His people from sin and death. It is the story of redemption, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. More information can be found at gospelproject.com [3].
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at Lifeway.com/SundaySchool [4] or ordered at lifeway.com [5].