Welcome to Kendra Graham’s online Bible study. This is a place where we can come together and share in our journey towards Scriptural truths and spiritual maturity. We pray this will be a safe, respectful, resourceful place to come and discuss God’s Word…to discover What it says…What it means…and What it means to you!
Kendra Graham NOTES from Acts 1:8
WHAT DOES IT SAY? THE FACTS ONLY PLEASE.
In this step you need to list the outstanding facts of the passage. DON’T get caught up in the details, just list the facts. Do not paraphrase. Use the actual words of the passage. This is God’s Word, a lot of times this step seems tedious to some, but I urge you, as we read, and say and write God’s Word, it begins to sink deep into our hearts. If you just pick one fact out of the verse, write it down and meditate on it.
FACTS:
Verse 8a: You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you.
Verse 8b: You shall be witnesses to Me.
Verse 8c: In Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE LESSONS.
Look for a lesson to learn from each fact. What are the people doing that they should be doing? What are the people doing that they shouldn’t be doing?
Is there a command to follow? A promise to claim? A warning to heed? An example to follow?
LESSONS:
Verse 8a: You and I will receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon us…. so when God calls us to something, it is God who will empower us. Sometimes it’s easy to think it is up to us to accomplish that vision what God has placed in our hearts. It is God that calls us, God who equips us…. God who empowers us… God always calls us to things and places that are beyond ourselves, and it is in that GAP… that faith and belief are squeezed out of us. God calls us to things that demand His power to accomplish.
Verse 8b: We are to be a witness to what Jesus can and will do in the lives of His hand-made creation… we are witnesses to Jesus… not witnesses to what we can do, what we want to do, what we think God should call us to so we look good in the end and save face… we are witnesses to Him… what Jesus, God with skin on, has done for us! What we do is to reflect Jesus. It is not your show or my show, it’s His show! In the words of that great philosopher Toby Mac… “Jesus, Come and steal my show!” 🙂
Verse 8c: We are called, we receive power after the call, to be witnesses to Jesus and who He is, where He calls us and to whom He calls us to. It is not about where we want to be, where we think you should be, the people we want to minister to,or the ministry we believe we deserve or demand to have, it is about where God places us. Often it seems God places us in areas with people we don’t want to be.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME NOW? APPLY IT…. TODAY.
Take the lessons you learned and put them into the form of a personal question that you would ask your spouse, or a friend or your son or daughter.
As you write the questions, listen for God to communicate to you through His Word.
*Do not rush. Do not write things down just to have something on paper, this step takes more time that you may think. This is where Scripture meditation becomes real, this is where you begin to hear that still small voice speak to you, and place His finger in your life and begin to direct your paths…. this day, and the next, and the next. Do you trust Him enough to put into place that which He is moving you to?
Verse 8a: Have you been trying to do all God’s work for Him? Trying to help God instead of waiting for His power to come and do it? Remember Abraham tried to help God with the promise of a child and got Ishmael… will you allow God to accomplish what God wants to accomplish or do you have your own agenda of what God’s plan is?
Verse 8b: Are you more concerned about being a witness to Jesus in all you do, or a witness to your own reputation? Is it “your” show you want Jesus to bless or do you want to be a blessing and a witness to Him and His grace?
Verse 8c: Where has God placed you that you may not necessarily want to be, or see any importance in being, yet God has gone out of His way to place you where He wants you? Will you be faithful to His calling or would you rather be faithful to the calling you believe you deserve?
LIVE IT OUT!
Hold yourself accountable to LIVE OUT in your daily life that which God impresses upon your heart. Write it out, sign it, date it and claim the transforming power of God’s Word and His presence in your life.
Ask God today to empower me to be a witness for Him where I am and the places I go in this 24 hour period.
Repeat tomorrow.
Homework: Isaiah 53:6-7
Get stuck? www.annegrahamlotz.com and Anne will walk through the Three Questions with you and help you along!
In case you missed it, here is part one, two and three of the 3-part video series on Kendra Graham’s Women’s Bible Study. Click here for video message part 1, click here for video message part 2, and click here for video message part 3.