The Book of Acts

Who this is for

• Established groups of committed disciples — not new believers. Each study covers two whole chapters — the longest readings of any plan here. A group should already have the DBS habits — reading, retelling, the four questions, an “I will…” — and ideally a whole book like Mark behind it before taking on Acts.
• The point is still faith, not knowledge. Acts is not a church-history course. Resist the pull toward commentary, maps, and background trivia. The same simple question drives every study: what is God showing us, and what will we obey? Let the group discover church multiplication in the text instead of being taught it.

How to use it

• Two chapters per study, the DBS way. Read both chapters (aloud, in sections, if that helps), retell them in your own words, then work the four questions. With this much text, it’s fine for the retelling to trace the main movements of the two chapters rather than every detail.
• Let the follow-up prompts serve, not steer. Each study’s extra prompts under the four questions point at one thread running through the two chapters. If the group discovers a different thread, follow the group — the prompts are a help, never the agenda.
• End every study in obedience. An honest “I will…” and one person you’ll tell — the same discipline as every other plan. Longer readings never excuse skipping the response.
• Pace to the group, not the calendar. One study a week finishes Acts in about three and a half months. Linger where the text opens up — especially the sending in chapters 13–14 and the farewell in chapter 20 — and never rush what the group is discovering.
• Facilitate, don’t teach. With more text on the table the temptation to lecture grows. Keep asking, “Where do you see that in these chapters?” Don’t chew their food for them.