Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

The Holy Spirit in Acts 1. What are the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit? 2. What’s the connection between the gift of “tongues” and the sacrament of baptism? 3. Which apostles are also described as prophets? 4. Whose daughters were prophets? 5. What’s the connection between anointing with oil and prayer for healing? 6. How does the Holy Spirit guide in the book of Acts? 7. Who prophesied that Paul would be arrested? 8. What miracles occur in Acts? 9. What prophesies are recorded in Acts? 10. Who said “We must obey God, not men”? Paul lists nine gifts of the Holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12:1-14, seven in Romans 12:6-8, and five ministries in Ephesians 4:11. All these gifts are apparent in the stories in the Book of Acts. The gift of tongues is frequently connected with Pentecost and baptism, but only because that is where it is usually seen first. Acts seems to accept tongues as evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit, perhaps in the same way as the Old Testament accepted ecst...

Miracles in Acts 1. Which apostle performed the first healing miracle in Acts? 2. Who said “Silver and gold have I none”? 3. Whose shadow was said to heal people? 4. Who healed Saul’s blindness? 5. What happened to a woman whose name means gazelle? 6. Which disciples raised the dead? 7. Who was called a god for healing a crippled man? 8. Who handled poisonous snakes? 9. Who was mistaken for an angel? 10. Who stayed in jail after his chains had fallen off? Christian traditions differ about the place of miracles in the expanding church, some claiming that miracles were needed in the earliest days to verify God’s plan but died out later, others claiming they have never died out. The Catholic church even goes so far as to investigate potential miracles to verify which ones might be true, while other churches claim God prefers to work through modern medicine, and still others deny the value of any medicine other than prayer. The Book of Acts is full of miraculous events, far mo...

Faith and Miracles Jesus has power over natur e : There’s a difference between miracles and magic. Old Testament magicians could copy lots of God’s achievements in Egypt, but couldn’t copy God’s control over nature. In the New Testament, it’s when Jesus controls the wind and the waves that the disciples respond with greatest awe ( Mark 4:35-41 ). Jesus has power over social convention : Social rules can dictate who we do and don’t eat with, or who we allow into our homes, churches and schools. But Jesus broke the social rules and invited everyone ( Matthew 9:11-12, John 4:7-15 ). Jesus has power over need : Jesus recognized the hunger of his followers and provided food, either by directly miraculous means or by equally miraculously causing huge crowds to share, depending on your interpretation. Jesus has power over sickness : Jesus healed people, and his followers healed people ( Acts 5:12-16, 8:6-7 ). After his death, his disciples continued to heal people in his name. People were cur...

5: What if… the Bible reveals a discoverable path? The traditional Exodus story says Moses and the Israelites ran away from the Egyptians and escaped by crossing the Red Sea. But where did they cross, and to what purpose? And where did they go next? What does the Bible really say about the journey? Compare Numbers 33:1-8 , and Exodus 12:37a, 13:17, 13:20-14:2, 15:22-23 The accounts don’t agree precisely so they’re probably not copies. But they agree most of the time, so they’re probably not fiction. The points of agreement and difference can be used to shed light on the geography of the journey. Where is Rameses? Numbers 33:1-3 Historians have found evidence of huge storage chambers built at Pi-Rameses (house of Rameses) during the Egyptian “New Kingdom” period (1540-1069BC). The city was probably at Qantir on the Nile Delta (though it was once thought to be Tamis). Where is Succoth? Exodus 12:37, Numbers 33:5 Succoth is probably Egyptian Tjeku, Arabic Maskuta (place of Skuta – the nam...

4: What if… God’s really acts in our world? Would finding a “natural” explanation for an event stop it’s being miraculous? When Jesus calmed the waves, the disciples cried out “Who is he, that even the wind and waves obey him?” When Moses stretched his hand over the water, the Hebrews might have said the same. But what if the storm was just about to abate, and the water just about to turn red. Would that stop it from being a miracle? Egyptian magicians could make the tide turn red. That’s magic, unless we understand how it’s done. But they couldn’t part the sea and neither, in general, can we. We might guess when seas will run dry, but God, who created nature, makes the timing exactly right for His people to escape. When too many “natural” coincidences pile on top of each other, perhaps that’s when it’s fair to say there’s a God and He’s performing miracles. It might even be the “simplest” explanation. What if… God designed our instincts? There is something very natural about placing ...