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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Rubber Meets the Road in this Study of Acts, February 4, 2009
This review is from: Acts (Life Application Bible Studies: NLT) (Paperback)
Bible study guides are hard to choose, so I'm going to try to give a general idea of the type of group that this guide is for. I rate it five stars for the appropriate audience, which is Christian laymen who are ready to ask some of the tough questions about becoming more effective and authentic in their church ministry and witness. The high points of design are the NLT text and Life Application Study Bible notes that are included. Most study group members in my experience want to use their own Bible, and that's probably good, but it's also valuable to have a standard fallback, and for the purposes for which this guide is designed, it would be hard to make a better choice. The lesson suggestions are good. Experienced small group leaders may vary them. If you're new, you will do well to pay close attention. The questions are excellent. They start factual (what happened), and impersonal (to those people back then) and they escalate to people in the current experience of the students, and finally point directly at the students. They are both thought and action oriented. How can YOU apply this. The advanced questions provided with each lesson are also useful, but unless you have an unusually large amount of time available, you won't get there. (Stick with the suggested times if you want your Bible study group to thrive.) If your group is more into theology and exegesis, this may not be the book for you. It is a rubber-meets-the-road, personal, action-oriented study guide. It might serve well for a church wide study for a church that wants to move into a new phase of ministry and growth.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
A Gentle Survey for Beginners Who Like to Talk About Their Own Experiences, February 23, 2012
This review is from: Acts (Life Application Bible Studies: NLT) (Paperback)
This is a study guide through the New Testament Book of Acts. Acts is the second book written by the author of the Gospel of Luke. It tells the story of how the early church grew, focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit especially through first the Apostle Peter and then the Apostle Paul. This guide includes: 1. The complete text of the Book of Acts presented in the New Living Translation including cross-references to relevant Bible verses. 2. Helpful study notes highlighting the meaning of the text as well the historical and cultural background. 3. Several maps of the Mediterranean world. 4. Study questions with room to write answers. The Book of Acts is the second longest book in the New Testament (The Gospel of Luke is the longest book.) This study is divided into 13 lessons which means each lesson is quite long. It is suggested that each lesson will take 60 to 90 minutes, but in my experience using this guide, it can easily take two or three sessions to complete each lesson. Keep in mind that each lesson covers a bit more than two full chapters from Acts and the series as a whole is geared toward group discussion. I mention this only to suggest carefully planning if your group is considering this guide and is on a tight schedule to actually complete it. Who will like this Bible study? The New Living Translation is intended to be very easy to read and understand. Since the entire text of Acts is included in this guide, participation does not require a separate Bible. This is a study guide for new believers and believers new to the study of the Bible or new to Bible reading. It is designed for use in group setting. The questions have a strong emphasis on life application, talking about one's own life and experiences. It does not require previous Bible knowledge to participate. Who will not like this Bible study? Experienced students of the Bible accustom to a more precise translation of the Bible will not like the "softness" of the New Living Translation. Those opposed to the idea of gender-inclusive language as a translation principle will want to choose a different guide. Put simply, the NLT "sacrifices" exacting accuracy for ease of reading. Students who desire a deep understanding of text of the Book of Acts, its literary structure, or theological themes will not find enough here. Those who want to study and then discuss details of the text and what it says and means rather than how they feel will likely be sorely disappointed. In short, this is a gentle survey rather than a more serious study. It has its place, but consider what your own goals and expectations are before purchasing.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Bible Study???, July 11, 2011
This review is from: Acts (Life Application Bible Studies: NLT) (Paperback)
I bought this bible study (if you call it that) based on recommendations for other reviewers. Boy, was I disappointed. The commentary and questions leave a lot to be desired. The commentary is is basic, with little to no real theological study of doctrine, etc. included. The questions are elementary in nature. They are basically the same questions that my 6 yr old does in his bible class. Who did this...? What did they do...? No real meat and potatoes kind of questions, just regurgitation of the text. This study leaves a lot to be desired.
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