Free group study handout
Acts 17: Group Study Handout
How to use: read Acts 17 aloud together, then take the questions in order. One page is enough for an evening.
Overview
Paul arrives in Thessalonica and reasons in the synagogue for three Sabbath days. He explains that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, persuading some Jews and many devout Greeks to join him (vv. 1-4).
Key verse
“For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, this I announce to you.”
Acts 17:23 (WEB)
Outline
- Acts 17:1–4 Arrival in Thessalonica
- Acts 17:5–9 Opposition in Thessalonica
- Acts 17:10–12 Berea's Reception
- Acts 17:13–15 Persecution Follows
- Acts 17:16–21 Paul in Athens
- Acts 17:22–31 Address at the Areopagus
- Acts 17:32–34 Reactions to Paul’s Message
Discussion questions
- In v6, who do the people accuse of turning the world upside down?
- What is Paul doing in the synagogue in vv. 2-3?
- Paul's statement about God not dwelling in temples made with hands, v24: what does this suggest about the nature of God?
- The response of the Athenians to Paul's preaching in vv. 32-33: what does this show about their openness to new ideas?
- When has a time of distress made you speak out about beliefs, like Paul in v17?
Go deeper
Passages that echo Acts 17: Genesis 1, Acts 14, Job 12.
Before next time: read Acts 18.