Paul's speeches in Acts - Shared Bible Study Series - Acts 20:17-38

Tonight Stefano will continue the Shared Bible Study Series on Acts, that we are
doing as church this summer.

In this series we are interacting with all
Paul's speeches in the book of Acts and
we are using the Italian translation of
John Stott's Bible Study guide for groups:
"Acts: Seeing the Spirit at work", based on
the IVP Bible Speaks Today Commentaries.


This evening Stefano will lead the discussion from Paul's speech to the elders of Ephesus in Acts 20:17-38

"But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."

 Act 20:24 (ESV)

This is the only speech in the Acts which is addressed to a Christian audience. All the others are either evangelistic sermons, whether preached to Jewish people (2:14ff.; 3:12ff.; 13:16ff.) or Gentiles (10:34ff.; 14:14ff.; 17:22ff.), or legal defences, whether made before the Sanhedrin in the early days of the church (4:8ff.; 5:29ff.; 7:1ff.) or the five speeches before the Jewish and Roman authorities, which come near the end of the book (22–26).

 

Stott, John R. W.: The Message of Acts : The Spirit, the Church & the World. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, Ill. : Inter-Varsity Press, 1994 (The Bible Speaks Today), S. 323