Free printable Bible study guide
Acts Bible study guide
Read Acts as a whole before working through the sessions. Let its own structure set the agenda.
Short path · 30 to 45 minutes
Acts at a glance
The book of Acts has a central role in the New Testament: It connects Jesus with the emerging Christian community, and the Gospels with the rest of the New Testament. [1]
- Context
- Author: Luke, a physician and occasional companion of the apostle Paul. Date: Likely between the early 60s AD and the mid-80s AD. The events recorded in Acts end in the early 60s, but a commonly held view suggests that it was written later, presuming that Luke’s Gospel used the Gospel of Mark-likely written in the late 60s-as a source. Setting: Written during a time when the Good News of Jesus had spread throughout the Mediterranean world and it had become evident that God’s salvation extended to both Jews and Gentiles. [1]
- How to read it
- Read this book as a shaped narrative. Follow plot, repeated scenes, turning points, and the narrator's choices before turning events into personal lessons.
Group study · 6 sessions
Work through Acts in order
Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.
Session 1 · 178 verses
Acts 1-5
People and terms: Jesus, Peter, Jerusalem, John, David, Judas
- Before anyone explains it, walk through what actually happens here. Who does what, in what order?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Judas turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- The word temple is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?
Session 2 · 157 verses
Acts 6-9
People and terms: Philip, Jesus, Egypt, Jerusalem, Moses, Joseph
- Tell the story back in your own words. What is easy to skip over?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Joseph was standing. What changes?
- Define eunuch from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?
Session 3 · 155 verses
Acts 10-13
People and terms: Peter, Barnabas, Cornelius, Jerusalem, Paul, Jesse
- What happens in this section that you would struggle to explain to someone who has never read it?
- Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
- What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
- What does the writer tell us about Jesse, and what is deliberately left out?
- Where else have you heard angel used, and is it being used that way here?
- Whose perspective are we given, and whose are we denied?
- Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?
Session 4 · 170 verses
Acts 14-18
People and terms: Paul, Barnabas, Gentiles, Silas, Jesus, Antioch
- Read it once more, slowly. What do you notice the second time that you missed the first?
- Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
- What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
- What would this section sound like if Silas were telling it?
- The word jews is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What would you have written differently if you wanted to make a point?
- What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?
Session 5 · 184 verses
Acts 19-23
People and terms: Paul, Jerusalem, Jesus, Asia, Artemis, Ephesus
- If this were the only part of the book you had, what would you conclude about Jesus?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Artemis turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- Define jews from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?
Session 6 · 159 verses
Acts 24-28
People and terms: Paul, Festus, Jerusalem, Agrippa, Felix, Jesus
- Where does the pace change here, and what is the writer slowing down for?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Festus was standing. What changes?
- Where else have you heard jews used, and is it being used that way here?
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?
Deep study
Keep the book in context
Major themes
- To describe the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ and the birth of the church from Jerusalem throughout the Roman world
- The book's literary movement and central claims
- Faithful response within the people of God
- Hope, judgment, grace, and obedience in their proper context
Interpretive care
- Let the narrator establish the point before treating an event as a general rule.
- Do not assume every action recorded in the story is commended.
For fuller background, use the companion Acts commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.
Sources and reuse
This guide follows a historical-grammatical approach. It aims to read each passage in its literary and canonical context, and it names interpretive cautions where a text is commonly mishandled.
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers. Book background, purpose, setting, and structural orientation. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Protos study guide editorial
Protos. Reading structure, discussion questions, and application prompts. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Edition 2026.1. This guide is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. You may copy, print, adapt, and share it with attribution under the same license.
Common questions
What is Acts mainly about?
The book of Acts has a central role in the New Testament: It connects Jesus with the emerging Christian community, and the Gospels with the rest of the New Testament.
How should I read Acts?
Read this book as a shaped narrative. Follow plot, repeated scenes, turning points, and the narrator's choices before turning events into personal lessons.
Is this Acts study guide free?
Yes. Read it online or print the PDF. No account, email, or purchase is required.
How long does this Acts study take?
The group path has 6 sequential sessions. The short path can be used in one 30 to 45 minute meeting.
Can a church use this guide?
Yes. You may print, share, and adapt it with attribution under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
