The Essential Question: How You Can Make a Difference for God
"I don't want to look back someday and realize I wasted my time. I want my life to count for something important." "This world is a very needy place. If my Christian faith means anything at all, I've got to figure out what I can do about it." Have you ever asked yourself, What difference am I making with my life? On some level, we all struggle to find our own answer to that fundamental question. The search for significance is the underlying motivation for virtually all human activity. It's what drives us. Whitney T. Kuniholm, president of Scripture Union/USA, addresses these core questions by taking you on a fast-paced journey through the book of Acts. He draws on the question the apostle Paul asked Jesus: "What shall I do, Lord?" (Acts 22:10). The experiences of the first Christians show us that God has a mission, an essential mission, for all of his people—whether it is to serve him faithfully in the marketplace, in the home, in school, in the military or someplace else. The Essential Question is perfect for groups and churches that want to read the book of Acts together and then make a difference for God in their community and the world. Are you ready to answer the essential question?
Introduction
The Essential Community
The Church is Born
1. The Essential Truth: Acts 1:1-11
2. So, Now What? Acts 1:12-26
3. God is Here Now: Acts 2:1-13
4. What Just Happened? Acts 2:14-28
5. The New Testament Church: Acts 2:29-47
The Church Begins to Grow
6. "Just Do It" Faith: Acts 3:1-10
7. The Hard Sayings of Peter: Acts 3:11-26
8. The Offense of Christianity: Acts 4:1-22
9. Fearless Prayer: Acts 4:23-31
10. The Perfect Church: Acts 4:32-37
The Church is Persecuted
11. Lying to God: Acts 5:1-16
12. We're in the Jailhouse Now: Acts 5:17-42
13. Trouble in River City: Acts 6:1-15
14. Good News for a Hostile World: Acts 7:1-19
Courageous Evangelism: Acts 7:20—8:1a
The Essential Message
The Good News Changes Lives
15. The B-List Apostle: Acts 8:1b-25
16. Effective Evangelism: Acts 8:26-40
17. Seeing the Light: Acts 9:1-9
18. I Want You! Acts 9:10-19a
19. Spiritual Mentor: Acts 9:19b-31
The Good News is for Everyone
20. Bold Humility: Acts 9:32-43
21. The Divine Choreographer: Acts 10:1-48
22. Holy Legalism: Acts 11:1-18
23. The Church Goes Viral: Acts 11:19-30
24. The Unstoppable Force: Acts 12:1-25
The Essential Mission
The First Mission Trip
25. A Mission from God: Acts 13:1-12
26. Pioneering Ministry: Acts 13:13-52
27. Successful Ministry: Acts 14:1-28
28. Ministry Disagreements: Acts 15:1-21
29. Personal Disagreements: Acts 15:22-41
More Mission Trips
30. Jailhouse Rock: Acts 16:1-40
31. Flexible Ministry: Acts 17:1-34
32. The Mission Team Experience: Acts 18:1-28
33. The Real Problem: Acts 19:1-41
34. Ministry Snapshots: Acts 20:1-38
The Essential Question
Paul?s Journey to Jerusalem
35. Knowing God?s Will: Acts 21:1-26
36. Outside the Comfort Zone: Acts 21:27-36
37. The Essential Question: Acts 21:37—22:21
38. Blessed Assurance: Acts 22:22—23:11
39. The Paradox of Ministry: Acts 23:12-35
Paul? Roman Trial
40. The Inconvenient Truth: Acts 24:1-27
41."I Appeal to Caesar!": Acts 25:1-12
42. Who Is Jesus?: Acts 25:13-27
43. Paul?s Apologia: Acts 26:1-18
44. The Focused Life: Acts 26:19-32
Paul?s Journey to Rome
45. Mission Journal: Acts 27:1-12
46. A Titanic Ministry: Acts 27:13-26
47. The Shipwreck Moment: Acts 27:27-44
48. Ministry along the Way: Acts 28:1-10
49. An Everyday Challenge: Acts 28:11-31
Appendix
The Essential Question Journal
My Apologia
The Essential Question Church Program
Product Details
- Title : The Essential Question: How You Can Make a Difference for God
- Author: Kuniholm, Whitney T.
- Publisher: IVP Books
- Publication Date: 2014
- ISBN: 9780830896660
Whitney T. Kuniholm is president of Scripture Union USA (www.ScriptureUnion.org) and author of several books, including The Essential Bible Guide, The Essential Jesus and The Essential Question. He has a blog (www.EssentialBibleBlog.com) and speaks at churches and Christian conferences.