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What Do You Observe?

What Do You Observe? Book Cover

We’ve talked about their authors, their contexts, and their roles in the overall story of the Bible. Now it’s time to open our Bibles and start studying! We’re going to practice making observations using John 3:16 and Acts 1:8.

Just as we would never open up the latest New York Times bestseller to a random page and start reading, the books we find in the New Testament are no different. When studying the Gospels or Acts, we should always start at the beginning. Before we move on to observation and interpretation, it can be tempting to skip past genealogies or jump to our favorite verses. But to truly understand the message and power of each book, we have to take the journey as it has been set before us.

What Does it Mean?

John 3:16

Read John 1–3. Reading these chapters shows us that the immediate context of John 3:16 begins with John 3:1. Where does this section end?

The major characters in our section are Jesus and a man named Nicodemus. John gives us some important information about this man. For example, he writes that Nicodemus “was a man of the Pharisees” (3:1). What do you know about Pharisees? (If you’ve never heard of a Pharisee, take a minute to look it up. A simple Google search will suffice.) What else can we observe about him? How does he address Jesus?

By reading the sections that come immediately before our focus verse, we come to understand that John 3:16 is part of Jesus’s response to Nicodemus’s questions. What were those questions?

John 3:16 begins with the word “for.” This may be a little word, but it packs a lot of meaning. Here, it indicates that what comes after it provides an explanation for whatever came before it. What does Jesus tell Nicodemus in the verses immediately before verse 16?

What does John 3:16 explain?

Acts 1:8

Read Acts 1:1–11. The first three verses of Acts 1 provide an introduction for the book. It is here that we learn that there is a “first book” that precedes the book of Acts. Which is the first book? (Hint: The mention of “Theophilus” gives us a clue.)

Beginning with the introduction, Luke shares some details that help set the scene for our focus verse. In verse 3, we learn that Jesus presented himself “alive to them after his suffering.” Who are the “them” Luke is referring to? What are Jesus’s instructions to them? And why does he give them these instructions?

As we continue reading, we discover that Acts 1:8—much like John 3:16—is part of Jesus’s response that begins earlier in the passage. In this case, it follows a question found in verse 6. What do the disciples ask Jesus?

Acts 1:8 begins with the word “but.” This little word is our clue to pay attention to what’s coming next. It is a signal that what follows after it is the most important part of our verse. What does Jesus say before the “but”?

Who will be the source of the disciples’ power? What will happen as a result of the Holy Spirit’s coming?

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New Testament: The Gospel & Acts

Daily Question

Who will be the source of the disciples’ power? What will happen as a result of the Holy Spirit’s coming?

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Comments (2)

The Holy Spirit will be the source of the disciples’ power. The Holy Spirit will lead the disciples to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.

The source of the disciples’ power is the Holy Spirit. He will give them the ability to share the gospel to the ends of the earth. We know from continuing to read that this was done with boldness even in the face of persecution and that through the Holy Spirit many were added to the number of those with believed in the Way. These results were made possible through the power and authority of the Holy Spirit that lives in and worked through the disciples and this power is still available to us as believers today.

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