Radical Apprentices: Week 6 Readings and Discussion Questions

Readings: Acts 24: 1-21, Acts 27: 13-44; Radical Apprentices, Chapters 11 and 12

Discussion Questions:

Discussion 1:

• What are some of the charges that Paul’s accusers bring against him in Acts 24? How do their accusations misrepresent Paul?
• How does Paul defend himself? What does he say, and how does he say it? Does Paul misrepresent his accusers? Does he insult his accusers in the same way that they insult him?
• How is Paul’s response an example of how we should respond when we face challenges to our witness for Christ?

Discussion 2:

• What was the real force behind Paul’s accusers in Acts 24? Discuss this statement from page 147 of Radical Apprentices: “Satanic strategy – which preys on one’s biblical ignorance as much as on one’s sinful nature – is based on half-truths and all-out lies. In fact, the devil’s methods really aren’t that hard to pinpoint if one is spiritually discerning. My point is that a much darker and sinister force accused Paul from behind the mask of human faces…The devil wanted to bring Paul to ruin, and he wasn’t fussy about who he used to do it.”
• Despite the powerful forces contending against Paul, how is he a radical overcomer in this situation? How does Paul teach us how to overcome in Christ?

Discussion 3:

• How was Paul able to abide in God’s peace in the midst of the terrible storm at sea described in Acts 27?
• Consider the following words from page 160 of Radical Apprentices. “God opened a door of opportunity for Paul to enlighten the men in his company about who was really in control of their dicey situation. The door would otherwise have remained closed if things were, shall we say, smooth sailing. Paul may have boarded the ship a prisoner but once the storm hit, he became God’s chaplain to an anxious group of men.”
• What does the quotation above teach us about the potential for God to bring something good out of stressful and terrifying situations in which we may find ourselves?
• How can we, like Paul, live in the radical peace of God and minister that peace to others?