Explore the lessons
Explain the risen Lord’s formation and sending of his church, judge its common life by apostolic teaching, and interpret apocalyptic hope with confidence in Christ and humility about disputed details.
The risen Lord sends and gathers
Acts
- Lesson 1
The risen Lord sends his witnesses
Acts 1:1–14
The ascended Jesus sends witnesses in the Spirit’s power and will return, so mission rests on his authority rather than a known timetable.
- Lesson 2
The Spirit comes and the gospel is announced
Acts 2:1–21; Acts 2:32–41
The risen Jesus pours out the promised Spirit and summons hearers to repentance, faith and baptism.
- Lesson 3
Serving neglected people and witnessing under pressure
Acts 6:1–15; Acts 7:54–8:4
The growing church addresses neglected needs and bears witness amid opposition, while God carries the gospel beyond Jerusalem.
- Lesson 4
A traveller hears Christ from Scripture
Acts 8:26–40
Philip explains Jesus from Isaiah and the Ethiopian traveller responds in faith and baptism.
- Lesson 5
God welcomes Gentiles through the same gospel
Acts 10:34–48; Acts 11:1–18
God grants Gentiles the same saving gift, requiring the church to recognise his action rather than impose ethnic barriers.
- Lesson 6
Grace and the Jerusalem council
Acts 15:1–21
The church recognises salvation by the Lord Jesus’ grace rather than requiring Gentiles to become Jews.
- Lesson 7
The gospel amid exploitation and imprisonment
Acts 16:16–34
Christ’s authority confronts exploitation and his gospel reaches a jailer through suffering witnesses.
- Lesson 8
Teaching more accurately and working together
Acts 18:1–28
God sustains mission through work, hospitality and patient instruction, including correcting a gifted teacher’s incomplete knowledge.
- Lesson 9
Shepherds care for a church bought by Christ
Acts 20:17–38
Church leaders must guard themselves and the flock through truthful, costly service because the church belongs to God.
Truth, holiness and life together
1 Corinthians; Philemon; 1 Timothy; 2 John; 3 John; Jude
- Lesson 10
Holiness and accountable church care
1 Corinthians 5:1–13
The church must take serious unrepentant wrongdoing within its membership seriously while remembering Christ its Passover sacrifice.
- Lesson 11
Receive him as a brother
Philemon 1–25
The gospel transforms Paul’s appeal for Onesimus into a claim of brotherly reception and costly love.
- Lesson 12
The Lord’s Supper and the body’s care
1 Corinthians 11:17–34
The meal proclaiming Christ’s death is contradicted when a congregation humiliates poorer members.
- Lesson 13
One body with many needed members
1 Corinthians 12:12–31
The Spirit unites diverse believers in one body whose members depend on and honour one another.
- Lesson 14
Leadership fitted to God’s household
1 Timothy 3:1–16
Church leadership requires tested godly character because the household serves the truth centred on Christ.
- Lesson 15
Love does not abandon the truth about Christ
2 John 1–13
Christian love walks in the truth and refuses to support teaching that denies the incarnate Christ.
- Lesson 16
Hospitality serves the truth
3 John 1–15
Gaius’s support of faithful workers serves truth, while Diotrephes’s love of prominence harms the church.
- Lesson 17
Contend for the faith with mercy
Jude 1–25
The church must resist grace turned into licence while building one another up, showing discerning mercy and trusting God to keep his people.
The kingdom, the churches and the Lamb
Daniel; Revelation; 2 Peter
- Lesson 18
Beastly kingdoms and the Son of Man
Daniel 7:1–28
Earthly dominion is judged by God and the enduring kingdom belongs to the Son of Man and his people.
- Lesson 19
The risen Lord stands among his churches
Revelation 1:1–20
The risen Jesus rules death and addresses real churches, so his revelation calls for faithful hearing and hope.
- Lesson 20
The delayed return and God’s patient purpose
2 Peter 3:1–18
God’s patience gives opportunity for repentance while the promised day calls believers to holy, watchful life rather than scoffing or date-setting.
- Lesson 21
The Creator and the slain Lamb receive worship
Revelation 4:1–11; Revelation 5:1–14
The Creator reigns and the slain, living Lamb is worthy to unfold God’s purposes because he has redeemed a people.
Evil judged and creation renewed
Revelation
- Lesson 22
The accuser’s defeat and faithful testimony
Revelation 12:1–17
The dragon’s opposition cannot defeat God’s saving purpose, and the Lamb’s people overcome through his blood and faithful testimony.
- Lesson 23
Babylon’s splendour cannot survive judgement
Revelation 18:1–24
God judges a proud, exploitative order whose wealth depends on corruption and human suffering.
- Lesson 24
Evil and death face God’s final judgement
Revelation 20:1–15
God finally defeats evil and judges the dead justly; the debated millennium must not displace these clear promises.
- Lesson 25
God dwells with his people in renewed creation
Revelation 21:1–8; Revelation 22:1–17
God removes death and curse, dwells with his people and calls hearers to live ready for Christ’s return.