Saved Personal Bible Study: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts

This is a great Bible study that is appropriate for a wide variety of uses. Someone can go through this on their own, or it can be part of a group study. Also, individuals and groups can use this workbook alongside the author's "Saved" book or video series, or they can use it by itself. Unlike Bible study workbooks that ask questions based on that week's outside reading or video session, this workbook is solely based in Scripture. It is self-contained and effective on its own, helping people read through the book of Acts and explore what it says.This book is also appropriate for many different demographics. Because it focuses on the biblical text, rather than on specific topics or life applications, it is relevant to all Christians. It's clear from the leader's guide that Nancy Guthrie designed this series with other women in mind, but there is nothing female-specific about the study. Women, men, and mixed-gender groups can all benefit from this, and this study is also suitable for teens. This is a very basic, straightforward guide to reading and understanding the whole book of Acts, and it is truly just a Bible study, without teaching segments geared towards a particular demographic.This book has a brief note from the author at the beginning, and then contains seventeen lessons. Each lesson includes approximately ten questions. There are clear instructions of which Bible passages to read, and the questions help readers observe what the text says and interpret its meaning. I like that so much of this study involves paying close attention to what the text says and the story that it's telling, rather than automatically trying to jump to a life application for it. This study goes through the book of Acts in a systematic, focused way, and it also includes readings from elsewhere in Scripture, so that people can recognize connections between different passages.I like this book's physical design as well. The spiral binding is very convenient, since the book lies completely flat and can double over, and the cream pages are nice quality. The pages also have a nice layout, with lined spaces for answering each question.My only significant critique is that it would be nice if there was some extra journaling space at the end of each lesson, for when someone has longer reflections that won't fit in the provided space. Also, even though some of the lessons end with a final application or reflection question that ties things together, some of the other lessons end abruptly.Overall, I am very impressed with this Bible study, and I would recommend it. In a market full of multi-component Bible studies, it's nice that this one gives the option of using multiple resources or just using the study workbook, and the study is thorough, well-designed, and appropriate for a broad audience.

This is a very nice, well written and organized bible study guide for Nancy Guthrie's book "Saved: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts." In addition to this bible study guide, there is a leaders guide and video series, if you plan to use this in a group setting. This bible study guide breaks the book down into 17 sessions, each taking 30-60 minutes (closer to the 60 minutes), so it is a lengthy commitment for a group. I got Nancy's book and study guide to see if it would be useful in my church. I am a co-leader of the Men's Ministry and Discipleship.In addition to being useful in a group bible study, I feel this study guide is helpful for an individual or couple who wishes to study the book of Acts in depth. This study guide takes the reader through the book of Acts and must be used with Nancy's book "Saved: Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts." Throughout the 17 sessions, Nancy also incorporates scripture from other parts of the Old and New Testaments. In the book and study guide, she beautifully shows God's plan of redemption and restoration in the world through His Church and His people. In writing the book and this study guide, Nancy doesn't debate theological issues, but just lets the reader interpret the text from the Bible itself. She nicely brings out the historical and geological context from the book of Acts as well. In the study guide, Nancy has lots of questions and space for our own thoughts and experiences.I have not used this in my Men's ministry yet, but we plan to after the first of the year. It is a pretty big time commitment, especially if you do one session per week. We have also had conversations amongst the church leadership about opening this up to the whole church, as a mid-week Bible Study. I really feel this would be a great idea, because the book and study guide can easily be understood regardless of people's education or biblical knowledge. I also did not view the video series, but we may consider that option too. I feel this study guide is priced very well. I would highly recommend this study guide for an individual or group bible study of Nancy's book.

I have been looking for good Bible study materials, and I decided to take a chance on this one. This particular study focuses on the book of Acts and serves very much as a self-led study though it can be used in a group (or in my case, in a couples setting). It’s not exactly what I expected, but it serves its purpose well for me.Many studies are very verbose and lead the reader/student on a study that is part narrative, part Scripture, and a few questions added at the end of the chapters for discussion. It’s a format that works well for a lot of people. But, this study is very different. The emphasis is not so much on knowing how to interpret what Scripture means but rather on knowing what it actually says. It’s a different approach to most studies I have encountered, and for me this is refreshing. There are a lot of references to Scripture, followed by questions about each passage that emphasize the “what” instead of the “why”.Narrative is very minimal. Where most studies tend to dive into the circumstances occurring when a passage was written, history, or how it ties back to other areas of Scripture, this one does not, at least not in the same way. When a reference is made to another area of Scripture it is done so as a “what does it say” type of question.I like the fact that this book uses ivory colored paper and a nice typeface that is easy on my eyes.This is an atypical study for the book of Acts. Instead of emphasis on interpretation, emphasis is on knowing what’s there. The format lends itself for very active participation and self-led study.

Content: This is a great Bible study that asks several deep guiding questions about the passages, their meanings, and their connections. It not only focuses on the book of Acts, but also the references in the Old Testament that relate to the verses as the study goes step-by-step through the book.Quality: The cover is very aesthetically pleasing, well constructed, and the pages are perfect for writing on. These aren't overly thick pages, but good enough for a normal pen or pencil to write on without bleeding.

This study notebook through the Book of Acts is lightweight with calming colors. The cover is cardstock, and the spiral binding is copper color. The corners are rounded, and the paper is cream-colored. I cannot see pencil through the other side, but I can see ghosting from ink.I greatly appreciate that Guthrie doesn't try to teach but instead simply guide the reader through related passages.I do have a few criticisms that I hope might be helpful.1. It might be nice to have a blank page between each lesson for additional journaling.2. The format of this study guide is to take a look at a few verses at a time, then look at referenced scripture and take a few notes on them. There is no cohesion. There is nothing that pulls the whole section together. Again, I appreciate her intention of not preaching or teaching. But it might be nice to somehow pull the section together by asking summary questions, or prompting the reader to think about the passage as a whole, or to think about the two pages of notes we just wrote and give us space to summarize in our own words what the Holy Spirit has taught us from the collection of verses that Guthrie has just referenced.Again, I very much appreciate that Guthrie does not attempt to teach or preach. I am glad to have this study notebook. It has encouraged me to get back into the Book of Acts, and straight away in the first lesson, I learned something new that I had missed in my prior readings through Acts.