Week One - Acts of the Apostles Summer Reading Challenge

Welcome to the Rule of Life Summer Reading Challenge

The Summer Reading Challenge has been a popular part of the Rule of Life as together we have read and reflected on scripture. Previous challenges saw us reading Jonah, 1 Peter and the Psalms.

This year the Bishop of Liverpool, Right Reverend Doctor John Perumbalath will be guiding us through the Acts of the Apostles.

Bishop John’s Commentary

This summer, I invite you to join me in delving into the Acts of the Apostles, a book that can be described as Luke's theological geography. The journey in Acts begins in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, and culminates in Rome, the capital of the vast empire at that time. Acts 1:8 offers a geographical outline that sets the stage for the entire book.

The Book of Acts offers profound insights into what it truly means to be the Church. If you can get your hands on "Called to be Church: The Book of Acts for a New Day" by A B Robinson and R W Wall, you'll gain invaluable practical perspectives. Personally, I highly recommend "Acts: A Theological Commentary of the Bible" by Willie Jennings, as it sparks our imagination in ways perfectly suited for navigating a post-Christendom and post-colonial world.

Shall we commence with a rapid reading of the entire Book of Acts? My suggestion is that in this first week we read the whole book, not in a detailed devotional way but as the full story as Luke tells it. You may opt to read it in one sitting, similar to an engaging piece of fiction, or spread it over four or five days. The idea is to grasp the overarching story before we delve into individual sections for deeper reflection.

Week 1 Challenge

Getting familiar with the text.

• Begin with a rapid reading of the entire Book of Acts.

• Aim to read the whole book during this first week.

• Read it as a complete story, following Luke's narrative

• Choose between two reading approaches, read it in one sitting, treating it like an engaging piece of fiction. Alternatively, spread the reading over four or five days.

• The goal is to grasp the overarching story of Acts before delving into individual sections for deeper reflection.