SWO24 Bible Studies

These two Bible studies are designed to book-end the summer teaching for students and leaders. This summer, at SWO24, our pastors are teaching through key portions of Luke 5-24—highlighting the authority of Christ that Luke conveys in his Gospel account.

So, that’s why the pre-summer study is designed to introduce the main ideas of Luke and prepare the SWO24 students to get the most out of their time at SWO. Obviously, Acts is part 2 of Luke’s story, and the Post-SWO24 Acts study is the perfect launching pad to continue building good Bible study habits once they return home.

If you aren’t going to make it to SWO24 Summer Camp, both of these studies will still be extremely valuable for you. But, you’ll want to read the Gospel of Luke in between.

Luke 1-4 Bible Study

Read this 4-day study before you arrive at SWO24.

This study prepares us to see and submit to the authority of Christ. 

This summer, we will read the Gospel of Luke and see Jesus heal the sick, proclaim the truth, and raise the dead. The authority of Christ is clearly on display in the Gospel of Luke from the moment Jesus’ birth is announced by the angel Gabriel to the last verses when the resurrected Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24:51).

This study looks at the first four chapters of Luke, which is the perfect setup for helping us see Christ’s authority. We will explore who Jesus is, what he came to accomplish, and why he has authority. It is our prayer and belief that our time together this summer will be life-changing.

You will get the most out of this study if you read each chapter of Luke before you read the study. You should also keep your Bible open while you read through the study so you can reference the things discussed. At the end of each chapter, we included personal reflection questions,  prayer points, discussion questions for small groups, and a memory verse. Work through these slowly. They do not have to be finished in one day.

We challenge you to finish each devotional, take your time memorizing and reflecting on the Scriptures, and read through the whole book of Luke before you come to SWO24.

Post-SWO24 Bible Study (Acts 1-4)

Read this 4-day study after your week at SWO24.

We hope your week at SWO24 was the best week of your summer. We pray that the Lord uses it and continues to grow you and change you to be more like Jesus.

As we walk through the first four chapters of Acts, we’ll discover how Christ’s authority propelled the early Church into existence and how it should continue to affect our lives today.

We need to know a few things before getting into the study. Luke, you know, the guy who wrote Luke – well, he also wrote Acts; it’s kind of like Luke Part II. Just like the Gospel of Luke gave an orderly account of Jesus’ life, the book of Acts gives us an orderly account of the spread of the Gospel and the establishment of the Church. The Greek word (the New Testament was written in Greek), translated as “preach the Gospel,” is used more in Acts than any other book in the Bible. Also, one-third of the book is speeches, given mainly by Paul or Peter, proclaiming the Gospel.

As we study through the first four chapters, and hopefully as you continue to study through the book of Acts on your own, we will ask ourselves some questions over and over. 

1. How did the disciples respond to the authority of Christ and the work of the Spirit? 
2. How are we to respond to the authority of Christ and the work of the Spirit? 
3. What are we equipped, called, and enabled to do? 

These questions are not always easy to answer, and the answers can be challenging and convicting. 

At the end of each day, the reflection section is meant to facilitate prayer and meditation on the Scripture. There is also a memory verse that goes along with it. This study aims to help you learn how to study the Scriptures better, challenge you to ask the hard questions that Scripture puts in front of you, and encourage you to live out the Christian life faithfully.