Fun Trivia » Religion » New Testament » Acts

"'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight." (Acts 1:8-9 NRSV)

The second chapter describes the visiting of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and followers who had gathered for Pentecost. For this reason, many denominations and Christian scholars consider Pentecost as the birth of the church. In Western liturgical calendars, the feast of Pentecost is observed fifty days after Easter. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Immeasurable wealth, The ability to strike down their enemies, Knowledge of the future

Saul went to the high priest in Jerusalem and asked for letters to the synagogues in Damascus so that if he found any Christians he could take them as prisoners. He then left Jerusalem and set out for Damascus. When he had almost reached Damascus the light came down and he heard Jesus speaking to him. This can be found in Acts 9:1-4. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Damascus, Ephesus, Corinth

The correct answer is Stephen was "a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit." There is no disputing the fact he was the acknowledged leader among the Grecian Jews. For example, his name appears first when the names of seven Grecian disciples are listed. What's more, a major part of chapters 6 and 7 of Acts is devoted to Stephen. Out of the Grecian disciples, Philip is the only other one to be mentioned after the list of names is given in Acts. After Stephen's death, Philip rose to the forefront of the Group of Seven. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Lacking both faith and knowledge of God., Contrite, humble and very serious., Full of knowledge and exuberant.

It states in Acts 3:2 that the man was paralyzed from birth, although no further details are given in the chapter. However, Acts 4:22 states the crippled beggar was more than 40 years old. This is the first documented account of a specific miracle performed by the disciples in Acts, a chapter which documents the growth of the early church after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus. However, Acts 2:43 states "many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles", but no further information is given. Difficulty: Easy.

 

About five years, About ten years, Seven years and seven months

Yes, Paul's ship was battered for 14 days, or two weeks. Scripture leaves no doubt the storm was severe. In Acts 27:18, it states the ship took "such a violent battering from the storm" the crew began to throw the cargo overboard. Acts 27:19-20 tells of the despair felt by the people on the ship: "On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." Difficulty: Average.

 

3, 9, 77

The correct answer is Judas, called Barsabbas. Acts 15:29, in the NIV Bible, makes it clear the church council did not want to burden the Gentile believers with a long list of rules. The verse states "You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." Verse 31 states the people who read the letter "were glad for its encouraging message." Verse 32 goes on to state Judas and Silas, "who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers." Difficulty: Hard.

 

Luke the physician., Philip the disciple., Cornelius the centurion.

The correct answer is Philippi. Prior to their arrest, Paul had converted Lydia, believed by many to be the first Christian believer in Europe. Philippi was a city in eastern Macedonia and was abandoned in the 14th century during the Ottoman conquest, according to Wikipedia. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Troas, Antioch, Rome

The correct answer is Philippi, an ancient city in eastern Macedonia. Notes in the New King James Study Bible state "Philippi owes its name to Philip of Macedon (father of Alexander the Great) who took it from the Thracians and named it after himself." The notes go on to state Philippi was "strategically located on the east-west Egnatian Highway between Rome and Asia and served as a starting point for Alexander the Great when he began his military campaigns to conquer the world." According to Wikipedia, the modern day municipality of Filippoi is near the ruins of the ancient city. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Antioch, Neapolis, Troas

The correct answer is Troas. According to the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible, Troas was a city 10 miles southwest of the ancient city of Troy in what is now present day Turkey. The ruins of Troas are known today as Eski Stamboul. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Rome, Jericho, Athens

The correct answer is Joppa. The community is now known as Jaffa and is part of Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean Sea. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Rome, Athens, Antioch

The correct answer is Caesarea. It is an ancient city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, about 60 miles northwest of Jerusalem. It was the Roman capital of Judea. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Antioch, Capernaum, Ephesus

Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Weeks, which celebrates the harvesting of barley. The Greek word from which Pentecost derives actually means fiftieth. Jesus had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for "in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1 v. 5). On the day of the Pentecost festival, they were gathered together praying when the Holy Spirit was manifested in phenomena such as a mighty wind, tongues of fire and speaking in different languages (Acts 2 v. 1-4). Difficulty: Hard.

 

15, 135, 90

It says in Acts 1:1, "The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach."

Scholars are not 100% sure, but they believe that the book of Acts was written by Luke, the Physician who also wrote the book Luke, which is one of the four Gospels. Difficulty: Hard.

 

In, Paul, When

While the church at Antioch prayed and fasted, the Holy Spirit asked for Paul and Barnabas to be "set apart". After the church laid hands on the two missionaries, they set sail across the Mediterranean. On Cyprus they visited the town of Salamis and went to the synagogue to preach the good news of Jesus. (Acts 13:2-5)

Cyprus lies to the south of modern-day Turkey. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Crete, Rhodes, Corfu

The Gospel of Luke is also addressed to Theophilus. It means "one who loves God", and there has been some discussion whether this means it was directed toward a general audience, anyone who loves God, or a particular individual. Some put forth the theory that Theophilus was a patron or publisher. In any event, the address seems to show that the book of Acts was a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. Difficulty: Average.

 

Caesar, Pilate, Peter

Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter. Because it was time for the celebration of the first fruits to be harvested, a celebration was held. Pentecost is a holiday in Christianity and in Judaism, but in the latter it is often called Shavuot. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day

Peter, one of the Apostles, preached the first sermon. Since this was preached after Jesus ascended back into heaven, this sermon is noted as the sermon that launched the Christian faith. You can read about this in second chapter of Acts. Difficulty: Hard.

 

John, Paul, Noah

Acts 9:1-4 Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Philippi, Rome, Antioch of Pisidia

"Then they prayed and said, 'Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.' And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles." (Acts 1: 24-26 NRSV)

Matthias was chosen when the disciples, along with Mary and some of Jesus's other followers, gathered in Jerusalem to pray for God's guidance. Barnabas was a Levite who sold his land, donated the proceeds to the ministry, and chose to dedicate his life to the new church. Zebedee was the father of James and John. Difficulty: Average.

 

Barnabas, Zebedee, No one was chosen

While Paul (the name Saul was to take as a Christian) was on trial after his arrest in Jerusalem he told the court his story including his conversion. He said it was about noon and he was almost to Damascus when the light came from Heaven and he heard the voice of Jesus speaking to him. This can be found in Acts 22. Difficulty: Hard.

 

The ninth hour, The sixth hour, The third hour

Peter was in a town called Lydda, just prior to going to the seacoast town of Joppa, on the Mediterranean Sea. The man Aeneas did as he was instructed in Acts 9:34 and arose immediately. People in Joppa had heard that Peter was "in the neighborhood", and sent for him to come because a woman in that town had died. When Peter arrived, he raised Tabitha (who was also called Dorcas), from the dead. Difficulty: Hard.

 

John, Paul, Jesus

The correct answer is Candace. According to notes in the NIV Study Bible, "Candace was the traditional title of the queen mother, responsible for performing the secular duties of the reigning king, who was thought to be too sacred for such activities." Difficulty: Average.

 

Carmel, Casiphia, Claudia

The correct answer is the seven Grecian disciples were presented to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them. At this point in time the early church consisted almost entirely of Jewish believers. The Grecian believers were those who were born in lands other than Palestine and spoke the Greek language, according to notes in the NIV Study Bible. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Scripture doesn't say., They were overcome by the Spirit of the Lord and started speaking in tongues., They became seriously ill and some of them almost died.

The crippled beggar had only one thought on his mind when he saw Peter and John: he wanted money. Verse 3 states the man asked the two disciples for money and they responded by looking "straight at him" and asked the man to look at them. Verse 5 goes on to state: "So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them." The beggar, however, would receive something much more valuable than money. He would soon be able to walk for the first time in his life. Difficulty: Easy.

 

He started singing hymns of praise., He started screaming hysterically., He turned his head and refused to look at them.

The correct answer is that the angel told Paul he must stand trial before Caesar and no one on the ship would perish. It's quite a prediction because verse 37 indicates there were 276 people on the ship. Surely not every single one was a skilled swimmer and, considering the severity of the storm, it would appear that even skilled swimmers wouldn't stand much of a chance of surviving in the storm-tossed waters. Difficulty: Hard.

 

He must stand trial before Caesar although most of the people on the ship would perish., He must accept the fact he is prone to trouble and learn from the experience., The storm was part of a grand design so he would not have to appear before Caesar.

It's abundantly apparent Herod wasn't taking any chances and was doing everything possible to prevent an escape by Peter. According to notes in the NIV Study Bible, four squads of four soldiers would result in one company of four soldiers for each of the four watches of the night. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Two squads of four soldiers each., Four soldiers working 12-hour shifts., Two soldiers and a centurion.

The correct answer is John, also called Mark. Paul, however, wanted no part of having Mark go on the trip due to past experience. Acts 15:36-41, in the NIV Bible, states: "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.

They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches." However, the fractured relationship between Paul and Mark was eventually healed. In 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul advises Timothy to bring Mark to him "because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Timothy is believed to have been written not long before Paul was executed. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Luke the physician., Cornelius the centurion., Peter the disciple.

The correct answer is the slave girl was no longer able to tell fortunes when the spirit was driven out and her owners were no longer able to make money from her. Specifics aren't given, but verse 16, in the NIV Bible, states she made a "great deal" of money for her owners by telling fortunes. Difficulty: Average.

 

When the spirit left the girl she became paralyzed and was unable to speak. As a result, her owners could no longer have her working from them., With the spirit driven out, the slave girl was no longer obedient to her owners and they were livid., When the spirit left the girl, other demons inhabited her body and she ended up killing herself.

Lydia was a dealer in purple cloth. In Biblical times, the color purple was associated with royalty and kingship and was in demand by the elite. The production of purple cloth was a painstaking and tedious process and required thousands of shells from an ocean mollusk to make a couple yards of cloth, according to information from SermonCentral.com. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

Told fortunes of others, Was a dealer in sandals, Scripture doesn't say

The correct answer is they came together to break bread. In a number of different Christian churches, bread is broken, or communion served, in remembrance of Jesus. Other terms include The Eucharist, Sacrament of the Table, the Blessed Sacrament, or The Lord's Supper. Difficulty: Easy.

 

To baptize members., To sit and gossip., To plan their next trip.

The correct name is Tabitha. According to information on the Web, Tabitha is of Aramaic origin and means 'gazelle.' Difficulty: Easy.

 

Mary, Lydia, Priscilla

The correct answer is centurion. Scripture states that he was a centurion in what was known as the Italian Regiment. As the name implies, a centurion was in charge of 100 soldiers. Cornelius is one of several centurions mentioned in Acts. Difficulty: Easy.

 

Tax collector, Fisherman, Doctor

While Cornelius was waiting for Peter's arrival, he had assembled his relatives and neighbors at his home. No person who was merely casually expecting company would have gone to such great lengths in preparation. It was with faith that he was eagerly expecting Peter; he was not merely hoping that he would show up. Difficulty: Hard.

 

he prepared a pond for the baptism of his household, he killed a fatted calf to offer as a sacrifice to God, he prepared a great feast for Peter and his entourage

"Bar-Jesus" meant that his father's name was Jesus. He was associated with the pro-consul Sergius Paulus but tried to prevent the official from listening to the Gospel. Paul described Elymus as "you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy" in Acts 13:10. Paul then called down temporary blindness on him and, at seeing the miracle, the pro-consul believed in Paul's message. Difficulty: Average.

 

Paulus, Eli-Abraham, Judas Joseph

After the Ascension and community prayer, Peter announced the need to have one replace Judas, quoting Scripture. Two men were put forward as qualified candidates, Matthias and Barsabbas. The group then prayed before casting lots, which fell to Matthias. Difficulty: Average.

 

Barsabbas, Philip, Stephen

The disciples were accompanied by Jesus' mother Mary and the other members of His family as they traveled to celebrate the Pentecostal feast. The celebration was held early in the morning at Mount Zion where Jesus celebrated his last supper. On that day, one hundred and twenty people were gathered in the room. Difficulty: Hard.

 

Five, One, Three

The conversion of Cornelius is recorded to show that this is in God's plan to redeem ALL mankind. Acts says that God's plan to save mankind was always meant for all human beings. After all, Genesis says we were all created in his image and we are ALL descendants of Adam and Eve. Please see the tenth chapter of Acts for this exciting story. Difficulty: Average.

 

Adam, Mark, Caesar

Acts 9:1-2 Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

To meet with the High Priest, To speak at the synagogue, To attend the School of Gamaliel

"But Peter said, 'I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.' And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong." (Acts 3:6,7 NRSV)

When the three entered the temple, Peter spoke to the people and made sure that they knew that it was not him, but God, who had healed the lame beggar. He reminded them that they were the ones who had encouraged Pilate to crucify Jesus and free the murderer, but that by repenting, they would be healed of their wickedness, just as the beggar had been healed.

The Bible tells us that as a result of the healing of the lame man, about five thousand people became believers that day. Difficulty: Very Easy.

 

John gave money to the beggar, The disciples sent him to Tabitha for help, They ignored the beggar's pleas, telling him that those who do not work should not eat

Peter had just been released from prison by... an angel. His crime? Believing in and speaking of Christ as the Messiah, or Saviour. Many people, not just Rhoda, were at the house, praying, and they were likely stunned and amazed when Peter arrived, knowing that the last they had heard, he was still in prison.
(John Mark is the author of the gospel of Mark, and this happened at his mother's home.) Difficulty: Hard.

 

Mary Magdalene, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, Mary, the mother of James and John