Verses Used:

• Acts 6-7
• Leviticus 24:16
• 1 Peter 3:15
• Galatians 5:6-24

Takeaways:

The gospel is such good news because it gives us not only an earthly perspective, but an eternal perspective.

Full of the Spirit

• To be full of the Spirit is yielding to his lordship in our lives. Letting God be in charge of our lives, even daily stuff instead of letting ourselves take charge.
• Being full of the Spirit means we will be led by the Spirit and in step with the Spirit.
• We are called to follow Jesus and to be filled, led, empowered by the Holy Spirit.
• Ordinary people filled with the Spirit can do everything an apostle can do.
• Some of God’s greatest miracles are supposed to happen through you.

Rooted in the Story

• Knowing the story of God (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Restoration/New Creation) are important for our own faith.
• The story of God helps shed light on questions like “Why did all these things happen? Does God care? What’s the point of life?”

Suffering and Death

• We ask questions like “What happened? Why didn’t God rescue Stephen?” when we are so focused on this life and not the next.
• There is a cost to being a disciple.

As confusing and sometimes painful this life is, our calling is to love Jesus and live sent.

Discussion Questions:

• Why is being led by the Spirit important to living the life of discipleship? Can you give an example of what that looks like?
• How does understanding God’s redemptive story help you make sense of life’s circumstances?
• What are some examples of suffering you and I might face in this life?
• How do you think Stephen was able to pray for his accusers as they were killing him? How do you think you would respond?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 6:1-7
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-26

Takeaways:

• In order for the kingdom to expand and the church to grow, issues need to be addressed
• For the church to grow, tasks needed to be shared and responsibilities needed to be delegated.

SHAPE

• S - Spiritual Gifts - What has God supernaturally gifted me to do?
• H - Heart - What do I have passion for and love to do?
• A - Abilities - What natural talents and skills do I have?
• P - Personality - Where does my personality best suit me to serve?
• E - Experiences - What spiritual experiences have I had? What painful experiences have I had? What educational experiences have I had? What ministry experiences have I had?

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think it’s sometimes difficult to either hear criticism or offer it?
• Can you think of a situation where a leader struggled to delegate responsibilities? Why do you think it was?
• What are some serving roles that are a necessity for the church, but sometimes overlooked?
• Can you think of a time you served outside your gifting? What was it?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 5:1-11
• Psalm 111:10
• Proverbs 1:7
• Proverbs 19:23
• Proverbs 14:26-27
• 2 Timothy 1:7
• 1 John 4:18
• Isaiah 41:10
• Matthew 10:31
• Psalm 56:11
• 1 John 4:8 & 10
• Romans 8:15
• Isaiah 43:1
• Psalm 145:8-9
• Psalm 16:11
• Zephaniah 3:17

Takeaways:

Sin and Consequences

• They wanted to appear generous without actually being generous (hypocrisy).
• It was not required that they sell their land and donate the full price to the church - the problem was their lying about it.
• Sin has consequences but they don’t always get us dropped dead.
• If this willful, conscious rebellion against the character of God goes unchecked and is allowed to take root, the whole mission of God’s people veers off-course.

Dealing with Fear

• Fear is commanded and fear is also forbidden in scripture.
• The fear of the Lord is a total acknowledgement of all that God is, which comes through knowing Him and His attributes.
• God has also encouraged us against fear throughout the Bible saying “Fear not.”
• Often we fear the future and what will become of us.
• Bad fear is fear away from God.

God’s Love

• God is love and always does everything he does out of his love for us.
• Do you see God’s love? He knows you. He made you. He loves you. He sings over you.

Sin has consequences. It is foolish to lie to God - He knows. God will deal with sin, sometimes immediately, sometimes after a long time.

Our fear is to bring us closer to God, not further from him. God does not act like sinful humans. He has no need to intimidate, prove anything (he is totally secure, and gives us free will to choose how we live. He is not into manipulation either).

God’s love for us is more than we can possibly comprehend. Everything he does is undergirded with love because God is love. He cannot act in an unloving way. Period.

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think Ananias and Sapphira lied about the amount of money they sold the land for? What were they hoping to accomplish?
• Why is it not good to be afraid of God instead of fearing God the way he commands?
• What wrong ideas can we get from our experiences about God’s nature?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 4:12
• Acts 4:23-31
• Philippians 4:6
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Psalm 2
• Luke 19
• Matthew 17:20

Verses Used:

• Acts 4:1-21
• Romans 13:1-2,7

Takeaways:

Greatly Annoyed

• The religious leaders were greatly annoyed because they were not in control.
• Trying to be in control is a product of fear.
• Only God is truly in control.

Questions

• Their questioning revolved around authority and power.
• The gospel spreads by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the Kingdom of God cannot be stopped.

Can’t Be Silent

• Jesus did not overthrow Rome.
• Jesus did not try to reform the temple leadership.
• Jesus started the church.

Discussion Questions:

• The religious leaders tried to control things they could not control. How do we try to control things that are out of our hands?
• How do you think Peter stood with such boldness when he was being questioned by the authorities?
• Why do you think followers of Jesus sometimes get caught up in fighting the wrong battles and neglect the spread of the gospel?
• How willing would you be to risk your safety, comfort, and possibly your life for the sake of the kingdom of God?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 3:1-10
• Luke 8:49-56
• Matthew 13:45-46
• Isaiah 35:6

Takeaways:

The Beggar’s Need

• Jesus was often interrupted in his daily life and made time for the needs of people.

The Apostle’s Offer

• Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy your place in the kingdom.
• This was a great miracle, but I believe the greatest miracle is the salvation of a person’s soul.

The People Were Amazed

• Miracles were God’s way of saying, “This is really me”. Like a divine signature that could not be forged.
• This miracle caught the attention of the man and the onlooking people around him.
• Miracles point in four directions:
• Upward - validate Jesus’ authority
• Forward - What his desire is for the world
• Inward - The souls need for salvation
• Downward - The miracle worker often suffered; not the hero
• The disciples did not take the credit for the miracles. They took a beating.
• God brings glory to himself and inspires worship when he works a miracle.

We all have a need for an encounter with Jesus. And it's not a one time thing. We need him every day.

Jesus has the power to save our souls, heal our hearts and redeem our stories.

“Christianity is beggars telling other beggars where they found bread.”

Discussion Questions:

• Why do you think Jesus (and the disciples) believed the kingdom of God was of more value than riches?
• Do you think people are more aware of their physical needs or spiritual needs? Why?
• Do you agree that the salvation of a person’s soul is a greater miracle than physical healing? Why or why not?
• Why do you think the disciples who did miracles suffered after they performed them?

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Verses Used:

• Acts 2:42-47
• 2 Corinthians 9:7

Takeaways:

A Gospel Centered Community

• The gospel was central to their community.
• A healthy community is a gospel-centered community.
• When the gospel is central to a group of people, it isn’t just a lesson in a room from a book. It was a way of living; it touches every area of life.
• The gospel is not only information, it’s application that leads to transformation.

A Transformational Community

• God reveals himself when and how he wants to.
• Without the presence of the Holy Spirit, we don’t get a transformational community.

A Generous Community

• Being generous reflects the very heart of God, who was generous enough to send Jesus and give us full rights and inheritance as his adopted sons and daughters.

A Growing Community

• God grows the church through a healthy community.

The early church was gospel centered, transformational, generous, and growing.

Discussion Questions:

• How have you seen transformation happen in other people around you? What are some examples?
• Why is gospel fluency more challenging to learn and teach than Bible literacy?
• Why do you think the kind of community the early church had was so impactful for so many people?
• What do you think are some of the obstacles we face when trying to foster healthy community in the church (Sunday mornings, MC’s, or DNA’s)

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Verses Used:

• Acts 2: 1-21
• Genesis 1:1-3
• 1 Samuel 16:14
• Ephesians 4:30
• 2 Corinthians 1:22
• Genesis 11:3-9
• Acts 2:37-41

Takeaways:

The Spirit is Here

• Pentecost Sunday is part of the traditional church calendar
• The Spirit was at work but not in the same capacity that He is post Jesus
• The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost changed everything. The coming of the Holy Spirit and the way he indwells people is a mark of the new covenant through Jesus.
• No longer was the Spirit only with certain people for certain times, he came to dwell in the hearts of all believers for the rest of their days on this earth.

For All People

• It does not matter if you are young or old, it doesn’t matter if you are male or female, rich or poor, the Holy Spirit is poured out on any follower of Jesus.
• It does not matter what nationality you are, the Holy Spirit is for all people.

The Power is Unleashed

• The people who had just witnessed the coming of the Holy Spirit, hearing the works of God proclaimed in their own languages were now paying attention.
• The gospel is a powerful message of redemption.
• If you are a follower of Jesus, you have the same power that Peter preached with inside of you.

Discussion Questions:

• How does it make you feel to hear that the Kingdom of God and promise of the Holy Spirit is for all people?
• Why is it good news for us that the Holy Spirit now dwells in the hearts of people and does not leave them like in Old Testament Times?

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