Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading.

Transcription

1 Acts 1 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 1. Jesus promised His followers a helper to guide them. What is the Holy Spirit s purpose? Share a time when the Holy Spirit was working in your life. The Spirit is the third person in the Trinity, the promised seal of our salvation, the helper Jesus told us would indwell us after He left. All believers, at the moment of their salvation, are given the Holy Spirit to help mold them into Christ s image. Jesus said something remarkable about the Spirit which He called the Counselor in John 15:26, When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father he will testify about me. We also see that the Spirit brings us peace (John 14:27), convicts us of sin (John 16:8), helps us pray (Romans 8:26), and, when we follow the Spirit s prompting in our lives, produces its fruit in us (Galatians 5:22-23).

2 2. What does it mean to be Jesus witness? How does being His witness affect your relationships? How you view hardships? Being Christ s witness means that we live with a purpose higher than the purpose the world would like to give us. If your purpose is to be Christ s witness, it changes how you see everything from difficult people to trying situations. The things that you prize are no longer just things that give you pleasure or increase your name, but rather that which brings Jesus glory and invites more people to know Him. 3. What do you consider to be a life well lived? How does that fit in with Jesus command to be His witness? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

3 Acts 2 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: Brothers, what should we do? Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receiv the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call. With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, Be saved from this corrupt generation! So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. Acts 2: % of the world s non-christians do not personally know a Christian. What do your communities and friend groups look like? Why do you think we surround ourselves with people who think and act like we do? 2. How do you think that the world sees the Church today? Why do or don t you think this is accurate? What do you think the Church is?

4 The Church is what we call the body of people who believe in the Gospel of Christ. They have been saved from their old lives and been given new life and a new purpose in Jesus. We have the privilege of being able to worship together and lean on one another for support, but the Church has also been given a mission: go and make disciples of all nations. In many ways, ideas about the Church may have been distorted throughout history, both from within and from outside. It is more important than ever that we remember who we are and what we are tasked to do! 3. What was the purpose for the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost? What was the outcome? How have you seen the Spirit work today? Because Pentecost was such a heavily attended festival in Jerusalem, Jews from different cultures were present in the city. The Spirit empowered Jesus disciples to share the Gospel in a way that those around them could understand them. Still today, this is part of what the Spirit does He empowers us to carry out the work of Christ, which is to proclaim His Gospel and expand His kingdom. 4. What does a life on mission look like in your context? What are steps you can take to being someone who both models and proclaims the Gospel? For some, it may be re-purposing meals into times of intentional conversation with your co-workers or unbelieving friends. For others, it might be something more drastic you may have been called to move and live on mission among a people group that God has put on your heart. Be sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit and give genuine thought to how you can live your life on mission for the Gospel. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

5 Acts 3 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 3: The man in this story thought he needed money, but Peter and John gave him something else something he actually needed. What is the difference between real and perceived needs? What are some real and perceived needs in your life? 2. What is your reaction when you read about miracles in the Bible? See if you can list some miracles that Scripture records. What do you think is the purpose of the miracle you mentioned? Some examples could be: Jesus walking on water this communicated that Jesus was God. Jesus healing man born blind this proved that Jesus was the Messiah. The Holy Spirit causing the disciples to speak in tongues this facilitated the communication of the Gospel. Acts 9; Dorcas resurrected This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord (Acts 9:42). When a miracle is performed, the miracle itself is not the point it is simply a vehicle for the spreading of the Gospel. Though miracles are interesting to think about, we cannot be so preoccupied by the method that we miss the message.

6 3. Peter and John healed the man in the name of Jesus. What does it mean to do something in the name of Jesus? How does this affect the way we pray? How does it affect how we interact with others? Jesus name is not a magic word that we can invoke like a ritual; it means to identify with Him, affirm His power, and to be His representative. If someone is baptized, praying, or walking in the name of Jesus, that means that they are following His ways and commands. It is not their will being done, but rather His. If we do anything in His name, we are doing it for His purposes and to His ends, not ours. 4. Not everyone can say they ve been healed from physical lameness, but every believer has experienced the dramatic life change that comes only through Jesus Christ. How has Jesus changed you? How can you use the story of that transformation to share the Gospel? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

7 Acts 4 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 4: How have you seen someone standing boldly for the Gospel recently? What do you think it means to be bold in your faith? While it is important to remember that we have brothers and sisters overseas experiencing imminent, physical persecution, do not discount the courage it takes to stand up for Christ even in an everyday scenario. Taking a stand for your faith doesn t only mean staring down an executioner s axe; most of us haven t experienced this. Take some time to discuss what standing up for your faith may look like in today s day and age. 2. Verse 13 mentions that Peter and John were uneducated and untrained men. Why is it easy for us to use this reasoning to keep from sharing the Gospel? What are some things that keep us from sharing the Gospel? Tell about a time when you talked to someone about Jesus, even though if you didn t have all of the answers. We live in a time when people have a growing distaste for talk of Absolute Truth and, at times, tend to be spoiling for a fight. We may fall into the trap of thinking that we have to have a specific, measured response for any kind of rebuttal someone may throw at us. What we have to remember, however, is that it s not our job to present a foolproof case; it s to do as Peter and John said: Not stop talking about what we ve seen and heard. The testimony of a changed life is an impossible thing to refute.

8 3. How did Peter s mini-sermon in verses 9-12 perfectly summarize the Gospel? What elements do we have to include when telling someone the good news of Jesus? They hit the most important parts: Jesus died, rose from the dead, and is the only name by which salvation comes. This is still a revolutionary idea, especially to a world that denies a Creator. Greg Gilbert summarized the Gospel with four points: God: There is a Creator, and He is perfect. Man: Humanity is not we are sinful and consistently fall short of His standard. Christ: Jesus was God s Son, and was perfect. He died to pay for our sins and rose from the dead in Him we have hope for the future. Response: Knowing these things requires you to make a choice. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

9 Acts 5 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 5: Be honest: does Ananias and Sapphira s death feel extreme to you? If so, why? If not, why not? How does the way we feel about the account reveal what we think about sin and God? It is easy to project our own ideas of justice and morality onto God, but in reality it should be the opposite: God sets the standard for justice and morality, not us. 2. What was the sin that Ananias and Sapphira committed? Why was their deceit such a dangerous thing, especially for the early church? How do you see people using the church for their own personal gain today? The root of their deceit was pride. They d seen the kind of celebration Joseph/Barnabas had gotten when he sold a field and donated the proceeds to the growing Christian community and had decided that they wanted the same kind of accolades for themselves. But they wanted the celebration without having to sacrifice to get it they wanted to sell their field for the glory, but revel in the riches as well. Had they sold the field and been up front about their intentions to give part (or even most) of it to the church but keep some back for themselves there likely would not have been an issue.

10 In a community that was built on freedom in Christ and honesty between people who held everything in common, Ananias and Sapphira s actions were shocking and entirely contrary to the thrust of the Christian congregation. For a community of people who were, in the coming years, about to face intense, physical persecution from the hand of the Roman government, they needed to be fortified and unified on the inside. 3. David Guzik wrote, It is too easy to be happy with the image of spirituality without the reality of spiritual life. What is the difference between appearing holy and striving for holiness? How can someone pursue a holy life? Pursuing holiness is about more than chasing a spiritual facade it is what one does if he or she wishes to be conformed to the image of Christ. They will practice spiritual disciplines Reading God s Word, prayer, worship, Scripture meditation, service, stewardship of time and money, fasting, silence and solitude, journaling, etc. and will be making a conscious effort to be holy, because I am holy (1 Peter 1:16). Someone filled with the Spirit of God will produce the Spirit s fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 4. Tell about a time you have seen God reveal something about someone s life that they previously thought was secret. How does accountability help us live without fear of being exposed? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

11 Acts 6 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 6: How did the apostles respond to the need for more administration in the church? Acts 6: What was the result of their "distributing the administration work"? Acts 6: How can we help our church leaders to be more effective? 4. What were the apostle s main priorities? Acts 6:4.

12 ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

13 Acts 7 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 7: Stephen s sermon was full of truth so what made the Sanhedrin react so violently to it? Why is it difficult to hear something that challenges the way we think, even if it is true? It is easy for us to construct ideas about how we think God should work that do not line up with His Word. But our hearts are stubborn and fallen by nature. If we are not actively attuned to the Spirit and telling God Your will be done, we quickly make things entirely about us. 2. Stephen is described as being a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit (Acts 6:5). Who is someone you know that could be described this way? What does it mean to be full of the Holy Spirit? How does that affect the way you interact with people or react to the things going on around you? Look at what Stephen was like: he served those less fortunate than he was without so much as a grumble, he spoke God s truth even when it was hard, and he died asking for forgiveness for those who were in th act of stoning him. As we become more full of the Holy Spirit, we become less about ourselves and more about advancing the Kingdom of God. As we become full of the Spirit, our lives will bear His fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

14 3. What is mercy? When is a time you ve been shown mercy? How did Stephen show mercy to the people stoning him? How do you think he was able to do this? Mercy is simply not receiving a punishment we deserve. God showed us mercy by sacrificing Jesus on our behalf we don t have to pay a penalty we, by all right, deserve to pay. Those who have been shown mercy are far more likely to turn and show it to the people around them, so Christians should be the most merciful of all, especially if they recognize the depth of their sin and the magnitude of God s mercy to spare them from its penalty. 4. How can we demonstrate mercy and grace to the people in our lives this week? Who is someone, in particular, that you can be praying for an opportunity to show Jesus mercy and grace to? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

15 Acts 8 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 8: How did Philip know to go up to the eunuch s chariot? How can we become more sensitive to the Spirit s direction? How can we know whether God is telling you something? Describe a time when you ve felt the Spirit prompting you to act. As we make a daily practice of walking by the Spirit dwelling in God s Word, having an active prayer life, etc. we become more attuned to His voice. Pastor Robby has mentioned before that the prompting of the Spirit is often directly opposed to the prompting of the flesh. If you feel suddenly like you are supposed to share your testimony with someone or give financially or engage in some spiritual activity (that goes against what your flesh tells you), do it. That is the Spirit s prompting. 2. What makes baptism such a big deal? Why does baptism follow repentance and faith? What do you think that baptism accomplishes in a believer s life? In the people who witness it? Baptism, first of all, is a command Jesus gave us: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Second, baptism is a public display of a personal decision. By being baptized, you are publicly professing your decision to follow Christ, and you are asking the people who witness it to hold you accountable to that decision. Also, baptizing someone by immersion is a physical display of what Jesus did for us we die to our old selves, are covered by Jesus death, and rise absolutely covered by what He already did, ready to walk in a new life in Christ.

16 3. What is the difference between a regular conversation and a gospel conversation? Why do you think gospel conversations can be intimidating things to have? What is an easy way to engage someone with the gospel without selling Jesus to them? Greg Wilton offers a five-step process that is incredibly practical: Get Connected. Establish a genuine, real connection with the person you re talking to. Don t jump past this; always be mindful of the opportunity at hand AND the relationship with the person you re talking to. Get to a God Conversation. Do you ever feel like there s something more to all this? You don t have to jump to the fine points of theology. Just get on a track that leads you to God-things! Get to Lostness. We re all just trying to live good lives, aren t we? We re all just trying to get our sins forgiven. Everyone has an idea of what a good life is which means that right things. Christ requires the opposite: faith that He was the perfect sacrifice and that we are not. Get to Gospel. It is a natural transition from the last point. God is the perfect, omnipotent Creator. Mankind committed treason of the highest order and rebelled against His authority we rejected Him as king and made ourselves king, instead. To pay the penalty, God sent Jesus, His Son to die in our place. If we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised Him from the dead, we will inherit eternal life with Him! Get to a Decision. Offer a chance for them to respond to this good news. 4. Over the past few weeks, we ve been praying about engaging people with the gospel. Take some time to discuss the people in your life who need to hear it. How can you engage them in a gospel conversation this week? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. PRAYER (As long as you need)

17 Acts 9 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 9: Have everyone share their testimony. When/Where did you first give your life to Jesus Christ? 2. What specific areas of your life are different now after your salvation? Is it the way you think, treat your family, career goals? 3. Many of us have been like Paul at some point in our lives. We oppose Jesus with our actions, ideas and attitudes. In what ways has it been difficult for you to change?

18 ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

19 Acts 10 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 10: Have everyone explain how they fear the Lord on a daily basis. Make sure to explain fear in reference to the greek meaning (Phobeo-reverance). The greek word for fear used in verse two is phobeo. Phobeo in this context means to regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of. Read Acts 10:9-16 The Jewish dietary law forbid any Jew from eating animals deemed as unclean. Peter had devoted his life to following this law. 2. Why are we, as Christians, able to eat pork and other animals that were deemed unclean by the Jewish dietary law? When Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of mankind, the Jewish dietary laws were no longer needed. The reason being, those laws were kept in order to stay Holy before our Holy God. Jesus s took all the unholy sins of this life on His shoulders and sacrificed Himself as an atonement for them. When He died those sins were atoned for and when He was resurrected the everlasting penalty for sin was overcome by His grace. If an individual repents, believes, and receives the Lord Jesus Christ then nothing can deem them as unholy before God. This is why Christians have the freedom to eat anything.

20 Read Acts 10: Who can be saved? Ask them if there is a prerequisite to salvation: do you have to have grown up in Church or followed a certain diet, etc. Practice Sharing the Gospel out loud in the group or the leader can take this time and teach the group how to share the Gospel with someone. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

21 Acts 11 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 11: How has the story of Peter sharing the Gospel with the gentiles affected us today? The Gospel never would have left the Jewish culture without Peters experience in Acts 10 and Has there ever been a moment in your life where you experienced God do something so amazing that you were silenced? We often miss out on the Awe of the Holy Spirit working around us because we do not stop and Praise Him in that moment. It is so important that Christians acknowledge the presence of God working in them and around them. We must look for the Lord in everything we do and in everything around us. Read Acts 11: In today s culture what does the word Christian represent? 4. What should the word Christian represent?

22 ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

23 Acts 12 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 12: Ask the group to explain their day to day prayer life? This is a time as a leader to help guide them and offer suggestions on how to pray. A good acronym for prayer is ACTS. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. Make sure they have a specific place and time for prayer. If we do not plan for prayer, we won t pray. Adoration Praise be to God! -Psalms 68:35 Tell God how much you appreciate Him. Express your love for Him. Praise His power and majesty. This is a great way to begin your prayer time. Sometimes I watch the sun rise, and praise God for the beauty of His creation. You should never run out of praise. How awesome are your deeds! -Psalms 66:3 Confession If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. -1 John 1:9 Tell Him where you have fallen short. Be specific. I thank Him for the forgiveness I have in Christ, and ask for help and strength to turn away from future temptations. Thanksgiving Always glorify Him with thanksgiving -Psalms 69:30 You have plenty of reasons to be thankful. Thank God for His love, His faithfulness, His patience and a million other things. Express gratitude for what He s doing in your life. Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for you. Thank the Holy Spirit for indwelling you, and never leaving. Thank Him for being your conscience, your counselor and that still small voice.

24 Supplication Make your requests known to God. -Philippians 4:6 Tell God what you want, no matter how small it seems to you. Do you really think any of your requests are big to God the Creator? You should have lots of intercessory prayer here. Remember: As a Promise Keeper, you are committed to pray for your pastor and your church every day. Read Acts 12: Everyone share a specific person or situation that you are praying for daily. Leaders, take some time and plan out some specific things that the group can be praying about moving forward. Make sure each we these things are prayed for and discussed. It is an incredible experience when God answers our prayers. Read Acts 12: Why was king Herod killed? Take this time to explain to the group that Herod had attempted to take some of Gods glory. We serve a holy, pure and Glorified God. He desires all our praise and does not want His glory taken. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

25 Acts 13 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 13:1-3 Notice the words of Christ in Matthew 6:16-17, And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face. By using the word when in His instructions on how to fast and how not to fast, Jesus implies that He fully expected His followers to be fasting consistently. It was never a matter of if they would fast, but when they would fast. So if fasting is expected of us, what is a biblical fast, and how do we practice it? Donald Whitney defines fasting by stating, A biblical definition of fasting is a Christian s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. Two key phrases in this definition help believers distinguish biblical fasting from normal dietary fasting. The first phrase is voluntary abstinence. Biblical fasting is a voluntary action done by a believer to experience the grace of God. Fasting should not be seen as a legalistic practice. The second key phrase is spiritual purposes. Fasting should be done for spiritual purposes; if you fast without a spiritual purpose you are simply partaking in a dietary weight loss activity that has no spiritual significance. 1. Ask the group if they have ever fasted before? We encourage each group to choose a specific time frame and thing to fast. It could be from sodas, social media, sugar, tv and etc. Leaders please re-iterate with your group that they need to make sure they pray every time they think of the very thing they are giving up. It is also important for the group to pick a specific thing to fast for. For instance: your group might fast for unity on their campus, for people to get saved at The Vue, for each group member to love the Bible more or become better stewards of their finances.

26 Read Acts 13: Why is it important to share the Gospel starting with the OT? There is a scarlet thread that runs throughout the Bible. That thread is the story of how God the Father would save humanity through His son, the Messiah. Jesus Christ is God s son, the savior of the world and the Messiah. Jesus was there in the beginning (Genesis 1:26 let us ), He is here in the present and He is ahead in the future. We must learn the OT and allow its truths to paint the whole picture of all that Jesus fulfilled. Read Acts 13: Why did the Jews become so jealous at Paul and Barnabas? The temple had become a place of business. It was used to exploit the people in many different ways. Paul and Barnabas were not only attempting to sway the people away from the Jewish traditionalism, they were pleading with them to follow someone that the Jews had killed. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is in direct opposition to judaism. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

27 Acts 14 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 14: Do speak boldly for the Lord in your classes when the topic of religion, faith or God is brought up? Why or why not? 2. Why should we speak up for the Lord and for what we believe? Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ s behalf: Be reconciled to God. He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. The Lord has called us all to be His ambassadors for Christ. We are to plead on His behalf before the world. This is not something just for Pastors or those who are employed full-time by the Church. We are all called to stand boldly for Jesus. Read Acts 14: As the group to share a hardship that they have gone through that brought them closer in their relationship with Jesus Christ. 4. Ask through group if they are interested in joining a Discipleship Group in January? We will be launching D-groups this January for ladies and guys.

28 ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

29 Acts 15 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 15:1-5 As a result of the first missionary journey, the conversion of Gentiles alarmed a group of Jewish traditionalists who insisted on circumcision as an essential part of maintaining one s salvation experience. The issue was not about Gentile participation in the covenant people of God. When a group of these traditionalists came from Judea to Antioch teaching that circumcision was essential for salvation, Paul and Barnabas correctly viewed this as a threat to God s grace. After a heated debate with the protestors, Paul and Barnabas traveled to Jerusalem and requested that the church resolve the issue. 1. What issues today directly pose a threat to God s grace? Think along the lines of various religions, intellectual thought that is dismissive to God, religiosity and so forth. Read Acts 15:6-21 In the report on his ministry to Cornelius (v. 7 11), Peter identified the heart of the issue. Salvation is by grace made available through the work of the Lord Jesus, not through the works of the law (v. 11). Even the Gentiles, as seen in the case of Cornelius, received the Lord by faith, received the Spirit, spoke in tongues, and were baptized. 2. Why do believers and non-believers often attempt to add to the Gospel of Grace? The idea that God came to us because of His great love is often hard to accept. Humanity in all it s selfishness desires to control, dominate and receive Glory. Only God deserves Glory for sending His son to die for all of humanity.

30 3. Discuss a situation in your life that you have been tempted to seek Glory or praise instead of deferring it to the Lord. Read Acts 15:22-41 Paul and Barnabas decided to revisit the churches started on the first journey, but they disagreed on whether or not to take John Mark. Perhaps, because they were cousins, Barnabas wanted to take him. This is perfectly in keeping with Barnabas s nature as the son of encouragement, that he would want to afford John Mark another opportunity. But Paul objected. The mention that Mark had deserted them on the first journey supports Paul s view. This was a serious disagreement and not merely a difference of opinion. The expression sharp disagreement means a state of irritation expressed in argument. Both men vigorously defended their positions, leading to a separation of Paul and Barnabas. As promised in Rm 8:28, God brought good out of this disagreement. There were now two strong missionary teams instead of one! 4. There are many times where professors, co-workers or even family members disagree are certain Biblical issues. How do you handle conflict with professors, friends, family and/or co-workers? ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

31 Acts 16 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 16:1-10 Paul and his missionary team s experience illustrates a basic principle of knowing God s will: to move ahead and allow Him to close doors until the right opportunity is reached. 1. What has God called you to do right now in your current stage of life? This is a great time to encourage prayer, Bible reading and Godly counsel/accountability to help discern the will of God. We do not have to know exactly what we are supposed to do. Most of the time God doesn t tell us what He s going to do, He reveals to us who He is. Read Acts 16: We all have different, but specific areas that we struggle in. What specific area of struggle is Jesus asking you to open up heart to Him? Make sure to point them back to the story of Lydia, when she opened her heart to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, He accepted her. No matter what we ve done or promised we would not do again, Jesus is ready to receive us. Read Acts 16: (v.25) It is difficult to praise the Lord during the midst of trials. Have everyone list out ten reasons they want to praise Jesus today. Take some time to share some of them with each other.

32 It is easy to list out all of our struggles, but it is so important as Christ followers that we stay focused on the good. The key to having joy in every circumstance of life is to be filled with the Spirit. Joy is a part of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22), and yielding to His control produces songs of joy (Eph. 5:18 19). The problem with sad, miserable Christians is not their circumstances but the lack of living a Spirit-controlled life. 4. (v32.) Immediately after sharing the Gospel with the jailors, Paul and Silas went to his house and shared the Gospel with his entire family. Sometimes are family can be the hardest people to minister too. Who in your family needs prayer or to hear the Gospel and be saved? Take some time and pray for each others families. Make sure to pray for their specific needs and pray for them by name. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

33 Acts 17 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 17: Do you feel confident enough to reason the truth of scriptures with your professors or other non-believing students? Why or why not? Make sure to use this as a time to encourage your group. This group is the perfect place for them to grow in their knowledge of scripture and ultimately share the truth of God s word. 2. It is not easy being a bold Christian for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Often people will become jealous of the spirit of God inside of you or resentful at the blessings you have received. In addition, there are many college students who have been hurt by the Church. Is there any Christian, Church member or Pastor that you have or had become resentful at? Make sure to listen and not feel the need to defend Christianity. Use this as a time for healing for them or a time to discuss some of the difficulties we face in the Christian world today. Read Acts 17: It is easy to dismiss the idea of having idols in our lives when we think of idols in the Bible, but we must not think of little figurines made for worship when we think of idols. An idol is anything that we worship in the place of our Jesus. List out five things that draw your focus completely away from following Jesus. Take time as a group and share these.

34 4. What are the specific ways that you worship Jesus? This is not meant to see who is the most spiritual, but rather use this time to share tools and ways to grow in your worship of Jesus. ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

35 Acts 18 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 18:1-17 Paul left Athens and went to Corinth, a fifty-three mile walk. By Paul s day Corinth had replaced Athens as the leading political and commercial center in Greece. Corinth enjoyed a strategic location on the isthmus of Corinth, which connected the Peloponnesian peninsula with the rest of Greece. Nearly all traffic between northern and southern Greece passed through the city. Because it was a 200-mile sail around the peninsula, some ships were put on rollers and pulled across the 4-mile bridge of land. As a result, Corinth was one of the most debauched cities of antiquity. R. C. H. Lenski writes: Corinth was a wicked city even as larger cities of the empire went at this period. The very term Corinthian came to mean a profligate. Korinthiazomai, to Corinthianize, meant to practice whoredom; Needless to say, Paul was not speaking to a group of Nuns or pious group. This was a place of much sin. At times, many of today s college campuses can be filled with reckless sin. This makes it hard and even scary to stand for what is right. Gospel on the campus. Think along the lines of tactful reasoning of why the Bible is right in regards to sin. 1. The Lord said to Paul, Don t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don t be silent. Why is it so easy to be silent regarding sin and spiritual things on campus? 2. How can you be more vocal about Biblical truths and living for Jesus on your campus? Let s not just think of witnessing in regards to sharing the Gospel on the campus. Think along the lines of tactful reasoning of why the Bible is right in regards to sin.

36 Read Acts 18: There are several denominations in our Christian faith. Most of these are separated by a few simply doctrinal differences. It is important that we do not shoot our fellow soldiers in the barracks. Have you ever had difficulty with Christians that believe differently than you? 4. Does having so many dominations make Christianity confusing for you? This is a time to encourage your group to get the first things first. It might be beneficial to take out your computer and show them Bellevue beliefs on scripture. This is available on our website ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need)

37 Acts 19 CONNECT (5 Minutes) Take a few moments and catch up with everyone. This is the time to share a snack, coffee, or the monthly meal. SHARE HEAR JOURNALS (20 Minutes) Give everyone the opportunity to share one or two things that they got specifically from this week s reading. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (20 Minutes) Read Acts 19:1-7 Once in Ephesus, Paul found some disciples. Those who insist they were already Christians use this passage as a proof text for their view that receiving the Holy Spirit is a subsequent, post-salvation, or second blessing, experience. Such an interpretation, however, is untenable. First, it commits the methodological error of failing to consider the transitional nature of Acts, which means that the experiences and phenomena described in Acts are not normative for today. Second, this is a faulty interpretation because it commits the comparative scriptural error. Other texts make obvious that this passage cannot be used to teach that some Christians today may not have the Holy Spirit. That would contradict the explicit teaching of the New Testament epistles, which declare unequivocally that every Christian receives the Spirit at salvation (1 Cor. 6:19; 12:13; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 1:13), and define those without the Spirit as unsaved (Rom. 8:9; Jude 19). Paul certainly did not assume these twelve disciples were Christians. His question, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? sought to determine their status. Their answer No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit confirmed to the apostle that they were not yet Christians. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (Vol. 2, pp ). Chicago: Moody Press. 1. Does a person receive all of the Holy Spirit once they are saved? Yes, a person does receive all of the HS once they are saved. These men did not received a special or different HS than anyone else. This is why Paul could write to the Ephesians, There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph. 4:4 5). From then on, the Holy Spirit would come to every heart at salvation, as the epistles teach.

38 ACCOUNTABILITY TIME (5-10 Minutes) Take a moment and share some trials or struggles with sin that you have been having. Invite the group to share as they feel comfortable. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. James 5:16 PRAYER (As long as you need) Read Acts 19:8-20 There are lots of different spiritual practices in todays society. As a result, many have adopted the all roads lead to heaven or the same place sort of thinking. Many claim to know Christ, but they do not teach the truth of scripture. 2. Last week at the end of the group we looked over the doctrinal beliefs of Bellevue Baptist Church. We know that all systems of faith do not lead to heaven and that only a repentant faith in Jesus Christ does. Take this time and have everyone share their salvation experience. Some of your group probably did this last semester, but if there is anyone new, make sure and have everyone share. If there is someone who does not have a clear salvation experience, after everyone has shared, take the time and share the Gospel right now. Ask them to repent and receive Christ right now. Read Acts 19:21-41 One lesson that history teaches is the paradoxical truth that the church thrives under persecution. Effectiveness and persecution usually go hand in hand, since an effective church is a bold church, and a bold church is often a church made strong through suffering. The Lord Jesus Christ called His church to be salt and light in the world (Matt. 5:13 14); salt stings when rubbed in wounds, and light reveals the evil deeds done in darkness. Both can provoke a hostile reaction. MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1994). Acts (Vol. 2, p. 180). Chicago: Moody Press. 3. Have you ever been persecuted because of your faith? There are millions of Christians living in constant danger because of their faith in Jesus. Many of those being persecuted live in China, the middle east and in other parts of the country. Take some time now to pray for those living in harms way because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Also, use this time to pray for our college students that are headed to Honduras this summer on mission.