LIFEGROUP STUDY Together Acts 2:

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1 LIFEGROUP STUDY Together Acts 2: ICE BREAKER: Community is amazing! You know what it s like to really click with a group of people? You feel relaxed, in your element, like you can truly be yourself and you have value to add to the group. Share with the group a time when you experienced deep community (Don t feel obligated to share about being in LifeGroup!). What was it about that group of people that made you experience community with them? MEMORY VERSE: Read this verse out-loud together two times as a group. Then see if you can quote it together without looking at the words. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle s teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord s Supper) and to prayer. Acts 2 :42 STUDY THE TOGETHER LIFE The early church gives us a beautiful picture of the Together Life. As these first followers of Jesus met together, they experienced a whole new level of community. This was a key part of the revolution called the church. The Bible calls the Together Life they experienced koinania (Greek), a mutual relationship and participation they experienced based on their newfound faith in Jesus. God s goal for us today is that we would also experience the Together Life. Let s explore what we can learn about this from the early church and how God might want to grow our LifeGroups in the Together Life.

2 READ: Acts 2: Acts 2:42-47 is a snapshot of the start of the revolution of followers of Jesus. Why do you think Luke would step back at this point in Acts to take this snapshot? - How was the Together life lived out in these verses? In other words, what did the early church do to experience community together and be the church? - What of these early practices would have been revolutionary in their culture? What of these would be revolutionary in our culture today? - What do you think is descriptive verses prescriptive for us in these verses? In other words, what parts of this are historical only verses what parts are principles to be lived out in the church today? THE MARKS OF THE TOGETHER LIFE 1. Fully DEVOTED: Being a devoted to Jesus leads me into deep community with other followers of Him. Devotion has a lot to do with my attitude and posture. READ: Luke 9:23 - How does this aspect of devotion unite me with other followers of Jesus? - What does is look like, practically, to do these things in our day? READ: Philippians 2:1-5 - Why would Paul ask the questions he does in verse 1? - What does Paul say in v. 2 should be the outcome of answering those questions affirmatively? - A key indicator of our devotion to Jesus is our relationship with others. Why do you think biblical community is such an important value to God? - How might we use vs. 3 and 4 to help determine the level of our devotion to Jesus? READ: 2 Corinthians 5:15 - According to this verse, what is our reason for being devoted to Jesus? - What might dying to myself look like in my day-to-day life? 2. Devoted to TEACHING The early church devoted themselves to the apostle s teaching. This was a key habit that united them together. Let s explore what devotion to this teaching meant for them and what it means for us today.

3 READ: Matthew 28: What do we know about the content of the apostles teaching? What was their teaching based on? - The apostles taught about who Jesus claimed to be, how He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, his miracles, their eye witness accounts of His resurrection and the salvation He offers. How do these teachings unite us together as the church? READ: John 8: Why is community so important in our effort to obey and follow Jesus teaching? - How can we help each other remain faithful to Jesus teaching? READ: 2 Thessalonians 2: The NLT translation of v. 15 says, stand firm and keep a strong grip on the teachings we passed on to you What does it look like to do these things in our day? - How has your devotion to Jesus teaching drawn you closer together as a group? 3. Devoted to FELLOWSHIP. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. This is about a close mutual relationship and life together flowing from Jesus life and teaching. READ: John 17:23 Jesus Prayer for His Followers - Our fellowship with each other should be incredibly deep and life-changing. In His prayer, Jesus asks that we will be one with God just as He is one with the Father! (Vs. 21). According to vs. 23, what is the outcome of our fellowship together when it comes to our testimony to the world? - What are some ways fellowship might get lived out in LifeGroups? READ: 1 John 1:3-4 - What is the connection of fellowship and joy? - How might we be more fully devoted to fellowship in the church today?

4 4. Devoted to BREAKING BREAD. The term breaking bread might bring up two or more images in your mind. You might immediately think about having communion together in church. Another image might come from a throw-back term from the 1960s Let s break bread together. Far out! In the early church, breaking bread was mostly about sharing meals together. There is something about sharing a meal that brings us together and opens our hearts to talk about how our faith intersects with our life. READ: Acts. 2:46 - The NLT translation says these followers of Jesus shared their meals with great joy and generosity. Why do you think Luke would emphasize this habit? - Do you think this habit is any less important that then other things they devoted themselves to? Why or why not? - What are some times your LifeGroup could share a meal together in the coming months? If you haven t regularly done this in the past, take some time to make a plan for what this might look like for your group. 5. Devoted to PRAYER. In the early church, the followers of Jesus likely devoted themselves to attending the daily prayer gatherings in the Temple. We know they also had regular times of prayer together. There is an aspect of praying together that grows our sense of Together Life in Jesus. READ: Romans 12:12 - To be devoted to prayer means to apply myself to it, to be intentional about it. How might you measure whether a person is devoted to prayer in our day? READ: Acts 1:14 - The disciples spent a significant amount of time praying together. How do you think this helped their experience of being united around the mission of Jesus? READ: Acts 6:4 - The apostles intentionally delegated and set aside other tasks so they could focus together on prayer. How might clearing time on our calendar for prayer grow our own devotion to it? READ: Colossians 4:2 - What kinds of prayers might be part of a person s life who is not devoted to prayer? (e.g. only pray when I m having a personal crisis)

5 - Of the 5 marks of Life Together that we ve studies in this session, which do you sense God is leading you to grow in? - How might your LifeGroup incorporate these things into your group to grow your experience of the Together Life?