SESSION UNSTOPPABLE MESSAGE THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE There are many good groups and organizations in our communities seeking to benefit society in some way. The church, however, is unique. Many organizations today are short-lived or diminish as the need they seek to meet is realized. Or they change when the leadership changes. The church is different. Christ gave His church one unchanging message to proclaim: the message of salvation in Christ. THE POINT Jesus died for our sins, was resurrected, and reigns as Lord. THE PASSAGE Acts :-4,3-33,36-38 THE SETTING Ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended in power just as He had promised. The Spirit launched His great work on earth with incredible power including the sound of a mighty wind, tongues of fire, and the ability of the believers to speak and understand each of the different spoken languages. The long awaited Messiah came and paid for the sins of the world and established His kingdom on earth. Now God s kingdom was beginning its mission on earth. 88 SESSION WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? ACTS :-4 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know 3 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 4 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ACTS :3-33 3 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ACTS :36-38 36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. 37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? 38 And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For free online training on how to lead a group visit MinistryGrid. com/web/biblestudiesforlife For free Midweek Options for your group, visit lifeway.com/bsflfal16fresh
PREPARE LEADER LIVE IT OUT My Story Acts :-4;3-33;36-38 In C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Lucy sees Aslan for the first time after searching or him for a long while. Upon seeing him she says, Aslan... you re bigger. Aslan responds, That is because you are older, little one. Not because you are? asks Lucy. I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger. This moment is powerful, because it echoes truth in our hearts. The deeper and more mature our relationship with Christ becomes, the bigger He seems. Not because He grows, but because we have grown to see more of His character. The same is true when we look back on the story of when Christ saved us. Sometimes we let our testimony collect dust because we feel it is only useful for mission trips or the first few years of our walk with Christ, but as we grow deeper in our relationship with Christ, we see so many more facets of His character and love in our lives. Your story never changes, but for every year you grow you will find it bigger. God wants to use your story to impact your students lives. Y Take time to reflect and complete the Culture section on page 1. Remember your you life before Christ, and how He stepped in, saved you, and is continuing to change your life daily. 1 Prepare: As you prepare for this session, take a moment to allow the truth of scripture to challenge your heart. God works in our hearts as we teach others His Word. ONE CONVERSATION Scripture: Acts :-4,3-33,36-38 Topic: Unstoppable Message THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: There are many good groups and organizations in our communities seeking to benefit society in some way. The church, however, is unique. Many organizations today are short-lived or diminish as the need they seek to meet is realized. Or they change when the leadership changes. The church is different. Christ gave His church one unchanging message to proclaim: the message of salvation in Christ. THE POINT: Jesus died for our sins, was resurrected, and reigns as Lord. What is your biggest distraction? What can we learn from Peter s approach to sharing the gospel? When we recognize Jesus as Lord, how does that affect our daily life? How can we share the gospel with the goal of bringing conviction rather than condemnation? Discuss the following quote: Outside of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no hope in this world. That cross and resurrection at the core of the Gospel is the only hope for humanity. Wherever you go, ask God for wisdom on how to get that Gospel in, even in the toughest situations of life. 1 Ravi Zacharias 1. http://www.christianpost.com/news/ravi-zacharias-to-liberty-univ-graduates-draw-the-right-linesin-life-find-your-definitions-in-god-97089/ LIVE IT OUT: Your student has been encouraged to take practical steps to take his or her faith and Live It Out in the Personal Study Guide. Here are some ways you can encourage your students to live out their faith with Christ personally, in community, and in their culture CHRIST: Encourage your student to serve in your local church. Serving as a family is also an excellent opportunity to challenge your student to grow by setting godly priorities. COMMUNITY: Guide your student to make wise decisions in how he or she uses social media. It is one of the broadest platforms to reflect the gospel. CULTURE: Discuss how your student gave their life to Christ, and how he or she can share with others this week. You can use these simple questions to start the discussion: 1. Why did you give my life to Christ?;. How did Christ change your life?; 3. Why is it important to others. Follow Up: Don t forget to copy or text a picture of the One Conversation section to parents after the session. This will equip them for further family discussion. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 89
ENGAGE (15 MINUTES) THE POINT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, WAS RESURRECTED, AND REIGNS AS LORD. 1 Engage: Begin the session with one or more of the Engage Options on the next page (optional). Discuss: Ask students, What is your biggest distraction? 3 Guide: Call attention to The Point. Come back to it throughout the session. 4 Read: Summarize this for your group. 5 Pray: Transition into the session by praying that students would begin to understand the incredible power of the gospel. 90 SESSION
ENGAGE OPTIONS LEAD WITH ACTION When your students arrive tell them that you are going to be playing advanced Simon Says and the winner will receive a prize (movie tickets, gift certificate, etc.). In this version, you will separate students into teams of two and Simon will give commands that are specific to certain actions they want accomplished (i.e. Simon says put your partner on your shoulders, leap frog, etc.). Award the winning team with a prize. Say, Just like in this game the church must keep focused on the truth of Jesus to accomplish its mission of sharing the gospel and making disciples. LEAD WITH ATMOSPHERE As you are setting up your space for group, take time to print out pictures of the cross in various forms (necklaces, decorative pieces, etc.) and other popular Christians items and apparel ( Jesus is my Homeboy T-shirt, Jesus bobble head, etc.). Set the items around the room. As you begin the session, ask students what comes to mind when they see these items. Say, It s amazing how easy it is for us to lose focus on the gospel and drift away from our true mission as the church. Today we are going to focus on the foundation of the gospel and refocus our eyes on what the gospel truly means. LEAD WITH MEDIA Search the Internet for Unstoppable #4 Movie CLIP - Runaway Train. After watching the clip say, Just like a train needs tracks, the church needs the truth of the gospel as the center of its mission. Jesus dying for our sins, being resurrected, and reigning as Lord, is the foundation of the church. Just like the tracks to the train, the church loses its mission without the gospel. NOTE: Always make sure you preview any video clip you show students and ensure that it is appropriate for your church and ministry. SECOND OPTION Search the Internet for Simon Says Variations. There are many different ways to play Simon Says. Some options work better for some groups than others. Make sure to use one of these variations as you play to keep your students attention. After the game is over say, Just like in Simon Says, the church must keep focused on the truth of Jesus to accomplish its mission of sharing the gospel and making disciples. FOR YOUNGER STUDENTS Play the classic game, Telephone with your students. Depending on your group s size, you can play this game in teams or as one group. Say, When we don t pay close attention to the message, it can be difficult to accomplish the goal. It is the same for the church and the gospel. We are going to talk about the importance of keeping the gospel at the center of our lives. LEADER PACK ELEMENTS If you have the optional Leader Pack, consider one of the following: DVD: Play the Unit Session DVD opener to get everyone on the same page. ITEM 13: Consider using the Unstoppable Gospel Invite Cards in the leader pack as a tool for students to invite friends to your group. Simply cut them out and fill in your student ministry information. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 91
IMPART (10 MINUTES) THE POINT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, WAS RESURRECTED, AND REIGNS AS LORD. 1 Guide: Encourage students to share what they are learning on Instagram. Read: Ask a student read the passage for group. 3 4 Read: Enlist a few volunteers to read the following section aloud. Do: Direct students to read the quote and thoughtfully answer the question. Discuss their answers. 5 Discuss: Take a few minutes to discuss this question in light of what you have just learned. 9 SESSION
COMMENTARY ACTS :-4 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ACTS :-4 Verse. Jesus died and rose again to bring salvation. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit came in power. The believers in Jerusalem who were empowered by the Spirit spoke in many other languages and drew the attention of a crowd. Peter spoke to the crowd to help them correctly interpret the events (Acts :1-1). Peter initially quoted words from the prophet Joel that explained and confirmed what they had seen and heard (Joel :8-3). He boldly directed the men to hear him. Peter started by calling attention to Jesus. Peter clarified who Jesus was by noting he was from the town of Nazareth. Jesus was sometimes identified as the Nazarene during His earthly ministry. Rather than immediately jumping to the reality that Jesus is the Messiah, Peter emphasized that Jesus was a man. Thousands of people had encountered Him in Judea, Galilee, and Samaria during the previous three years. So while any skeptic could have questioned Jesus deity, there was no question of His humanity. Tip: Inviting students to be a part of your life outside of group time allows students to see how valuable they are to you. It doesn t have to be formal, just quality time. Peter noted Jesus was attested by God. God chose Him for a unique position a role that no one else could fill. God worked in and through Jesus humanity to prove who He really was. Peter reminded the people of the mighty works and wonders and signs done by Jesus. Mighty works show the power of God. Wonders emphasize the response of people who witness miracles. Signs are intended to point back to God. Christ s life, death, and resurrection is God s sovereign plan to save us from our willful sin. #UNSTPPBLEGSPL Verse 3. Peter emphasized that the Jews played a role in Jesus death. The Jewish religious leaders arrested Jesus and delivered up Jesus to those who could carry out their ultimate desire. The Jews used lawless men (the Romans) to kill Jesus. While the Jewish leaders plotted to put Jesus to death and the Romans carried out the sentence, the Jewish people also bore the responsibility for what had happened. They should have recognized who Jesus was, God s Messiah. Though most people who knew Jesus did not anticipate His death, God was not caught off guard. The sacrificial death of Jesus was part of God s definite plan for His creation. God had not only decreed that Jesus would die (1 Pet. 1:0), but also set the appointed time for it to happen (Gal. 4:4-5). It was part of God s purpose to make atonement for the sins of humanity. God planned for the death of His Son because there was no other way for sinful people those who were His enemies to be in a right relationship with Him. Verse 4. Peter stressed that God raised him up restored Jesus to life again. This was also part of God s plan for the salvation of humanity. Why was it not possible for death to hold Jesus in its grip? Because His death and resurrection were a part of God s unstoppable plan. God had chosen Jesus for His unique position as Messiah to make salvation possible for all humanity a truth Peter would clarify soon enough. Nothing, not even death itself, could hinder God s purpose. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 93
IMPART (10 MINUTES) THE POINT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, WAS RESURRECTED, AND REIGNS AS LORD. 1 Discuss: Take a few minutes to discuss this question with your students. Read: Ask a student to read the passage for the group. 3 Read: Enlist a few volunteers to read this section aloud. 4 Guide: Help your students understand how worship and obedience reflect our view of God s worth. 5 Do: Direct students to read the quote and thoughtfully answer the question. Discuss their answers. 94 SESSION
COMMENTARY ACTS :3-33,36 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified. ACTS :3-33,36 Verse 3. Jesus is exalted as Lord. After citing David s prophecy in Psalm 16:10 proclaiming God s plan, Peter again noted that God raised Jesus from the dead just as He had planned. The resurrection of Jesus was the primary focus of the apostles preaching after Pentecost. That s because the resurrection is the foundational truth of the Christian faith. It provides assurance that Jesus sacrificial death brought victory over sin and death for all who believe. Paul later noted that if the resurrection did not happen then our faith is futile (1 Cor. 15:17) and all humanity is still held captive by the guilt and power of sin. Peter added that he and the other apostles were witnesses of it. They had not only seen Jesus die and be buried; they also saw Him restored to life after being dead for three days. While the other eleven apostles were standing with Peter in front of the crowd (Acts :14), the witnesses could have included many of the 10 who were gathered together when the Holy Spirit came upon them (1:15). Scripture confirms that Jesus appeared to over 500 people after His resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6), so many others could have testified as well to the truth of the resurrection. Tip: Quotes give you a great opportunity to unpack deep biblical truth on an appropriate level for your group and press into tough questions. Verse 33. Jesus ascended into heaven where He is living still and where He has been exalted at the right hand of God. In this powerful position Jesus received the Holy Spirit and the authority to distribute the Spirit to others in accordance with God s promise. Thus like water is poured out from above and floods whatever is below, God s Spirit was poured out from heaven and engulfed the believers who had gathered in the room in Jerusalem. Peter went on to emphasize that what the people of Israel had seen and heard that day the Spirit s powerful activity that enabled the believers to speak in other tongues (Acts :4) was further evidence of Jesus identity and authority. Only the One chosen and exalted by God the Father, acting on His behalf, could have freely poured out the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of prophecy. Verse 36. In a powerful summation Peter emphasized a point he did not want the house of Israel to miss. All of them needed to know for certain the truth about Jesus. Peter contrasted the difference between how the Jewish people responded to Jesus and how God responded to Him. God has exalted Jesus as both Lord and Christ. The people, however, had crucified Jesus like a common criminal. In referring to Jesus as Lord, Peter reached the climax of his message. More than simply a designation of respect (as it was sometimes used in the Bible), the word Lord here indicated the divine nature of Jesus. Jesus had earlier claimed equality with God and the Jews tried to stone Him (John 10:30 33). In the Greek, verse 36 ends with the words translated whom you crucified. Perhaps Peter ordered his words intentionally, wanting the people to bear the weight of guilt and responsibility for their actions: they had actually killed the Lord Himself. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 95
IMPART (10 MINUTES) 1 THE POINT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, WAS RESURRECTED, AND REIGNS AS LORD. Do: Allow time for students to finish optional Action Point (p. 8) in the PSG. 3 Read: Ask a student to read the passage for the group. Read: Summarize this section for your students. 4 Discuss: Lead students to discuss the question. 5 Read: Guide a student to read this section aloud. 6 Do: Direct students to complete the Action Point and discuss their answers. 96 SESSION
COMMENTARY ACTS :37-38 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ACTS 37-38 Verse 37. On the night before His death, Jesus told His disciples about the Holy Spirit s ministry. Jesus promised that the Spirit would convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8). Now on the day of Pentecost, with thousands of Jews from around the world gathered in Jerusalem, the Spirit carried out His assignment as the people who had heard Peter s message were cut to the heart. Peter s words, like a figurative dagger driven deep into their hearts, brought intense emotional pain as the Jewish people realized the enormity of their sin. It was natural that they wanted a solution to their problem. So they asked Peter and the other apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? Verse 38. The solution to their problem was to repent. They needed to change their thinking, especially about Jesus, sin, and salvation. To repent in their thinking about Jesus they needed to acknowledge Him as Lord and Messiah. To repent in their thinking about sin they needed to understand sin separates us from God and Jesus provided the perfect, final sacrifice for our sin. To repent in their thinking about salvation they needed to know that faith in Jesus is the only way to enter a relationship with the Father and experience eternal life. Tip: Help students realize that a change needs to take place based on what they have learned. Help them determine how to put it into practice immediately. This will encourage them as they grow in their faith. The biblical usage of repent also refers to a change of action not only thinking differently but also acting on this new belief. Thus Peter added that every one of them needed to be baptized. Baptism is an outward picture of an inward change that has happened to a person. Thus after the people changed their thinking about Jesus, sin, and salvation they were to give evidence of that change by being baptized. Being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ means acknowledging His identity and accepting His authority. For them to be baptized in Jesus name would reflect their newfound commitment to Christ. Tip: Don t worry if you don t know the answer to a student s question. Helping students learn to work out their faith shows authenticity and humility. God uses humble and authentic people to impact lives. This is the only place in the Book of Acts where there is any question about the relationship of baptism, repentance, and forgiveness of sins. Some have incorrectly interpreted this verse to teach that baptism is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. But this is not taught anywhere else in Scripture. Not long after Pentecost on a different occasion, Peter specifically charged people to repent that your sins may be blotted out (Acts 3:19) without a mention of baptism. At other times belief (10:43) or faith (6:18) are mentioned as the basis for forgiveness of sins. Thus the phrase in :38 should be understood as forgiveness of sins as a result of repentance, and baptism is the outward demonstration of the changed mind and life. To those who experienced salvation, Peter noted they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift does not refer to special manifestations of the Spirit (which are His gifts), but instead to His indwelling presence in believers lives. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 97
IMPACT (10 MINUTES) THE POINT JESUS DIED FOR OUR SINS, WAS RESURRECTED, AND REIGNS AS LORD. 1 Discuss: Read and discuss the quote with students. Guide: Use the Christ portion of the Live It Out section to get your students involved serving in the local church. The Bible Reading Plan helps students develop a personal plan to spend time in God s Word daily. (Help your group remind one another to spend time in God s Word and share all God is teaching you.) 3 Guide: This is a great opportunity to plan a time when your group can serve others and share the gospel together. 98 SESSION
IMPACT 4 Guide: The Culture section empowers your students to apply God s Word to their lives this week. Help them reflect on their story to share it with others. 5 Pray: Close in prayer asking God to remind each student how powerful His story is and how He wants to use our lives to tell it. Pray that God would give opportunities for students to share the gospel this week. 6 Follow Up: This week, connect with your students via email, text, or a phone call. Share with them how you used your story this week to share the gospel with those around you. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 99