Acts 1-2
Study Questions
The Lord Jesus revealed that ministry in this world must involve both doing and teaching, that is, both actions and words. Would you say you tend to serve the Lord better by articulating the gospel or by living it out – by sharing or by showing? Many times Christians will do one to the exclusion of the other, but both are crucial. What are some practical things you could do this week to grow in either sharing or showing the love of God and the good news of Jesus?
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself yielded to the leading of the Holy Spirit in instructing His own disciples, and He told those disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit before rushing out to act. How are you at waiting and listening for the Holy Spirit before acting? Are you more apt to act first and then pray for God’s blessing or to pray first for direction before acting? Can you think of a time you acted without waiting on God? How about a time you sought the Lord’s direction before acting?
Do you recognize your fundamental calling to live as a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ? Can people in your circle look at your life and readily conclude the Jesus is real and that He changes people? What are some areas of your witness for Christ that might need some bolstering?
Although the Spirit came “suddenly” on the day of Pentecost, the disciples had been praying and waiting for that coming patiently. The “suddenlies” of God are often preceded by long seasons of faithfulness and prayer. What are some things you’ve been praying and waiting for for a long time now? What keeps you going as you wait? If you’re willing, invite your small group to join you in praying for that thing.
All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4. Have you had an encounter with the Holy Spirit like that? Do you want to? Have you experienced a release of the gift of tongues? Do you believe God wants you to be able to pray in the spirit? We will talk about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gift of tongues in a great deal of detail in our Sunday morning series, Holy Spirit, Come.
It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict people of sin, righteousness, and judgment; it’s our job to declare and demonstrate the truth of God’s great love and goodness. But that suggests it’s also our job to pray for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction and faith to the lost. When you pray for lost friends or family, how do you tend to pray for them? How might understanding the role of the Holy Spirit help you improve those prayers? Consider taking some time together with those in your group to pray for the lost people on each of your hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to prick their hearts and draw them to God.
The first followers of Christ were constantly gathering together to study, worship, and pray. How is your commitment to church attendance, small group gatherings, and the like? How often do you catch up with other Christians outside of Sunday mornings? When you do gather with other believers outside a church setting, how often do you talk about the Lord and what He’s doing? What practical steps can you take to help build the sort of Christian community you find in Acts 2:42-47?
For Further Consideration:
Luke addresses both of his New Testament books (the gospel of Luke and Acts) to Theophilus, and there’s some question among Bible scholars as to whether or not this was a real person. In Greek, the name means “lover of God;” and the question is whether the name Theophilus (1) applies to a real guy by that name, or (2) is meant to apply figuratively to a larger audience, that is, to anyone who loves the Lord.
Question 1 – On a scale of 1-10, with 1 being lowest, where would you rate your passion for God right now? Was there a time in the past you would have rated it higher? As Pastor Billy mentioned in a recent message, God is able to give you back that which you never meant to lose. Why not pray and ask the Holy Spirit to stir within you a greater and greater passion for God and His kingdom purposes?
Acts 1:3 says that the resurrected Christ appeared to His disciples “over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” The kingdom of God is the manifestation of the dynamic rule and reign of God, without interference or opposition. It’s life exactly as God desires it, where everything happens the way He wants it to – life without sin or sorrow or sickness. As the apostle Paul noted in Romans 14:17, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, (that is, it’s not fundamentally about rules and regulations) but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The kingdom of God was the primary focus of Jesus’ teaching and preaching ministry, and He urged His followers to pray: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). All of that suggests that God’s kingdom should also be our primary focus, as well; that is, we should be praying and working to that end.
Question 2 – Jesus said in Luke 17:21 that, “The kingdom of God is within you.” In what ways do you see God actively ruling in your life? Are there areas in your life you still need to yield more fully to the Lord and His will? What are some of those areas? What practical steps can you take to see God’s kingdom come more perfectly in you? What are some practical steps you can take to see His kingdom come more fully in this world?
While Acts 2:2 says the Holy Spirit came “suddenly” on the Day of Pentecost, it likely felt to the disciples like they’d been praying and waiting for ever. But that really is God’s typical pattern. He gave Joseph a dream that all his brothers would bow before him; and the next thing he knew, those very brothers were selling him into slavery. He endured many hard years of slavery and later imprisonment before his dream was ever fulfilled. The Lord promised Moses and the Israelites a land flowing with milk and honey, but the first place He led them didn’t even have water. Forty years passed and an entire generation perished before they entered that land. The first promise of a coming Savior occurred in Genesis 3, thousands of years before the birth of Jesus Christ; and it’s been nearly two thousand years since His promised return. Clearly, God’s timetable is not the same as ours; and He doesn’t seem too concerned about hurrying up for our convenience.
As mentioned in the main video, the believers were together in one place when the Holy Spirit fell; and they quickly developed a lifestyle marked by unity and community. Additionally, Psalm 133 says that God bestows His blessing where His followers live and function together in unity.
Question 3 – What can you do personally to promote and increase unity with your brothers and sisters in the church? How can your small group grow in unity during this study? Is there anything you need to forgive and let go of in order to promote unity with someone else?
Notice that, in Acts 2:38, Peter’s Pentecost message climaxes with the words, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” The call to repentance was fundamental to the proclamation of the gospel in the first church, yet it doesn’t seem as prominent today. The verb “repent” literally means “to change your mind,” and it always involves a turning of both thought and action. Proper repentance involves two aspects: (1) repenting from some attitude, action, or mindset, and (2) repenting to God. In other words, we turn from ourselves and our sins; and we turn instead to God.
Question 4 – Does the idea of repentance carry a positive or a negative connotation for you? How do the concepts of the necessity of repentance and the love of God go together? How can we best incorporate the need for repentance in our sharing of the good news of God with others?