Week 2
Study Questions
Acts 3 begins like any other day, with Peter and John going to the temple at the hour of prayer. The earliest believers were committed to gathering often for worship, study, and prayer (see Acts 2:42, 46). How strong is your commitment to these things? Are you more of an “every time the doors open” kind of church attender or more of a “when it’s convenient and I’m not too tired” kind? The apostles’ normal, daily routine included specific times of prayer. Do you have specific, daily times set aside for prayer and Bible reading? Is that something your group might be able to help encourage each other in?
In Acts 3:6, Peter said he had no money. Do you ever feel you need something more than what you have right now in order to serve God? Have you ever thought you could do more for God if you just had more money or a seminary degree or a spouse or ...? What – specifically – has God already put in your hands that you can use to serve Him? How good are you at recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities to share Jesus with others? Consider committing together as a group to memorize Colossians 4:5, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.”
In Acts 3:19, Peter tells the crowd, “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out...” In our day, repentance is often viewed very negatively. Do you view repentance as a mostly negative or mostly positive thing? What’s the difference between repenting from sin and repenting to God? Read the last part of Acts 3:26 again. Do you recognize the Lord’s desire to bless you by turning you from your former way of life? Would you be comfortable sharing with someone that the Lord desires to bless them in that way?
Boldness to speak God’s Word is a major byproduct of being filled with the Holy Spirit, and the first part of the believers’ prayer in Acts 4:29 is, “Enable Your servants to speak Your Word with great boldness.” If you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit, in what ways have you become bolder as a result? On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being lowest, how would you rate your boldness for the Lord right now? Consider taking time in your group to pray for increased boldness. Take some time to meditate on Acts 4:13. What strikes you most from that verse?
Acts 4:22 reveals God’s pattern for His people as a rhythm of going out into the world to minister and going back into the church to report, worship, pray, and be renewed. How well does your life exhibit this pattern? Are there aspects of this pattern you need to strengthen? Take some time in your group (and also simply on your own) to pray the prayer found in Acts 4:29-30.
What is your honest reaction to the account of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11? Does it make you feel more like God is angry and scary or like He’s holy and awesome? On a scale from 1-10 with 1 being lowest, where would you rate yourself in terms of the holy, biblical fear of the Lord?
In Acts 5:29, Gamaliel warned the Sanhedrin about the futility of trying to fight God. Do you have that same confidence in God’s ability to get what He wants? How often do you find yourself getting fretful or angry when people don’t cooperate with things you believe God wants you to do? Do your emotional responses reveal greater confidence in (1) God’s power to accomplish His will, or (2) people’s power to mess things up? Take some time to read through and consider the words of Psalm 37.
In Acts 6:3, the apostles called the people to find seven men “known to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.” Would you say you’re “known” (that is, do you have a reputation among others) as being Spirit-filled and Spirit-led? Why is it significant that Stephen was “full of God’s grace and power” and “did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people”?
For Further Consideration
The opposition the apostles encountered at the beginning of Acts 4 wasn’t fair or even reasonable. They’d just performed a remarkable miracle resulting in a great blessing to a previously crippled man, and from there they were simply telling the people how they could be forgiven and saved through the Lord Jesus Christ. Opposition, however, is often unfair, unreasonable, or untrue. Consider, for example, the completely illogical accusation that the disciples were drunk on the morning of Pentecost (see Acts 2:13). In what universe would being drunk empower an entire group of people to speak in such a way that a massive crowd of foreigners from at least fifteen different nations would be able to understand them in their native languages (see Acts 2:5-12)? That particular slander in that situation was literally insane. And yet, as Christians it’s simply assumed we will have to deal with precisely that sort of thing. The apostle Peter wrote, “For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God” (I Peter 2:19). Again, he wrote, “But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called...” (I Peter 2:20-21a, ESV). Opposition and unfair treatment should never overwhelm you or take you by surprise.
Question 1 – Notice Peter writes about the “pain” of “unjust” suffering and calls believers to bear up under it. In fact, he says in v. 21 that you’ve actually been called by God handle such injustice well. How are you at handling hardship and mistreatment? In Acts 5:41, the apostles responded to their unjust treatment from the Sanhedrin by “rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” When people oppose or attack you and your faith, are you more likely to (1) rejoice for the honor of suffering for the Lord, (2) get angry and want to put them in their place, or (3) become sullen or depressed and withdraw into yourself?
In Acts 4:17, the Jewish leaders concluded among themselves, “But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” They wouldn’t use the name of Jesus themselves; and they wanted the disciples to stop using it, as well. Nevertheless, you need to understand the principle here: the best way to stop the spread of a revival is for people to stop speaking in the name of the Lord. Sometimes people stop sharing the Word of God in the name of Jesus because of the opposition it attracts. Sometimes people stop speaking out because they become distracted by other things like the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth, and the desire for other things. The bottom line, however, is that we need to keep speaking in the name of Jesus, sharing the good news of Jesus, and boldly proclaiming the Word of God.
Question 2 – On a scale from 1-10 with 1 being lowest, how would you rank your faithfulness to speak out in the name of Jesus? When was the last time you shared the good news of the gospel with someone else? Take a moment to pray and ask the Holy Spirit to give you opportunities to share, courage to share, and wisdom in your sharing.
Acts 5:12-16 recounts some of the powerful miracles the early church was experiencing. Since we have the same Holy Spirit they had, we should pray for and expect similar things in our day.
Question 3 – When I was pastoring in Virginia, I felt led for a period of time to pray that God would do something so amazing in our area that it would be reported in the New York Times. Would you consider joining me in praying that prayer for our city now?
In the midst of all those miracles, however, it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Acts 5:18 says, “They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.” And so a new pattern emerged in which God would work mightily through His people, and other people would aggressively fight against them. It’s important, when reading about the early church, not to do so from a romantic or idealistic perspective. The Holy Spirit was powerfully active among them, but life was still hard and often confusing – just like it is today. They faced stiff opposition, initially from the Jewish rulers and later from the Roman government. And it wasn’t long before they began to face internal disputes, as well. The first internal disputes we’re told about involved frustrations with the administration of the some of the charitable ministries of the church (see Acts 6:1). Later they faced very serious doctrinal disputes. Much of the New Testament, in fact, was written to address major problems, controversies, and errors in the churches. So, while the Holy Spirit was mightily at work among the people of the early church, He didn’t make all their problems go away and they were still just people – people who served God and followed the Holy Spirit imperfectly, just like people do today.
Question 4 – Do you think you’ve ever romanticized the early church? What sorts of problems did they face? What sorts of problems does the American church face in our day? In what ways are these different sets of problems actually similar?
When Gamaliel addressed the Sanhedrin in Acts 5:34-39, he mentioned two different men, Theudas and Judas, who had gained prominence and created a stir, but whose legacies quickly died away after them. Gamaliel, then, concluded, in part, “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail” (Acts 5:38b). This comment is a strong exhortation to follow God, not men. I can think of many prominent preachers who have made a big splash at one point or another, only later to become embroiled in some scandal and fade away. The Lord delights to work through people; but remember to keep your eyes on Him, not on the people.
Question 5 – Most everyone has been disappointed or hurt at one time or another by someone in a position of authority, whether a pastor or parent or coach or whatever. At same the time, it’s highly likely that you’ve disappointed or hurt someone at one time or another yourself. Under what circumstances would the failing of a pastor or religious leader invalidate the faith that leader espouses?
Finally, notice Acts 5:42, which says, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” There are three quick things worth noting here. First, the early church focused on Jesus and talked about Him “day after day.” In fact, it says they “never stopped.” Jesus was their obsession; they couldn’t stop thinking and talking about Him. For too many professing Christians today, Jesus is just an add-on, something they try to tag onto their already very busy lives. We need to follow the example of the early church and become obsessed with Jesus.
Question 6 – Would you say you’re closer to being in the “obsessed with Jesus” camp or the “tacked Him onto your already busy life” camp?
Second, those first Christians met “in the temple” and “from house to house.” In our day that would suggest they gathered in the church building for regular meetings like Sunday mornings and Wednesday night prayer, and they gathered in homes and coffee shops and other places on many of the days they weren’t in church. Again, Christ, and life within the community of Christ, was their obsession and their commitment.
Question 7 – Do you tend to view gathering with other believers as more of a joy or a chore? On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being lowest, where would you rate your current commitment to gather often with the people of God? With what are you more obsessed, more concerned, or more attentive to than Jesus and His will?
Third and finally, when those first Christians told others about the Lord, they did it by both “teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.” Sometimes we just need to declare the truth, that is, to proclaim it. And sometimes we need to explain the truth, that is, we need to teach it. And notice, as well, it’s proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ – that is, that He is the Savior King, the Savior Lord, and not just the Savior period. Jesus has come to rule and to reign in the world and in your life. And it’s through that rule and reign that all things are made right.
Question 8 – Do you recognize Jesus as both Savior and Lord? How much attention do you tend to give to His rule and reign in your day-to-day life? In what ways might the proclamation that Jesus is the Christ (and not just the Savior) change your approach to sharing the gospel?