A Turning Point | Acts 12:1-13:52

Sermon Description

In Acts chapters 12 and 13 we see that even though the church is persecuted they turn to prayer and boldly continue to send forth the message of Jesus the Savior. Undeterred, the Good News begins to spread from Jerusalem and Judea, through Samaria, and now to the ends of the earth. Will the church of today continue to join in the advance of the message of Jesus?

Prayer Points

1. Pray for the persecuted church around the world.

2. Pray that God will prepare each of us for any persecution that we might face so that we will remain faithful and bold throughout.

3. Pray that God will keep us from being inward focused and complacent but rather that he will stoke in us a fiery passion for his glory that motivates us to bold witness.

4. Pray for God to show us each ways that we can proclaim Jesus even during this continuing COVID pandemic.


Discussion Questions

1. How is the cultural persecution of the church in the West different from other persecution? In what ways is it effective at stopping the church’s witness?

2. How are we tempted to turn inward-focused and become reluctant to join in the advancement of the Good News?

3. What are we risking when we live boldly for the Kingdom of God?

4. How can we share Jesus during the COVID pandemic with restricted interactions?

5. What would you do to join the Mission of the Gospel if there were no pandemic?

6. Is God calling you to make a bold move in your life to be more missional?


Resources for Further Study

1. Voice of the Martyrs Global Prayer Guide

2. Training to be on Mission with God in your daily life!

3. Book: Let the Nations Be Glad!: The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper

When Everything is Shaken | Haggai 2:6-9

2020 has been a year where everything has been shaken up. The prophet Haggai instructs us that the Lord allows us to go through these times of shaking so that we will reevaluate our priorities in the light of the gospel.

Discussion Questions

  1. Read Ezra 3:10-13. Imagine the mixture of joy and sadness those people experienced. What might that have been like? In what ways can you personally relate?

  2. When we go through difficult seasons, why Is gospel encouragement so much more important than simple “you can do it” encouragement?

  3. Besides the “big picture” difficulties (COVID, etc.), what personal shakings have you experienced in the past year? How are these an opportunity to reevaluate your priorities?

  4. How is God calling you to be on mission to those who are experiencing a season of shaking?

Prayer Points

  • Pray for our church to endure the shakings of life with both grace and peace.

  • Pray about specific difficulties for those in your group.

  • Pray that God would use us to spread the good news of the gospel during these shakings and hard times.

How Long Until Jesus Comes Again? | Revelation 6

Sermon Description

In the book of Revelation, we are granted a peek behind the curtain, as we see that the martyred saints of old are crying out to God, “how long until you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” This cry is shared by those of us who are still living and by all of creation, as we await the return of Jesus and the restoration of all things.

Discussion Questions

  1. As you face the struggles and difficulties of life, how does the witness of the martyrs in Revelation 6 give you perspective and strength to endure?

  2. How can we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, help each other to walk in the love and peace of Jesus as we await his return?

  3. How does the big picture story of redemption help us have perspective on the timing of Jesus’ return? Why is it important to remember that this is a long story?

  4. How can we live in the tension of desiring Jesus’ return while at the same time wanting more time to proclaim the gospel with unbelieving friends and loved ones?

Prayer Points

  • Pray for Jesus to return soon to make all things new

  • Pray that we, as a church and as individuals, would be filled with the love and peace of Christ while we wait for Jesus’ return.

  • Pray that we would live with a sense of urgency when it comes to sharing the gospel.

How Long Will The Church Do Wrong? | Jeremiah 23

In a time of widespread corruption and wickedness, the prophet Jeremiah cried out “how long will the prophets speak falsely from their own minds, and not from God?” In today’s world, with pastoral leadership failures seemingly everywhere, it can be tempting to lose our love for the church. But when we see that Jesus came to redeem his broken, messy church, we can have hope for the church, despite her flaws and failures.

Discussion Questions

  1. Share your church background with your group. Were you raised in the church, or did you come later in life? Where have you seen examples of good leadership? Do you have experiences with unfaithful shepherds in the church? (Note: please share with discretion.)

  2. When you consider the world’s opinion of the church, how does that make you feel? How might you be tempted to respond in ungodly ways (e.g. compromise with the world, anger towards the world, etc.)

  3. How does Jesus, the good shepherd, give you hope for the church, even with all her flaws and shortcomings? How is the gospel encouraging to you in the middle of the mess?

  4. Even if you’re not in formal church leadership, all believers are prophets, priests, and kings. How does this help you be mindful of your conduct as you live on mission for the world?

Prayer Points

  • Pray for our church, the leaders, the members, and the staff. Pray that all of us would do our part to be faithful to Jesus.

  • Pray for those who have been deeply hurt by the church. Pray for the love of Jesus to help them heal, hope, and eventually trust again.

  • Pray that we would model Christlike love and faithfulness to the world around us.

How Long Will Injustice Reign? | Habakkuk 1

As the prophets of old waited for the coming of the Messiah, they could be heard crying out “how long, o Lord, until you come to deal with injustices in our society?” One such prophet was Habakkuk, who wrestled with God over the plan and timing for the Messiah to come and deal with injustice once and for all.

Discussion Questions

  1. Behonest: does the deeply biblical theme of justice/injustice resonate with you? If the answer is “no,” why might that be? How can you foster an awareness of and a care for justice, something that God cares greatly about?

  2. What injustices have you experienced in your life? What injustices have you witnessed in the lives of others? How do those experiences map onto the thought that Jesus experienced the ultimate injustice on the cross?

  3. Why do we struggle to trust God’s timing on dealing with injustices? If we knew the plan and the timeline, would that actually help us? How can we trust God even when we don’t understand?

  4. In what ways does the biblical concept of justice overlap with our current cultural portrait of justice? In what ways is it different? How would a deeper commitment to justice on the part of Christians help us reach people with the gospel of Jesus?

Prayer Points

  • Pray and repent for any ways that you have participated in injustice, even If just in your own heart.

  • Pray that God would help us to live out biblical justice as we seek to share the message of the gospel, this Christmas season and beyond.

How Long Will I Struggle With This Sin? | Hosea 8

Before the Messiah came, the people of God would often cry out “how long, o Lord?” when it came to the troubles in our lives and in the world. Now that Jesus has come, we can have hope when we cry out “how long will | struggle with this sin in my life?” even as we look forward to his second coming.

Discussion Questions

  1. When you think about idolatry, does it sound strange to you? Why do you think that ancient people had gods/idols for literally everything? How does that connect to our modern lives?

  2. Share openly with those in your community: what idols are you the most prone to give a place in your heart? Why do those particular idols “grab” you (personality, childhood wounds, fears, etc.)?

  3. How is the gospel of Jesus our only true hope when it comes to removing idols from our hearts and making genuine progress? Why does “more law” not work?

  4. As the world celebrates Christmas, how can our commitment to Jesus be a witness to a world that is ensnared by many idols?

Prayer Points

  • Pray that God’s Holy Spirit would help you focus on Jesus and smash your idols.

  • Pray for grace for yourself and others when the progress isn’t as fast as you would like.

  • Pray that your witness for Jesus would grow as you put sin to death in your life.

God's Newly United Family | Acts 11:1-30

As modern, western readers of the Bible, it is easy for us to misunderstand the conflict that is happening in Acts 11. But the more that we know about the context of this conflict, the more we know that God’s laws are not arbitrary or legalistic. Rather, God calls his people to be distinct from the world in order to be a blessing to the world.

Discussion Questions

  1. Which ditch are you personally more prone toward: not distinct enough from the world, or too distinct and distant from the world? How can we help one another live in the tension of John 17:15-18.

  2. In Acts 11, we see a handful of specific blessings that come when God's people are distinct from the world: repentance, ethnic reconciliation, Christlikeness, and financial aid. In your group, talk about the myriad of other ways that we can be a blessing to the world when we are willing to be distinct and different from the world?

  3. How was Jesus distinct from the world? How Is that holiness/separation/distinction an indispensable part of the good news? And, how did that distinction enable him to be a blessing to the world?

  4. What specific gifts, talents, or abilities has God given to you personally that he wants you to use to bring the good news of Jesus into the world?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that we—as individuals and as a church—would live in that tension of being different from the world while still being a blessing to the world.

  2. Pray that we would follow the Spirit on mission to the world with both our words and our deeds. Pray for Jesus to save people and bring them into his newly united family.

The Power of a True Conversion | Acts 9:1-31

The beginning of Acts chapter 9 tells of one of the most significant conversions in the history of the church, and even the history of the world. Saul of Tarsus had been on a mission to capture and persecute followers of Jesus until his radical encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Saul’s conversion to “the way” demonstrates the power of God. But it also reminds us that every conversion, no matter how big or dramatic, is a miraculous act of God.

Discussion Questions

  1. Take some time to share with one another how Jesus has transformed your life. Even if you met Jesus at an early age, how would your life be different had you not encountered Jesus?

  2. Do you have questions or doubts about your status with Jesus? Are you struggling to believe that you’re “good enough” to be saved?

  3. Do you desire to continue to be changed and transformed by the power of the gospel each and every day? Do you regularly share areas in your life where you are struggling and living in sin? Share with one another how you desire to continue to grow as a disciple of Jesus and be transformed by the Holy Spirit?

  4. How can we hold each other accountable and help each other be obedient to Christ, including going out into the world and speaking boldly about Jesus?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that Jesus would remind you of the miracle he has done in your own life. Pray that he would reignite a passion and excitement for how he has and continues to transform you.

  2. Pray for God to encourage you and cause you to be more passionate in proclaiming the gospel to the world around you. Pray for courage to speak boldly about Jesus to those in your life who have yet to meet Jesus. And pray, not just for opportunities to share the gospel but for the power of the gospel to lead to true life transformation.

The Gospel Goes to Samaria | Acts 8:1-40

The spread of the gospel has followed the pattern that was promised by Jesus in Acts 1: first Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, then to the ends of the earth. As we see the gospel go to Samaria in ch. 8, we see God working in the middle of some messy situations with some messy people. But we can also see that God is not afraid to meet his people in the middle of the mess. The Holy Spirit does his best work when we are honest about the mess that we are in.

Discussion Questions

  1. Who has God put in your life that you can be 100% real, gut-level honest about the “mess” in your own life? Are there things that you have been holding on to that need to be shared? What fears in your own heart keep you from being fully honest?

  2. In our honesty, we don’t want to wallow in sin or celebrate our mess, but bring it to Jesus. How does the “messiness” of the cross give us hope that Jesus could really forgive us, love us, and transform us?

  3. How could God use our honesty and transparency to further the spread of the gospel to those who have not yet believed in Jesus?

Prayer Points

  1. Pray that God would shape us to be the kind of church community that openly shares our sins, fears, struggles, and messes with each other so that we can experience the redeeming grace of Christ.

  2. Pray for that we would be open, humble, and loving in such a way that draws unbelievers to come to know Jesus and believe the gospel.

Moses and Jesus | Acts 6:8-15

As the Jesus movement spreads and grows, opposition reaches a fever pitch against one of the early church deacons, a man named Stephen. As he teaches that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Scriptures, the temple, and the law, he is misunderstood to be against these things. What can we learn from this story and the ways that we misunderstand Jesus even today? 

Jesus Life is Our Life | Acts 5:12-42

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At the end of Acts 4, the followers of Jesus were living a radical, new life of generosity, selflessness, and compassion for one another.Barnabas is set out as an example of this type of living. However, the enemy attacks the believers by appealing to the sinful flesh and raising up greed, pride, and deceit.  God’s swift and righteous judgment reminds the believers that sin is serious and that he has saved us to live a new life.

Sharing and Theft | Acts 4:32-5:11

At the end of Acts 4, the followers of Jesus were living a radical, new life of generosity, selflessness, and compassion for one another.Barnabas is set out as an example of this type of living. However, the enemy attacks the believers by appealing to the sinful flesh and raising up greed, pride, and deceit.  God’s swift and righteous judgment reminds the believers that sin is serious and that he has saved us to live a new life.