Adventures in Acts Sharing the Story

Transcription

1 Adventures in Acts Sharing the Story St Leonard s Study Notes Summer 2013 by Verity Murray and Simon Hollett 1

2 Introduction to Acts Acts is the story of Jesus keeping the promise he makes in 1:8 - the receiving of the Spirit (ch 2), the witness of the church in Jerusalem (ch 2-7), Judea and Samaria (ch 812), and to the ends of the earth (ch 12-28). Acts is Luke's sequel to his gospel. Luke travelled with Paul quite a bit (note the use of 'we' in, for instance, 16:10, 20:13 and 28:1. See also 2Tim 4:11), so in addition to Luke's journalism skills, finding out what happened from eyewitnesses and writing it down (see Luke 1:1-3), we have direct eyewitness testimony here. The abrupt ending, not finishing the story of Paul's life his release from house arrest and subsequent arrest, imprisonment and execution suggests it was written in Rome in about AD62, perhaps as part of Paul's defence argument. Acts is one of the easiest books of the Bible to read: the language is simple, the story easy to follow, the narrative a fast-paced and gripping adventure. You can even read it one go if you have about 2 hours to spare. Of course you can do it in several shorter chunks of a few chapters each - read it like you would a novel. The book begins with Jesus' ascension (ch 1) and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (ch 2). After looking at the first church, in Jerusalem, under Peter's leadership (ch 3-5), there is a brief interlude looking at the deacons appointed to free up the Apostles' time (ch 6-8) and the gospel breaking out of Jerusalem. Paul is converted in chapter 9, and focus shifts back and forth between him and Peter for a couple of chapters, before following Paul's first missionary journey to Cyprus and Turkey (ch 13-14). The Gentile Christians, that Peter and Paul have preached to, have caused problems back in Jerusalem, so a council is called (ch 15). After this, Luke exclusively follows Paul, and his second (ch 16-19) and third (ch 20-21) missionary journeys, before he returns to Jerusalem and is imprisoned (ch 21-23). The final part of the book is his preaching to important people in places of power in Caesarea, the provincial capital (ch 24-26) and them after a journey, in Rome (ch 27-28). Acts is important for us as it shows how God reaches the world, and how the world reacts to that. It is the story of ordinary people who have turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). The goal of these studies is to help us apply what we learn from the first Christians experience of mission to our own experience, in the hope that we too can see lives in our community transformed by the gospel. Let s enter into these studies expecting and rejoicing in our own adventures! 2

3 God's Mission, Our Mission: Going with Jesus to the ends of the earth Acts begins, and Matthew ends, with the beginning of the end: Jesus' commissioning of the disciples and his return to heaven. The ascended Jesus is given his eternal kingdom (Dan 7:14), takes his seat at God's right hand (Ps 110:1) at the centre of the throne (Rev 5:6), and sends his messengers to the ends of the earth to gather all his people to him (Mark 13:27). Read Matthew 28: What are we called by Jesus to do here? 2. All authority has been given to me : why might Jesus begin with this? 3. And surely I am with you always : how does going with Jesus, not just being merely sent by him, change the way we view mission? Read Acts 1: Why do they have to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit before going into the world? 5. What is encouraging about Jesus having ascended to heaven? 6. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Ends of the Earth what direction is being described here? (Consider how a Jew would see these places on a spiritual hierarchy as well as the geography) Read Hebrews 13: What is our 'camp', our 'Jerusalem'? 8. As a branch group, how might you join Jesus on his mission outside the camp? Pray this week for ideas for question 8 and how to bring that into fruition? 3

4 Transformational Mission The Good News of Jesus transforms people, including those who bring it. This transformation comes from the Holy Spirit. Read John 20: What are the disciples like at this time (on the first Easter Sunday)? 2. What does Jesus promise the disciples? Read Acts 2: What happens to the disciples? 4. How do the crowd react? Read Acts 2: How does Peter address his critics who think the disciples are drunk? 6. How does he then move on to the good news of Jesus? 7. How does Peter explain the good news of Jesus? 8. How might we learn from Peter's example? Read Luke 22: Here's Peter 50 days before. How has he changed in that time? Read Acts 2:41 10.How has Peter's preaching changed the crowd? 11.Have we been transformed by the good news of Jesus? Pray for one another for boldness to speak about Jesus with our friends and for God's working in our life to be noticed by them. 4

5 Incarnational Mission: Being the Good News The first Christians witnessed by the way they lived as much as they witnessed with words and signs and wonders. Read Acts 2 v 42-47, Acts 4 v and John 13 v In what ways were the first Christians living out and being the Good News? 2. What was the impact of this on people around them? 3. In what ways can you see our community at St Leonard s being the good news? Share your personal experiences. 4. Do you think others in our community see any difference in the way that we live? Why/Why not? 5. In what ways could we do better at this? Read Acts 5 v From this story we see that Integrity and honesty are of vital importance to the early church. Why do you think this is? 7. Is lack of integrity and honesty crippling our witness in any way? 8. Is there anything in your own life that you need to address? Pray together for the grace to be the good news to each other and to those around us. 5

6 Power for Mission Read Acts 3 and Matthew 11 v What is the connection between miracles and the good news being preached in Acts 3? 2. How does Peter explain the miracle to the astonished crowd? 3. Peter said to the cripple...what I have I give you. Do you feel you can offer prayer for healing as part of your witness to others? Share your thoughts and experiences. Read John 14 v 12 and Matthew 17 v How do these verses relate to your answer to Q3? 5. How do you respond to these verses personally? Pray for each other to have courage to step out, according to the measure of faith you each have and offer what I have I give you to someone this week. Come back next week ready to share your stories! If you or your group would like to explore prayer for healing further, why not use the Prayer Ministry Training DVD and begin by praying for one another in this way? Resources can be accessed via the Church Office. 6

7 Courageous Mission Share your stories from the last week. Did you manage to step out in faith to pray for someone? How did it go? If not, what are the barriers you re facing? Read Acts 4 This follows on directly from last week s story of the healing of the crippled beggar. Note: The Sadducees were a Jewish sect, whose members did not believe in the resurrection of the dead. 1. Who was opposing Peter and John and why? 2. Who (if anyone) is opposing you in your witness and why? 3. How did Peter and John respond to their threats? (v18-20) What s your response to those who oppose you? 4. The Jewish leaders were astonished by their courage. Where did they get this courage from? (v23-31). 5. How are your courage levels?! How could your answers to Q4 be applied in your own life? Stormie Omartian in her The Power The Believers Prayer 6. The believers prayer can be divided into two sections. How do they pray in v24-28, compared to the way they pray in v29-30? of a Praying.... books draws on scripture passages as the basis of her prayers. Getting hold of one of her books would be a good place to start if you would like to learn more about praying with scripture. 7. Why do you think they pray in this way? Have you ever prayed using scripture like this? Does it make a difference? Share your ideas. Pray for boldness for each other, perhaps using words from the believers prayer. Continue to pray for this throughout the week see if you can note any difference in your courage levels regarding your witness. 7

8 Strategy for Mission Even the Apostles couldn't do it all, and facilitators releasing the Apostles to do their work were vital for the spread of God's Word: the mundane task of serving food is a key cog in the success of mission. Read Acts 6: What was the problem in the church? 2. What was the response of the apostles? 3. What was the result of the action? 4. Do we struggle with a similar problem at St Leonards/in our branch group? How might we address that? 5. Why do the apostles focus on the word of God and prayer? 6. Why is the burden split between different tasks, and not simply "lets have 7 more Apostles doing everything"? 7. How does verse 3 show us that the more mundane task of serving food to church people isn't any less important than the Apostles' devotion to God's word and prayer? Read 1Cor 12: What might your gifts be? (the list there isn't exhaustive) How might we use these gifts to serve God's mission? Pray for each other, about what our role currently is in the church as we join with God in mission. 8

9 The Cost of Mission: Is it worth it? Mission is costly, but is the good news of Jesus worth it? Read Acts 6:8-15 and 7:54-60 Stephen, one of the deacons from the last session, is brought before the Sanhedrin for speaking about Jesus. They get very angry with him as he preaches the good news of Jesus to them. The last straw, however, is him echoing the lines that cause the Sanhedrin to condemn Jesus (Mark 14:62-65). 1. Jesus said that they would see him sitting at God's right hand (Mk 14:62), but Stephen sees him standing. Why might that be? 2. Most translations use the euphemism 'fall asleep' for 'died', like Luke did in the Greek. Why is death for a Christian like falling asleep? 3. What can we say from the way Stephen died in relation to the question is the good news worth it? (v55-60) Read John 15:19-21 and 16:33 4. Why should we expect hostile reactions when sharing Jesus with people? 5. What reassurance does Jesus give in John 16:33? 6. Have you, or someone you know, suffered for your faith? Share your stories. Find out about some Christians being persecuted currently (Barnabas Fund on the web is a good resource). Continue to remember those in prison as if you were in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves are suffering. (Heb 13:3) Pray for them, and each other, that we can know God's love in trials. 9

10 Finding your 'Man or Woman of Peace' We have to go out to others, not expect them to come to us. Mission means sent. Read Acts 8: How is the church spread in 1-3? 2. How is the church spread in 4-8? Read Acts 8:25-40 and Luke 10: How does The Lord bring the gospel to this eunuch? 4. What part does Philip play? 5. In what sense is the Eunuch like the 'man of peace' Jesus talked about in the Luke passage? 6. How might we listen to God to play a part in his mission? 7. What kind of a person is this eunuch, spiritually speaking? (Deut 23:1 might help) 8. Where does the Spirit have Philip meet this eunuch? 9. Is there not more to this sending outside Jerusalem than mere distance? 10.Who might be our equivalent of the Ethiopian eunuch? Who is your 'man of peace' (someone ready to listen and receive the gospel)? If you have more time, read Acts 16:11-15 to read about a 'woman of peace' met by Paul Pray for each other for guidance from the Spirit as to how you might join Jesus outside the camp (Heb 13:13), like Philip, in mission. 10

11 Boundless Mission In this study we see God working out events in the big picture of history, but at the same time, working directly to bless individuals. Read Acts Chapter 10 Big Picture 1. What did Peter (and the Early Church) learn from this experience? 2. How did God make this clear to him? 3. Why was this so significant for (a) the early church (b) for us? Small Picture 4. What does this chapter tell us about how (a) God cares for individuals? (b) God uses individuals? 5. What is the importance of prayer in this story? (v2-4 and v9) 6. Prayer involves listening to God. Do you find this easy/difficult to do? How can we improve in this? 7. Is there a Cornelius God wants you/us to connect with and share the gospel with? Ask the Lord to put on your heart/mind someone that you can connect with this week. Pray for an opportunity to share with them. Don t try to force or manipulate a situation pray and then see what happens. Keep praying for this person over the next few weeks. If you want to, write their name/s down here as a reminder. Remember, it could be someone you least expect to become a Christian! As a Branch Group Name specific individuals you can pray for as a group. Make a list. Take some time to pray for these people. Keep referring to this list over the next few weeks and keep praying for them. See what happens. 11

12 The Spiritual Battle of Mission Opposition to mission is often spiritual opposition. This is something that we can learn to recognise and stand against. Read Acts 13 v 1-12, Acts 14 v 1-6 and Ephesians 6 v12 1. In what ways do we see the battle of spiritual forces in these two passages of Acts? 2. What are the hallmarks of the work of the evil one? (Acts 13:8 & 10 and Acts 14:2 & 4. See also John 8:44) 3. How did Paul and Barnabas respond to these spiritual battles? 4. Are you aware of this spiritual battle in your own life? How do you respond? When we step out in faith to do mission, we need to expect opposition, as we are involved in the same spiritual battle. Read 1 Peter 4 v and 1 Peter 5 v What encouragement can you take from these verses? Read Ephesians 6 v What advice does Paul give? How can we put this advice into practice? Pray for each other, especially for those who are experiencing a spiritual battle in their lives right now 12

13 Handing on the baton of mission Read Acts 16:1-5 and 18:1-4, How does Paul raise up new leaders in these passages? 2. How do Priscilla and Aquilla do this in their turn? 3. As a church, as a branch group, as individuals: 4. Do we seek to receive the baton of mission responsibility? 5. Do we seek to bring other people in to share our mission? Read Acts 20:17-38 and 2 Timothy 4:1-8, What does Paul do in these passages? 7. How do we train and support those to whom we've passed on the baton? 8. How might we improve at this all: as a church, as a branch group, as individuals? Growing Leaders Course If you would like to receive more training in the area of leadership, please consider attending the Growing Leaders course which St Leonard's is planning to run from Sept 2013 June You can find out more about this course at the Growing Leaders seminar at the Beacon on June 9th 2013 Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest (Luke 10:2). Pray for people to pass your missionary baton on to. Pray for discernment to see what 'batons' to receive. 13

14 Sharing your Story Have you ever felt put on the spot when someone has asked you about your faith and didn t know what to say? This is a common experience. We can learn a lot from how St Paul handled this. Read Acts Chapter 25 v 13 Acts Chapter 26 v When put on the spot to explain his faith, Paul did not begin with theology or apologetics he simply gave his personal story. This is sometimes called a testimony. In pairs, look at how he structures his story and try to complete the chart below. Acts 26 What does Paul talk about Detail Verses 4-11 His life before meeting Jesus He was a strict Jew who persecuted Christians Verses Verses It s probably not consoling that Festus responded to Paul s story by telling him he was insane but if this happens to us we know we are in good company! How does Paul respond to Festus charge? 3. Take some time now to share your testimonies with each other. Paul s testimony lasted about 3 minutes so try to time yours to that sort of length so everyone will get a chance to share. If you don t have a specific occasion where you met Jesus and you made a conscious decision to follow him (or if you ve shared this in the group before) talk about an incident in your life recently when your faith has made a big difference to you. Pray for opportunities to share your stories with someone outside the group over the next week. 14

15 Personal and Purposeful Mission At the time of Paul s conversion, God made it clear that he had a specific mission for him: to be God s chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel (Acts 9 v16). Paul made several missionary journeys to several important cities including Corinth and Athens but it was always his ultimate ambition to preach the gospel in Rome. He finally made it to there but as a prisoner in chains. Read Acts Chapters 27 and 28 (This is a long story but very exciting!) 1. In what ways do you see God s hand on Paul s life in this story? (Chapter 28 v and v 42-43, Chapter 29 v 5-6, v16-17) 2. What discouragements and opposition did Paul experience along the way? (It s quite a long list! Perhaps break into smaller groups and divide the passages up between you). 3. Have you ever experienced a call from God to a particular mission perhaps to a particular group of people or a particular place? Share your stories how did you hear this call and how did you respond? What encouragements and discouragements have you met along the way? Do Paul s experiences help you to put these in perspective? 4. Maybe you are just beginning to discern something God is calling you to do and are wondering what steps to take next. What can you learn from Acts 13 v 1-3 about how to discern God s purposes? 5. Paul did not set about his missionary journeys immediately. Acts 9 v 30 tells us that quite soon after his conversion the disciples sent him home to Tarsus (not very encouraging!). We don t hear of Paul again till Acts 11 v 25 when Barnabus came to get Paul and took him to the church in Antioch where he stayed for a year. His first trip was to take money to the famine-struck churches, rather than preaching the gospel (Acts 11 v 29-30). What lessons can we learn from Paul s early experiences? Take time now to pray for your own personal mission and your mission as a group. Listen to God for each other too! 15