Life Groups // Winter 2021 // Week 3
Posted January 29, 2021 — Lincoln Berean
The People Jesus Calls // Acts 1:12-26
Introduction
We’re excited to step fully into this study of Acts with you! In the coming weeks, we’ll explore the dynamics of being a faithful church, daring to take the message of Jesus to the streets and to the world that they may know our Savior.
We hope this time of connecting in a Life Group and discussing the scriptures is enriching to your life and encourages you to reach out in love to others. We suggest you work through these questions on your own before meeting with your group.
We don’t provide a lot of space for your answers to these questions, so we suggest having a journal handy to write down your thoughts. You’re not expected to have time for all these questions during your online meeting, but we encourage you to reflect on them and jot down thoughts on your own.
Getting to Know Each Other (Suggested time: 30 min)
Here are some suggestions to get your conversation started:
- Growing up, did you play on a team (sports, debate, band, etc.)? What was your experience participating with others in this way?
- Have you ever built something you were proud of? What was it, and why was it a success?
Getting Started
Begin to transition into group discussion.
1) Open group discussion with prayer. Here are a few potential prayer items:
- For the Spirit of God to lead you in truth
- For openness to what you’re learning together
- For friendships to deepen and grow
2) Invite someone to read Acts 1:12-26 to the group.
Study Questions (Suggested time: 40 min)
Please complete these questions prior to your group’s meeting time.
1) The text tells us that the Apostles were with one mind. Unity keeps us focused on the mission when the world tries to steal our purpose and divide us. The following list is just a few ways disunity can creep into our personal lives, relationships, and church. Do you personally struggle with any of them? If so, how might they be hurting your effectiveness to the mission?
- Ego (thinking too highly of yourself and too lowly of others)
- Control (thinking your way or personal preferences are the only way)
- Insecurities (letting past hurts cause fear/shame/anger and hold you back)
- Doubt (not believing God is who He says He is)
2) The text provides us three characteristics Jesus is looking for in people who will carry out His mission. Take some time and assess where you are in each of those areas.
- Do you believe in Jesus? What about your relationship with Him would reflect that?
- Are you committed to the mission? How does following Jesus rank with your other commitments in terms of resources allocated, time invested, and passion?
- Are you dependent on the Spirit? Do your attitudes and prayer life reflect that?
3) Judas lived with Jesus, heard His teaching, and watched His miracles. He had more firsthand training with the Son of God than almost any other man in history and yet his demise was tragic, gory, and alone.
- How do Judas’ life and death contrast the three characteristics we talked about in the second question?
- What can we learn from his life?
4) This week, we have spent some time thinking about the mission, the characteristics required to carry out that mission, and how we are called to be world changers.
- Do you believe God can use you? Why or why not?
- This past week, how faithful were you to the mission?
- Next week, what steps could you take to remain faithful to the mission?
If you would like to learn more about opportunities to witness or participate in God’s kingdom in Lincoln and around the world, contact outreach@lincolnberean.org or checkout this Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/groups/lincolnbereanlocal
Group Prayer (Suggested time: 10 min)
Take a few moments to prepare a prayer request. (pro tip: If something stirred you during discussion, that might indicate a place in your heart that is open to the Holy Spirit. Writing it down can help you put words to what you’re experiencing.)
A significant part of “coming together” is being open and honest with our lives. Sitting in a group of people for prayer may be new or it may be familiar to you. If you would rather not pray aloud when it is your turn, feel free to pray silently and then say “Amen” aloud, signaling the next person in the group to pray. Whether or not you choose to verbalize your prayer, everyone is a participant in sharing this time before God together.