In the Street--Lesson 6--Responding to Opposition--Acts 4-5

Discussion Questions:

1.  What are some ways you have experienced opposition, persecution, disappointment and heartache due to your faith in the LORD?  Why is it difficult to live according to the victory we have in Christ when we face opposition and persecution?

2.  Why is it important to know that suffering is part of being an apprentice of Jesus? 

3.  What helps you to see beyond persecution and opposition to the bigger plan of God?  What do you know about the bigger plans God has for those who entrust themselves to Him?

4.  How have you dealt with times when it felt like God wasn’t answering your prayers or possibly even turned His back on you?  How does Jesus’ example of this in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross provide inspiration and example for you?

5.  Do you believe God causes storms to give people time to hear His word and respond to Him?  How have you seen something like this happen around you?  How do you explain the times He doesn’t do something like this?

6.  With so many stories of opposition and persecution in the bible, why do we still get surprised when the occur in our lives?  How has dealing with opposition/persecution helped you mature in your faith?

7.  What is the typical reason for employing compromise in a situation?  How is compromise counter-productive when it comes to experiencing peace with God?

8.  How does trusting in a new day and the One who set up the order of the dawning of new days provide reason for hope even when facing trials and persecution? 

9.  Who enjoys suffering and persecution?  Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes are that we are blessed when persecuted and to rejoice and be glad.  How has persecution led you to rejoice and be glad? 

In the Street--Lesson 5--Having Eyes to See--Acts 9 & 13

Discussion Questions:

1.  When is the last time your eyes were opened to see beyond this world?  How have you seen God’s presence working in your life?

2.  When you come to worship services, what do you expect to see and/or experience?  How do expectations factor into what you experience?

3.  What does it take to have and maintain a teachable spirit?  What kinds of things work against staying soft and moldable so we can be taught new things or see things from a different perspective?

4.  How difficult do you think it was for Saul/Paul to change his world view?  How have you had to change your world view as you have learned about Jesus?  How open are you to more change coming in your future?

5.  What role did anger play in Saul’s actions in the name of the LORD prior to his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus?  What struggles do you have with allowing anger to motivate you?  How does anger hinder the ability to be taught new things or change our world view?

6.  What role do you think 3 days of blindness played in Saul/Paul changing his world view and letting go of his anger?  In what ways has the LORD allowed you to experience hardship and maybe even temporary limitation to open your eyes to new things?

7.  Is it possible to have your own agenda while accepting the LORD’s agenda for your life? Explain your answer.  How do you live in a temporary world without falling into accepting agendas that are less than the LORD wants for you?

8.  How are surrender, humility and being a servant important in being a follower of Jesus?  How do these things guide you in setting an agenda for your life?

9.  What processes do you use to figure out what your priorities should be?  How did Josiah demonstrate the importance of priorities?  What role has having a mentor played in your walk with the LORD and determining what your priorities should be?

In the Street—Lesson 4 - Having Ears to Hear — Acts 1-6

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the Wizard of Oz present a wrong view of who God is and what our role is in receiving His grace and help?  Why is Satan so effective in getting us to be more dependent upon ourselves than God?

2. What does it take for God to be pleased with you?  How much of His being pleased with you is based upon what you do and how much is based upon His nature?

3. How did Jesus show dependence upon God?  What role did prayer and knowing/following God’s word play in His dependence upon God

4. What does it mean to have ears to hear?  What kind of ears don’t hear?  How does the parable of the soils show the issues we face when it comes to our hearing God’s will? What kinds of things work to harden your heart or distract you from taking what you hear and producing fruit for the Kingdom from it?

5. How did Pontius Pilate demonstrate ears that don’t hear?  Why does the crowd or threats of losing position or power have such a strong hold over us when it comes to hearing and obeying the will of God?

6. When is the last time you believed God and His promises to the point that you would wrestle and not let go until He fulfilled what He said He would?  Is that a sign of faith, or presumption and arrogance?  How can you act in faith without crossing over into presumption or arrogance?

7. How devoted are you to prayer and the ministry of the word?  Why are these the place to start to accomplish powerful things for the Kingdom of God?   How did the apostles demonstrate the importance of these things in the first six chapters of Acts?  What can Garden Ridge change to have prayer and the ministry of the word as more foundational in what we do as the body of Jesus?

8. Why was the lighthouse keeper wrong in helping people out?  Are there things in your life or in the activities of Garden Ridge that are good, but that take away from the one key thing God wants us to accomplish?

9. Do you believe in the power of God to transform lives?  What lies from our culture do we listen to that diminish God’s power to transform stubborn areas of addiction or character flaws?  How much of what Jesus was able to do through the power of the Spirit should we be able to do?