In the Street--Lesson 7--It Was Just a Half-Truth--Acts 5

Discussion Questions:

1.  Why is the Kingdom of God built upon virtue, sound character and integrity?  How has a lack of these things hindered people from believing in or wanting to be part of the Kingdom of God?

2.  How have sin or shame caused you to hide or run away from facing the music in your life?  Why does shame have such power over us when Jesus paid the price so we don’t have to live in shame?

3.  What is the hardest part about being a witness?  How serious does God take being a reliable and truthful witness?

4.  How has culture shown you it is not very interested in the truth?  How does exaggeration and flattery make things harder to trust what people say?  How was what Ananias & Sapphira did forms of exaggeration and flattery?

5.  Is being politically correct and honest possible at the same time?  How has the quest to not offend anyone led to greater division and struggles of being truly honest about things?

6.  Why does God have times like with Nadab & Abihu, Uzzah, Ananias & Sapphira, etc. where He responds with striking severity?  Why does God not respond that way to more people?

7.  How much do you take into account God’s holiness with the various decisions you have to make each day?  With all of the examples of how serious God takes holiness, why do we have times we treat it so lightly?  What kinds of things cause you to forget or ignore the holy standard He desires from us?  How is holiness your ally?

8.  Why is it difficult to balance grace with holiness/righteousness?  Which do you tend to fall more on the side of?  How does that affect your walk with the LORD?

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?