Group Guide

April 7th, 2024

This Week's City 7:

6. Is the Bible God’s Word? Jesus proved He is God by rising from the dead and said the Old Testament was God’s Word and gave authority to the Apostles to write the words of the New Testament, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that all the words of the Bible are God’s Word.
(Matthew 5:18; Luke 24:27, 44; John 14:25-26, 15:27, 16:12-13, 17:20; Acts 2:42; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21)

Ice-Breaker:

Who was the disciplinarian in your house growing up? If you are married with kids, who is it in your house?

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read Acts 4:1-31 aloud.

In Acts 4, we see Peter and John getting in a little hot water for healing the paralyzed man. They are confronted by some of the religious leaders. Verse 2 says that they were "very disturbed" by the apostles' message. That's just what the Gospel does, isn't it? It's the great stumbling block, and when we came to faith with Jesus, we all had to wrestle with it. It's no small thing to have to be faced with the fact that we are sinful and in need of a Savior. Can you remember when you were first disturbed by the message of the Gospel? What was it like to realize that faith in Jesus was the only way?
This Acts 4 version of Peter and John is quite a bit different than what we saw in the gospels, especially through the arrest, trial, and death of Jesus. Much had changed! They were FIRM in their faith, because they had seen Jesus alive with their own eyes. They were FAITHFUL and obedient to the message of the Gospel and to speaking the truth. They were FEARLESS in the face of danger. They were FILLED afresh with the power of the Holy Spirit. Do all four of these attributes also describe YOUR life? If not, which ones are lacking?
Boldness is obviously one of the best indications that you are filled with the Holy Spirit, and this little exchange between Peter, John and the Sadducees is the perfect example. In verse 19, Peter and John say, “Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him? We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard.” This is the best definition of a "witness," speaking the things you have seen and heard. What about you? Do you have a story to tell? Have you "seen" and "heard?" Reflect on and discuss this quote: If you find it difficult to speak to what the Lord has done in your life, maybe you haven't seen or heard much from him.
After being threatened by the religious leaders and ordered to stop spreading this Jesus message, Peter and John returned to the other believers and PRAYED. This was their response! It wasn't to put up a banner, picket, riot or turn to politics. They were immediately driven to pray. But what did they pray for? It wasn't for protection or wisdom or God's will. It was for more BOLDNESS to continue to preach the Gospel. Did they have financial needs? Sickness? Relational struggles? Of course they did, and God wants us to bring those needs to him as well. But it seems THIS kind of prayer, for boldness, was the foundation of their lives; the hub that everything else spins around. When was the last time you prayed for boldness?
The Big Idea on Sunday was that boldness is the courage to SPEAK up when fear tells me to SHUT up. Do you have the faith and convictions, like Peter and John, that can stand up in the face of persecution? Or to culture or friends or family? Are you feeling certain levels of persecution for your faith in your life right now? If not, could your life be a little too in line with culture? What is God asking of you?

Prayer Topics:

That we would model our lives after the apostles.
That we would pray daily for the infilling of the Spirit.
That we would pray daily for boldness to share the Gospel.

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