Group Guide

April 21st, 2024

This Week's City 7:

1. Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time and Paul.
(Mark 3:21; John 8:58, 10:30-33, 14:9-11; Acts 9:1-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:2-3; James 1:1)

Ice-Breaker:

Have you ever faced any level of persecution for your faith in Jesus? Ever lost relationships or been attacked for your faith?

Discussion Questions:

Have someone read Acts 5:12-42 aloud.

In Acts 5, we see that the apostles were performing a lot of miracles, so much so that people were bringing them the sick out into the streets hoping that Peter's shadow would fall across them as he walked by. This is a direct answer to the prayer they had just prayed in chapter 4, when they cried out to God for boldness to share the Gospel and for more miraculous signs and wonders. When was the last time you experienced a direct answer to your prayers?
Once again, the apostles are arrested by the high priest and his officials, the Sadducees. As they sat in jail, an angel from the Lord came to them, let them out of the jail, and told them to go to the temple to share their message of life. So that's exactly what they did. If you remember back to the first time they were threatened, they responded that they could not stop telling all they had seen and heard. The angel that God sent is confirmation to them that he supports their mission. They could've given up when things got difficult, but they remained faithful... and God provided. Is there a difficult situation in your life right now in which you are tempted to give up? Where might God be urging you to stay faithful and keep your trust in him?
Once again, the apostles are arrested, and again, they tell the religious leaders that they "MUST obey God rather than any human authority." William Barclay said, "They had principles. And their ruling principle was that in all circumstances obedience to God must come ﬁrst. They never asked: ‘Is this course of action safe?’ They asked: ‘Is this what God wants me to do?’" What about YOUR life? Do you first consider the safest option? Or are you about obedience first? Where might God be leading you to trust and obey?
This makes the high council furious and they decide to kill them. But there was one member of the council, a respected Pharisee, that defends the apostles and warns the council to leave them alone just in case this all might be part of God's plan. He said, "if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!” It's easy for us to see as we read Acts that the religious leaders are obviously working AGAINST God's plan. But this can be difficult to discern in our own lives if we aren't careful. How do we know for sure that we are on God's side when it comes to our beliefs, our choices, even our political platforms? How often do you weigh your life by this standard, being on God's side or the world's?
Matt ended on Sunday letting us know that God will always provide for his ASSIGNMENT. The Bible never promises God will keep us safe. In fact, his plan might very well mean the opposite of safety. This is why we need to do everything we can to ensure our faith is strong and grounded in truth. We need to be growing in our faith in God and knowledge of his Word. Matt left us with this quote from Warren Wiersbe: “The Christian life is not a parking lot; it is a launching pad! It is not enough just to be born again; we must also grow spiritually and make progress in our walk.” How would you rate YOUR spiritual growth in the past year? What are you doing, besides attending church, to ensure that you continue growing?

Prayer Topics:

That we would make sure we always on God's side.
That we would would always choose obedience.
That we would do everything in our power to be growing in our faith.

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