DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Have you started out on fire for Jesus, changed by grace – then over the years of life getting to you – you lose sight of how you started?
2. How can the Christian life become more mundane than exciting? How can church become more of a chore than a place of worship?
3. Discuss all the positives Jesus had to say about the church. In what ways could Jesus say the same thing about your Christian life?
4. Discuss the ways the church at Ephesus has fallen short. Read Acts 19:17-20. What did the church do at the beginning that Jesus was turning them back to?
5. How do you keep the passion and enthusiasm alive in your life for following Jesus?
6. In what ways can the monotony of life drain your passion for Jesus?
7. If Jesus were to write you a letter telling you to turn back to the way you started, what would be in that letter?
Holy Spirit – Person, Purpose and Presence – “Remaining and Responding in the Spirit”
Acts 2:1-13, 1 Corinthians 12 – 14
We are concluding our short teaching series on the Holy Spirit this week.
During these past three weeks I have been reminded of two clear commands in the Bible: pursue love and to earnestly desire spiritual gifts. Because spiritual gifts are given to help us love one another.
The Spirit doesn’t give us gifts for our oohs and aahs. He gives us gifts so for the glory of Christ we are able to pursue love through serving one another. This way no one can think that he or she is not needed or that he or she doesn’t need anyone else (1 Corinthians 12:15, 21).
Love is the aim of spiritual gifts. So if we neglect any particular spiritual gift, if we don’t earnestly desire and pursue them, we will neglect some aspect of love and so fail to glorify Christ. We need the Spirit’s empowerment to strengthen those of us who follow Jesus and help others who do not yet see, meet, experience and accept Jesus’ love.
So what do you do when you really want something? You don’t wait around for someone to deliver it nicely packaged, fully assembled, and ready-to-use. You go looking for it. You start asking questions of knowledgeable people. You read and watch and listen to a lot of information. Then you step out and do something about it.
Here are a few places to start in your earnestly desiring spiritual gifts:
The Bible. Soak in 1 Corinthians 12–14, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4. Read the book of Acts over and over until it fuels your desire to experience the reality of the kingdom you read here.
Pray. As you desire the fullness of the Spirit and seeing the kingdom of God advance, your discontent and desperation will drive you to pray the kind of prayers the Lord loves to answer.
Consume Sound Teaching. Fuel your desire by increasing your knowledge. Type “Spiritual Gifts” into your Google search box and add names like Sam Storms, Wayne Grudem, and D.A. Carson. They skilfully handle the Word and are personally experienced in the spiritual gifts.
Meet a Need. Taking steps for the sake of Christ to love others whose needs extend beyond our capacities puts us (and them) squarely in the path of God’s grace.
New Series: Person, Purpose and Presence – “What’s the deal with the Holy Spirit?”
Acts 2:1-13
I grew up in a church where we didn’t really talk about the Holy Spirit. It was a loving, caring, generous, community-serving, Jesus-introducing church. The Holy Spirit just didn’t get a lot of air time. Except, I do remember that there was some talk about certain home groups that Holy Spirit “stuff” happened. But that was always a mystery.
Then years down the track I found myself working at a church where Jesus was rarely mentioned, but the Holy Spirit was talked about, called upon and acted in all the time. Guest speakers would come and even more Holy Spirit “stuff” happened. That too was always a mystery.
So I decided to go back to basics. Is the Holy Spirit God? Absolutely! God has three parts: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And because I know God as a gracious, good father – I knew I had nothing to fear, and God had nothing to hide. And I have discovered that the Holy Spirit isn’t weird, isn’t rude; and isn’t some hard-to-understand mystery.
Perhaps you’re like me and you grew up in a church that treated the Holy Spirit like the crazy uncle you have to endure at Christmas. Or maybe you witnessed some abuse of the Holy Spirit and those gifts. Or maybe you’re new to following Jesus and don’t know much about the Holy Spirit at all.
Over the next three weeks we are going to look at the first three chapters in Acts to better understand the person, purpose and presence of the Holy Spirit. It’s my hope that this will help you know how great it is to remain in Jesus, respond to God’s kingdom invitation and follow the Spirit in a victorious Christian life. In return you will see an increase of the Spirit’s presence and power in your life. He wants to do amazing things in and through your life. All you have to do is let him.