Acts #3 – Study Questions
God’s Promised Spirit Arrives
Acts 2:1-47
INTRODUCTION: In this section, Luke records the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and from there, this group of early followers and the world will never be the same. Pentecost was the fiftieth day after Passover. It was an agricultural festival. It was the day when farmers brought the first sheaf of wheat from the crop and offered it to God, partly as a sign of gratitude and partly as a prayer that all the rest of the crop, too, would be safely gathered in. But, for the Jew, neither Passover nor Pentecost were simply agricultural festivals. These festivals awakened echoes of the great story which dominated the long memories of the Jewish people, the story of the Exodus from Egypt, when God fulfilled his promises to Abraham by rescuing his people.[1] For the early church and for us today, what happened at Pentecost after the resurrection is the fulfillment of God’s long-promised redemption. And, we are ushered into a new way of living that results in community that is distinctly different from the prevailing culture around us. And, all of this is possible because of God’s Spirit. In other words, lasting and genuine community is only possible through the power of God’s Spirit.
GETTING STARTED – In your group, talk about times in your life that you struggled to find community and times in which community flourished in your life. What are the similarities in your stories? What are the differences? Ultimately, what made the most significant difference in finding lasting community?
IN THE WORD – Let’s dig back into the passage. It is important to strengthen our muscles in reading God’s Word. On Sunday, we walked through the passage in the sermon. Hopefully, that helped you to see the landmarks of the passage with fresh eyes. Now, with your group, go back through it and see what God is saying to you specifically.
First, before you read the passage, take a moment to ask God’s Spirit to quiet your mind and heart and to illuminate the text to you. Second, read the passage aloud to the group. Then, follow the simple method below. (O.P.A)
Observe: Make 8-10 observations from the passage. Pay close attention to observe and note repeated words and phrases, names, places, and themes.
Principles: From your list of observations, what patterns or big ideas do you see emerging? Can you distill it down into 2-4 big idea truths?
Apply: Moving from your list of principles, it is time to apply God’s Word. Remember, we believe that God’s Word is living and active and that it can change the way we live Monday- Friday. What is one tangible way to apply a truth from your list above?
[1] Tom Wright, Acts for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-12 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2008), 21.