1. What would be different if you were king/ queen of the world? Considering the world is like it is, why do you think the kingship of Jesus is an important doctrine?

2. Read Acts 12:1-11. What might have motivated Herod to persecute Christians? How do you think the believers felt when James was killed and Peter was imprisoned? How did they respond?

3. What does Peter’s release communicate about Jesus’ authority vs Herod’s? Where do you see Jesus’ authority contested today? How should Christians respond when Jesus’ authority is challenged?

4. Read Acts 12:12-19. In v15 the believers don’t believe Rhoda. Why do they have trouble believing that their prayers have been answered? When have you prayed fervently and then had trouble believing that God was answering? Why is it sometimes hard to believe that God has answered our prayers?

5. Read Acts 12:20-25. In this whole chapter, including these verses, what can we tell about the character of Herod? What conflicts and contrasts does Luke draw between King Herod and the true King Jesus? Spend time in prayer, worshiping Jesus for his goodness and power.

* Some questions adapted from Acts: 24 Studies for Individuals and Groups (N. T. Wright for Everyone Bible Study Guides). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

1. Share an example of a personal value that shows up in how you do an otherwise normal thing. Do you count the seconds while brushing your teeth because you value precision? Do you always eat dinner at the table together because you value family? Share a few examples with one another, and then discuss: How do values shape outcomes over time?

2. Read Acts 11:19-21. How do the persecuted believers live out the gospel value of PERSONAL OWNERSHIP of their faith and mission? Do you think this kind of personal ownership is harder or easier for Christians today? Why?

3. Read Acts 11:22-26. How do you see the gospel value of GODLY LEADERSHIP lived out in these verses? What role do these leaders play in the movement of the gospel? Can you think of examples of godly leadership in your own experience?

4. Read Acts 11:27-30. This passage begins with suffering (v19) and ends with the church in Antioch choosing to enter into the suffering of the church in Jerusalem. Why is this an important moment in the life of these two churches? In what way is HOLY SUFERING a gospel value?

5. Take a moment to review these three gospel values: Personal Ownership, Godly Leadership, Holy Suffering. Which of these values feels most closely aligned with your own faith journey? Which feels most distant? How can we spur one another on in these areas?

1. Describe a time when you unexpectedly felt welcomed in a place where you thought you might not belong. What was that experience like for you?

2. Read Acts 10:9-22. Peter is pushed out of what was familiar and comfortable. What specific things did God use to challenge Peter’s attitude toward Gentiles? What does that show Peter about God’s heart?

3. Read Acts 10:34-35. How does the Gospel challenge our assumptions about belonging (either the insider mentality (“insiders only”) or outsider mentality (“nobody belongs anywhere”)?

4. Read Acts 10:36-43. What is Peter’s main point. Why do you think the death, resurrection, and forgiveness of Jesus are repeated so often throughout Acts?

5. Why can it sometimes feel difficult to believe that God’s grace is for us personally?

6. Who might God be calling you to welcome, pursue, serve, or share Christ with this week?

1. Share about a time when you believed a person, relationship, or situation would never change. What made it feel “unchangeable”? Did anything eventually shift your perspective?

2. Read Acts 9:1-9. Before seeing Jesus, how did Saul view himself and his mission? How was Saul’s ignorance exposed by Jesus?

3. Jesus exposes both our pride (“I don’t need to change”) and our shame (“I can’t change”). Which do you tend to experience more?

4. Humility says, “I need God’s help to see my blind spots.” Why is humility necessary for real change?

5. Read Acts 9:10-19. Why was Ananias hesitant to obey Jesus’s command? How would you have felt in his position?

6. How is labeling someone “unchangeable” a denial of Jesus’s power?

7. Courage says, “I will do the next thing, because God will be with me.” Why is courage necessary for real change?

8. Read Acts 9:26-31. Why were the believers afraid to trust Saul? What did Barnabas see that the others missed?

9. Hope says, “The gospel means that this story has a happy ending.” How does the gospel give hope for stories that currently feel unfinished or broken?

10. Do you most need help seeing yourself, seeing your enemy, or seeing revival (hope for the future)?

11. How do you need humility, courage, or hope right now?

1. Have you ever watched a child’s beautiful creation come crashing down? Describe the scenario to your group. What happened? How did it make the child, or you, feel?

2. Read Acts 8:1-3. Put yourself in the shoes of these early Christians in Jerusalem. What are you seeing and feeling? What conversations might you be having with one another? Where are you going next? In your modern life, have you ever experienced a ‘scattering’ disruption like this? Why do you think God allows these sorts of disruptions in the lives of the people he loves?

3. Read Acts 8:4-8. How does God empower Phillip in Samaria? What is the result?

4. Read Acts 8:9-25. Simon treats Jesus like a means to the end of the signs, rather viewing the signs as a means to the end of Jesus. What various responses do people have to ‘sign gifts’ in the world today? Do you believe they still truly occur? Why or why not?

5. Read Acts 8:26-40. Eunuchs are historically considered outcasts in Israel (Deut 23:1). How does his story show us God’s purposes in scattering the church?

6. Pray together that God would scatter VBCC all around Hampton Roads and beyond, and that God’s Spirit would continue to empower God’s People to share God’s Word.

1. When has a story—a book, a movie, an account you heard—upset you? And why?

2. Briefly review Acts 6. What factors contribute to Stephen’s rise to prominence? Three times we are told that Stephen is full of the Holy Spirit. What is the role of the Spirit in Stephen’s life and ministry?

3. Review Acts 7:1-53. How do you think Stephen - a Greek-speaking pilgrim - must have felt being dragged before the high priest and his council? What is the role of the Holy Spirit in this exchange?

4. Two great Old Testament truths (God’s independence from the Temple, and Israel’s chronic spiritual resistance) point to Jesus as “the Righteous One” (v52) to whom we must each respond, either with faith and devotion or with stiff-necked resistance. How can we apply Stephen’s sermon in our own lives today?

5. Read Acts 7:54-60. What details stand out to you as Stephen is martyred? Why do you think Luke goes to such great lengths to draw parallels between Stephen and Jesus? What is the Spirit’s role at this moment in Stephen’s life?

6. How do you feel when you think about Jesus standing in honor of Stephen? Spend time in prayer together. Surrender to the Spirit’s work in your own lives, and worship Christ enthroned in glory.

1. Share about an experience or a commitment you made that required the entirety of your time and attention. What was that thing? Was it worth going “all in” on?

2. Read Matthew 22:34-40. Notice how Jesus uses the word “all” in this paragraph. What is Jesus telling us is required by the Old Testament Law? What is emphasized by the word “all”?

3. Read Matthew 28:18-20. Where does Jesus use the word “all” in this passage? What is the scope of the disciples’ ministry according to this passage? How does “all authority” belonging to Jesus show us the significance of this commission?

4. Read Acts 6:1-6. What are the apostles “all in” on in this passage? How do they solve the problem with the daily distribution?

5. Are you “all in” with Christ? Why or why not? What are things (maybe even good things!) that distract or keep you from going all in? Spend time this week praying over these things for each other.

6. What is one step you can take this week in response to this week’s sermon?

For more information about Dr. Paul Hardy and his ministry Recovery for Life, go to https://myrecoveryforlife.com/.

1. What factors do you think pose the greatest threats to the church today? Why?

2. Read Acts 4:32-5:11. What is the difference between the pattern of the early church in Acts 4 and the conduct of Ananias & Sapphira in Acts 5?

3. Why do you think there was such severe judgment against Ananias & Sapphira? What does their judgment tell us about the character of the Holy Spirit?

4. Read Acts 5:12-42. We would expect anyone to welcome the wonderful things described in verses 12-16. How and why do the high priest and the Sadducees react to what was happening (5:17-28)?

5. Compare the heart of the religious leaders to the heart of the apostles. What emotional language is used to describe each group in this chapter? What realities govern the decisions of each group?

6. What does this chapter teach us about threats to the church, both internal and external? How can we best assess and respond to threats when they arise? Spend time praying for one another and for our church family.

1)        Consider the history of the opposition against God and His people. Share examples from Scripture and otherwise of how God has brought about good through suffering.

2)        Read 1 Peter 5:8-10. What is the instruction to believers in spiritual warfare? What is the specific hope believers hold firmly?

3)        Read Ephesians 6:10-20. By looking at the name of each piece of armor, discuss how it relates to the battle. How is prayer an important part of spiritual warfare?

4)         What worldly philosophies have you seen lead astray those inside and outside the church?

5)        Discuss the role of the Holy Spirit and the evidences of His presence in the life of a believer.

6)        As you go about your day to day, how often do you consider that Christ is alive, advancing His kingdom, and changing lives? Have you seen change in your life over time? For this coming year, what specific changes do you sense God calling you to make?

7)        Discuss a rotation your group can make for sharing your testimonies with each other.

8)        Describe what walking with Jesus looks like for you. Where are places in your life others may perceive Christ’s importance in your life?

1. What Holy Week practice or tradition has been most meaningful to you in your life? Take a moment to refresh as a group the major observances and their meanings. Why is each one important to the Gospel story?

   • Holy Week Observances and Days

     • Palm Sunday (March 29): Commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, often marked by the blessing and procession of palm branches.

     • Maundy Thursday (April 2): Commemorates the Last Supper, the institution of the Eucharist, and the washing of feet, symbolizing servant leadership. (At VBCC we will commemorate the Lord’s Table on Friday)

     • Good Friday (April 3): A solemn day of fasting and prayer marking the Passion, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus.

     • Easter Sunday (April 5): The joyous celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

2. Read Acts 3:1-5. What words would you use to describe the beggar, his life, and his ongoing experience at the temple? How does his weakness impact his physical, emotional, social and religious spheres of life? How do you relate to weakness in your own life? How do you think Jesus views your weakness?

3. Several times in these verses, the author narrates how/who a person sees. For instance, “Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.” (Acts 3:3). List the other occurrences. Who looks where, and what do they see? Why might the narrator be including all these details? Why does it matter where we look, and what we see?

4. Read Acts 3:4-10. This passage is full of rich details. Which detail stands out as most meaningful to you, and why?

5. Of v5 John Stott says, “The power was Christ’s, but the hand was Peter’s.” What does he mean? How are Jesus’ power and Peter’s hand related to one another?

6. Pray for one another to have eyes that see like Jesus sees, and spend time worshiping Christ our King in song and prayer.

• Think of a time when you initially overlooked someone or misjudged them. What changed in how you saw them?

• Read Acts 3:1-10. What do you notice about the lame man? What are his expectations? How do Peter and John meet and/or defy them? What stands out to you about Peter’s response?

• Read Acts 3:11-16. Peter moves from addressing one man to preaching to the crowd. What do we learn about how God relates to individuals?

• Read Acts 3:17-26. What does this passage tell us about who Jesus is? Do you see him this way?

• Who is one “weak” or overlooked person God has place in your life? What would it mean for you to see them with the eyes of Christ?

• What is one way you are going to respond to the Scripture this week?

• How did your family or upbringing shape the way you think about money? How are you trying to be similar or different today?

• Read Acts 2:42-47. What specific practices show how the early church viewed their material resources? What stands out to you the most?

• What does it mean that the believers had “all things in common”? How is that different from how people think about their resources today?

• How do the three truths from this weeks sermon—(1) it all belongs to God, (2) God gives us what we need, and (3) if he gives us more, it’s so that we will bless others—look in your own life? Which one is most challenging for you?

• Read 2 Corinthians 8:9. How does Jesus’ generosity reshape not just what we give, but how we see ourselves, our security, and our possessions?

• What is one specific application you can take this toward living like a steward of the King?

1. Can you recall a time when you were the outsider and someone made room for you? What was the situation, and how did it affect you?

2. Read Acts 2:38-42. What instructions does Peter give to his hearers? How do they respond? How do Peter’s instructions and the people’s response affect their experience of fellowship?

3. Briefly review Acts 2:1-10. What kinds of barriers or hurdles did the people in this church have to overcome in order to ‘be together and have all things in common’ (v44)? What resources empowered these early Christians to overcome such significant obstacles?

4. What kinds of obstacles to fellowship do American Christians face? What resources do we have at our disposal today?

5. In the sermon, we explored ‘making room’ as one way to devote ourselves to the fellowship created by the Spirit. What might it look like to make room for fellowship in your life? What other ways can we devote ourselves to fellowship?

• Recall a time when you sensed the Spirit working in your life in a powerful way. Maybe it was when you first came to faith, or when He was granting you fresh insights to the scriptures. Describe your experience of the Spirit’s work to the group.

• Read Acts 2:42-47. What is the connection between the first phrase, “they devoted themselves,” and the last phrase, “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”?

• Review Acts 2:14-36. Note the following hallmarks of apostolic teaching. How can the church today remain devoted to the apostle’s teaching? Name someone who influenced your life through their own devotion to the Word of God.

  • Jesus, foretold in the OT: 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel… 25 For David says concerning him, “‘I saw the Lord always before me…

  • Jesus, the historical person who lived, died and was buried. 23 This Jesus … you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

  • Jesus, really raised to life, witnessed by the apostles. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 

  • Jesus, who pours out the Spirit. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 

  • Jesus, who by faith offers forgiveness of sins. 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

• Read Acts 2:42 & 46. “Breaking Bread” most likely means practicing Christian worship (including the Lord’s Table) in homes. Where have you experienced people living lives of worship outside of the large congregation? What impact has it had on your spiritual development?

• Read Acts 2:15, 3:1, 10:3, and 10:9. How does the church’s devotion to ‘the prayers’ at the 3rd, 6th, and 9th hours affect the movement of the gospel in the book of Acts? How have the prayers of others impacted your life over the years?

• As you reflect on others who have influenced you, spend time thanking Jesus together for his Spirit’s work in the lives of others. Consider also thanking those people who you’ve identified, and commit together as a group to be devoted to Jesus for the sake of the lost.

1. What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘evangelism’? Would you say the word has a positive or negative connotation for you? Why?

2. Read Acts 2:1-13. What extraordinary events occur in these verses? What significance do these events have in the birth of the church?

3. Read Acts 2:32-41. In these final verses of Peter’s sermon, what does he challenge the crowd to do? How do they respond? Imagine being one of the disciples during these events. What would you be feeling, saying, or doing?

4. Read Acts 2:42-47. In the sermon this morning, Robb described these verses as the ‘ordinary rhythms’ of the church after its crazy, catalytic birth (vv1-41). What ordinary rhythms can you identify in these verses which we still practice today?

5. How do the ordinary rhythms of the our shared life in Christ contribute to the church’s evangelistic effectiveness? In your own story, can you think of people who practiced these rhythms in a way that led you to Jesus?

6. Spend time in prayer and worship together. Thank God for his work in your life, and pray together for those in your lives who are far from Jesus.

• If you had to identify your personal life mission (the reason why you are here), what key roles or relationships would you be sure to include (e.g., work, parenting, etc.)? Try to put it into your own words.

• Read Luke 4:16-21. What specific groups of people are mentioned in this passage as recipients of good news? How are they described? What does that tell us about them?

• What does the Servant say he has come to accomplish? From where (or whom) does this mission come?

• Read Isaiah 61:1-3. In these verses that Jesus is reading in our passage, what do we learn about the character of God and his purpose in sending the Servant?

• Jesus makes it clear that he sees himself as this Servant. Do you resonate with any of the descriptive terms used? How does the good news that Jesus brings meet you today?

• How might God be sending you this week to share the Servant’s Love with the poor, weak, and needy?

• Share briefly about your high school experience. Did you identify as a cool kid or not? How relevant has that experience been to life as an adult?

• Read Matthew 5:13-16. Is Jesus describing who his followers are? Or prescribing what they must do? Why do you think so?

• How is Jesus describing the nature of the kingdom? What does it mean to be “salt” and “light”?

• Compare this passage with the beatitudes listed in verses 2-10. How do the beatitudes clarify the “salt” and “light”? How are Christians to interact with society?

• Take a brief minute to read this list of “unBeatitudes” written by Ray Ortlund. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/ray-ortlund/the-unbeatitudes-2/ This list imagines what the opposites of each of the beatitudes would be. How do you respond to this list? Are there any of these qualities that you think are true of you? What would it look like for you to embody the correlating beatitude?

• What would it look like for your group to live as salt and light in your neighborhood, social circles, and city this week?

1. Share a time when you talked yourself out of doing something, or when someone else talked you out of it. It can be something you’re glad you didn’t do or something you wish you’d done differently.

2. Read Luke 10:25-28. How might the lawyer’s first question be a test? What is the simple answer to this test?

3. Read Luke 10:29-35. The Samaritan’s role as the hero shatters the lawyer’s line between his neighbors and his enemies—his enemy is also his neighbor. It’s easy for a person or group of people to become the automatic villain of every story. How do these stories permeate our culture? What person or group of people are you tempted to reject as an enemy?

4. Read these 5 verses that mention “mercy.” You may need to look at some surrounding verses as well. Luke 1:50, 54, 58, 72, 78. How is mercy characterized? How does Jesus fulfill this hope of mercy at the end of Luke’s Gospel?

5. Read Luke 10:36-37. Why is it important to know that we have received God’s mercy in Christ before being sent out to love?

6. Respond to this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Disicpleship about this very parable: “Every moment and every situation challenges us to action and to obedience. We have literally no time to sit down and ask ourselves whether so-and-so is our neighbour or not… You can only know and think about it by actually doing it. You can only learn what obedience is by obeying.”

7. Pray as a group, sharing opportunities that you have to love that are simple and immediate, though costly.

1. Have you ever aspired to achieve something and failed? What did it feel like to go through that process? How did it affect your aspirations afterward?

2. Read Acts 2:1-11. What is the role of the Diaspora (Jews living outside Israel) in this first great movement of the Spirit?

3. Briefly review the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 28:1-25. In the sermon today, we noted that the word translated ‘horror’ in v25 is the first occurrence of diaspora in the Greek Old Testament. What is the significance of this ‘origin story’ for the diaspora?

4. Read the prophetic verses below. How are these promises to the diaspora fulfilled in the Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost? What do these verses illustrate about the heart of God toward us?
   Psalm 147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts [diaspora] of Israel.
   Isaiah 49:6 “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved [diaspora] of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

5. An awareness of spiritual failure often keeps people from taking steps forward in their spiritual walks. What would you say to someone who confided in you something like, “I have been a pretty lousy Christian; I don’t think I should be the one to talk to my kids about spiritual things.” Or, “I can’t even maintain a regular prayer life for myself; how could I mentor a younger Christian?”

1. Can you remember a time when a spiritual leader you trusted was exposed for some hidden sin? How does it affect people when the integrity of Christians (or of the church as a whole) is broken? How has it affected you personally?

2. Read Acts 1:15-20. If you knew nothing of Judas other than these verses, what would you know? Peter quotes two psalms which pray curses on God’s enemies (Ps 69:25 & 109:8). What emotions are aroused as you think about Judas from these verses?

3. Read John 21:15-17. Judas and Peter both experienced great spiritual failures before Jesus’ crucifixion. How does the aftermath of Peter’s sin differ from the aftermath of Judas’ sin? What do these two disciples’ paths teach us about how to handle our own sin and spiritual failures?

4. Read Acts 1:21-23. Who were the two men chosen as potential replacements for Judas? What requirements did they need to meet in order to restore the integrity of the apostolic office?

5. Read Acts 1:24-26. How does this prayer’s opening claim relate to the request they make of the Lord? Casting lots to make decisions was commonplace, occurring around 80 times in the Bible. However, this is the last time it occurs in scripture. Why might that be?

6. Spend time in prayer. Confess sin to Jesus and one another in the safety of your group. Commit to repentance (turning away from sin) and ask the Lord to restore what has been broken. Then rejoice in the hope of the Gospel:  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (1Jn 1:9)