Personal foundations (A)
We start in the book of Acts. In that book in the New Testament, the apostle Luke (who was not a Jew) describes the start of the church in Israel among the Jewish believers and the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles (non-Jews) in the Middle East and Europe.
In Acts 19:1-7 we read: 1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
This is the start of the church in the city of Ephesus (nowadays in Turkey).
When Paul first visits the city, he finds some God-fearing people, but he is concerned that something is missing. They didn’t have four legs to their chair!
Discussion questions A
In Luke 3:10-14 we read several ways of change that can occur after repentance.
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Discussion questions B
1. Share changes you experienced after you started investigating the Bible and God or after becoming a follower of Jesus.
2. Ask in prayer to God what you may need to put right. Ask His help to do something about it. Write (in the square box below) what you have asked God and what you expect God to do as an answer on your prayer.
If anyone in the group feels free to share what you wrote on the last question, go ahead.
Keep this discussion sheet by emailing it to your own e-mail address. Press the EMAIL button.
We now close in prayer.
We start in the book of Acts. In that book in the New Testament, the apostle Luke (who was not a Jew) describes the start of the church in Israel among the Jewish believers and the spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles (non-Jews) in the Middle East and Europe.
In Acts 19:1-7 we read: 1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.
This is the start of the church in the city of Ephesus (nowadays in Turkey).
When Paul first visits the city, he finds some God-fearing people, but he is concerned that something is missing. They didn’t have four legs to their chair!
Discussion questions A
- Write out (in the square box) what Paul asks them (verse 2). What is their answer?
- Was it possible to believe without the empowering of the Holy Spirit?
- Which leg (or legs) did they have?
- What was the difference between the first baptism (verse 4) and the second baptism (verse 5)?
- Paul “fixed” the “missing leg”. What did the apostle do to the twelve men in Ephesus directly after their “right baptism”, and what was the result?
In Luke 3:10-14 we read several ways of change that can occur after repentance.
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. 11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” 13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. 14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
Discussion questions B
1. Share changes you experienced after you started investigating the Bible and God or after becoming a follower of Jesus.
2. Ask in prayer to God what you may need to put right. Ask His help to do something about it. Write (in the square box below) what you have asked God and what you expect God to do as an answer on your prayer.
If anyone in the group feels free to share what you wrote on the last question, go ahead.
Keep this discussion sheet by emailing it to your own e-mail address. Press the EMAIL button.
We now close in prayer.