The Church is born (Pentecost)

Sermon date: 31 May
Reading: Acts 2:1-21 

Icebreaker
 
Q1 - Have you ever been part of something new that was starting or know the story of how something has started? (It could be a charity, group, ministry area, regular sport group, reading group, anything). How did it feel?

Q2 - Can you remember anything that struck you from last Sunday's sermon?

Study 

After his resurrection, Jesus was forty days with his disciples and seen by hundreds of people until his ascension. Ten days later, it was the day of Pentecost. Pentecost is the Greek name for the Jewish Feast of Harvest (or Feast of Weeks), it is mentioned in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It is also known as the Feast of Weeks, because they would celebrate it 50 days after the first fruits of the barley harvest. Fifty is a significant number in the Old Testament, but it can be represented by the week of weeks, 7 x 7 = 49, the next day is the 50th day. This Jewish Feast (Shavuot) also celebrates the anniversary of when God gave them the ten commandments at Mount Sinai. Because of this celebration, there were Jews from many different places in Jerusalem. 

Q3 – Some of the most significant moments in Jesus’ life were during these big festivities. Why do you think that was? Is there any relationship between that an us today?

Please read together Acts 2:1-13

Q4 – What strikes you the most in this passage? What do you find interesting or surprising or attractive?

Q5 - How would you feel if you had been one of the Jews who had come to celebrate a Feast and suddenly saw the disciples speaking in different languages?
Those who were seeing what was happening were “Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’” and then “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (2:47). These were exciting timing indeed, the start of a revolution and the sense of being part of something meaningful. I believe that the way a Church can be full of life is to return to its origins.  

Q6 – What are the characteristics of that early Church? What can we learn from them?

Q7 – What is the one thing that you see in that Church which you’d like to see us doing more of?

Please read Acts 2:14-21

Q8 – How does the pouring out of God’s Spirit look like today? What do you long to see God do amongst us?

Q9 – How do you think we can deepen our relationship with God to be more like those first Christians?

Action

Think of one thing you’d like to see God do through us (and you personally) in the next few months. Think of one thing that you might be able to do to enable this to happen. You might want to share this and then pray for each other.