A Community of Purpose
- Dan Haakenson
- Aug 22, 2010
- Series: What are WE here for? Lessons from Acts
Further Reflection, Discussion, and Application
- What are some popular notions about why the church exists? If someone asked you what ‘the church’ (or Christianity) was here for, what would you say?
- Compare Acts 1:1-11 and Luke 24:45-53 – what is similar? What is different? What is further developed? How do the connections between Luke and Acts help us to understand the purpose of these books? (Recall Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-3.) How do the passages here help us to understand our purpose to ‘be Christ’s witnesses’?
- Talk about what you think it was like for that original group of 120 (see Acts 1:15) to “wait” after Jesus’ ascension. Why was the waiting important? (Why not go ahead and ‘be Christ’s witnesses’?)
- Acts 1:8 was the primary focus on Sunday and can be seen as the theme and outline of the book. (Roughly - chapters 1-7 focus on Jerusalem; chapters 8-12 on Judea and Samaria; chapters 13-28 moving out to the ‘ends of the earth’). Try to summarize how each of these sections develops the central theme of power from the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses.
- When you think of a “witness” what (or who) comes to mind? Who were initial and influential “witnesses” to you of Jesus Christ? What can you learn from their example?
- By way of application, who have you been a witness to of Jesus Christ? Who might you be a witness to in the near future? Are you praying for awareness and acceptance of the opportunities to be Christ’s witness – how and when?
- How is the charge to be Christ’s witnesses an individual thing; how is it a community thing? What is your place in both? What will you walk away from this passage, Sunday’s message, and today’s discussion, doing differently?
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