Holy Spirit Power and Obedience | Deep and Wide | Week 1

Opening

Take turns sharing your response to the initial Deep and Wide sermon. Then pray for your time together.

Overview  

Terminally ill churches are all around us. They are marked by unchallenged immaturity, excused indifference, institutionalized idolatry, and unrepentant immorality. The only way that churches escape this fate is by embracing Holy Spirit power and obedience.

Only Holy Spirit power and obedience can transform us supernaturally like Jesus and transmit us courageously like Jesus. If we are going to be a church that goes deeper and wider in maturity and mission, we have to grow comfortably uncomfortable with Holy Spirit.

Discussion Questions

1. Which part of the sermon stood out the most to you?
2. How do you see God at work in your neighborhoods and workplaces?

Practice

Acts 2 On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. ² Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

⁵ At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. ⁷ They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, ⁸ and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! ⁹ Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome ¹¹ (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” ¹² They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other. ¹³ But others in the crowd ridiculed them, saying, “They’re just drunk, that’s all!”

 Have two different people read the passage out loud and then allow five minutes of silence for everyone to read and think about the passage on their own. Make space for group members to ask the questions that have arisen during the reading (you don’t have to have all the answers but write their questions down). Then discuss the following questions. What difference did the Holy Spirit make? How did some people respond to the moving of the Spirit in this passage? Do we experience the Spirit move in our own lives? Make space for people to share times if they feel comfortable doing so. Should we stop obeying the Spirit because there are mixed reviews from others?

Closing

Pray that each person in your group will be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and learn to recognize and obey the Spirit’s voice.