READ
Acts 1:1-26
CONSIDER
Read all of this week's passage, and consider the following questions.
1. Who is Luke writing to?
2. Based on verses 1-3, what is Luke's motivation for writing to Theophilus?
3. Review verses 7-8. What does Jesus tell the apostles they will receive? And, what does he tell them to do?
4. Read Luke 24:44–45. What does it tell you that knowledge of the Scriptures wasn’t enough; that Jesus said they needed the Spirit’s power before witnessing? How does this inform you with regard to being a witness to Jesus' power in your own life?
5. It's already evident this early in Acts that Jesus is commanding the apostles to WITNESS. What does it mean to witness today?
6. Tell a story of the most recent memory you have of being a witness to the finished work and power of Jesus Christ in your own life?
7. Dr. Ueckert left us with three decisions to consider from this passage:
- Repent. Turn to Jesus.
- Wait in Prayer.
- Ask the Lord for a Theophilus in your own life.
Is God inviting you to move on any of these three areas?
PRAY
Lord, we praise you that you allow us to share in your glory through witnessing to others. Cause us to repent and be filled with your empowering Spirit each and every day, so that we might move and speak in power rather than self-sufficiency. Put people in our paths, Lord, so that we might continue in the legacy of the apostles we read about this week.
READ
Acts 1:1-26
CONSIDER
Read all of this week's passage aloud together, and consider the following questions.
1. Who is Luke writing to?
2. Based on verses 1-3, what is Luke's motivation for writing to Theophilus?
- Why do you think Luke is doing this?
3. Review verses 7-8. What does Jesus tell the apostles they will receive? And, what does he tell them to do?
- Think about all the apostles had seen and experienced up to this point. They had watched Jesus heal the sick, cast out demons (from pigs nonetheless), raise the dead, die on the cross, rise from the grave, and walk with them for 40 days. We can safely assume, they had no idea what was coming next! And now, He commands them to WAIT for what the Father promised. How would you have reacted to such a command?
4. Read Luke 24:44–45. Jesus "opened the apostles minds to the scriptures". What does it tell you that knowledge of the Scriptures wasn’t enough; that Jesus said they needed the Spirit’s power before witnessing? How does this inform you with regard to being a witness to Jesus' power in your own life?
- How does scripture say we are filled with the Spirit?
5. It's already evident this early in Acts that Jesus is commanding the apostles to WITNESS. If a witness is someone who tells what they’ve seen or heard firsthand, what does it mean for you to be a witness of Jesus today?
6. Tell a story of the most recent memory you have of being a witness to the finished work and power of Jesus Christ in your own life?
7. Dr. Ueckert left us with three choices to consider from this passage:
- Repent. Turn to Jesus.
- Wait in Prayer.
- Ask the Lord for a Theophilus in your own life.
Is God inviting you to move in any of these three areas?
PRAY
Lord, we praise you that you allow us to share in your glory through witnessing to others. Cause us to repent and be filled with your empowering Spirit each and every day, so that we might move and speak in power rather than self-sufficiency. Put people in our paths, Lord, so that we might continue in the legacy of the apostles we read about this week.
CONSIDER
Read all of this week's passage, and consider the following questions.
- Take a moment to really think about this question: What would happen if you positioned yourself before the Lord in such a way that you didn't fear anything He called you to? What would your life look like?
- Read verses 1-4. How does verse three describe Jehoshaphat's condition?
- What is Jehoshaphat's first response?
Our first response in times of fear is often indicative of where we put our trust. For example, if you hit a problem in life and your your go-to response is 'how can I fix this', you're likely trusting in your own power. Or, if you experience life's troubles and immediately turn to someone else, perhaps your trust is in the power of that person to help you.
- In times of fear or uncertainty, what is your natural, gut-reaction response?
Sunday, Pastor Curt Sparkman said, "It is in times of peace that we set the pattern for how we'll respond in times of fear."
- Are you currently in a season of peace or fear?
- Regardless of your season, where does your hope currently lie?
Sometimes it can seem like being told to "place our hope in the Lord" is a abstract, in-the-clouds, churchy advise. Pastor Sparkman walked us through how we can set a pattern in our lives of placing our hope and trust in the Lord. Read verses 5-12.
- Acknowledge the right order of authority in your life, and call it out.
- Remember God is a covenant-making God who has never once gone back on His promise. Lean into that character of God, reminding yourself of that truth often.
- Recognize your limitations. You limitations are a gift, not a challenge. They are what God has purposefully given you, to call you to Him.
- Describe a hypothetical circumstance that you might encounter this week. How you can implement these three things in your own life this week?
Read verses 13-19 to hear God's response to Jehoshaphat.
- Do you earnestly believe that God is for you, that the battle is not yours, and that He will fight for you?
- What will it mean this week to "position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" ?
In closing, consider this: from Genesis to Revelation, every instance of success in the Bible has one thing in common—God's presence. Everytime God says "I will go with you," success follows. His presence is more than your power. How will you seek his presence this week?
PRAY
Lord, You are still the God who rules over nations and history. Power and might remain in Your hands, and nothing in this world can stand against You. We remember how You have been faithful to Your people in the past and how You have carried us in our own lives. You have given us Your Spirit and called us Your own, just as You once gave Your people a place where Your name would dwell.
So when our world shakes—when wars rise, economies falter, diseases spread, families suffer, and it feels like chaos—we turn to You. We don’t have the strength or the answers, but we know Your name is with us. We cry out to You in our weakness, believing that You hear us and that You are the One who saves. Keep us steady, Lord, as we trust You today. Amen.