Community Group Leader Guide
Acts Lesson 2
Community Group Leader Guide God’s Providence in our Mission [Acts 1:13-26] LESSON & DISCUSSION POINTS Primer Question: Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? What made the waiting easy or difficult? Read Acts 1:13-26. Passage overview: After watching Christ ascend into heaven, the apostles and other believers return to the upper room where they wait for the “gift from the Father” that was promised. These verses describe a season of waiting. What do the apostles and other disciples do while they wait? What instructions do they look for?
Constantly prayed Searched scripture with the goal of understanding God’s will Gathered together – they weren’t alone, but rather were in fellowship
Peter steps up to guide them with some passages of Scripture. What’s significant about Peter’s words? What does this tell us about how they viewed their situation?
They looked to Scripture to understand what was happening. They looked to Scripture as their guide for what to do. Ultimately, they trusted that God was still firmly in control (sovereign) over everything that had taken place and would take place. Even through suffering, betrayal, and loss, they knew God was in control and working out his plan.
The Apostles act based on God’s word. What is happening with this whole replacement of Judas? What were the qualifications for this new apostle? Why do you think that’s important?
Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God, which meant that the church is the people of God. The Twelve Apostles were therefore symbolic representatives of a restored Israel. With Judas gone, they needed a replacement to have Twelve. Qualifications: A follower from the beginning & witness to the resurrection. Importance: The church’s chief priority is bearing witness to the resurrection. www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
APPLICATION This life will have seasons of pain and uncertainty (death of a loved one, job loss, conflict with family/friends, unfulfilled longings).
What are situations you face today that involve waiting, hurt, or uncertainty?
How can the example of the apostles here help shape how you wait?
Followers of Christ trust in His power for salvation because of the resurrection.
“The resurrection defines the church, from that day to this. The church is either the movement which announces God’s new creation, or it is just another irrelevant religious sect.”1 N.T. Wright
How have you seen Jesus’ resurrection bring you new life? (2 Corinthians 5:17ff)
How can the resurrection change your outlook on sharing your faith?
PRAYER
HUDDLES & APPRENTICES Model | It will be your privilege to walk through pain, uncertainty, and seasons of waiting with others. During this time, these friends need not only words of encourage and guidance from Scripture – they need also to see a life renewed by God modeled to them. Experience | Encourage your CG to set aside time this week to reflect on (and even journal about) how Christ’s resurrection changes their life, and could change the lives of those around them. Debrief | Discuss in huddles
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
Study Notes God’s Providence in our Mission [Acts 1:13-26] BIBLE REFERENCE Acts 1 is on page 591 of the Crossway Bible. Use this reference for newcomers.
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND Judas bought a field (v. 18) By this, Luke probably means that it was “Judas’s money that bought the plot of land with the gruesome name.”2 “Let his homestead become desolate…” and “Let someone else take his assignment” (v. 20) These quotes come from Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8, respectively. Commentary from Schnabel on this passage: Peter’s quotation of Pss 69:25 and 109:8 focuses not of Judas’s suicide but on the vacancy in the group of the Twelve and on the need to replace him. The first quotation is from Ps 69:25. Psalm 69 is a “psalm of protest and plea” closing with a declaration of trust in Yahweh. The psalmist pleads with God not as a private individual but as a representing a community under attack by people with a different spiritual commitment. He prays that God may bring his wrath against these enemies and remove them from the community. John and Paul used the psalm as a typological prediction of Jesus’ suffering (John 2:17; 15:25; Rom 15:3), and Paul applies it to the Jews who rejected Jesus (Rom 11:9-10). Since Judas had joined Jesus’ enemies, Ps 69 could be applied to him. The term translated “homestead” can be understood as a loose reference to the plot of land purchased by Judas. Peter uses the psalm as a scriptural prophecy of what happened when Judas betrayed Jesus and fell to his death – what he had and what he owned became desolate. The quotation expresses a curse. In the context of Matt 27:7, it can literally refer to the burial place bought with Judas’s money. Judas experienced the judgment that falls on the enemies of the righteous sufferer. The second quotation is from Ps 109:8. Psalm 109 is a prayer for vindication and vengeance. The psalmist describes one of his enemies, a wicked and deceitful man, and
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
formulates a series of curses against him. The term translated “assignment” denotes a “position of responsibility.” The psalmist prays that the wicked man’s days may be few, i.e. that his life might be cut short, and that his position of leadership in the community may be given to somebody else. This second quotation expresses Peter’s conviction that Judas, who “belonged to our number and received a share in our ministry” and whose life was cut short as he experienced God’s judgment, needed to be replaced by another person who would take his place of leadership. In the context of Luke 22:30, Peter (Luke) may think specifically of the role of the Twelve as judges in the community of Israel.3
Matthias (v. 23) It has been noted that Matthias is not mentioned anywhere else in Acts except for here. However, we shouldn’t read too much into this observation, since the same is true of many of the Apostles.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Beale and Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
Provided to aid your study and preparation, these additional notes are adapted from various sources, including commentaries, dictionaries, textbooks, and the ESV Study Bible.
1
N. T. Wright, Acts for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1-12 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 20. Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012), 98. 3 Ibid., 99–100. 2
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Community Group Leader Guide God’s Providence in our Mission [Acts 1:13-26] LESSON & DISCUSSION POINTS Primer Question: Have you ever had to wait for something you really wanted? What made the waiting easy or difficult? Read Acts 1:13-26. Passage overview: After watching Christ ascend into heaven, the apostles and other believers return to the upper room where they wait for the “gift from the Father” that was promised. These verses describe a season of waiting. What do the apostles and other disciples do while they wait? What instructions do they look for?
Constantly prayed Searched scripture with the goal of understanding God’s will Gathered together – they weren’t alone, but rather were in fellowship
Peter steps up to guide them with some passages of Scripture. What’s significant about Peter’s words? What does this tell us about how they viewed their situation?
They looked to Scripture to understand what was happening. They looked to Scripture as their guide for what to do. Ultimately, they trusted that God was still firmly in control (sovereign) over everything that had taken place and would take place. Even through suffering, betrayal, and loss, they knew God was in control and working out his plan.
The Apostles act based on God’s word. What is happening with this whole replacement of Judas? What were the qualifications for this new apostle? Why do you think that’s important?
Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God, which meant that the church is the people of God. The Twelve Apostles were therefore symbolic representatives of a restored Israel. With Judas gone, they needed a replacement to have Twelve. Qualifications: A follower from the beginning & witness to the resurrection. Importance: The church’s chief priority is bearing witness to the resurrection. www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
APPLICATION This life will have seasons of pain and uncertainty (death of a loved one, job loss, conflict with family/friends, unfulfilled longings).
What are situations you face today that involve waiting, hurt, or uncertainty?
How can the example of the apostles here help shape how you wait?
Followers of Christ trust in His power for salvation because of the resurrection.
“The resurrection defines the church, from that day to this. The church is either the movement which announces God’s new creation, or it is just another irrelevant religious sect.”1 N.T. Wright
How have you seen Jesus’ resurrection bring you new life? (2 Corinthians 5:17ff)
How can the resurrection change your outlook on sharing your faith?
PRAYER
HUDDLES & APPRENTICES Model | It will be your privilege to walk through pain, uncertainty, and seasons of waiting with others. During this time, these friends need not only words of encourage and guidance from Scripture – they need also to see a life renewed by God modeled to them. Experience | Encourage your CG to set aside time this week to reflect on (and even journal about) how Christ’s resurrection changes their life, and could change the lives of those around them. Debrief | Discuss in huddles
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
Study Notes God’s Providence in our Mission [Acts 1:13-26] BIBLE REFERENCE Acts 1 is on page 591 of the Crossway Bible. Use this reference for newcomers.
CONTEXT / BACKGROUND Judas bought a field (v. 18) By this, Luke probably means that it was “Judas’s money that bought the plot of land with the gruesome name.”2 “Let his homestead become desolate…” and “Let someone else take his assignment” (v. 20) These quotes come from Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8, respectively. Commentary from Schnabel on this passage: Peter’s quotation of Pss 69:25 and 109:8 focuses not of Judas’s suicide but on the vacancy in the group of the Twelve and on the need to replace him. The first quotation is from Ps 69:25. Psalm 69 is a “psalm of protest and plea” closing with a declaration of trust in Yahweh. The psalmist pleads with God not as a private individual but as a representing a community under attack by people with a different spiritual commitment. He prays that God may bring his wrath against these enemies and remove them from the community. John and Paul used the psalm as a typological prediction of Jesus’ suffering (John 2:17; 15:25; Rom 15:3), and Paul applies it to the Jews who rejected Jesus (Rom 11:9-10). Since Judas had joined Jesus’ enemies, Ps 69 could be applied to him. The term translated “homestead” can be understood as a loose reference to the plot of land purchased by Judas. Peter uses the psalm as a scriptural prophecy of what happened when Judas betrayed Jesus and fell to his death – what he had and what he owned became desolate. The quotation expresses a curse. In the context of Matt 27:7, it can literally refer to the burial place bought with Judas’s money. Judas experienced the judgment that falls on the enemies of the righteous sufferer. The second quotation is from Ps 109:8. Psalm 109 is a prayer for vindication and vengeance. The psalmist describes one of his enemies, a wicked and deceitful man, and
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
Acts Lesson 2
formulates a series of curses against him. The term translated “assignment” denotes a “position of responsibility.” The psalmist prays that the wicked man’s days may be few, i.e. that his life might be cut short, and that his position of leadership in the community may be given to somebody else. This second quotation expresses Peter’s conviction that Judas, who “belonged to our number and received a share in our ministry” and whose life was cut short as he experienced God’s judgment, needed to be replaced by another person who would take his place of leadership. In the context of Luke 22:30, Peter (Luke) may think specifically of the role of the Twelve as judges in the community of Israel.3
Matthias (v. 23) It has been noted that Matthias is not mentioned anywhere else in Acts except for here. However, we shouldn’t read too much into this observation, since the same is true of many of the Apostles.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Beale and Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament
Provided to aid your study and preparation, these additional notes are adapted from various sources, including commentaries, dictionaries, textbooks, and the ESV Study Bible.
1
N. T. Wright, Acts for Everyone, Part One: Chapters 1-12 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 20. Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2012), 98. 3 Ibid., 99–100. 2
www.citychurchgnv.com · ©2014 Ryan Harding and City Church
