Facing Challenges
Acts 5-7
GROWING GOD’S CHURCH Facing Challenges Can the Church continue to grow and thrive in a progressively nonreligious world? Yes! And you’re a part of it. Study the growth of God’s Church in its early days and learn the timeless truths to apply to your life as a member of God’s Church.
Introduction Many business endeavors and organizations throughout history have faced challenges. Take a moment to discuss why some survived and thrived while others failed.
4:32-5:16 God answered the prayers of the disciples and equipped them with boldness to proclaim the gospel. The believers provided for those in need. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, were an example of deception and dishonesty being punished by God. The Lord continued to work miracles through the disciples and added to the number of believers.
Rejoice When You Suffer
Acts 5:17-42
5:17
The disciples were miraculously freed from prison. What do you think you would do after you were set free from being wrongfully imprisoned? What did the disciples do?
5:29
The disciples were imprisoned multiple times. They were threatened repeatedly and explicitly ordered not to preach about Christ. Yet they continued to preach. Why? Explain how that reconciles with what God says about obeying authority in Romans 13:1.
5:34
Gamaliel was a well-regarded Jewish teacher and his most famous pupil was Saul (Paul). Summarize Gamaliel’s plan for handling the disciples. Evaluate whether the plan was good or bad.
5:41
The disciples left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus. Are you so willing to suffer disgrace for Jesus? Give examples of how your flesh has tricked you into fearing disgrace for Jesus’ name. Are you a bad witness if you don’t suffer? Come up with a modern-day situation like that of the disciples’ imprisonment and discuss how you would handle it.
6:1-7
God blessed his Church with growth, yet it caused a problem for the disciples. They couldn’t handle the entire ministry on their own anymore! So they chose seven men to take on the work of the daily distribution of food so that the apostles could focus on preaching the Word. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).
1
L03: Acts 5-7
Stephen’s Bold Witness 6:8
Acts 6:8-7:60
Who was Stephen?
7:2-43 Stephen was accused of rejecting God and his representatives, namely Moses. The truth is, it was the Jewish people who were guilty of rejecting God. Look at Stephen’s sermon and identify whom the Jews had rejected. Verses 2-10 Verses 11-29 Verses 30-36 Verses 37-41 Verses 42-43 The people of Israel often rejected God and his will. Yet God was still gracious to them. Give examples from Stephens’s sermon of God’s continued love for his people. 7:51
In this verse, Stephen gets to the theme of his sermon. What is the theme and what does it mean?
7:60
What comfort does the Lord give us in the description of how Stephen died?
Discussion There may be reasons to thank God and reasons to question the impact of our ministry in the fact that Christian churches in America experience little physical persecution. Discuss both reasons. Compile a list of the qualities that the disciples and Stephen possessed that allowed them to continue to proclaim the gospel even when they were faced with persecution and death. Determine how you might gain or grow those qualities in your life.
- We must obey God rather than men! We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. -
November 8: Different Places – Acts 8-9
2
L03: Acts 5-7
GROWING GOD’S CHURCH Facing Challenges Can the Church continue to grow and thrive in a progressively nonreligious world? Yes! And you’re a part of it. Study the growth of God’s Church in its early days and learn the timeless truths to apply to your life as a member of God’s Church.
Introduction Many business endeavors and organizations throughout history have faced challenges. Take a moment to discuss why some survived and thrived while others failed.
4:32-5:16 God answered the prayers of the disciples and equipped them with boldness to proclaim the gospel. The believers provided for those in need. Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, were an example of deception and dishonesty being punished by God. The Lord continued to work miracles through the disciples and added to the number of believers.
Rejoice When You Suffer
Acts 5:17-42
5:17
The disciples were miraculously freed from prison. What do you think you would do after you were set free from being wrongfully imprisoned? What did the disciples do?
5:29
The disciples were imprisoned multiple times. They were threatened repeatedly and explicitly ordered not to preach about Christ. Yet they continued to preach. Why? Explain how that reconciles with what God says about obeying authority in Romans 13:1.
5:34
Gamaliel was a well-regarded Jewish teacher and his most famous pupil was Saul (Paul). Summarize Gamaliel’s plan for handling the disciples. Evaluate whether the plan was good or bad.
5:41
The disciples left the Sanhedrin rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus. Are you so willing to suffer disgrace for Jesus? Give examples of how your flesh has tricked you into fearing disgrace for Jesus’ name. Are you a bad witness if you don’t suffer? Come up with a modern-day situation like that of the disciples’ imprisonment and discuss how you would handle it.
6:1-7
God blessed his Church with growth, yet it caused a problem for the disciples. They couldn’t handle the entire ministry on their own anymore! So they chose seven men to take on the work of the daily distribution of food so that the apostles could focus on preaching the Word. So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7).
1
L03: Acts 5-7
Stephen’s Bold Witness 6:8
Acts 6:8-7:60
Who was Stephen?
7:2-43 Stephen was accused of rejecting God and his representatives, namely Moses. The truth is, it was the Jewish people who were guilty of rejecting God. Look at Stephen’s sermon and identify whom the Jews had rejected. Verses 2-10 Verses 11-29 Verses 30-36 Verses 37-41 Verses 42-43 The people of Israel often rejected God and his will. Yet God was still gracious to them. Give examples from Stephens’s sermon of God’s continued love for his people. 7:51
In this verse, Stephen gets to the theme of his sermon. What is the theme and what does it mean?
7:60
What comfort does the Lord give us in the description of how Stephen died?
Discussion There may be reasons to thank God and reasons to question the impact of our ministry in the fact that Christian churches in America experience little physical persecution. Discuss both reasons. Compile a list of the qualities that the disciples and Stephen possessed that allowed them to continue to proclaim the gospel even when they were faced with persecution and death. Determine how you might gain or grow those qualities in your life.
- We must obey God rather than men! We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. -
November 8: Different Places – Acts 8-9
2
L03: Acts 5-7
