Stories from Acts 1-2

Acts 1-2 God made this world beautiful and good. He told humanity to look after his world and to reflect his glory. But we rejected God and made a mess of his world. As a result God pronounced a curse on the world and the judgment of death on all people. But he also promised to send a Saviour who would re-establish God rule and put things right. Hundreds of years later Jesus came into God’s world as God’s promised Saviour and King. Again we rejected God by killing Jesus on the cross. But three days later God raised Jesus from the dead. For forty days Jesus appeared again and again to his followers, proving that he was truly alive. One day he was eating with them when he said, ‘Wait in Jerusalem until the Father baptizes you with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Spirit comes. And youwill be my witnesses in Jerusalem, the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’ Then Jesus was taken up into heaven on a cloud. Two white-robed men appeared out of nowhere and told the disciples that one day Jesus would return in the same way he had left. The followers of Jesus returned to Jerusalem and were constantly united in prayer. They chose Matthias to be one of the twelve ‘apostles’ or ‘sent ones’. He replaced Judas who had betrayed Jesus. They chose Matthias by casting lots. On the Jewish festival of Pentecost the believers were meeting together. Suddenly a mighty wind filled the house. Tongues of flame settled over each person. Everyone was filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages. Devout Jews from many different nations had come to Jerusalem for the festival. When they heard all the noise they ran to see what was happening. They were amazed: ‘How come these northerners are speaking about the wonderful things God has done in our own native languages?’ But other people laughed and said they were just drunk. Peter stepped forward. ‘Listen up,’ he shouted. ‘We’re not drunk – it’s only nine o’clock in the morning!’ ‘What is happening now was predicted by the prophets long ago. They said God’s Spirit would be poured out on all people, men and women alike. The young would see visions. The old would dream dreams. God said he would perform terrifying wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below. But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. ‘Listen. God endorsed Jesus by doing powerful miracles through him as you all know. It was God’s plan that Jesus would be betrayed and that you would kill him on the cross. But God raised him from the dead just as King David predicted long ago. We are all witnesses of this. God has honoured Jesus in heaven and poured out the Spirit just as he promised. So let everyone know: God has made Jesus, whom you crucified, Lord and Saviour.’ The people listening were pierced to their hearts by Peter’s words. ‘What must we do?’ they asked. Peter replied, ‘Turn from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus to show you have received forgiveness. Then you, too, will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Save yourselves from this corrupt culture.’ And so about 3,000 people believed and were baptized. All the believers were devoted to the teaching of the apostles. They were devoted to the community of believers. They were devoted to breaking break together. And they were devoted to prayer. They had a deep sense of awe. The apostles performed miraculous signs. They praised God all the time. They worshipped in the temple and had the respect of the people. They shared their possessions. Every day they broke bread together in their homes. And they shared meals with great joy and generosity. Every day new people were saved and added to the community. Dialogue Questions • What do you find surprising in the story? • How would you have reacted if you had heard the followers of Jesus speaking in different languages? • What do we learn about God in this story? • How are we like the people in the story? • What was important to the first community of Jesus? What task had Jesus given them? • What was the message of Peter? How would his message be in our neighbourhood? • Why do you think they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to the community of believers, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer? • What links are there to our stories? • What links are there to our story as a community together? • How does the story challenge or encourage us? • How can we be the witnesses of Jesus in our neighbourhood? • What do we need to be the witnesses of Jesus in our neighbourhood? Acts 3-4 Who can remember the story from last time? One afternoon Peter and John, two of the apostles, went to the temple in Jerusalem. A lame man was being carried to the temple gate were each day he used to beg for money. Peter and John looked at him intently. ‘Look at us,’ said Peter. The lame looked at them eagerly because he thought they were going to give him some money. ‘I don’t have any silver or gold,’ said Peter. ‘But I’ll give you what I do have: in the name of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, get up and walk.’ Peter took the man by the hand and helped him up. As he did so, the man’s legs were instantly healed. He jumped up, stood on his feet and began to walk. Then he went into the temple, leaping about and praising God. Everyone saw him and realised he was the beggar they had often seen at the gate. So they were astounded. They gathered round the man who was now hold tightly to Peter and John. Peter saw his opportunity and addressed the crowd: ‘Why are you so surprised? The God of our ancestors has done this to bring glory to his servant Jesus. ‘This is the same Jesus you handed over to the Romans. You condemned the innocent one. You killed the author of life. But God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. Turn back to God and he will wipe away your sins. One day Jesus will come again and restore everything. ‘Jesus is the Prophet promised by Moses. Moses warned that anyone who does not listen to God’s Prophet will be completely cut off from God. All the prophets spoke about what is happening today. You are the children of God’s covenant people and so Jesus came first to bless you by turning you away from your evil ways.’ While Peter and John were speaking, the temple guard arrived. The temple leaders were disturbed because Peter and John had said Jesus had risen from the dead. Peter and John were put in prison over night. But many people believed so the total number of believers reached around 5,000 adult men. The next day Peter and John were brought before the Jewish council. ‘In whose name have you done this?’ they asked. Peter was filled the Holy Spirit. He said, ‘Are we on trial for doing a good deed to a crippled man? He was healed in the name in Jesus, the man you crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. God has given no other name by which we must be saved.’ The council were amazed by the boldness of Peter and John because they could see they were uneducated men. They could see they were men who had been with Jesus. No one could argue with the healing so they simply told Peter and John to stop teaching. Peter said, ‘Do you really think we should obey men rather than God? We can’t stop telling people about Jesus.’ The council threatened some more, but let them go. Peter and John went back to the other believers and told them everything. Then they prayed together. ‘Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, you predicted and planned that people would unite against Jesus, your servant. Now hear their threats against us, your servants. Give us great boldness to speak as you continue to perform miraculous signs.’ As they prayed, the whole building shook and they were filled with the Holy Spirit so that they proclaimed the word of God with boldness. Dialogue Questions • What do you find surprising in the story? • Who do you identify with in the story? How are we like the people in the story? • What parallels are there to the previous story in Acts? • What do we learn about people in this story? • What do we learn about God in this story? • What was the message of Peter? How would his message be in our neighbourhood? • What can we learn from the prayer of the Christian community? • Are there any links to our stories? When have you faced a similar challenge? • How does the story challenge or encourage us? • How does this story help us understand what it mean to walk in God’s ways? • When might you tell this story to a Christian? • When might you tell this story to an unbeliever?