week of 5/12

Unit 33 Session 1

A TRANSFORMED MURDERER

ACTS 9

In Saul's conversion, we see an example of the grace of God and the power of the Gospel, which is able to transform even the most hostile opponents of Jesus.

The first-century church continued to grow in the power of the Holy Spirit. Although the theme so far has been the ministry of Peter in Acts, we backtrack to chapter 9 to take a look at Saul. Saul was a Jew with his mind set on crushing the new religious fervor rising out of the synagogues and city streets in the name of Jesus. He saw it as blasphemous because he didn't yet know the true God. He sought and obtained the power from the chief priests to bind all Jesus' followers, but he did not expect the arresting power of Jesus to bind him.

Points to consider:

✞   Saul experiences mercy from the Lord.

     * What is interesting about the 

        various ways Jesus meets and 

        saves people?

     * What are ways God humbles us 

        when we need a greater glimpse 

        of Him?

✞   Saul receives a mission from the Lord.

     * What are areas in our lives that 

        Jesus might be telling us to walk 

        into that might seem too 

        unknown to us?

     * How can we specifically live out 

        our own calling to spread the 

        good news of Jesus?

✞   Saul proclaims the name of the Lord.

     * Why do you think God uses us

        in ministry even when He 

        doesn't have to?

week of 5/5

Unit 32 Session 5

UNITED IN THE GOSPEL

1 CORINTHIANS 1; 12

The church is one body, joined together by Christ and His Gospel.

As the Gospel spread, the first Christian missionaries established new churches in metropolitan areas. One such city was Corinth. Destroyed in 146 B.C. by Rome, the revitalized about one hundred years later, the "new" Corinth was a bustling crossroads filed with trade, tourism, and travelers seeking to settle in this land of opportunity. It was a strategic place for ministry, and the apostle Paul established a church there during his second missionary journey in the early AD 50s. After eighteen months of ministry, Paul left the Corinthian church. First Corinthians provides a peek into the state of the church just a few years after her birth, and the prognosis was not good.

Points to consider:

✞   The church is united under one leader.

     * How does disunity threaten the 

        growth of the church?

     * How ought Paul's rebuke in this 

        passage shape what we look for 

        and celebrate in a church leader?

✞   The church is united by one Gospel.

     * What are some "red flags" that 

        might indicate our leaning on 

        the world's wisdom instead of God's? 

     * What happens when we rely on 

        human wisdom instead of God's 

        wisdom found in the Gospel?

✞   The church is united in one body.

     * Why is it sometimes difficult 

        to celebrate the differences 

        within the body?

     * If you knew that your spiritual 

        gift would be taken away 

        tomorrow, what would you 

        do today so you could use 

        it to the fullest?