SB#1
9/10/99

Acts 2: The Holy Spirit



1. Introduction
How involved is God with your everyday activities and various aspects of your life? Do you sense or know His presence as a normal or constant part of your daily living?

Read Acts 1:1-11 and Acts 2:1-46.
See also the study from the summer, SB#1, for further notes, information, and questions.


2. Holy Spirit
Who is the Spirit? How does He work in our lives? How do we get filled with the Spirit? Do we have to have a pentecostal experience like in Acts to be filled or empowered by the Spirit?

Why do we need Him? – What for? – Power to do what? 1

What are the signs of a spirit-filled life? What would your life look like if you were more in tune with the Spirit? What does the Spirit want to do in your life – in what ways does He want to use you?

Look at the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22ff. What do these traits look like in our everyday living? Give actual, practical examples.

Look at Peter in Acts 2. Is this the same Peter we knew in the gospels? What was he like then? How has he changed here? In what ways is he different?2 In what ways is the Spirit working here? (e.g., were the resulting conversions due to his persuasive speaking ability?)

Has the Spirit been involved in your life? Is it possible for Him not to be involved? 3 Perhaps you are unaware of it, but He has been and is. Think back, and share some specific examples of how He's been involved, and how He has worked in your life. Share how He is involved now; share how you would like Him to be more in control of your life.

Is His work in our lives something that we feel? Something that we know or detect? Something that we can't feel or detect? (cf. Jn. 3)4 How can we know when He is working in us?

How can we develop a deeper relationship with the Spirit? What things in our lives hinder the Spirit from working in us?


2. Sharing our faith
Why are we here in the fellowship, at this school, etc.? What's our mission? Look at Acts 1:8 and discuss how this applies to where we are.

Look at Peter's evangelistic sermon. Take a moment to study it and write down a summary of the main points of his sermon.
(perhaps working in groups of 2-3; depending on the group's level, you might skip the Joel passage he quotes, or you might consider its relevance to the sermon.)
Now as a group, report on the main points. What parts of it can you adapt to sharing your faith with others?
(Just worry about how to share your faith, not convincing and converting others.)


3. Prayer
Spend a significant amout of time at the end to share prayer requests and pray. Pray also to surrender to the Holy Spirit and let Him have control of every part of your lives (cf. Rom. 12:1-2).



1 While typical answers like holy living, being a witness, serving God, etc. are very true reasons for which we need the Spirit, a more basic reason is so that we can know God intimately – the daily, moment-by-moment relationship with God, and worshipping Him.

2 hint: He has matured, become a spiritual leader, has become knowledgeable in the word, has spiritual power, has become an effective teacher and evangelist.

3 illustration: If you have a child who rebelled and ran away, would s/he still be your child? Of course; s/he has your DNA, physical appearances from you, an identity that comes from you, and is in every way your child, biologically and personally. But away from your presence s/he is without your protection, power, and provision. Likewise, when we are born again, we are born of the Spirit (Jn 3; see also summer SB#1), and in a sense the Spirit is always with us, because we are God's children. However, we stray from Him or hinder His Spirit from working fully in our lives; we even grieve and hinder God's Spirit.

4 Sometimes His working may be undetectable, but drawing us to God. Often He may work in a tangible way, especially thru the word, teaching, conviction, calling, etc., and sometimes in a way that is emotionally real. But we can't rely simply on intellect or emotion in our relationship with God.