Acts 2:1-21

Outline:

The Spirit empowers weak mouths to proclaim God’s glory without fear, amongst all peoples. 

The Spirit helps believers interpret and explain life through the lens of scripture. (14-21) 

Jesus calls people to himself, by the power of the gospel, through Spirit filled Christians. 

Questions:

1) Acts 1:14 says, “All [the apostles], with one accord, were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
 What does this teach us about prayer in times when we aren’t ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit? What does it show about the importance of prayer as we wait for God to act? Why do Christians and churches often have weak prayer lives? How could we, individually and as a church, grow in urgency and dependence in prayer? 

2) What do the wind (breath, which gives life), fire (the presence of God), and tongues, taken together, teach us about what it means to be ‘filled with the Spirit’? (See Romans 1:16; Acts 4:31.) How would you respond to someone who says that, after becoming a Christian and receiving the Holy Spirit, they expected to feel different? How does this passage challenge the idea that the Spirit’s power guarantees health, wealth, and prosperity? 

3) Only the apostles had their minds opened to the Scriptures, yet all 120 disciples went into the crowd declaring the mighty works of God. What does this show about who should evangelise? What should be the content of a Spirit-filled message? 

4) Why is it so important, when Christians face objections or are asked “What does this mean?” type questions, to answer from Scripture? (See Romans 10:17.) 

5) “When the Spirit grips the heart and we become more aware of the depth of God’s love, the bolder we become to speak.” Why is this true?