NOTES:
1] v.5: As well as physically dead being raised, Jesus may be referring to the nation & its leaders needing to be raised from  spiritual death. 2] v.6: 'take no offence' means, literally, 'trip over'? 3] v.11 may reflect rivalry between those who are still  JB's disciples & those who follow Jesus. The Gospel of Thomas (not in our Bible, but from the same time as the others) has Jesus say, "Whoever among you becomes a child will recognize God's kingdom (Rule) & will become greater than John".

WARMING UP: How do we feel about those who leave one leader to follow another?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's Group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

2-3        How do we feel about JB's approach, via his disciples, to questioning Jesus? What do we make of the contrast between JB's approach to people & that of Jesus? Are JB's doubts (reasonable under the circumstances?) help or hindrance as we make up our minds, or help others make up their minds, about who Jesus really is? Are we, in any sense, still 'waiting for another'?

4-6        Can we summarise: a) 'what we have heard; &, b) what we have seen of Jesus? Is the latter too hard so many years down the track, or can we still see Jesus 'doing things' today? If we don't have 'hard evidence' of Jesus doing things today, aren't we just sitting ducks for today's enemies & doubters? In the light of N.2 above, what kind of things cause us to 'trip over' Jesus these days? What about things that cause others to trip over him? Do we have the grace to hang in there with them, or are we more likely to wash our hands of them? What expectations can those whose lives are spoiled by disabilities or injuries of any kind today, legitimately have of Jesus?

7-10     What kinds of issues do we have in making up our own hearts & minds about the truth God wants us to hold onto today? Are there 'essential' truths, & also 'optional' ones? Is there a difference between the way we make up our heart & our mind? How do we tell which leaders, in any field, are only 'reeds', or 'dress-ups'? Do we ever sense a genuine prophet among them? What makes a prophet genuine? What direction is a true prophet always pointing in?

11        Are there any ways in which we want to be 'great'? What is it that makes us great in God's eyes?
 
 

NOTES: 1] N.B. This passage is not about the pros & cons of  'pentecostalism', 'speaking in tongues, etc.. 2] Pentecost was the ancient (compulsory) Hebrew harvest festival of Weeks. See: LEV 23:15-16 & DEUT 16:9-10. 3] We aren't told where they were 'all together in one place'. 4] v.4 refers to a unique gift of languages, not ecstatic 'speaking in tongues'.
5] The wind & fire &c. are a 'theophany', a revealing of God (cf. Moses at the burning bush, Sinai, the Transfiguration, etc.)

WARMING UP: Have we ever regretted learning - or not learning - a language other than our own?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened since last week's Group?

EXPLORING ACTS:

1-4        Do we have any expectation that events such as this one that took place at that Pentecost will, or need to happen still today? Is it likely we can 'enter into' any such event if we haven't personally experienced such a happening? What steps can we take towards making experiences of Holy Spirit on our part, or someone else's, a building-up of Jesus' Body rather than letting them become divisive (as they sometimes seem to do)? Have we ever in any sense 'felt' God's Spirit upon us in some tangible way? How well can we accept & cope with 'one off' spiritual experiences without feeling we have to reproduce them somehow, or expect others to do so? Is it reasonable to believe God will reveal Godself as & when & how God wills?

5-13      Given the diversity of the crowd (all adult male Jews within reach of Jerusalem were expected to attend the Temple) how diverse is our congregation a) on 'normal' Sundays? b) on Festivals? What makes us diverse, or keeps us from being a real cross section of society? Do we ask ourselves often enough 'what does this mean' about issues of faith, worship, etc.? If we don't, what is it that stops us? Do we ever have to acknowledge, & confront examples of putting others down (cf. "they're drunk" of v.13)?

14-21    Have we ever experienced emerging in a new 'character', in a new leadership role as Peter does here? How do we feel towards others who do that? Do we give them a fair hearing? When those who preach in our congregation do so, do we: a) expect them to tell us what we should do (whether or not we then do it!)? b) switch off because we've heard it all before? c) expect them to point us towards making 'connections' with what's gone before & what might still happen, as Peter does here? Can we identify the main thrust of the passages Peter quotes here? If we were to underline one bit, which would it be?
What does it mean to 'call on the name of the Lord' today? What does it mean to be 'saved' today? Saved from what? Saved for what?

22-28    In what ways has Jesus been 'attested' to us? By whom? Which part of Peter's 'proving' of Jesus seems most relevant to us in our situation? Can Jesus ever really be 'attested' to us except as he proves himself in person to Peter & the others back then? Can we always 'see the Lord always before us'? Is our heart glad? Does our tongue rejoice? Do we live in hope? How far has God made known to us the ways of life? Is God always present to us? Can we celebrate our own perpetual 'Pentecost' in company with our brothers & sisters in Christ?