HOME GUIDE | JULY 26,2020
SUMMARY | Church on mission Assigns ministry opportunities to mature disciples (Acts 6:1-7). 

​Acts 6:1-7
The Choosing of the Seven
6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews[a] among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.


SUMMARY |
Have you ever sat at the dinner table with some church friends only to find yourselves discussing 'church' practices that didn't seem fair? Did you find a solution? 
This type of discussion is typical when multiple family units gather. We all come to the table with different backgrounds and points of view that create different expectations. In Acts 6, we discover a tension between the Hellenistic Jews (Greek Speaking) and the Hebraic Jews (Hebrew Speaking). The issue at hand, some of the widows were not receiving the daily distribution of food. It was apparent the Apostles’ time was overextended between serving, praying, and teaching.  Take a few moments to read Acts 6:1-7 to see how they handled the problem before them. Use the discussion questions to guide the conversation.


DISCUSSION QUESTIONS |

1. [Children] Activity: Have the children draw what comes to mind throughout today’s discussion. Help them use their words to describe what GOD is doing in this storyline. 
2. [Children - Adult] Some bible words to google: Apostle, Disciple, ‘Word of God’, Holy Spirit, Biblical wisdom, Convert, Priest and Proselyte. 
3. [Children - Adults] Discuss what the complaint is and its significance to the Christian movement. Can you define the hierarchy of leadership within this group? (Acts 6:1-2)
4. [Children - Adults] Take a few moments to identify the characteristics of a church leader, defined in these passages.  Give an example of what those might look like in action?
   (Example: 'ministry to the word' = Preaching and teaching about God and Jesus (see examples Acts 2:14-41, Acts 3:11-36, Acts 4, Acts 5:12-16)
5. [Teens - Adults] The church needed servant leaders to help direct the distributions to those in need so others might teach and pray. When you look at 'the church' today, what roles might be required?
6. What characteristics suits a person of church leadership? (Acts 6:3-6, 1 Cor 12:12-27, Ephesians 4:11 and Galatians 5:22-23)
7. [Teens - Adults] In verse 7, “So, the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith." Take a few moments and define what it means "to be obedient to the faith”. Find some passages to support these points. 
8. [Children - Adults] In today's lesson, Tim will make a similar statement "Church on mission assigns ministry opportunities to mature disciples." If you were to consider the conversation from the previous questions, what roles would come to mind, and how would you define "mature disciples?" 
9. [Teens - Adults] What role would you place yourself in as a disciple of Christ?  Servant Leader or Evangelistic? 

BONUS | As the church matures, Paul set forth some guidelines in 1 Timothy 5:9 that help define a widow in need. These guidelines helped keep the burden to the church, focused on people who were really in need. 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | Family Activity for the summer
[Children - Adults] For several weeks now we have encouraged a family prayer board. How is that going?   Here is what that looks like: Find a blank piece of paper or a whiteboard, go around the room asking about any concerns or thanksgivings before a time of Prayer.   Leave this paper where you can see it all week, discuss them everyday and see where God might be working in them. [Deu 6]
Additional Resource | Mission and Vision of the West Side Church of Christ: https://www.westsidear.org/mission-and-vision.html

SUMMARY | Disciples on mission endure persecution. (5:17-42)
Fearing for our lives because of our religious stance is not something we typically worry about within our setting. Sure we can become pressured to think differently but persecution?  In today's study, persecution means someone is treated ill or unfairly because of their religious stance.  Acts chapter 5:17-42, gives us insight into the situation the early disciples faced because of what they were teaching.  Take a few moments to read the story and us the discussion questions below. Consider what it means for Christians today. 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | 

1. [Children] Activity: Have the children draw what comes to mind throughout today’s discussion. Help them use their words to describe what GOD is doing in this storyline.  
2. [Teens - Adults] What’s standing out at the moment from today’s reading? What questions come to mind? (What is Sanhedrin? What is Pharisee?) 
   
3. [Children - Adults] In your own words, what does it mean to be a BOLD disciple/follower of Jesus? What might that look like at home, work, in a relationship, or at school? (See vs 28-29)
   
4. [Teens - Adults] We see trends, fads, protests, and political movements come and go, this isn’t a new concept. What stands out to you about what the teacher Gamaliel had to say to the council? (vs 33-39)
   
5. [Teens - Adults] Do you believe the Spirit of God was with the disciples in this setting? Did you notice they still had a consequence? What are your thoughts around the persecution they still endured? Also, discuss their response. 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | Family Activity from last week
[Children - Adults] For several weeks now we have encouraged a family prayer board. How is that going?   Here is what that looks like: Find a blank piece of paper or a whiteboard, go around the room asking about any concerns or thanksgivings before a time of Prayer.   Leave this paper where you can see it all week, discuss them everyday and see where God might be working in them. [Deu 6]
Additional Resource | Mission and Vision of the West Side Church of Christ: https://www.westsidear.org/mission-and-vision.html

HOME GUIDE | JULY 12,2020
SUMMARY | A CHURCH ON MISSION PRAYS FOR BOLDNESS AND SUPERNATURAL PRESENCE

Explaining the supernatural (not of this world) is difficult to do when we really don’t have the right words or settings to solidify.  Fact checking is very important, especially in the age of digital manipulation.  In Acts 3 - 4 we read about a supernatural healing that took place in front of many people.  Supernatural in simple terms is something not of this world. Something we can’t quite explain why or what happened.   As the writer of Acts tell the story he is leaning on the facts of the situation.  Peter and John’s healing of the man has caused a stir among Jerusalem but that is not the only thing causing the stir yet, it's the boldness of Peter and John.  Take a few moments to read Acts chapter 4 and discuss the setting with one another. 
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | 

1. [Children] Activity: Have the children draw what comes to mind throughout today’s discussion.  Help them use their words to describe what GOD is doing in this storyline.   Here is the link to a video that can help with today’s lesson; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQTFNyctPVU .
2. [Teens - Adults] What’s standing out at the moment from today’s reading? What questions come to mind? 
3. [Children - Adults] In your own words what does it mean to be a BOLD disciple/follower of Jesus?  What might that look like at home, work, in a relationship or at school?
4. [Teens - Adults] It’s easy to imagine the tension that was happening in Acts 4. Notice vs 5 - 9 how Peter addresses the crown and keeps the discussion on point.  He spoke scripture to them and then in vs 13 they noticed that Peter and John were not highly educated.  Can you think of other stories in the Bible where God used people that were not ‘gifted’ with education and talent to spread his message? Try and name three. 
5. [Teens - Adults] After the interaction with the ruling counsels, Peter and John refused to do what they directed them to do. They were not going to keep quiet about Jesus or the message the Holy Spirit wanted them to communicate.  After this situation, where did they go, who did they speak with and what was the outcome?  (Verse 23- 31)    Discuss how this story empowers us to go and do? 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS | Family Activity from last week
[Children - Adults] For several weeks now we have encouraged a family prayer board. How is that going?   Here is what that looks like: Find a blank piece of paper or a whiteboard, go around the room asking about any concerns or thanksgivings before a time of Prayer.   Leave this paper where you can see it all week, discuss them everyday and see where God might be working in them. [Deu 6]
Additional Resource | Mission and Vision of the West Side Church of Christ: https://www.westsidear.org/mission-and-vision.html