Acts 4

Go Deep

(Acts 4)

Read Acts 4 and jot down your insights.

After being threatened, Peter and John reported everything to the church. Was that wise? Should leaders share all the bad stuff?

The church in Acts 4:24 “lifted their voice in one accord” (ESV, “lifted their voices together.”) What does that mean? How can a church that is not in one accord get there? What are the steps?

The apostles went back to “their own people.” Do you think most Christians think of the church as their primary community? What rivals does the church have for this spot?

The church’s immediate response to the threats it faced was to pray. Would you say that is the way most churches respond to trouble? How can we make it our habit to respond in that way?

If you were in a prayer meeting where it was announced that government action was being threatened against your church, what do you think most people would pray for?

Why didn’t the church in Acts 4 pray for protection? Would they have been wrong to do so?

Read Acts 4:24. Describe the beginning of the church’s prayer. What is it that they believed about God?

Shayne said that this is the formula: Big God, small problems. Big problems, small God. How can we get the formula right in our own lives?

Do you begin your prayers with praise rather than problems? How would prayer be different for someone who regularly started their prayers in this way?

How might a church raise their voice (singular) in one accord to God? What would the procedure be? (Get practical.)

The disciple spoke and acted in Jesus’s name. How might you do that?