Unleashed-Growth-Group-Booklet.Pdf
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U N L E A S H E D | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H CONTENTS I N T R O D U C T I O N T H E B O O K O F A C T S : U N L E A S H E D A C T S 2 : 3 7 - 4 7 W E E K 1 E M E R G I N G A C T S 6 : 1 - 7 W E E K 2 E S T A B L I S H I N G A C T S 8 : 1 - 4 0 W E E K 3 E X C I T I N G A C T S 2 8 : 1 7 - 3 0 W E E K 4 L A U N C H I N G A P P E N D I X H E L P F U L A D D I T I O N S T O T H I S G R O W T H G U I D E 1 2 U N L E A S H E D | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H INTRODUCTION TO Although there are timeless and eternal principles to learn from these THE BOOK OF pages of Acts, let’s not forget that The ACTS: UNLEASHED Book of Acts is an unfolding story of a truly unprecedented and unique We’ve heard it said again and again, event. So as we try to make sense of “These are unprecedented times.”For and grapple with our different us they may be unprecedented, but circumstances and are faced with our they are not unprecedented in the own unprecedented and unique full meaning of the word. This events, we can learn precious lessons current moment caused by Covid-19 from The Book of Acts. The emerging, is unique for us, but it’s not unique. establishing, exciting, and launching of the church then speaks into how However, there was a time that was we seek to re-emerge, re-establish, re- truly unprecedented and unique -- excite, and re-launch. that is the time of The Book of Acts. In The Book of Acts, Luke’s 2nd As we search for these theological volume (The Gospel of Luke being 1st truths or principles in Acts, it can be volume), records the unfolding of tempting to strip away the historical truly unprecedented and unique events of this book. But God has given events of Jesus’ Spirit at work in and us a story. And we need to respect through the disciples. that. The story of Acts matters, because God is inviting us into it. As Think about the resurrected Jesus we listen to the story God is telling us ascending into heaven. in Acts, we begin to connect with it. Think about the first time the Holy We see ourselves a part of what God is Spirit was poured out into the lives of doing. Jesus’ people. Think about the first Christian Want to discover more about The sermon preached by Peter. Book of Acts? Scan the QR Code Think about the first Christian church below. emerging. Think about the first time the church felt growing pains. Think about the first time the church faced external pressures. Think about the first time the church went global. 3 E M E R G I N G | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H WEEK 1 | ACTS 2:37-47 PERSONAL GROWTH “Brothers, what shall we do?” ___________________________________ 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name ___________________________________ of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift ___________________________________ of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who ___________________________________ are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other ___________________________________ words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves ___________________________________ from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message ___________________________________ were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number ___________________________________ that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the ___________________________________ apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to ___________________________________ the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the ___________________________________ many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were ___________________________________ together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and ___________________________________ possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to ___________________________________ meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ___________________________________ ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying ___________________________________ the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who ___________________________________ were being saved. 4 E M E R G I N G | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H WEEK 1 | ACTS 2:37-47 FAMILY GROWTH For parents: If your kids watched the Quizworx videos at home during lockdown, they heard about Peter’s speech in this passage and learned Acts 2:38 as a memory verse song. This would be a great opportunity to remember the story of Pentecost together. You can find the song on YouTube with the QR code. Are you reading through Acts as a family? What time in the day or week works best for you? Don’t be afraid to try some different options, but try to settle on a routine when you can. For younger kids, you could colour in a star each time you read this week: ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ 5 E M E R G I N G | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H WEEK 1 | ACTS 2:37-47 GROWTH GROUP Have a look at the Southside Re-Emerge document at the end of this study. How have you personally found the process of re-emerging to church after isolation? Read Acts 2:37-47 Each person take a turn to retell the story of Acts 2:37-47 in your own words, by adding one detail that hasn’t been mentioned yet. What does Acts 2:37-41 tell us about the emerging of the Church? (Also see Acts 1:1-14; 2:1-4) What does Acts 2:42-47 tell us about this new identity and way of life? How did it shape the emergence of the church? As Southside re-emerges, why is the story of Acts 2:37-41 important for us? Reflect on what resonates with you in particular from the story of Acts 2:37-47. What is one thing that resonates with you? How do you think God wants to use this to shape you as Southside continues to re-emerge? Share what has resonated with you from the story of Acts 2:37-47 with God. Pray about how you think He’s wanting to use this insight to shape your life at the moment. Use this moment talking with God to ask Him to strengthen you to do this. 6 E M E R G I N G | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H WEEK 1 | PRAYER How has God been at work in your life this week? How are you going with God? How are you going with others God has placed in your life? Something God’s put on your heart from the passage? Who are the people you are on mission to? What can we pray for them this week? 7 E M E R G I N G | S O U T H S I D E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H WEEK 1 | COVID & SOUTHSIDE RE-EMERGING We have already to a large extent experienced this stage of re-emerging. Re- emerging began as we gathered as a church for the first few times in July. During the stage of Re-Emerging, the outcomes were simply to: Get some excitement back for meeting together in our building. Build some enthusiasm by looking forward to the future and getting back on mission together. Encourage one another as we gathered together physically. Getting teams together again. Yet during this stage of Re-Emerging, there were some expected difficulties: It’s hard to get excited when significant change is happening (Covid-19, 2 Services, loss of critical mass, limited social interaction) and not to mention it’s winter time, so it’s cold. Not everyone is feeling enthusiastic or comfortable about leaving home, whether due to being at a higher risk of sickness, struggling with mental health or laziness. So there were a few things we needed to do to in this stage of Re-Emerging: Have God speak into the Re-emerging stage and remind us of what a life of true worship means; that all we do in life matters.