Spring 2010, Week 6 – Small Group Questions

The sermon for this week from the series “Acts in 3 Acts: Act 3” is titled “A Life Abandoned“.

What place did your parents have to drag you to, because you were scared to go there: Circus? Dentist? Elsewhere?

Read Acts 21:1-15 out loud. What stands out for you in this passage? What questions do you have?
How is Paul interpreting these warnings differently than his friends do (vv. 4, 10-13; see 20:22-23)? Why doesn’t he listen to their advice?
What else do you know about Agabus (see 11:27-29) that gives credence to his prophecy? Does Paul strike you as courageous or foolish, given this belt-tightening message? Why?
Why does Paul want to go to Jerusalem?

Does God expect the same level of commitment from us as he did from Paul? Are we all called to abandon our lives like he did?
How far would you go in obeying the call of God? Would you be willing to be bound, humiliated, imprisoned, and suffer for Christ?
Will a life abandoned to God ever be abandoned by God? Why or why not?
Paul’s friends pleaded with him not to give up his life in Jerusalem. Yet he ultimately listened to the voice of God. What costly act of obedience is God calling you to that others may say is going too far?

Joys and Challenges: What joys and challenges are you facing this week?
Application: Spend a few moments in silent prayer, asking God to help you abandon yourself to him.
Here at Northminster: Pray for the Session (Northminster’s board of elders) this week as they continue to listen to God and discern where God may be leading our church.
Beyond Northminster: Pray for Trinity Life Church an 18-month-old church plant in San Diego affiliated with San Diego Presbytery. Pray for their pastor, Marc Peña, that God would guide him and strengthen him for this ministry.