July Week 1
Breakout Format
Welcome/Greeting (1 min.)
Prayer: (1 min.)
Ice-Breaker Activity (2 min)
Worship:Testimony/Read a Psalm (1 min)
Breakout Discussion Questions
Closing Announcements
Breakout Discussion: “Be Filled & Be Stretched”
On Sunday, Pastor Mike began to share the corporate vision for this month, as well as the new Bible series entitled Capacity where he taught on the benefits of being filled and being stretched. Tonight, let’s dive a bit deeper to understand more about capacity.
Breakout Passages:
Acts 1:4-8 KJV
[4]And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
[5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
[6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
[7] And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
[8] But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 4:8-20 NLT
[8]Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of our people,
[9] are we being questioned today because we've done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed?
[10] Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
[11] For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, 'The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.'
[12] There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved."
[13] The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the Scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus.
[14] But since they could see the man who had been healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.
[15] So they ordered Peter and John out of the council chamber and conferred among themselves.
[16] "What should we do with these men?" they asked each other. "We can't deny that they have performed a miraculous sign, and everybody in Jerusalem knows about it.
[17] But to keep them from spreading their propaganda any further, we must warn them not to speak to anyone in Jesus' name again."
[18] So they called the apostles back in and commanded them never again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
[19] But Peter and John replied, "Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than him?
[20] We cannot stop telling about everything we have seen and heard."
Q1: Share your thoughts on the balloon illustration and the lesson you took away concerning capacity?
Q2: In the book of Acts 1:4-8, we see where Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were endowed with the power of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 4:8-20, we see Peter and John speaking about the power of Jesus that healed a man. Can we discuss situations and circumstances that often try to intimidate us as believers to be silent or stay silent concerning the power of Jesus?
Q3: Why is boldness so desperately needed in the times we are living now? (fear, intimidation, worldliness, materialism, spiritual growth, warfare, maturity, …)
Prayer: Heavenly Father, Lord Fill me with the power of Your Holy Spirit. And prepare my heart to handle the attacks that come with being a bold disciple in the Kingdom of God. These things I ask in Jesus name.
Benediction: Jude 1:24-25
