We Are on a Mission from God

In one paragraph

Carl is out of town, so another pastor from the congregation brought the message from Acts 6:1-15, continuing First B's ongoing study through the book of Acts. He traced the recurring pattern in Acts where God moves with power, His word interprets what is happening, opposition arises, and the gospel advances anyway. This week the opposition came not from outside the church but from within, in the...

Read together

1. Psalm 103:1 opening encouragement to lead into worship, praising the Lord with all inmost being
2. 1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with his son Jesus our Lord
3. Psalm 119:105 God's word is a light to the path and lamp for the feet
4. Acts 6:1-15 main passage for the sermon covering the appointment of the seven and Stephen's arrest
5. Philippians 2:1-2 benediction about encouragement from being united with Christ and being like minded

Talk about it

1. The sermon describes a repeating pattern in Acts where God moves with power, His word interprets the situation, opposition arises and is thwarted, and the witness advances. Where have you seen that pattern play out in your own life or in this church?
2. The preacher pointed out three forms of opposition to the early church: external persecution, internal hypocrisy, and murmuring that leads to division. Which of those three do you think poses the greatest threat to a local church today, and why?
3. When the Greek-speaking believers complained about their widows being overlooked, the apostles took the complaint seriously rather than dismissing it or defending themselves. What does that response tell us about how church leaders and members should handle legitimate grievances?
4. The preacher suggested that if you are the one sensing something is wrong in a situation, you might be more sensitive to it because you are the one meant to help fix it. Has that ever been true in your own experience, and how did you respond?
5. The sermon closed with a prayer asking God to help us go directly to the person or group we are murmuring about rather than letting it fester. What makes that kind of direct, humble confrontation so hard, and what would help you actually do it?