LEADER’S GUIDE
– The Power Up Series –
HOLY SPIRIT . BREATHE . LOVE BY FAITH . TELLING OTHERS
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Student Notes
The BIG IDEA
The Holy Spirit invites us to be his mouthpiece to tell others about Jesus.
The PROBLEM
We miss out on the adventure of telling others about Christ because we don’t follow the Spirit’s lead.
Our RESPONSE
Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and draw on his power to share the message of Jesus with others.
I WANT MY STUDENTS TO:
- KNOW: God calls us to tell people about him and gives us his Spirit to make that possible.
- EXPERIENCE: Excitement that God would use and empower us to talk to others about Jesus.
- DO: Take the initiative to tell others about Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
The idea box is a place where you can find some creative ideas for leading this study. You might find videos, activities, or great illustrations that really bring the main point home. The ideas come from small group leaders like you, so if you have an idea that isn’t in there, click below to share it with the community!
GET AN IDEA I SHARE AN IDEA
*WHAT DO YOU THINK?
“My name is Grace, and I am constantly stuck in classes with Miranda Hall. I hate it. She is rude and so stuck up! Whenever we have a class together, there she is right next to me with her nose up in the air. Then one day in math I saw it. Big tears coming down her face, her head lowered in an attempt to hide. I never knew the problem but from then on I decided to treat her like everyone else—as a person who needed to know about Jesus. The problem was I didn’t know where to start. How do you share Christ with someone you don’t even like?” In what way can you relate to Grace?
*WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT THIS?
The first five questions are from Acts 8:26-40.
*1. Read Acts 8:26. How does the story begin?
God sends an angel to speak to Philip and tell him to go south on a road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza.
*2. Read Acts 8:27–28. What happens once Philip starts down this road?
He sees an Ethiopian official who’s returning from worshiping God in Jerusalem. This Ethiopian is riding in a chariot and reading from God’s Word.
*3. Read Acts 8:29–35. How does God’s Spirit lead Philip in these verses?
He leads him to join the Ethiopian in his chariot and help him understand the Scripture he’s reading. He leads him to use this and other Scriptures to explain Jesus to the Ethiopian.
4. Who does Philip focus on as he explains the Scripture to the Ethiopian?
Jesus. See Acts 8:35.
*5. Read Acts 8:36–40. How does the Ethiopian respond once Philip tells him about Jesus?
He wants Philip to baptize him as an expression of his faith in Jesus.
*6. Read Acts 1:8. How does this summarize how God wants to work through us?
Jesus wants to fill us with his Spirit so that we would be his witnesses everywhere we go, even to the ends of the earth. Witnesses are people who talk to others about what they’ve seen and experienced.
*HOW DO WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
7. What can we learn about the Spirit working through us from Philip’s experience?
Allow the group to discuss. Below are a few suggestions. Pick a few that stand out to you and point them out to the group.
a) Listen to God. The point is to listen to God prompting us. This will often involve us praying and asking God to show us who we should talk to.
b) Go. It is never easy to step into conversations about God. But we can trust that as God leads us into conversations, he will also work in the person’s heart.
c) Look for windows where they might be thinking about God and talk to them about it: maybe they are reading the Bible, in the middle of a crisis, or asking a question about God.
d) Talk about Jesus and keep the conversation focused on him. Talk about how to know Jesus and how he’s worked in your life.
e) Look for a response. It may not happen in the first conversation like it did with Philip, but encourage them to trust in Jesus and then leave the results to God.
*8. God brought the Ethiopian and Philip together. Who has God brought into your life that may need to hear about Jesus?
Allow the group to discuss.
9. Success in talking to people about Jesus is taking the initiative to share Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God. How does this apply to you?
Allow the group to discuss.
*10. Take what we’ve discussed and think about Grace’s story. How would you want to respond to her?
Allow the group to discuss.
Our review cards are an excellent way to review your past lessons with your students before each study. Not every lesson has one yet but if we have them, you can find them on the PRINT page. Check them out and use them each week to help your students grab hold of the truths in these studies.
What ideas do you have that could improve this study? Are there creative things you do to bring this topic home to your students? Please share with the community clicking the FEEDBACK button or leaving a comment below.
