Speak The Language | Can/If | Drew Moore
What languages do you speak? In Acts chapter 13, we see that even over hundreds of years, the message of the Gospel never changed even when the language did. What does the Gospel sound like where you are?
Key Verses
Acts of the Apostles 13:14-16 NLT: But Paul and Barnabas traveled inland to Antioch of Pisidia. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue for the services.After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.”So Paul stood, lifted his hand to quiet them, and started speaking. “Men of Israel,” he said, “and you God-fearing Gentiles, listen to me.
Acts of the Apostles 13:17-19 NLT: “The God of this nation of Israel chose our ancestors and made them multiply and grow strong during their stay in Egypt. Then with a powerful arm he led them out of their slavery.He put up with them through forty years of wandering in the wilderness.Then he destroyed seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to Israel as an inheritance.
Acts of the Apostles 13:20-22 NLT: All this took about 450 years. “After that, God gave them judges to rule until the time of Samuel the prophet.Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’
Acts of the Apostles 13:23-25 NLT: “And it is one of King David’s descendants, Jesus, who is God’s promised Savior of Israel!Before he came, John the Baptist preached that all the people of Israel needed to repent of their sins and turn to God and be baptized.As John was finishing his ministry he asked, ‘Do you think I am the Messiah? No, I am not! But he is coming soon—and I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the sandals on his feet.’
Acts of the Apostles 13:26-28 NLT: “Brothers—you sons of Abraham, and also you God-fearing Gentiles—this message of salvation has been sent to us!The people in Jerusalem and their leaders did not recognize Jesus as the one the prophets had spoken about. Instead, they condemned him, and in doing this they fulfilled the prophets’ words that are read every Sabbath.They found no legal reason to execute him, but they asked Pilate to have him killed anyway.
Acts of the Apostles 13:29-31 NLT: “When they had done all that the prophecies said about him, they took him down from the cross and placed him in a tomb.But God raised him from the dead!And over a period of many days he appeared to those who had gone with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to the people of Israel.
Acts of the Apostles 13:32-33 NLT: “And now we are here to bring you this Good News. The promise was made to our ancestors and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.’
Acts of the Apostles 13:34-37 NLT: For God had promised to raise him from the dead, not leaving him to rot in the grave. He said, ‘I will give you the sacred blessings I promised to David.’Another psalm explains it more fully: ‘You will not allow your Holy One to rot in the grave.’This is not a reference to David, for after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors, and his body decayed.No, it was a reference to someone else—someone whom God raised and whose body did not decay.
1 Corinthians 15:3-6 NLT: I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve.After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died.
Acts of the Apostles 13:38-39 NLT: “Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins.Everyone who believes in him is made right in God’s sight—something the law of Moses could never do.
One of the best ways to hear what God is saying right now is to look at what He has said in the Bible with a few friends. Discovery Bible Study is an easy-to-use way to hear from God, make good changes in our lives, and share with others what God is up to. Grab some friends, pick a verse or story from above, and dive deeper into this week’s message.
Recap
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To begin the study, each person answers these questions:
What are you thankful for?
What is causing stress for our neighbors and people around us?
What can we as individuals or as a group do to help?
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Have someone retell the story from your previous meeting.
Did you live out your response from last week?
Did you tell anyone else about the story from last week?
DISCOVERING WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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One person reads the story out loud to the group.
Someone else in the group retells the story in their own words as they remember it, and others fill in what’s missing.
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Read the passage again (different version if possible)
What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?
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Have 1-2 more people retell the story as if they were telling a neighbor outside their home.
What does this passage say about people in general?
DISCOVER WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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What in me needs to change to better DO what God is showing me today?
How will you respond to/obey this passage in a tangible, perhaps even costly ways in the next 47 hours?
Have someone record these for prayer time, and for the beginning of the next meeting.
SHARING WHAT GOD IS SAYING
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Take prayer requests
Pray together
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Who in your life needs to hear this story?
Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?
Practice Generosity Here
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