When the Problem is the Path | Can/If | Drew Moore

What should we do when we hit a wall in the middle of our path? In Acts 8 and 11, we see a man named Barnabas and his friends encounter several walls that they could given up on, but instead they see how to continue and not just give up. So how can we turn our “can’t because” into a “can if?”

Key Verses

• Acts of the Apostles 1:8 NLT: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”.

• Acts of the Apostles 8:1 NLT: Saul was one of the witnesses, and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen. A great wave of persecution began that day, sweeping over the church in Jerusalem; and all the believers except the apostles were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria.

• Acts of the Apostles 8:4 NLT: But the believers who were scattered preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went.

• Acts of the Apostles 11:19-26 NLT: Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

• Acts of the Apostles 11:27-28 NLT: During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.)

• Acts of the Apostles 11:29-30 NLT: So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.

  
  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

• Reconnect

  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?

• Recap

  • 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

• Read and Retell the Bible Story

  • 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.

• Read and Look

  • Read the passage again (different version if possible)

  • What does this passage say about God, Jesus, or His plan?

• Read and Look Again

  • 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

• Consider

  • 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

• Praying Together

  • Take prayer requests

  • Pray together

• Share

  • Who in your life needs to hear this story?

  • Who could you invite to study the Bible like this?

Practice Generosity Here

Every time you give in Jesus’ name, you make a difference in others AND you make a difference in your own life! Partnering together in generosity helps accomplish things together that could never be accomplished alone! You can partner together in giving today with a single gift, or schedule recurring giving using your checking account, debit, or credit card.