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Q2. (Acts 9:9-19) God seemed to initiate Saul's conversion. How did God use Ananias in ministry to Saul? God revealed His plan to use Saul to reach the Gentiles and directed Ananias to go and pray for him, lay his hands on him to prepare him for his role for his new boss, the Lord Jesus Christ. How important is listening and obedience in ministry -- even when we don't understand? Listening, understanding and obeying is very important to discharging our assignments for the Lord God Almighty correctly. Are you prepared if God were to call you to minister to a high-profile person in his Kingdom? I cannot say for sure that I am prepared but I pray that the Lord God will anoint and prepare and use me for His work. But He has to make it clear that He is the One talking to me and not my imagination.

Q1. (Acts 9:4-5) Why is persecuting the Church the same as persecuting Jesus himself? Because the Church is the body of Christ and His temple What is the bond between Jesus and his Church? See my answer to the first part of the question Why must we show reverence toward Christ's Church and not disparage it? The Church is a member of the body of Christ thus therefore has to be treated well.

What was the Sign of Jonah to Jesus' generation? The sign of Jonah: Just as Jonah was in the belly of a big fish for three days so would Jesus remained buried in the tomb for three days and rise again on the third day. Why was it even more convincing than healing the sick? (11:29-30) This, the sign of Jonah, was more convincing than other miracles such as healing the sick because it confirmed prophesies made about the Messiah who would come to save the world from their sin through death and resurrection. What does the lamp in 11:33 represent? Our eyes represent the lamp. If they are good, we will be able see the works the Lord Jesus does and believe Him and obey him. Why is the lamp not hid but put on a stand? So that the light from the lamp can be seen 2. In what way does our spiritual enlightenment depend upon the health of our spiritual eyes? If our spiritual eyes are good, empowered by the Spirit, we can perceive spiritual truth from the Word of God otherwise we will not perceive spiritual matters. What sharpens our spiritual discernment? The leadership, power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God What dulls it? Sin and absence of the Holy Spirit 3. How do we recover our spiritual discernment from years spent in sin or a cult or a rigid, legalistic church? Repentance and prayer for filling of the Holy Spirit, fellowship with others as iron sharpens iron. 4. Extra credit. What is the relationship between our repentance from sin and God's grace? Salvation and the gift of the Holy Spirit are free and by the grace of God but we have to repent by turning from our sinful lifestyle to draw down from the grace of God. Why don't all repent and respond to his grace? God has given us freedom of choice. He tells us what is good for us but allows us to make our decisions to obey or not. But I personally do sometimes ask God to make me do all he wants me to do without giving me the option to choose to do or not Let's stay away from doctrinal answers we may have learned, and seek the answer to this question in Luke's Gospel.

1. When Jesus is accused of being empowered by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, what are the three points of his answer? Put these points in your own words. a. (11:17-18a) When there is absence of unity in a home or system, the home or system will collapse. b. (11:18b-20) Jesus told His accusers that he couldn’t be driving out demons using satanic power else Satan’s kingdom is divided. He concluded that since the power that he used was from God, the Kingdom of God has come to them. c. (11:21-22) Jesus says here that he casts the demon out because he had the power that was greater than that of Satan. 2. What in Scripture indicates that the spiritual warfare against Satan and his demons is not an even match? He that is in us is greater than he that is the world 1John 4:4 We are more than conquerors Rom 8:37 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) What verse in this passage indicates this? 3. (Extra credit) In Luke 9:49-50 Jesus says "Whoever is not against you is for you." But in 11:23 he says "He who is not with me is against me." Are these statements in conflict? What are we to learn from each? I don't think so 4. What are the dangers of seeing Christianity mainly in terms of family pride and responsibility, like the woman in the crowd? (11:27-28) Christianity is far more than a family pride and responsibility. It is about knowing Christ personally, listening to his word and obeying his word.

Q4. (Acts 8:26-29). Notice how Philip learns what to do -- from an angel (verse 26) and from the Spirit (verse 29). Can God speak to us today by his Spirit, or was this just for the first century? Certainly, God can and still speak to us today by His Spirit. I have heard people around me say, the Spirit or God told me so, so and so and believe them. As for me, there are times a thought has persisted in my mind and jot it down and pray about it for three days. If the idea persists, I set out to implement the “thought”. In most cases the result or outcome shows that it was God that gave the ‘thought’

Q3. (Acts 8:9-25) What is at the root of Simon Magus's sin? Wanting to buy the power of the Holy Spirit with money is sin. This ambition was motivated by jealousy, pride and desire for monetary gains which are also sin. Why is using money to buy spiritual influence, power, and salvation so deeply offensive to God? Salvation, power and spiritual influence are free gift from God. Therefore it is an offence to God for anyone to even think he can buy them. See Matthew 10:8-9 Matt 10:8-9 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, b drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9NIV How is it opposite to God's way? See first part of my answer to the above question. Where do you see this sin in the modern church? I think this is found in cases where church members who are seeking for something from God give monetary gift or “seed” to men of God or in church in anticipation for the desired need.

Q2. (Acts 8:4-17) What convinced the Samaritans to believe in Jesus? It was the miracles performed by Phillip of healing, exorcism, making the cripple and paralytics’ to walk. In your opinion, why didn't the Holy Spirit fall on them at the time of their baptism? May be God wanted the coming of the Holy spirit on at later time for some specific lessons/ teaching/ message as per the answer to the next question below Why did Peter and John have to come first? Peter and John had to go to the new Samaritan converts to pray and lay their hands on them. And they did just that. And the Holy Spirit came upon the new converts. This sent a message to the Jewish Christians that the Samaritans were also accepted in the plan of salvation and that they were no longer second class citizens.

Q1. (Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19) What enables us to give thanks in all circumstances? Because God will turn all things for good no matter how bad the situation is to accomplish his plans. What was the short-term effect of Saul's persecution? The short term effect of the persecution was that the members of the new church that were all together was scattered outside Jerusalem. What was the longer-term effect? The long term effect of was that the message was preached wherever the fleeing persecuted went to. The Word thus spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and to all over the world.

Q1. (Acts 8:1, 4; 11:19) What enables us to give thanks in all circumstances? Because God will turn all things for good no matter how bad the situation is to accomplish his plans. What was the short-term effect of Saul's persecution? The short term effect of the persecution was that the members of the new church that were all together was scattered outside Jerusalem. What was the longer-term effect? The long term effect of was that the message was preached wherever the fleeing persecuted went to. The Word thus spread from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria and to all over the world.

Q4. (Acts 7:52) In what senses is Jesus "the Righteous One"? Jesus is the “the Righteous One” because though born of a human woman was without sin because though human, He was also God and thus in all His ways He could not be found with any sin. His character was perfect and He depicted the holiness of His Father How should his righteousness challenge our sinfulness? We must be righteous and holy as He is. We must in the power of the Holy Spirit resist sin in the power of the Holy Spirit. In 1 John 2:1-2, why is the Righteous One our Advocate before the Father? He died but rose to set us free from sin and whenever the evil one condemns us before the Lord God Almighty, He tells Him, no, I have paid for the sin of this one being accused and thus he stands acquitted of the charges against him. Praise God. How does Jesus deal with the great gap caused by our unrighteousness? He has bridged the gap when took our sin and nailed it on the cross. When we commit any act of unrighteousness, His Spirit torments us to confess and repent, His righteousness is credited unto us and His righteousness is our righteousness.

Q3. (Acts 7:51) Stephen accuses the Jewish leaders of stubbornness, hard-heartedness, and resistance to God. Have you ever noticed these tendencies in your own heart? What must you do if you see such things in yourself? Not really. I do not see myself as stubborn, hard-hearted and resisting God. But whenever the Spirit convicts me of this, I will quickly confess, repent and change. So help Lord.

Q2. (Acts 6:3, ? What list of qualities do you see in Stephen when you combine the apostles' list of qualifications (verse 3) with the description of Stephen's character (verse 8)? Stephen is described in Acts 6:8as a man full of God’s grace, and performed wonders and signs among the people. Elsewhere he is said to be reputable, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. Why is a ministry that combines the word with miracles so powerful? A ministry that combines the Word and miracles is powerful because the manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit resulting in miracles pulls more and more people to give their lives to Jesus.

Q1. (Acts 6:1-2) What is the root problem in the Jerusalem church that shows up in food distribution? With the rapid growth of the church, administration became difficult. The Grecian widows grumbled that they were being neglected in sharing of food. The apostles were involved so much administering food and other distractions while prayer and the Word ministry suffered. How could such a root problem slow growth and erode spiritual life? Time taken for the Ministry of prayer and Word will be affected and this and other distractions slows down spiritual growth. How do the apostles deal with it? They called for a general meeting of all believers, asked the to select seven people among them, people with good reputation, filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom to serve at tables while the apostle will devout themselves to the Ministry of Prayer and the Word. Is there a root problem in your congregation that leaders need to deal with that threatens the health of the church? I am not aware of any in my congregation now. Why do leaders sometimes avoid dealing with church problems? One reason may be just to let the sleeping dog lie for their own selfish peace.

Q3. (Acts 4:32) Why is "having everything in common" at the root of true Christian fellowship? Of koinonia? What does this have to do with the mark of disciples who are known for deep love for one another (John 13:34-35)? To what degree does the church fall short of this? What are we going to do about it? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2050-q3-sharing/ The issue is that in the society, there are those who have possession in abundance while some hardly can meet their needs. This calls for Christian fellowship to consider everyone’s possession as belonging to everyone to be shared. But this is more or less just a theory as in our congregations in Nigeria, there is quite a gap between the haves and those that don’t. We need to copy the fellowship of the first church where the poor ones can be catered for through sharing.

Q2. (Acts 4:31)What does it mean, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit"? Weren't they already filled with the Spirit? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2049-q2-filled/ It means they were soaked, totally saturated, empowered and enabled with the power of the Holy Spirit for service and worship of God. They were filled with the Holy Spirit before but there is need for refreshing or refilling with the power of the Holy Spirit over and over again.

Q1. (Acts 4:23-31) Why do the believers pray for boldness? Why do they need boldness in this circumstance? They prayed for boldness so as to continue the assignment the Lord has given and which they have victoriously started but the Jewish authority were trying to stop them. What does this tell us about their faith? Their character? Their prayer for boldness to God is an indication that they have faith that with the power of God with them, they can continue to preach boldly and gain victory over the evil one and the leaders that were trying to stop them.

Q5. (Acts 5:17-42) Why do you think Luke includes this long section about the apostles' imprisonment, trial before the Sanhedrin, and flogging? In your culture, what does it take to keep Christians from sharing their faith openly? Do you share your faith openly? Luke included the long section that contains the Apostles’ imprisonment, trial and flogging to bring to us several messages- persecution as prophesied by Jesus himself, the power of God at work with the apostles seen in the supernatural release from the secured prison by God and the continuation of declaration of the truth that the Jewish leaders delivered Jesus to be killed but God raised him triumphantly and exalted him on his right hand in heaven. It also shows the determination of the apostle to joyfully continue to speak for Jesus despite stiff persecution by the Jews.

Q4. (Acts 5:1-11) What is the central sin Ananias and Sapphira are guilty of? Why is lying to Peter the same as "lying to the Holy Spirit" (verse 3), "lying to God" (verse 4)? How can acting toward the church as a mere human institution put us under God's judgment? What does it mean to "test the Spirit of the Lord" in verse 9. Why was that wrong? The one so obvious to me is the sin of lying to God, against the Holy Spirit, and the the leaders. But there is also the sin of pride. The story is a lesson to us that we can put ourselves into trouble the way we treat God, the Holy Spirit and church leaders as we treat what we call our possessions.

Q3. (Acts 4:32) Why is "having everything in common" at the root of true Christian fellowship? Of koinonia? What does this have to do with the mark of disciples who are known for deep love for one another (John 13:34-35)? To what degree does the church fall short of this? What are we going to do about it? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2050-q3-sharing/ The issue is that in the society, there are those who have possession in abundance while some hardly can meet their needs. This calls for Christian fellowship to consider everyone’s possession as belonging to everyone to be shared. This is more or less just a theory as in our congregations in Nigeria, there is quite a gap between the haves and those that haven’t. We need to copy the fellowship of the first church where the poor ones can be catered for.

Q2. (Acts 4:31)What does it mean, "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit"? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2049-q2-filled/ They were soaked with the power of the Holy Spirit. Weren't they already filled with the Spirit? They were filled with the Holy Spirit before but there is need for refreshing or refilling with the power of the Holy Spirit over and over again.

Q1. (Acts 4:23-31) Why do the believers pray for boldness? Why do they need boldness in this circumstance? The believers in this study prayed for boldness so as to continue the assignment the Lord had given them to testify about him, preach the Good news and bring souls to salvation but they were being prevented the authorities. We too in this generation need to pray for boldness given the intense persecution of the Christians. What does this tell us about their faith? Their character? Their prayer for boldness to God is an indication that they have faith that with the power of God with them, they can continue to preach boldly and gain victory over the evil one and the leaders that were trying to stop them. As regards their character, they were resilient and determined

Q4. (Acts 4:19-20) We are told to submit to the civil authorities God has placed over us (Romans 13:1). How are we to balance submission to God with submission to parents and government? Our decision should be based on whether the order from the authority contravenes God’s order. If it does, our response should be same as that of Peter and john- to obey God rather than man. How can we be faithful to God and still be humble? By ensuring we give respect, honour and respect to those in authority as long as we do anything that will cause us to sin against the King of Kings.

Q3. (Acts 4:12) What are the implications of believing that Jesus Christ is the exclusive way to God? It means one is lost if one fails to believe and accepts him as Savior. My challenge though is the fate of those who did not hear the message of salvation or died before the coming of Jesus Christ. How does this conviction energize evangelism? It means we have a responsibility to prayerfully and earnestly seek to take the word to the unsaved to deliver them from going to hell. Why does our culture resist this belief so adamantly? I think one of the reasons is the enormousness of the challenge in evangelism. Another could be the imagination that cause us to wonder how a loving God will knowingly destroy his creation that were not opportuned to hear the word talk less of making up their minds before their death. http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2046-q3-exclusive/

Q2. (Acts 3:19-20) Why is repentance necessary to experience personal "times of refreshing," peace, and renewal? According to Acts 3:19-20, when does the ultimate "time of refreshing" come? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2045-q2-repentance/ Lawlessness or sinfulness results in restlessness and punishment and thus, to be justified and restored requires repentance by stopping the wrong acts and turning to faith and righteousness in Jesus by his power. This then brings one to a time of refreshing.

Q1. (Acts 3:6, 16; 4:10) What kind power do we possess in the name of Jesus? Why do many believers conclude their prayers, "in Jesus' name, Amen"? (John 14:14) How does praying in Jesus' name relate to praying in God's will? Can we misuse praying in Jesus' name? If so, how? http://www.joyfulheart.com/forums/topic/2044-q1-name/ In His name we have every type of power Jesus had/have- power to heal the sick, power to perform and task etc joining our faith in Him and using His power. It is unfortunate that the use of “in Jesus Name” at the end of prayer just announces that the prayer has come to an end. Praying in Jesus name can only relates to praying in Gods name when we by faith bear in mind that the power to achieve what we ask comes from God and is the same power Jesus has bestowed in us to use and achieve result.