ICEBREAKERS
Make sure to start off with prayer. Then choose one or more questions to open up with.
- If you could speak another language, what would you speak and why?
- Tell about a moment in your life that fits with the following categories:
- Happy
- Sad
- Funny
- Life Changing
- Empowering
Message Review
Main points and scriptures from this week's message.
Luke 24:46–49 (NKJV)
“Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:4–6, 8 (NKJV)
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . . But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:1–4 (NKJV)
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
POINT 1: When does empowerment happen?
- Evangelicals believe that we get it all when we are saved, that there is no separate "baptism" of the Holy Spirit.
- Pentecostals believe that it is a separate and distinct experience that does not occur the moment we are saved, but occurs in a different moment.
- Charismatics believe that there the Holy Spirit is part of every believer's life, but there is a moment where we get empowered or are filled and baptized in the Holy Spirit.
POINT 2: What does empowerment look like?
- Happy & Joyful.
Ephesians 5:18–21 (NIV)
“Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
- Equipped to Build.
The Apostle Paul talks about the different gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14, all of which equip us to build ourselves, each other, and the church.
1 Corinthians 12 deals with the diversity of gifts,, but the unity of the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:1, 4–7 (NIV)
“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed . . . There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”
1 Corinthians 13 deals with the gifts of the Spirit and their necessary relation to love.
1 Corinthians 14 deals with edification or instruction about how to use the spirtual gifts.
CONCLUSION: When I do not know what to think, say, or do, I rely on the Spirit to empower me. Not in a weird way, but simply by relying on God to give me the thoughts to think, the words to say, or the way to act.
Message Discussion Questions
The following questions will help guide your discussions and give your group some opportunities to open up and share.
- Classify your relationship with the Holy Spirit. (distant, strange, complicated, growing, above average, complete)
- Has theological viewpoints concerning the Holy Spirit kept you from empowerment?
- Give two scenarios that could occur in your every day life where the empowerment of the Holy Spirit would help you.
- What is one way that you are going to grow closer to the Holy Spirit this week?
- Do you feel like you have been empowered or filled by the Holy Spirit? If not, beging to ask God for Him to empower you. If so, continue to ask God to empower you more and more.
Live It Out
Encourage your group to start doing. Commit to a step, and live it out this week.
- Begin to incorporate the Holy Spirit into your prayers. Maybe you pray to Jesus, to the Father, but begin to talk to the Holy Spirit as your personal companion, comforter, and helper.
- Listen to the Holy Spirit this week. Follow one prompting that may come from Him this week. Often it could be to speak a word of encouragement to someone, to invite someone to church, or to pray for someone. (And don't be weird about it, just do it)
- In your journal thank God for His gift to us.
Closing Thoughts
- Finish group with prayer requests and praise reports.
- More resources always available here: Small Group Resources