Commitment Sunday
Welcome to our For Your Neighbor series. This week, we talk about commitment and obedience in the story of Stephen in Acts 6-8. To view our adult devotional, click here.
To access Pete’s video explaining the Commitment Cards in detail, click here. To find our mission partners’ wish lists from Sunday, September 28 visit smc.church/giveback.
Ice Breaker: What’s your favorite board game? Do you prefer chess or checkers?
Read Acts 7:51-60
1.What stands out to you about Stephen from how he’s described in this passage?
2. Stephen’s boldness came from being “full of the Holy Spirit”. How can we cultivate that same Spirit-filled boldness in our own lives?
3. Stephen forgave the people who killed him. How does forgiving others help us love our neighbors well?
Read Acts 8:1-4
4. Discuss how this passage shows God operating several moves ahead?
5. Paul is perhaps the most famous person in church history besides Jesus. What stands out to you about the way he was described in the podcast or during Pete’s sermon on Sunday?
6. Paul goes from an enemy of the gospel to a promoter of the gospel—to the ends of the earth. Have you ever seen someone radically changed by Jesus? What was that like?
7. How have you seen God moving at least one step ahead in your life, like he did in the early church through Stephen and Paul?
8. Stephen's boldness planted a seed in the life of Saul (Paul), even though he didn’t believe at the time. Has someone ever planted a seed of faith in your life without knowing it?
9. How can Paul’s story inspire us to live For Our Neighbor—even if we’ve made mistakes or feel unqualified?
(*Video available after Sunday services)
