Teaching Series Introduction:
“If God was small enough to be comprehended, he would not be big enough to be worshipped.” (Imad Shehadeh)
This is a series all about the Holy Spirit. Who, or what, is the Holy Spirit?
The bible is mainly written in Hebrew (Old Testament) and in Greek (New Testament). Each of these languages has one word (Hebrew – ruach; Greek – pneuma) that is used for three different English words – Spirit, breath and wind. And so, the way the bible describes the Holy Spirit can be both confusing and illuminated by these ideas…the wind that powers the sails, and the breath that gives life. So, what role does the Holy Spirit play in the life of Christians? This series takes a deep dive in who the Holy Spirit is and the difference he makes in our lives. It’s time to breathe again.
“The Lord of hosts is with us. He’s not watching us move through this stream of history, he’s actually navigating it with us through his Holy Spirit.” (Karen A Ellis)
Session 7:
A Generous Spirit
TEACHING SERIES: And, Breathe
TITLE: Session 7: A Generous Spirit
BY: Tim Chilvers
DATE: 13 March 2022
PASSAGE: Romans (Chaper 12, verses 42 to 47) Acts (Chapter 4, verses 32 to 36) and Acts 5 Read online
Listen Online: Podcast
Watch Online: Church At Home
Listen Online
Watch Online
Children’s & Youth Resources:
These resources will be used within the various groups in-person on a Sunday morning. This means that if you are unable to attend one of our Sunday Gatherings, you can still study and follow along with the same material at a time that is best for you. However you study, we encourage you to engage with your group as much as possible. If you would like to know about how you can get connected with our children’s or youth groups please contact us, we would love to hear from you.
Youth Resources
This Weeks Youth Video:
Children’s Resources
This weeks Children’s Video:
Bible Study Questions:
There are three different sets of questions for you to use, whether you are exploring God’s word within your Life Group, in other group settings, or simply using them on your own.
A. DISCUSSION STARTERS
These are simple questions to provoke discussion together out of the talk (ideal if you are watching our Sunday Service online with others in your group):
1) Was there anything that particularly struck you during the talk?
2) Was there anything that you didn’t necessarily agree with, or found difficult to understand in the talk?
3) How do you think you might live differently as a result of the talk?
B. QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE
These are questions that are based on the talk and the surrounding themes:
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What is the most generous thing that someone has done for you?
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Read Acts 4:31-35. What strikes you about the generosity of these first Christians?
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What do you think it looks like in practice that no-one ‘claimed that any of their possessions was their own but they shared everything they had’? Do you think this is something that Christians might want to love out today?
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What is the relationship between God’s grace (v33) and the fact that there was ‘no needy person among them’? (v34) Why do you think that these verses come immediately after v31?
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What do you think radical generosity could look like today?
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Someone once said that the reason the bible talks so much about generosity is ‘not to get money out of our pockets but idols out of our hearts’. Why do you think so many of us find generosity to naturally be difficult?
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Take some time to pray, asking that the Holy Spirit would inspire you to radical acts of generosity.
C. GOING DEEPER
These are questions to help you go a little deeper, by exploring the wider biblical context.
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How would you define ‘generosity’?
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Read Acts 4:31-35. What is the link between v31 and v32-25? Why do you think the author Luke emphasises this radical generosity whisky describing the birth of the church? (See also Acts 2:43-47)
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What is their attitude to generosity? How does this reflect what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:1-2? How does it relate to us?
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Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. What is the relationship between the good news of Jesus and generosity?
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Read 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 and Malachi 3:10. What do these passages teach us about God’s generosity? How does this change how we see giving?
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Notice the radical nature of the generosity in Acts 4:36-37. In what sense is generosity a natural expression of mature Christian living? (See 2 Corinthians. 8:7)
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What might this all look like in practice for you?
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Take some time to pray, asking that the Holy Spirit would inspire you to radical acts of generosity.
TRANSCRIPT:
Coming Soon
