The Missions and Resources of the Church

Session Goals:
*To consider the extent to which Christians are called to spread the message of the gospel in the face of opposition.
*To identify ways believers experience opposition to the ministry and message of the Church in our culture.
*To explore positive ways of responding to spiritual opposition.
*To examine our personal commitment to give witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Word to Live By:  Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority” (Acts 5:29).

Session Truth:  The mission and resources of the Church come from God alone.

The Context:  In the days shortly after Pentecost, the disciples were jailed twice.  Because they were intent on following Christ’s commands to be witnesses of His resurrection, the disciples were in direct opposition to the wishes and commands of the religious authorities.  Today, we find the determined and fearless apostles standing before the Sanhedrin-the highest Jewish governing body-to answer for their disobedience to their orders (and for their obedience to Jesus’ orders).  The consequences of this encounter were quite literally life or death.

The Sanhedrin Revisited (Acts 5:27-33)
1.  What was the Sanhedrin’s charge against the apostles?  (They disobeyed their gag order which required them to stop teaching about Jesus and accusing them of His death [v. 28].)
2.  Notice that the high priest would not mention Jesus’ name.  Why was he specific with charges and less-than-specific about Jesus?  (It reveals his fear about Jesus.)
3.  Compare Acts 4:19 and 5:29.  What statement did Peter repeat?  (Peter repeated his commitment to obey God, inferring that the Sanhedrin did not.)
4.  Is it possible to respect authority and obey God?
5.  In verse 30, how did Peter put the Sanhedrin on trial?  (By judging the Sanhedrin guilty of Jesus’ death.)
6.  If we contrast Peter’s attitude toward the Sanhedrin with the Sanhedrin’s response to his repeated accusations, we would see that the Sanhedrin were ready to kill Peter [v. 33].  Peter, on the other hand, was not as much concerned about defending himself as he was desirous of helping the Sanhedrin recognize who Jesus was [vv. 30-31].

Gamaliel Speaks (Acts 5:34-40)
1.  Who was Gamaliel and what other familiar New Testament leader knew him?  (He was a respected Pharisee and the most famous Jewish teacher of his time [v. 34].  Acts 22:3 identifies Gamaliel as one of Saul’s teachers.)
2.  How did Gamaliel neutralize the rising tension?  (He sent the apostles outside and spoke privately with the Sanhedrin.  He reminded them of their past experience with “radicals” [vv. 36-37].  He also cautioned them not to take a stance that might place them in opposition to God [v. 39].)
3.  What was the essence of Gamaliel’s counsel to the Sanhedrin?  (Let them go [v. 38a].  Let time prove if God is behind what they do and say [v. 39].)
4.  Do you think that Gamaliel believed the apostles were speaking for God?  Why, or why not?
5.  What did the Sanhedrin do with Gamaliel’s counsel?  (They were persuaded.  However, they had the apostles flogged and instructed them again not to preach in Jesus’ name.  Then they released them.)

Bold speak  (Acts 5:41-42)
1.  How did the apostles respond to their treatment by the Sanhedrin?  (They rejoiced because they saw God’s hand at work and His purpose being fulfilled [v. 41].)
2.  How did the apostles demonstrate increasing boldness?  (They continued preaching in the Temple court right under the noses of the members of the Sanhedrin, as well as going house to house [v. 42].)
3.  How did the power of the Holy Spirit shape and change the demonstration of Peter’s boldness?  (Pre-Pentecost Peter boldly proclaimed loyalty to Jesus that his actions couldn’t back up.  His boldness drew attention to himself.  His boldness could hurt others [e.g., slicing off the ear of Malchus in Gethsemane].  Post-Pentecost, Peter’s Spirit-filled boldness no longer focused on what he was going to do.  It focused on spreading the message about the resurrection of Christ.)
4.  What was the source of Peter’s boldness?  (Peter experienced empowerment through the Spirit of the resurrected Christ and became bolder the more he obeyed the Holy Spirit.)
5.  Describe Peter’s boldness especially as it involved the way he treated people, including his opponents.  (He treated the Sanhedrin with respect and without animosity, anger, or revenge.)