Before starting the questions, please read and reflect on the passage.
The writer of Acts refers to a previous book he wrote, which was the book of
Luke. What does the writer say he wrote about in that book? How does that give you confidence about living the Christian life?
The author refers to a gift promised by God. What is that gift?
Acts Ch 1 verse 8 is commonly understood as Jesus’ sending His followers out into the world to tell of God’s love and plan for mankind. See also Matthew
28:18-
20. What does this verse say about our ability to carry God’s word to others? Is it in our strength?
Where were the disciples supposed to go?
Jerusalem is where they were at the time of Jesus’ speaking. Judea was the region surrounding Jerusalem. Samaria was a different people group in the nearby region with a similar, but different, culture. It was clear from this verse that
Jesus wanted the disciples to take His teaching to the world, but also to where they were right then, and everywhere in between. For you, what is your
‘Jerusalem’, ‘Judea’, ‘Samaria’, and ‘ends’ or ‘uttermost parts’ of the earth?
Where would Mexico fall in this model for missions?
What does this say about our role as ‘missionaries’ where we live?
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Jesus returns to heaven in this chapter and His followers encounter Angels giving them some words about this miraculous event. How does this event make you feel about Jesus?
What promise do the angels provide about the future?
Does this promise give you confidence about living the Christian life here on earth and even about this mission trip?
What other things stand out for you in this chapter?
Had you realized before this that Jesus commanded all of us to ‘Go’ into all the world (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8)? How did that affect your thoughts or feelings about deciding to go on this mission trip?
What fears do you have about going on this mission trip?
Pray and ask God to give you courage and strength through the Holy Spirit to continue on this journey, to prepare your heart and mind for what is ahead, to change your life from the inside out through this experience, and to faithfully carry His Word, even if it is just in your actions, as a missionary to Mexico.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

This amazing chapter starts with a miraculous event, the coming of the Holy
Spirit at Pentecost. Imagine, 50 days after the disciples saw Jesus crucified, and just a few days after they saw Him, alive, and ascend into heaven, the Holy Spirit comes to them and lands on them like tongues of fire! What must those folks have been thinking and feeling?
Before we dive into this great chapter, f irst let’s look at this important “new” character in the story, the Holy Spirit
Who is the Holy Spirit?

Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 3:18 - The Holy Spirit is God

Matthew 28:18-19; 2 Corinthians 13:14
– Equal Person of the
Trinity or 3-part God
What is the work of the Holy Spirit in this World?

Colossians 2:9-10 - Indwelling of believers at time of Salvation

Ephesians 5:18 - Sanctification is the act of setting apart something or someone from the wo rld for God’s service. The
Holy Spirit plays a role in Sanctification by filling Christians and leading and guiding (John 16:13) their lives.

John 14:26; John 15:26 – Comforter

Romans 8:26-27 - Intercessor with God during our Prayer
What about Spiritual Gifts?

1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Every Christian is given ability from God, not of their own making (12:7). The purpose is to bring unity to believers as they share their gifts (12:11).
Spiritual Fruit

Galatians 5:22-23
– The Fruit or evidence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers are these 9 things.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Have you discovered your Spiritual Gifts? What are they? If not you might try this 20 minute assessment of Spiritual Gifts. http://www.churchgrowth.org/cgicg/gifts.cgi?intro=1
How have you seen the Fruit of the Spirit coming out in your life since you became a believer?
How is the Holy Spirit sanctifying you, or setting you apart for God’s service?
How might this mission trip play a role in that?
Pray that God might reveal Spiritual Gifts within you through the process of this mission trip. Pray that our collective Spiritual Gifts might be used to bring unity to our team, our church, and our Mexican church partners. Pray also that God might continue the process of setting you apart for His service, or sanctify you, through this experience.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Just as Christ had promised, the Holy Spirit had come and had given great and miraculous gifts to the followers of Jesus. And just as Jesus had promised, the message of salvation and eternal life would start in Jerusalem and quickly be carried outward, to various parts of the earth. What a plan!
In this miraculous passage, the Holy Spirit came on the disciples in an amazing way. What happened?
Do you have any fear about working with people that speak a different language from you? Does this passage comfort you in any way?
This is not to say you will be able to speak Spanish perfectly on our trip (God could do that if He chose), but we often see people able to communicate even though there is a language barrier.
In this passage Peter steps up and delivers a great message, inviting people to turn from their sin and accept Christ. He did it by telling some things that he saw and experienced. What is your story? If you haven’t already accepted the love, forgiveness, and eternal life in Christ, now is a good time (please contact a trip leader to discuss). If you have, how would you tell someone else about Christ? 1
Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready at all times to give an answer for the hope we have. Start thinking about your answer and how you might share it with others.
See a trip leader if you need some help.
After Peter’s message, 3000 people accepted Christ and were baptized! What an amazing day that must have been. Do you get excited to hear about people
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

accepting Christ? When have you witnessed someone making that decision?
How did that make you feel?
Since so many people were in Jerusalem from out of town for the feast, where do you think they went afterward? Do you think they told anyone about what they had seen and heard in the city? How might have this have worked to spread the
Good News of Jesus and His salvation to the world?
In Acts 2:42-47, we see a picture of life in Jerusalem in the very early church.
Christians were living in communion with one another, caring for one another’s needs. What were some characteristics of this “team”?
How did this unity and mutual love for one another reflect on believers to those outside the group?
What impact did that have on others?
What things can our team do to be like this group of early believers?
Pray that God would give our team unity, which we would be attractive to those we will be sharing with. Pray that we will effectively communicate God’s love and plan of salvation to those we minister to. Pray that our Spiritual Gifts would join together as a body of believers, along with the team in-country, to be a great force for Christ on our trip.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

This is an amazing passage about the healing of a sick person and another presentation of the Gospel in the face of pressure. Please read this passage and reflect on it. What are 3 things that you notice from this passage immediately?
Peter and John meet someone who is in great need. Have you ever met someone with physical or mental impairments? How did it make you feel?
Have you ever come into direct contact with a homeless person or someone in a homeless shelter? How did that make you feel? Can you imagine what it would be like to be in that situation? Imagine the cycle of illness, helplessness, and hopelessness one must feel in that situation. How can thinking through this now prepare you for what you may see in Mexico?
What was Peter’s response when the man asked them for money?
Besides healing the man, Peter and John gave him the most important thing in the world. They shared the love and good news of Jesus with him. What was the response of the people to this demonstration of God’s love?
What impact do you think it will have on the community in Mexico as we share th e love of Jesus with the people we will meet in Mexico? What if it doesn’t have an immediate result?
Have you ever experienced criticism or even ridicule because of what you believe? How did that or would that make you feel? Can you describe the experience?
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

What was John and Peter’s response to opposition from the Jewish leaders?
What was the response from the Christians in Jerusalem? What do you think about this response? As you pray today, ask God for boldness in our team to do whatever God asks of us while we are in Mexico.
Chapter 4 ends with another statement about unity among believers. Imagine if we took this seriously, that no one would be in need among the Christians in
Jerusalem. When we are on the mission trip, we will experience people in great need. The family we will build the house for will likely be the neediest people you have ever met. The house we will build will be a significant upgrade for them, yet it will not compare to the house that you live in.
Seeing all this will be tempting for you to take this passage to an extreme, possibly to give away some of your possessions. Here are some things to think about regarding this.
1. We should all be good stewards at all times of the resources God has given us. If there are things you can live without to be able to share with others, you should absolutely consider that.
2. We cannot possibly meet all the great need of the poverty that exists in
2/3 of the world, which is readily on display in Mexico.
3.
Poverty isn’t just a monetary problem. Brian Fickert, the author of the book “When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the
Poor... and Yourself ”, describes poverty as a broken relationship between
God and Man. He goes on to say that meeting physical needs without meeting spiritual and emotional needs isn’t ultimately helpful. He goes further saying that Poverty Alleviation comes in 3 stages a. Relief – immediate help for physical needs resulting from extreme circumstances (flood, hurricane, fire, etc.) b. Rehabilitation – Rebuilding or cleaning up after extreme circumstances c. Development
– Ongoing building into people and communities to help restore a right relationship with God including sharing the
Gospel, restoring confidence, developing hope and future vision, leadership development, and community development.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Given the ideas from the book, “When Helping Hurts”, what level of Poverty
Alleviation will we be engaged in while in Mexico?
How can all 3 levels be good and helpful?
How can employing relief (giving money or resources) when there is no extreme circumstance be hurtful?
How can we work to develop people and the community while we are in Mexico?
This may be a tough question to answer without having been there. Let’s work to keep this in mind throughout the trip.
For a deeper dive into these concepts, please see “When Helping Hurts: How to
Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself”. This is an interesting, and possibly controversial book that can be eye-opening for anyone interested in Missions.
Pray that God would open your mouth, use your hands and feet, and even your non-verbals to share the good news of Jesus, boldly both here in the U.S. and when we are on the trip to Mexico.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

This chapter has a startling beginning and a compelling ending, but it really marks the turning point in how Jerusalem and the religious leaders of the day see and interact with the early church. Please read this passage and reflect on it.
What do you suppose were the motives of Annanais and Saphira in this passage?
What was the reason God takes their lives from them? Was it wrong to want to give only part of the money from the land?
Often times people will hear reports from mission teams or missionaries and see the emotional response they have to the experience, and the audience will want to experience that, too. Sometimes people want to have the spotlight on them and tell others what they did on a mission trip, and that is the motivation for doing something like this. It is very easy to fall into this trap. What are your motives for wanting to go on this mission trip? Take a moment to stop and pray that God would give you pure motives, and that it would be for His honor and glory.
In this next section of chapter 5, we see the Apostles starting to get into trouble for teaching the people about Jesus. How does it make you feel to see miracles like the angels setting the Apostles free from prison?
As you have told friends and family members about what we are doing this summer, have you received any opposition about going on this trip? What do
Peter’s words in v29 mean to you? How does that look in every day life?
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

What do you think about the wise words of the Pharisee, Gamaliel, in this chapter.
At the end of the chapter, the Apostles are flogged or beaten as punishment from the Jewish religious leaders. What was their response?
Why would they feel honored or happy about being hurt for telling people about
Jesus? Do you think people that were not doing what God wanted received this treatment? Does this mean that the only things we receive in return for serving
God will be painful?
What are some things you can be thankful for that God has allow you to go through for His sake or that have blessed you as you have served Him. Please be sure to keep the ideas of motivation from above in mind.
Pray that God would give us pure hearts and motives as we serve Him. Pray that we would be protected from evil, and that we would experience all that God has for us. Pray that we would see many come to accept Him. Pray for at least 2 people that you know that do not know Christ,that they would come to know Him.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

In this passage we see a change in how the church is managed. We start to see tiers in leadership developed, and we see persecution of the church continue.
Please read and reflect on this passage.
A problem arose in the early church that needed addressed. God had called the church to do many things and they were growing quickly, but the Apostles could not possibly do all the work themselves. To help them out they chose the first group of people as leaders and divided the work of the church. What were the
Apostles focusing on?
What types of things were the 7 leaders focusing on?
Why is it important to clearly define roles for a team of people?
Are any of those roles more important than others? Remember the section from
Acts 2 about Spiritual Gifts. Aren’t all members of the team important and necessary?
Do you think there were more things that were being taken care of, maybe formally or informally, by other leaders and helpers that the Apostles didn’t even know about? What does that say about how a team functions? What does that say about how our Mexico team will need to function?
What was the result of this good leadership and management of church affairs?
In this next section Stephen encounters some persecution. What do you think of his message to the people standing by? Not a bad summary of the Bible thus far, eh?
Why do you think this made the people so angry?
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Stephen is generally considered the first martyr of Christianity. It didn’t take much time for that to happen. What was Stephen’s response to the actions of the people?
What did Stephen see as this was happening?
What other character is introduced in the last section of scripture? Why would they bother to mention who collected people’s coats? What would that symbolize?
The term “fell asleep” is a common phrase used by the early church to describe people who died. Why would they use this phrase? What were they looking forward to?
How does the hope of Christ’s return to earth to establish His kingdom here give you hope?
Pray today that God would give you boldness in the face of adversity. Pray that
He would help you clearly see what your role on this mission team would be and how you can help others in their role.
Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study

Mission 2 Mexico Book of Acts Study