2.23.20 Huddle

Zach Below   -   February 23, 2020

Intro: Welcome to week 8 of our Travel Log series, exploring mission and movement in the book of Acts. Last week, we explored One Life’s vision and strategy for 2020. This week, we are exploring the idea of spiritual power.

 

Intro Questions

  1. What is your first reaction when you hear the words “spiritual power?”

 

  1. When it comes to the topic of “miracles,” are you skeptical, open to the idea, or absolutely believe without reservation? Why do you think that is?

 

  1. Craig Keener is both a Theologian and Apologist. He sort of “wrote the book” on miracles. His research suggests that millions of people have eyewitness accounts of supernatural experiences in the world today. Why do you think a large percentage of these stories are from outside of the US?

 

 

Scripture Engagement 

So . . .why are we asking so many questions about miracles  Well . . . About 1/5 of the book of Acts is miracle stories. This week we are looking at one such story . . . Acts 14:8-18

 

8 In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed 10 and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk.

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: 15 “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way. 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

 

QUESTIONS

  1. What stands out from this story?

 

  1. What questions does it raise?

 

Some Background Context:

  • You may notice, in almost every other town that Paul and Barnabas visited, they went to the Jewish synagogue as soon as they arrived. However, they didn’t do this is Lystra. Why?…

 

  • The theory is that Lystra was off of the beaten path and did not have a large (if any) Jewish presence. Lystra was potentially a completely unreached people group.

 

  • The reason they started worshipping Paul is . . . even though this was pre-Scientific era, they knew that it was not normal for a person who can’t walk, to all of the sudden jump up and walk. They knew a miracle when the saw it.

 

  • In addition, there was a myth in Lystra that helps explain why they worshipped Paul and Barnabas. They believed that Zeus and Hermes had come to their town in a previous time and that no one (except one couple) offered them hospitality. So . . . Zeus and Hermes destroyed the town. The thought was that they would return one day, and this time, the people of Lystra would not make the same mistake.

 

 

  1. How does that ancient myth from Lystra help make sense of the story?

 

 

Spiritual Power

Over the last 7 weeks, we have been talking about what it means to have purpose. This week . . . Bret said, when it comes to purpose remember: To fulfill your purpose, you HAVE power. If you want to ramp up power in your life 1) Acknowledge that You Need it, 2) Raise your View of HIS power, 3) Recognize ANY Demonstration of Power in your life is for his purposes.

 

  1. Which of these three ways to “ramp up power” stands out to you? Or, stated another way, which makes you say, “That is what I need to do”? What do you think is your biggest block to doing that?

 

  1. Often, we don’t recognize spiritual power when it happens in our life. What are some other ways, besides supernatural healing/miracle, that spiritual power is displayed in our lives?

 

  1. Can you share a story of a time or moment when spiritual power was clearly evident to you?

 

 

CLOSE IN PRAYER

 

 

PRACTICE (You can do this in group if you have extra time, or suggest group members do it at home sometime before your next meeting): The reality of spiritual power in our daily lives is often overshadowed by the speed of our life. We move from thing to thing, place to place, rarely making space for daily reflection. This can cause us to miss moments of spiritual power in our lives. This week . . . take some time to reflect on the past month or two of your life. As you look back, are there any moments that surface that point to spiritual power . . . a time that God showed up in a real way or orchestrated something beyond explanation?

As you reflect, pray this prayer: “God turn up your power in my life and help me use it for YOUR purposes.”