1) What do you do when you are waiting for God? How do you know when God shows up? How do you keep going during the delay?
2) What are some ways people respond to the evidence of God around them? Consider the contrasts seen in 2:13 and 2:37.
3) Could Jesus’ death be viewed as a defeat? Could the resurrection be seen as God’s attempt to straighten things out?
This is it! After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the most significant event of biblical history is the coming of the Holy Spirit. The believers had waited for ten days, and then God showed up. Through Abraham, God was for us. Through Jesus, God was with us. Now, through the Holy Spirit, God is in us. The Spirit is our Guide, our Teacher, our Partner and our Comforter. Don’t miss out on the source of power available to us as follower of Christ.
Responding to God is a spiritual activity. The Bible speaks of people being drawn by the Father (John 6:44) and our ability to have faith as coming from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Since we do not know where God is at in the process of a person coming to trust Him, we must be faithful to share the truth. Some will respond; others will not.
God is sovereign! This is a fancy word meaning He is totally, completely, and absolutely in control of everything. There is no one He answers to. He is in charge! 2:22-24 makes this clear: God established Jesus through miracles, signs and wonders; God gave Jesus over to evil men to be killed; and God raised Him from the dead. God never had to turn to Plan B. He never had to think about His response to Jesus’ death. God is totally, completely, and absolutely in control! God is sovereign!
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