A Community of Truth & Grace - Week 11 - Study Guide

Pastor's Letter

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A COMMUNITY OF TRUTH & GRACE

ACTS 5:1-11; 6:1-7

1. Begin by reading the summaries of life in the early church found in Acts 2:42–47 and 4:32–37. Which characteristics of that church would you like to see in your own church? Why?

2. Another essential and foundational characteristic God established in the early church is described in 5:1–11.

   · Why do you think transparency and honesty were so important in the beginning days of the church?

   · What were the main issues that led to such decisive action in this story?

   · How do you think that this applies to the life of the church today?

3. Read 6:1. This was the kind of problem that arises when we try to bring diverse cultures into one community. Describe it in your own words. What would be a parallel in a local church today?

4. In 6:2, the church people agreed that those gifted to teach the Word needed to be set free to focus on that calling. How might that apply to churches today?

5. The needs of the widows had to be met even as the Word had to be taught. What do you think of the solution described in 6:3–7? How do you think a large church (as they had become) was able to come to this kind of consensus?

6. Putting together 5:1–11 and 6:1–7, we see that the church community was to be a fellowship committed to both truth and love. Is it possible to err in one direction or the other?

7. What is the most important lesson for you from these passages?

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