elcome Crossroad Growth Group leader to our Prep Plus podcast. This is to help you prep each week for the studies. We have an axe. You'll need a Bible. You'll need your study booklet, and you'll need a pen. I'm joined by Ayesha. Hey, who wrote these studies? We're going to be looking at acts 12 to 28, although we're starting at chapter 18.

We're going to dive into study one. So if you haven't got it already going at your Bible, your study booklet and your pin, Ayesha, would you pray for our prep? Great. Always pray before you prep. So would you pray for us? Let's do it. Heavenly father, thank you so much for your word and thank you for your Holy Spirit, which helps us to understand it.

Just pray that, as we spend this time together on this, this leader spends this time, that you would bless them richly, that you would teach us by your word, instructing us in all things and prepare us to teach others as well. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Amen. Now, just before we kind of get into this first study, it word orientated ourselves with this study booklet.

Yeah. And it's worth flagging, isn't it, that there's some gold content on the back few pages. This stuff is so good. It's got an overview of acts. It's got maps. Also, I loved the introduction. So I have a rate of that if you haven't already, but also get your hands on your leader's notes. Yeah. Because particularly running into the first study, what kind of things are in the leader's notes?

Asia the Leaders Guide has a wonderful intro from Marcus. You'll get the vibe and the feel of acts, but also top reading guys. Acts can feel a bit funny. It's kind of like the Gospels, but kind of not. And so there's some really great pieces of information that will help you to unpack and read. Well, there's things like the break up and a recap of what's already happened in acts, and there's some resources at the end if you'd like to keep digging into anything in particular.

So you might want to pause now and go and read that if you haven't already. But if you have read that already, let's get into this first study. Acts 18 to 19. The new king reigns. What is your big. I'm going to ask you this for each study. What is kind of your big prayer? Our big prayer.

For this study, what is kind of the big idea that is part of God's Word is teaching us? Yeah. My big prayer is that as people open chapters 18 and 19 and as I look back to the promises, in the Old Testament, people would see that what is happening in acts is that the king is at work.

The risen Lord Jesus, he is reigning, and this is the age of his reign. So that's one of my prayers. And that that people. Yeah, be thrilled. And that's so helpful, is the first study in this series, isn't it? Because the series is called The Unstoppable King, and we know that, acts is really about what Jesus continued to do through his spirit once he's gone up to heaven.

Yeah, and through his people. It's a sequel to Luke, isn't it? Okay, so we've opened up this study. We've got a great hook question there, about expectations and having expectations exceeded or missed. How could we use that to also help set expectations for our groups for this year? Yeah. Whether you're starting a new group or you're doing a continuing group, the beginning is so important.

It gives you a chance to, yeah, I guess discuss and get group agreement and buy in about turning up every week, about being on time, about prayer and what you want love, vulnerability to look like. So some of these questions are a little bit vague. That's kind of my nature of things to ask big questions first, but hopefully they give you some space to have some of the logistical questions in an interesting way, and some deeper questions to help you get to know one another.

A bit quickly so that you can get into this stuff and into our lives really fast. So you could start with that hook question, and then you could perhaps do a follow up question of like, what about expectations for growth group? When have they been, missed or even just what expectations do you have for this growth group.

Yeah. So you might like to do it that way. As you say, you do jump in in this first study with some big questions. I was thinking, this isn't like, anybody, you know, if you're trying to get to know someone, this isn't inviting them for coffee. This is inviting them for Christmas lunch. Like these three questions here.

Really rich, we're going to look at acts and see how it's actually fulfilling prophecies from the Old Testament and things from the Old Testament. But I would say later, don't be put off the incredibly rich. And actually, you only really have those three questions and then you're into application so you can slow down. Don't feel like you have to rush through these.

So can you though. We would if I paused and had time to prep them. And that's what I'm going to give you now. Yeah, now's the time. Press pause on these podcast, and why don't you go and prep the rest of the study and then we'll talk further. That's great. Good luck. Okay. We're back. Asha, what should we be shooting at with these three questions that kind of parallel acts and Old Testament?

Yeah. So in the first question, we're looking at acts and one Samuel one. Samuel's this promise of a king. Well, it's this strange kind of circumstance where Israel wants a king and they they could be following the Lord and King God, but they want a physical one. And they're warned about what the risks are there. But they want a king to judge them, which is a just a really different concept about what we think of kings as like, we have a king in Australia, but he's totally irrelevant.

We have separate executive and legislative and and judiciary. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And so this I'm sorry I should say. Yeah I could even judiciary. Yeah, sure. So, but yeah, we, the biblical king judged his people. And so when we see in acts this language of judgement comes up again and again, Paul appears before courts.

He is washing his hands of that blood as he preaches to the Jews. What does that mean? Well, it means that God's king is judging people as he gives them the truth, and they reject or accept him. He's judging them in or out of his kingdom. So that's really helpful. So that passage lets us see this is a way that actually Jesus is the king in this passage.

Yes, judge. Okay, what about the next one with Joel? Joel? Joel has this beautiful promise of the Holy Spirit finally coming upon God's people and changing their hearts corporately. Big way, big, big way. And so in Ephesus, we see the Holy Spirit descend. This this amazing the King has come, and he's brought in a totally new kingdom that not only does the King have the Holy Spirit, but his people do too.

And we're really getting echoes at that point of Pentecost. And is there intent? I take it there's intent. That's it. God's doing that on purpose. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, there's this wonderful as the Holy Spirit falls on people, there's a really clear picture of these people in mine. I am with them. And even though they're Gentiles, even though they're Jews, they are all marked by my seal of the Holy Spirit.

It's beautiful. And we don't see that same. We don't see pouring out happened in the same way every time. It seems to happen when there's new ground, doesn't it? And you have notes to that effect kind of over the page, which is really helpful. That oh, what if that hasn't happened to me? Doesn't mean I don't have the Holy Spirit, but it means there are some unique things about acts going on here where they were breaking new ground in a special way.

Yeah. So then the next one, Exodus. Yeah. Seems like a strange place to go, but Exodus, we really see go pick a messenger. And Moses didn't want to be a messenger. Yeah. Is much less willing than Paul was, but he he's given these gifts to show that he is legitimate. He can perform signs and wonders that demonstrate he is an approved messenger of the living God.

And so when we see signs and wonders happen in acts I at the Signs of Steve, we see this flip of who is the approved messenger and his whole who has the message and is able to provide these signs and wonders. They confirm that he is the approved Messenger of God. He's like the new Moses. He's like the new Moses.

Yeah, leading people out of slavery into Jesus's wonderful lot. And that's health. And Luke's doing that on purpose. And he's chosen that phrase Signs and wonders, which really does, as you say, come heavily from, Joel. Well, from Exodus in particular, isn't it? Okay. That's super helpful. You do you have advice, you've got this application question now, which is a really good one.

How could we, if we do have time to have some more time for an application which is always worthwhile? Are there ways that we could slow down? You say how accurately do your prayers, attitudes, assumptions and actions reflect the reality of Jesus raining? How could we help tease that out a bit for our groups? Yeah, if you're going to try and answer this question fully, you'd probably spend maybe hours.

Yeah, yeah. But you can encourage people to pick one of those things, maybe to pair and share, or even to take a moment to personally reflect about what has struck them, about the fact that Jesus is King. In some ways, I think I've read in the introduction that I had to kind of is this first reformation and a have we allowed Jesus's right to reform us, and reform how we are in the world?

And so that's that's what we're shooting for in this question. So good. I'm so looking forward to talking about that. There's also you've included videos, through QR codes, if those haven't printed out for you, your area leader and also own in an email, we'll send those out to you because we are on mission, we are still seeing, the gospel go out to all the nations, and we get to be part of that, too.

Yeah, well, that brings our first roll mini podcast to a close. Look forward to joining you next time. Thanks, Asia.