Study Guide: The Church in Acts—Part 1 | Pastor Ron Kelly

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The Prophets At The End Of Time: The Church in Acts—Part 1

Sermon Study Guide

Title: What Ever Happened to God? (Part 1) Series: A Study on the Book of Acts Key Text: Acts 1:1-7

Overview: This study explores the opening of the book of Acts and the mindset of the disciples as they await the coming kingdom. It challenges us to examine our own assumptions about the church, its structure, and its primary mission. The central theme is the vital, often neglected, role of the prophetic voice in calling God's people back to the covenant and preventing the church from adopting the oppressive, self-serving patterns of the world.

Part 1: The Wrong Question (Acts 1:1-7)

Read Acts 1:1-7

  1. Observe: Just before Jesus’ ascension, what is the final question the disciples ask Him (v. 6)? What does their question reveal about their expectations for the future?

  2. Reflect: The speaker notes that the disciples were arguing about who would be greatest in the kingdom, even on the night of Jesus' betrayal.

    • Why do you think the idea of power, status, and a political kingdom was so deeply embedded in their thinking?

    • How can the culture of the world (like the Roman Empire’s system of oppression) unconsciously shape the culture of the church today?

  3. Apply: Jesus tells them it is "not for you to know the times or seasons" (v. 7).

    • When you face uncertainty about the future, what is your natural reaction? Is it to seek control, or to seek the mission God has for you today?

Part 2: The Prophetic Blueprint: God’s Pattern of Restoration

Key Idea: Throughout biblical history, whenever God’s people drifted away, He raised up a prophetic voice to call them back. This is His method of restoration.

  1. Trace the Pattern: The speaker walks through a survey of biblical history. Fill in the blank for who God sent to bring His people back:

    • From Egypt and apostasy, God sent _________.

    • In the time of the Judges, God sent _________.

    • To confront King David, God sent _________.

    • To warn Judah before the Babylonian exile, God sent _________.

    • To prepare the way for Jesus, God sent _________.

  2. Discuss the Condition:

    • By the time of Jesus, the church (Israel) had stopped worshipping physical idols. Yet, Jesus said they were in a worse state than Sodom and Gomorrah (Matthew 11:23-24). What made their condition so dangerous?

    • The speaker describes their problem as "religious hypocrisy" that was hard for the nation to see. How can a church look healthy on the outside but be spiritually bankrupt on the inside?

  3. The End-Time Remnant (Revelation 12:17 & 19:10):

    • Read Revelation 12:17 and 19:10. According to these verses, what are the two defining characteristics of God’s end-time people?

    • The speaker makes a crucial distinction: "Ellen White had the spirit of prophecy. She was not the spirit of prophecy." What does this distinction mean for the role of every believer? How does it broaden your understanding of the "testimony of Jesus"?

Part 3: When the Institution Loses Its Way (John 8 & 9)

Read John 9:35-41 (The man born blind) and John 8:39-44 (Jesus’ confrontation with the religious leaders)

  1. Observe: In John 9, the religious leaders reject the man born blind and cast him out of the synagogue. In John 8, Jesus tells the leaders they are of "your father the devil." What had the religious system become? What were its "fruits"?

  2. Reflect: The speaker states, "Without the prophetic role, is it possible that Adventism retains its humanity enough to where it could corporately have the same proclivities..." as the Jewish leaders?

    • What are the dangers of a church relying on institutional structure, professional clergy, and tradition instead of the living, prophetic voice of the Spirit working through all its members?

    • How can a focus on "professionalization" of the pastorate and administrative control weaken the "priesthood of all believers"?

  3. Apply: The speaker defines the prophetic gift (from 1 Corinthians) as including edification (building up), exhortation (encouraging or challenging), and comfort.

    • Think of a "mother in Israel" or a "Nathan" figure in your life—someone who spoke truth to you with love and courage. What was the result of their intervention?

    • Is there a relationship in your life (family, church, work) where God is calling you to exercise a gentle, prophetic role—to speak truth in love for the health of that person or the group?

Part 4: The True Kingdom vs. Earthly Power (Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 1)

Read the quotes from The Acts of the Apostles, Chapter 1 (provided in the transcript).

  1. Quote Reflection: "Earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendancy of physical power, but from Christ's kingdom, every carnal weapon, every instrument of coercion is banished."

    • What are some "instruments of coercion" that can show up in churches today? (e.g., gossip, manipulation, financial control, shaming).

    • How does this definition of Christ's kingdom challenge the way we handle conflict and disagreement in our local church?

  2. Quote Reflection: "The members are to find their happiness in the happiness of those whom they may help and they may bless."

    • How does this measure of "happiness" differ from the world's definition or even our own natural inclinations?

  3. The Final Challenge: The sermon asks a haunting question: "What happened to God in his church?" suggesting that sometimes the hardest place to find God is within the institution that bears His name.

    • In what ways can we, as individuals and as a church, ensure that we are not "appropriating all our advantages for our own glorification" but are instead a "court of holy life" that blesses the world?

Closing Reflection and Prayer

  • Personal Inventory: Are you, like the disciples, asking Jesus for a kingdom that benefits you, or are you ready to embrace the prophetic call to self-sacrificing love and service?

  • Corporate Challenge: How can your small group or your church become a place where the prophetic voice is valued—where people are free to exhort, encourage, and comfort one another, even when it's difficult?

  • Prayer Focus: Pray for the courage to be a prophetic voice of love in your sphere of influence. Pray for your church leaders, that they would have the wisdom and backbone to lead God's people back to the covenant, even at personal cost. Pray that we would not mistake our organization for our mission.

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