Break the ice. If you could have your own TV show, what would it be about?

Read Acts 1:1-8.

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1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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Discuss the Bible.

• Verse 8 is the thesis of Acts. Ask someone to read verse 8 again, then answer the following:
  

                    What are the disciples called to do?

                    When are they called to do it?

                    Where are they called to do it?

                    How are they going to be able to do it? How had Jesus prepared them?

• What is the ultimate mission of God? How would you put it in your own words if a friend asked?
• How would you describe your role as a follower of Christ in the mission of God?
• What prevents us from being witnesses? Do we, like the disciples, have concerns or perspectives or priorities that restrict us or distract us from fulfilling our role as witnesses?
• If, as a group we were to dream for a moment, what would it look like for the mission of God to advance through us, the body of Christ called Citizens Church? What would need to change in our hearts and lives in order for Christ to advance the kingdom of God through us?

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Close in prayer. Throughout Scripture, we read that God desires the nations to know and worship him. From God’s promise to bless the nations through Abraham, to the inclusion of non-Israelite Ruth in the lineage of Jesus, to the salvation of the “chief of sinners” in Paul, the Bible reveals God’s plan to redeem people from every nation and language. Ask God to grow your heart for his mission, his people.