2/12 CARE Sheet - "Pass It On!" series 2 of 8; "Knowledge Gives Way to Conversion at Conviction" Acts 2 &10

Sermon Texts: Acts 2  & 10

IN A NUTSHELL - You can’t be converted to something you don’t understand or believe.   “People ‘receiving Jesus’ without any understanding of their history, or Jesus’ history, as well as a Biblical worldview isn’t enough.  A simple knowledge that you don’t like where you are right now spiritually is not the same thing as being “Converted”. 1. What do you know about Jesus?  2. What do you believe about history (your’s and His’)?  3. What do you understand about your spiritual condition?  You can never declare yourself “saved” when you’ve never really acknowledged yourself as being “lost!”

ICE BREAKER – Without naming names, or sounding  judgmental...have you ever known someone that became a Christian in the midst of a crisis but it didn’t result in a true long term conversion? Why do you think some conversions that tend to be based on crisis or emotion often do not last? (consider Luke 8:6,13)

 CONNECTING TO THE TEXT

Acts 2

  1. What descriptive terms are used to tell how the people felt who were listening to the apostles? 2:6,7
  2. How many native languages appear to have been spoken by the apostles?
  3. If we were to view Peter’s sermon as a type of legal brief outlining testimonies as evidences of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the son of God they had crucified,  what would be the specific sources or “exhibits” of eyewitness testimony? 15-21; 22-24; 25-29; 29;
  4. Can you describe in a couple of sentences a summary of what the audience heard that so significantly “cut them to the heart?”
  5. What did this evidence lead many in the audience to ask the apostles? Vs. 38
  6. What various commands did Peter give in response to their question? vs. 38
  7. And what was their response? vs. 38
  8. What seemed to be a natural response to this major change in conviction? Vss. 42-47

Acts 10

  1. Describe the character of Cornelius.  What was apparently the only things missing for him to become a “convert”? Acts 10:37-44
  2. What does Acts demonstrate every "Convert" (repentant believer) doing immediately after they acknowledge their decision to commit to Christ? Acts 2:38-39;  2:41;  8:12-13; 8:36-39;  9:17-18; 10:47-48; 16:14-15;  16:32-33;  18:8

REFLECTING UPON OUR LIVES

  1. Were there any significant “testimonies” or evidences of Jesus as a Savior of "Lost souls" presented to you by someone before you believed the Gospel?
  2. Were there any key Scriptures that Jesus’ used to reveal Himself to you?
  3. Were there any questions or dilemmas in your life that were clearly answered by Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection?
  4.  Why is it impossible to call a person “a convert” unless their knowledge is reinforced by a personal conviction of Jesus' authenticity and their own sinfulness?
  5. Three questions you need to answer before you can say you're lost AND then saved:1. What do you know about Jesus?  a. Can you defend your confidence in His resurrection? b. What do you believe about history (your’s and His’)? c. What do you understand about your spiritual condition?

 CONNECTING WITH THE WAY WE DO CHURCH

  1. When should the church encourage people to get baptized… on Sundays before the church or during the week when they make their decision?
  2. How much should a person know before they get baptized?

NEXT WEEK – 2/19 -  "Prayer Meetings at Home"  Acts 12:1-19 (vss.12-17)  John Mark’s home.  Do you think John Mark’s authorship of the first book of the New Testament was influenced by the fact that Jesus and the disciples spent a significant amount of time in his house praying and listening to them teach?

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