Stephen: The Man and The Message

Community Group Questions:

Engage Yourselves: 

Which of the character qualites of Stephen do you need to work on? What steps do you plan on taking to grow in these areas? 

How can we guard against mere outward expressions of Christianity while keeping our hearts genuinely close to God? 

Engage the Text: 

If God must open the hearts of hardened sinners, then why can't they blame him for not believing? (Read Romans 9:6-23). 

Was Stephen too confrontational in his indictment aginat his audience? How can we know how confrontational to be when we present the Gospel to someone? 

Engage your Neighbors: 

How can we help religious people see their need for forgiveness and eternal life? (Consider Jesus' approach in the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew 5:1-7:29). 

How godly should a person be before sharing the Gospel? Do we have to "have it all together" to be a good witness? 

Engage your Family: 

Does God's grace and patience have limits? Is there ever a time when we cannot offer His grace to rebellious sinners? 

Since we all sin repeatedly and in many ways, how can we know if we are presuming on or taking advantage of God's grace?