Listen in Community
Small Group Study
Overview
In today’s session we’ll see the power of God radically transform a life. Saul, a devout Jew and student of the Scriptures, passionately opposed early Christians and their message that Jesus was the Messiah. However, Jesus had other plans for Saul. So Jesus appeared to Saul in a vision and declared Himself as Lord. From this moment forward, nothing about Saul’s life would ever be the same. The ability of God to transform a life can still be evidenced in us when we surrender to His lordship.
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First time leading Listen for Adults? Check out the Facilitator Guide. |
Engage
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QUESTION As a kid, when you played a game where players chose teams, were you usually chosen first, in the middle, or last?
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Being chosen matters to every one of us. And there is no one more important to be chosen by than God. But God doesn’t just stop at choosing us. Much like we’ll see in Saul’s life, He wants to change us too.
Watch
As we watch this video, consider this question:
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QUESTION Can you think of a time when God interrupted or challenged your plans? What happened?
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Consider
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Growing up David was a scrawny, puny child. Thankfully his size and stature did not affect much of life. But, when evening came and it was time for all the children to go out and play, his heart sank. He loved playing soccer with one of his older cousins and his friends. Unfortunately, David’s body didn’t support what his heart longed after. Every time his cousin would go out to play, David would plead his case to go along, hoping that the older kids would let him play with them.
You’re probably familiar with a similar scene. All the kids line up. Captains for each team systematically choose team members. There David stood in the line, the tiniest ten–year-old among towering teenagers, waiting to be chosen. One by one, everyone’s name was called. Then it was just David, standing alone. His cousin, in a show of familial affection, would usually motion to him and say, “Come on, you can be part of my team.” And David would run on the field, visibly smiling with uncontainable joy.
Most of us have felt the adrenaline rush that accompanies being picked. Remember being chosen for an award or winning a prize or, much more significantly, getting engaged? In fact, when important people choose us, the esteem and expectation of their choice irrevocably changes us. So imagine the change one experiences when Jesus, the most esteemed Person in all of history, chooses us!
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QUESTION What is one way being chosen by Jesus changes people? |
What the Bible Says
God choosing you and me changes who we are. We become sons and daughters instead of orphans. We experience hope in the middle of pain. We have a purpose that goes beyond death, and we have a mission in Him while we live on earth. We are set apart because He chose us, and His choice changes us. And in today’s Bible account, we’ll look at someone who may seem like an unlikely choice by God—a man named Saul who was in absolute opposition to the message of Jesus.
Gospel Opposition
Read Acts 8:1–3.
The first biblical appearance of Saul of Tarsus introduces him at the martyrdom of an Early Church leader named Stephen (Acts 6:8 to 7:59). Some Jews who opposed Stephen recruited false witnesses to testify against him. They claimed that he spoke against God. Stephen responded to their accusations by using Scriptures and testifying about Jesus. The experts in the Law were publicly humiliated by this humble man who was empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Saul witnessed the testimony of Stephen. While Stephen was standing up for his faith, Saul took care of the coats of the men who stoned Stephen to death. As we read, Saul’s barrage of persecution against the Church was just beginning. He was dedicated to a purpose—ending the Church and those who stood with it.
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QUESTION Have you ever experienced someone standing up for their faith under hostile circumstances? How did their courage impact you?
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Religious Passion
Read Acts 9:1–9.
Saul left the scene of Stephen’s stoning and began “going everywhere to destroy the church.” After some time, he headed to Damascus. Passion for his religion gripped his heart. Then God, whom Saul thought he was defending, reached out to him in an unexpected way. The resurrected Jesus spoke to Saul. God mercifully stopped Saul in his tracks.
In a moment, the one who proclaimed vengeance against Christians lay helplessly blinded on the ground. Saul’s human blindness matched his spiritual blindness. Just as he had to be led into the city by others, God would send believers who would help him grasp faith in Jesus.
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QUESTION Tell about a time when God was merciful to you by interrupting your plans or not answering a prayer in the way that you expected.
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Unlikely Choice
Read Acts 9:10–19.
Can you imagine God asking you to go to the modern-day leader of a group that tortures and kills Christians in order to pray for his healing? Ananias needed a lot of courage to obey God’s command.
Verse 13 tells us that Saul’s past gave Ananias pause. But Ananias obeyed God. When he found Saul, Ananias didn’t treat him as an outsider, but called him “brother.” God’s acceptance was enough for Ananias to also accept Saul into God’s family.
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QUESTION What can we learn from Ananias’s example to welcome people with difficult histories into God’s family?
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Gospel Passion
Read Acts 9:20–22.
Saul, the persecutor of Christians, was transformed into a champion of Christianity. His passion for religion was replaced with a passion for Jesus. His knowledge of the Law helped him use the Scriptures to prove Jesus is the Messiah. This man who had been molded by Jewish teachers and steeped in Jewish traditions now saw Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promise to all people. Saul became a champion of the faith to the Gentiles and planter of multiple churches. Later called Paul, he still speaks God’s truth to us today as we read his writings in the New Testament.
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QUESTION What has been the greatest change in your life since you became a follower of Jesus? |
Reflect
God changed Saul radically, but God didn’t waste Saul’s life experiences before his Damascus Road encounter. Many people became followers of Jesus because God made the unlikely choice of changing one man’s life.
God is still in the business of changing people. Like Saul, we are His unlikely choice to change the world, too.
Listen to God
The goal of Listen is not only to gain an understanding of God’s Word, but also to pause and listen to what God might want to say to us about what we have read and shared. Be silent for a few moments and reflect on the following questions. Choose the one that most resonates with what God is saying to you now. Then complete the others during Day 1 of your devotion time this week.
Personal Reflection Questions
Record your answers to the following questions in the space provided or in your personal journal.
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QUESTION All of us are unlikely choices. Reflecting on your history, think about what makes you an unlikely choice to be part of the kingdom of God. Spend a minute thanking God for choosing you.
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QUESTION Who has been an example of faith in your life? Whose legacy lives on in you?
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QUESTION Have you ever been in a situation where being identified as a Christian could negatively impact you? Did you hide your faith or let your faith be known?
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QUESTION Have you ever acted out of religious passion and later regretted any hurtful actions your passion may have caused you to do? What did you learn from this experience?
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Our unchanging God is continuously working to change us into the image of His Son. But our desire to sin resists change.
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QUESTION What is one area in which God is working on changing you? How do you need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit for the needed change to happen? |
Prayer Requests
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Note any requests from the group and remember to pray for them during the week. |
Before next time, continue to listen with the personal devotions.
Did You Know?
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Saul was a Benjamite, born in the city of Tarsus. Because he was a Jew who was a Roman citizen, Saul spoke multiple languages. He studied in Jerusalem under a famous Pharisee, Gamaliel. His knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures would have been excellent. Saul may very well have had ambitions to sit in the Sanhedrin as his teacher did.
As part of that most important Jewish court, Gamaliel was honored by both the Pharisees and Sadducees of the Sanhedrin. When Peter and the other apostles were arrested for preaching the gospel, Gamaliel successfully persuaded the Sanhedrin to let them go (Acts 5:33–39).
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Listen on Your Own
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Listening to God is something we need to do every day. Before you begin each devotion, pray and ask God to speak to you through His Word. Record your answers to the following questions in the space provided or in your personal journal.
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Day 1
Read Acts 9:1–22.
Look back over Listen in Community and complete your responses to the Personal Reflection Questions. If time permits, reread the Scripture too.
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QUESTION What do you sense that God is saying to you about His changing work in your life? |
Listen on Your Own
Day 2
Read John 15:9–17.
The Bible is full of examples of people who were chosen out of obscurity for God’s purpose. God took the lowly shepherd boy named David and anointed him king. He picked Esther and favored her to be queen. He selected innocent Mary to deliver the best Christmas gift anyone could ask for by assigning her to bring Jesus, the salvation of humanity, into this world. He took Saul who carried letters to persecute Christians and allowed him to pen letters to help Christians overcome persecution. This is our God. We may be unlikely choices, but we are His choice to bring a broken world home to Him.
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QUESTION In John 15:16, we’re told that Jesus chose us. What did He appoint us to do?
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In Genesis 1:28, God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. God was very literally telling them to have children. In this John passage, fruitfulness could be defined as multiplying God’s spiritual children.
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QUESTION Looking back at the passage in John, what are some things that Jesus commanded us to do that might make others want to be a part of God’s family? |
Listen on Your Own
Day 3
Read 2 Samuel 6:16–23.
David, a man after God’s own heart, portrayed a passion for worshipping God. In fact, his own wife reprimanded him for his expression of worship when the Ark of God came back to Jerusalem. She saw his actions as below the dignity of a king. But David was unafraid of people’s opinions about his worship.
True devotion changes us into people who are deeply focused on pleasing God. Like David, we should be people who want to honor God without concern for our dignity or our reputation (Psalm 69:9). God is looking for people with a passion for Him.
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QUESTION Pretend you were an eyewitness to this event. What adjectives would you use to describe David?
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QUESTION Looking at verse 21, write in your own words the reason David gave Michal for displaying his passion. |
Listen on Your Own
Day 4
Read Hebrews 11:1–16.
Growth doesn’t happen by accident. Our faith grows as we trust God against all odds and then experience His faithfulness. When this practice is repeated over a lifetime, faith in God becomes more and more a part of us.
This passage in Hebrews is given to us as an example of how others lived out their faith. Their impact is still felt today. Imagine the impact your life can have on those who are watching you.
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QUESTION What two things does Hebrews 11:6 say that people of faith must believe?
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QUESTION According to verses 10 and 16, what promise did these heroes of the faith ultimately believe God for?
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QUESTION Who are two people you wish to reach for Jesus? Take a minute to pray for them today. Ask God to enable you to be a good example for them. |
Listen on Your Own
Day 5
Read Matthew 23:13–34.
Jesus’ passion for God was apparent in every action. His contempt for those who operated under an arrogant spirit was just as apparent. Jesus exposed the Pharisees for wearing masks of devotion while ignoring the corruption in their hearts.
We must guard against confusing passion for God with having passion for our traditions or preferences. The style of worship, the external expression of faith, and even our appearance should all remain secondary to the condition of our heart.
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QUESTION In Matthew 23:23, what aspects of the Law does Jesus accuse the Pharisees of ignoring?
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QUESTION In Matthew 23:25, of what does Jesus accuse the Pharisees?
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QUESTION Take a critical look at the Scriptures today and set yourself before God. Ask the Holy Spirit to search you for any of the accusations above. What did God speak to you during your time with Him? |
