Listen in Community
Small Group Study
Overview
When we left Paul in Acts 9, his powerful ministry had just begun. Another believer named Barnabas brought him to the apostles in Jerusalem, and he proclaimed Jesus there for a season. Paul’s fiery preaching was garnering the wrong kind of attention. In the same way that Paul had threatened the Early Church, now his own life was being threatened. The apostles decided to send Paul away to Tarsus for his protection. Paul was beginning to realize the cost associated with the call of God on His life.
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Engage
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QUESTION Think about a time you loved something the moment you saw it, but had sticker shock when you found out what it cost. Did you purchase it or walk away?
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After his dramatic conversion, Paul was fully committed to spreading the gospel no matter what the cost. He and other believers demonstrate what it looks like to follow Jesus. Today’s Bible story challenges us to consider how to remain faithful when we face unfair adversity.
Watch
As we watch this video, consider this question:
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QUESTION What stands out to you the most from this video? |
Consider
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It had been a long few weeks in Thailand. As they wrapped up a missions trip, Pastors John and Ann sent the team home while they stayed back to tend to a few extra things in Bangkok. One evening, they decided to check out some of the local sights. Friends recommended Chatuchak Market, the world’s largest open-air market. It spans over thirty-five acres and boasts fifteen thousand stalls. They didn’t need to buy anything, but went anyway just to experience it.
As they took in the sights, sounds, and colors, Ann’s eye caught a beautiful hand-embroidered dress. It was gorgeous. It had ornate orange flowers overlaid on a sleek black frame.
As she admired the dress, her husband asked, “Do you like that?”
“Yes,” Ann responded, “I love it!”
She picked up the dress and felt around for the price tag. The lady in the back of the store ran over to them and told them the cost. It was exorbitant, even for American standards. There is a term for this: sticker shock. Ann was disappointed because she wasn’t willing to pay that much for the dress. It had value, but not the value the shopkeeper had just indicated.
Ann hung her head and said, “It’s all right. I don’t need it.” She began to make her way to the next store, thinking her husband was following behind. But as Ann glanced back, there he was paying the price and buying the dress!
“I don’t really need it,” Ann exclaimed as she ran over to him.
The shopkeeper was all smiles and said to Ann in broken English, “You have good husband. He love you very much.” A warm feeling took the place of the sticker shock. At that moment Ann felt like the most beloved person in the world.
Her husband’s extravagant generosity communicated value. His swiftness to pay the price communicated how much he valued making Ann’s heart glad. She grabbed the dress and snuggled it close. To this day it is one of the most treasured things in Ann’s closet, not only because of its beauty, but because of the message of love forever attached to it.
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QUESTION Has anyone ever paid an extravagant price for something on your behalf? How did their generosity make you feel? |
What the Bible Says
It should be easy to pay the cost when it comes to following God. After all, He did not spare His own Son for our sake. Choosing to follow Jesus has a daily cost of sacrificing the things that hinder nearness with Him. The lifelong cost is choosing His will and therefore surrendering ours. The Bible calls the kingdom of God the pearl of great price. So great is the value of that pearl that the merchant in Matthew 13 went and sold everything he had, so he could buy this lone pearl. When we consider this truth, is any cost too high to pay for eternal life with the King of kings?
The Cost of the Call
Read Acts 12:1–4.
Peter is prominently featured in Acts chapters 9 through 12. These Scriptures, however, are surprisingly silent about Paul. The Jerusalem church grew with Peter and other disciples leading. As Peter preached, many came to saving faith.
The cost of the call to follow Jesus is on every page of the Book of Acts, from Steven’s stoning to James’s death by the sword and Peter’s imprisonment. It also includes the large-scale persecution that scattered believers all the way to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch in Syria (Acts 11:19). The cost was not lost on Paul. In fact, at the moment of his conversion, Jesus told Saul (Paul) he would suffer (Acts 9:15–16).
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QUESTION Thankfully, for most believers, we don’t have to pay for our faith with our life. But what are some costs involved in following Jesus today?
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QUESTION When is the best time to communicate the cost to those who are ready to accept Jesus?
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Dungeons and Deliverance
Read Acts 16:16–24.
The faith and actions of Paul and Silas brought the whole city to a standstill. Some in the city even saw their proclamation as a threat to the political structures of the culture. Additionally, this girl’s bondage to the evil spirit was profitable to her owners. Without her fortunetelling, she was useless to them. When Paul declared the slave girl’s deliverance, he probably had no idea he and Silas would end up in bondage too. They paid the price for their obedience to God’s call.
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QUESTION Following Jesus may cost us too. What challenges have you or others faced in pursuit of God?
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QUESTION Finances are still a source of bondage for many people. In what way can we let money keep us from following Christ wholeheartedly?
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The Joy of the Cost
Read Acts 16:25–35.
The prison was likely a dungeon of sorts, lacking light and sanitation, and probably infested with rodents. Many prisoners would have had no means for food or water unless some generous person thought to bring it to them.
With their feet in stocks, Paul and Silas were probably forced to stand or sit upright, unable to sleep. In these conditions, when many prisoners would have given up, Paul and Silas began to worship and pray as the other prisoners listened. God was able to use their obedience to bring many more into His kingdom. Our price can pave the way to eternity for others.
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QUESTION Paul and Silas sang in their struggle. What is your first response when you are experiencing suffering because you are following the Lord?
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QUESTION Can you share a real-life example of someone who inspired you to willingly pay the cost for another person to get closer to God? |
Reflect
In the swell of emotions that may accompany our initial salvation experience, we may not think to count the cost of following Jesus for the rest of our lives. Entering the kingdom of God is free to everyone, but staying in it may cost us everything we have in this world.
The potential cost for every human being is the same. We must give all of who we are to God. Compared to the riches and glory found in Jesus, the cost we pay is a pittance. Yet many are unwilling to fully pay the price. May we choose the joy that comes with paying the cost willingly, so many more can enter eternity with the Father.
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 Have you ever had to pay the cost for following Jesus? When and how so? What did you learn from that experience?
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QUESTION Paul’s faithfulness to pay the cost brought two entire families to the Lord. Thinking back to the experience you mentioned above, were you able to see any impact on those you know who don’t follow Christ?
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QUESTION Have you ever seen anyone walk away from Jesus because they were unwilling to pay the cost? What do you think was their reason for the decision to walk away?
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QUESTION The life of a Christ-follower is a life of surrender. What is the Lord asking you to give up, lay down, or walk away from for the sake of greater intimacy with Him?
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Prayer Requests
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Note any requests from the group and remember to pray for them during the week.
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Before next time, continue to listen with the personal devotions.
Did You Know?
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While most prominent leaders in the Early Church were men, women also served as the church grew. The first documented convert in Philippi was Lydia, an independent businesswoman. Both before and after the account in today’s Bible reading, Paul and Silas visited her home. Lydia’s family followed her in faith, which may imply that she was the head of her household. More than likely she was widowed or divorced.
Paul recognized Lydia’s leadership and appreciated her ministry of hospitality. In Philippians 4:2–3, Paul names two other Philippian women, Euodia and Syntyche, who shared the gospel with others. In spite of cultural norms of the day, Paul continued the philosophy of Jesus to include all who believe, regardless of gender.
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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 16:16–35.
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 the cost of following Jesus? |
Listen on Your Own
Day 2
Read Mark 10:17–30.
A rich young man once came and knelt at the feet of Jesus. He knew there was a price to be paid to receive eternal life. In his estimation, he had paid the price. Jesus acknowledged the man’s good works, but revealed what was missing. This young man experienced his own version of sticker shock, and he was unwilling to pay the price that was asked of him.
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QUESTION What was the price Jesus asked the rich young man to pay?
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QUESTION Holding back anything we have hampers us from running after Jesus. Prayerfully ask God to reveal any cost that has yet to be paid, so that you may follow Him fully. What did God reveal to you?
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QUESTION In response to Peter’s statement of devotion, Jesus makes a promise. What is this promise? |
Listen on Your Own
Day 3
Read 1 Kings 19:19–21.
The cost of following God was not just a New Testament idea. When the cloak of the current prophet, Elijah, was placed on Elisha, it came with the cost of leaving his current life behind. Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plow when he left to follow Elijah, so he would have nothing to go back to. If we don’t fully give up everything, we might return for the things we left behind. Going after them will always lead us in the opposite direction of Jesus.
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QUESTION Imagine the reaction of Elisha’s family when they saw him slaughter his means of livelihood. What might they have thought?
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QUESTION Elisha fed the oxen to the townspeople. His faithfulness to God blessed his neighbors. How might they have reacted to Elisha’s generosity?
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QUESTION Slaughtering the oxen meant Elisha had no backup plan. Are you holding onto a backup plan in case God’s plan doesn’t work out? If so, ask God to help you give it up. |
Listen on Your Own
Day 4
Read Mark 14:3–9.
The price we pay in devotion to God will always seem like a waste to the world. This woman’s actions in Mark, even from the disciples’ point of view, seemed wasteful. But not to Jesus. Just as her perfume anointed Him, the aroma of our obedience wells up to please Him.
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QUESTION What was the reason the men scolded the woman? |
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QUESTION How do their comments contrast with Jesus’ comments toward her?
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QUESTION Based on His attitude toward the woman, what can we learn about how Jesus responds to our lives as we willingly pay the cost? |
Listen on Your Own
Day 5
Read Matthew 13:44–46; Hebrews 12:2–9.
We discover joy in paying the cost. If we don’t pay attention to the joy of eternity, we may lose motivation to persist in following Jesus. In these Scriptures, we see the joy for those who are paying the cost. When we find a greater thing, we find joy, not mourning, in leaving behind the lesser things.
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QUESTION In the Matthew passage, the two men are joyful even though they are literally giving up everything they have. Why?
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QUESTION Sometimes we pay the price as discipline from the hand of the Lord. What are some things to remember from these verses in Hebrews if this is the reason we are paying the cost?
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QUESTION Jesus endured the cost of the cross for “the joy awaiting Him.” What do you think this “joy” was?
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