BLUEPRINT: GATHER, GROW, GIVE, GO

Text: Acts 6:8-15 and Acts 7:1-53

SCRIPTURE:

At the end of Acts 6, we see Stephen taken before the rulers and accused of blasphemy (speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things). Stephen could have retracted his statements or he could have been silent. He knew the consequences of defending himself. In “Stephen’s Speech,” Acts 7:2-53, he tells the story of Israel that points to Jesus. Have your group read this passage out loud together.
What gave Stephen the confidence and courage to speak as he did?
Now read aloud verses 54-60 and talk about the crowd’s response? Why did it enrage them?
Talk about Stephen’s response at the end of his life.

ACCOUNTABILITY:

How do you see gather, grow, give and go in Stephen’s life?
As we conclude the “4G Blueprint series,” in what area did God nudge you to make a change – gather, grow, give, go?
Blueprints can create imprints. Stephen was “imprinted” by Jesus. It showed in how he lived, what he said and how he died. How are we “imprinted” by culture, sports, politics, etc?
Can we control what imprints us?

TRANSFORMATION:

Stephen is the first person mentioned in the Bible who died because of their faith in Christ. How do we respond when we hear about modern-day martyrs?
What is it about the depth of Jesus’ imprinting that can make someone face death instead of denying Him?
What can I do in 2024 to increase Jesus’ imprint on my life?
What can I do to increase His imprint on the lives of my family and friends?

“We may never be martyrs, but we can die to self, to sin, to the world, and to our plans and ambitions.” Vance Havner

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