Community Group Discussion Guide: Be Filled with the Spirit
Icebreakers:

1. What is your favorite food in the world?  (Why is it your favorite food?)
2. If you could only eat one entrée, every meal, for the rest of your life, what dish would you choose?  (How long would it take you to be sick and tired of the same old thing?)
3. What is the driving force behind your eating habits?  (Do you primarily eat for the sustenance of your physical being, or are you driven by a craving for the flavors?)  

Digging Deeper: Jesus talked about spiritual hunger in the Be-Attitudes.  Matthew 5:6 KJV
"Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled."  It is healthy for Believers in Christ to "hunger and thirst" for a deeper relationship with Him.  How do you cultivate your personal relationship with other people?  What are some "things" that we can do to cultivate our relationship with God?

Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.”

• What does it mean to be "filled with the Spirit?"
• Why do you think the Apostle Paul contrasted being "filled with the Spirit" with being "drunk with wine?"
• Paul is more than making a good suggestion when he says, "be filled with the Spirit."  According to Charles Swindoll, it is an urgent imperative.  What can we do as followers of Christ to fulfill this command? 
  

Luke 11:9-13
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? [12] Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? [13] If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

• We say that God is good, that there is no shadow of turning in Him, in your personal experience, how has God proven to be faithful and trustworthy?  
  
• "Ask," "Seek," and "Knock," are all examples of a person who is making an effort towards an objective.  Can you think of other scriptures that call the Believer to be diligent in the pursuit of God?​
• In the Last Discourse, Jesus taught about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Believer.  Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as our Helper, our Comforter, our Counselor and our Teacher.  The value of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Believer is priceless.  What are you currently doing in your life to nurture your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint, neither is He weary?  There is no searching of His understanding. He gives power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increases their strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

• Isaiah is expounding on our need of God.  "He gives power to the faint."  Likewise, the Holy Spirit empowers a Believer to be a witness.  To what extent are "we" dependent on the Holy Spirit's power to live for God?
• Practically, how can a Believer "wait on the Lord?"  How important is it to wait upon the Lord?

Wrap-up:  "Be filled with the Spirit" is a call to continually be filled.  It is not a "one and done" proposition.  Our relationship with the Holy Spirit (who is a person) has the opportunity to be enriched and deepened every day.  We should make this a high priority, for this is a relationship worth pursuing!

Community Group Discussion Guide: Baptism of Power
Icebreakers:

1. What would you say is the greatest difference between Christianity and other world religions?
2. How has the Holy Spirit living in you, changed your life?  (Are you aware of the Holy Spirit's presence?)
3. The power of the Holy Spirit was to produce "witnesses."  What does it mean to be a "witness" for Christ?​

Digging Deeper:  Let's look at three instances where the followers of Jesus were "filled" with the Holy Spirit.

John 20:21,22.  Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

1. How would you interpret the implications of what happened in this event?  (Did the disciples actually receive the Holy Spirit at this point?)
2. Do you think the disciples were "saved" before the Day of Pentecost?

Acts 2:1-4 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. [2] And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. [4] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

1. Why do you think Jesus instructed His disciples to wait in Jerusalem to be Baptized with the Holy Spirit when He had already "breathed" the Holy Spirit upon them?
2. Verse 4 states that those gathered in the Upper Room were "filled with the Holy Spirit."  How do the "ideas" or terms of being baptized with the Holy Spirit and/or being filled with the Holy Spirit relate to each other?  (Are these ideas synonymous?)
3. What was the purpose of "speaking in other tongues" in this particular instance?

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.

1. This event absolutely relates to the purpose of Christ's promised baptism with the Holy Spirit.  The purpose is to fill Believers with power to be witnesses.  In Acts 4:31, the gathered Believers are in need of being filled with power to be witnesses in the face of persecution.  
2. Please note, the exact same language is used to describe being "filled with the Holy Spirit" in both Acts, Chapter two and Acts, Chapter four.  What do you "see" as being the relationship between these two different instances of "being filled with the Holy Spirit"?
3. The following Chapters in the Book of Acts are a confirmation that the power of the Holy Spirit indeed made the Believers into living witnesses.  How is the Holy Spirit working through you to be a witness for Christ?

Community Group Discussion Guide: Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Icebreakers:

1. Throughout Christ's public ministry, as far as scripture records, Jesus never used His divine power for His own personal benefit.  Why do you think Jesus avoided using supernatural power for His own personal benefit?
2. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, what would have been wrong with turning the stone into bread?  (After-all, Jesus was hungry)
3. According to Jesus (Acts 1:8) what was the purpose of the Holy Spirit in relationship to the Church?

Digging Deeper: Let's look at the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The connection between Jesus and the Holy Spirit is significant.

• The Holy Spirit inspired prophets to write about the Messiah
• The Holy Spirit raised up John the Baptist to prepare the way for Jesus
• The Holy Spirit caused the virgin "Mary" to become pregnant with child
• The Holy Spirit fell upon Jesus during His baptism
• The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted
• The Holy Spirit filled Jesus with power for ministry
• The Holy Spirit was with Jesus through the atoning work on the cross
• The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead
• The Holy Spirit helped Jesus complete the task of establishing the Church

Read: 1 Peter 1:10-12a  As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, [11] seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. [12] It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.

1. Can you think of any prophetic writings concerning the Messiah that would indicate that the Messiah would suffer?  (Isaiah 53; Psalm 118:22)
2. Why do you think that the religious leaders in Christ's time did not understand the role of the Messiah in spite of what the prophecies had indicated?
3. Isaiah 53 reads more like an eye witness account of Christ's sufferings rather than a prophecy, what are some of the "things" that stand out to you?  Isaiah 53:3-6 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. [4] Surely, he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. [5] But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. [6] All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
   

Read: Matthew 1:20 Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit."

1. Jesus was unique, He was God in the flesh.  He was man, and He was God.  This started from conception.  What do you think Joseph felt when he discovered that his virgin bride was pregnant?
2. We do not have a lot of information concerning Joseph, but what actions did he take that indicates that he was a caring father?​

Some miscellaneous questions concerning Jesus and the Holy Spirit:

1. How did John the Baptist prepare the way of the Lord?
2. What was the significance of the Holy Spirit descending and landing on Jesus when He was baptized?
3. Why do you think the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan? 

Peter spoke the following words to Cornelius and his household: Acts 10:37-39 "You yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. [38] You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. [39] We are witnesses of all the things He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem." 

1. Why do you think Jesus ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit as opposed to using His own divine power?  (This is what Peter seems to be inferring)​

Wrap-up: The Holy Spirit was working in and through the life of Jesus in three highly significant accomplishments.

• The Holy Spirit was involved in the atoning work of Christ. Hebrews 9:14 How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
  
• The Holy Spirit was involved in the resurrection of Christ.  Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.  
  
• The Holy Spirit helped Jesus establish the Church.   Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”