WEEK 8 : Ready for Action

Warmup Game: Play 2 or 3 rounds of Reverse Charades below. Hint: select the category of “animals” or “emotions.” One person acts while the rest of the group has two minutes to guess as many of the words as they can.

Opening Prayer: Holy Spirit, please speak to us and teach us today. Help us listen closely and LIVE more like Jesus.

In charades, you have to be ready for action. As soon as you see a word, you need to put movement to it so others can guess it. In today’s passage, Peter calls all believers to be ready for action. 

Read 1 Peter 3:13-18.

1 Peter 3:15 is a great verse to memorize. Post it somewhere that you will see it often this week, like the kitchen counter or a door or window.

Question 1: Hope doesn’t just mean you hope you get a new dog. Hope in Jesus is knowing for sure that he is working for our good and that one day we will spend forever with him without sickness, sadness, or pain. How hard is it for you to tell others about your hope in Jesus?

In the book of Acts, when someone believes in Jesus, their next step is to be baptized. 

Read Acts 2:38-41, Acts 8:12, 36-38, Acts 10:47-48, and Acts 22:16.

Question 2: If you’ve been baptized, share your baptism story in a minute or less. Why did you make that decision? What was special about that day?

If you haven’t been baptized since believing in Jesus, how will you know if you’re ready to take that step?

(Parents - visit mcc.church/beliefs and read our baptism statement and pray for wisdom on if God is calling you or your child to take that step.)

Baptism is also a great witness toward unbelievers. If you choose to get baptized, who could you invite to come support you at your baptism who might not yet know Jesus? 

Read Acts 9:1-22 about when Paul (Saul) first believed in Jesus.

Question 3: How long did Saul wait after believing in Jesus to start telling others about him? You don’t have to be a certain age to be a witness for Jesus. God wants each of us to tell as many people as we can about how great Jesus is! 

Read Acts 9:23-31. 

Question 4: What do you notice about fear in these verses? Who or what should we fear? 

Family Prayer: Holy Spirit, prepare us for action! Prepare us to tell others how great you are. Help us not to be afraid, but to be courageous because we believe in Jesus and his Holy Spirit is with us.