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Five Devotions on Discernment

from the Book of Acts

        Read Acts 1:12-26.

        This story follows the Ascension of Jesus into heaven and shows the process by which a new person was chosen to replace Judas the Betrayer for the ministry of the Twelve Apostles.

        The story makes clear that there were more who believed in Jesus than just the Apostles. How many did they number? (1:15)

        Peter takes the lead in the account and suggests a discernment process to follow.

        What was the criteria for the candidate to be considered? 1:21-22

        If Jesus' ministry from his baptism to his ascension was about three years long, then what are the implications of the criteria suggested by Peter?

        How many candidates were settled upon that fulfilled the criteria? 1:23

        Could there have been more? What do you think led them to put forward only two?

        What was the next step in the process? 1:24

        What specifically did the prayer ask for? 1:24c

        The last step in the process was casting lots (1:26). Proverbs 16.33 says, "The lot is cast into the lap, but the decision is the Lord's alone." Although this method of determining God's will was an old and venerable one, appearing 20 times in both Old and New Testaments, this was the last recorded use of casting lots in the Bible.

        How do you see casting lots differing from taking a vote as we do today?

        All human methods of determining or discerning God's will can be corrupted by the human element. What might be the advantages and disadvantages of casting lots for determining God's will? What might be the advantages and disadvantages of voting?

        In the end, "the lot fell on Matthias, and he was added to the eleven apostles" (1:26).

        Does this last verse indicate faith in the process and general agreement among all the believers that God's will had indeed been done?

        In Acts 5:38-39, a Pharisee named Gamaliel makes a helpful statement about discernment, saying, "if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them in that case you may even be found fighting against God!"

        That suggests that there are signs that can be read during and after a process is complete that would indicate whether God's will has been done. What might be some of those signs that Matthias truly was God's choice? What might be signs that Matthias was not God's choice?

        What do we learn from this passage about God's leading in our ministry?

        Close this devotion with a prayer asking God to teach us how to listen with ears attuned to the Spirit and eyes open to the signs of God's leading.

        Read Acts 6:1-8.

        This story details some of the "growing pains" in the new ministry of the fledgling Christian community in Jerusalem as both numbers and ministry needs increased.

        What is the "complaint" or conflict that had developed in the community? 6:1

        In dividing out ministries, what ministry took priority for the Apostles themselves to do? 6:2 and 4

        Are there implications in these verses with regard to pastoral involvement in church administration? What might these be?

        Bible interpreters have often identified this story as detailing the development of lay ministries within the church. The Apostles suggested specific criteria for fulfilling lay ministry in the church. What were these? 6:3

        How do these criteria match our own understanding of lay ministry within our church? When Church Council or committee positions become vacant, how important are these kind of biblical criteria for choosing replacements?

        What would be the outward signs that a person is "full of faith and the Holy Spirit" today? 6:5

        Who actually chose the seven candidates for ministry of "daily distribution of food" -- the Apostles alone or the whole community? 6:5

        What would be the importance of having the whole community involved in the choosing?

        Notice that the complaint in 6:1 came from the Hellenists (Greeks) against the Hebrews, then notice that the names of the candidates put forth in 6:5 includes both Greeks and Hebrews. How would the good of the whole community be served by this?

        Something of an installation service occurs in 6:6, presumably at worship. What are the individual elements of this rite of installation?

        In the Bible, laying hands was a sign of several things: it was a setting apart of a person for service (Num. 8:10), a giving of authority (Num. 27:18-23), a sign of blessing (Mk. 10:14-16), a mode for healing (Mk. 5:23, Acts 28:8), and especially a conveyance of the Holy Spirit (Deut. 34:9, Acts 8:17), particularly related to Baptism (Acts 19:5-6). Which of these uses is being employed in this passage (6:6)?

        Although this passage is a simple narrative of a problem and the resolution of that problem through a particular process, how might it be described as a discernment process? Where is the evidence of God's leading in the process?

        As mentioned in the last lesson, signs of God's leading within a particular process become evident as time goes on. What are the signs that God blessed the process of the choosing of the seven? 6:7-8

        What do we learn from this passage about God's leading in our ministry?

        Close this devotion with a prayer asking God to teach us to look for signs of the Spirit and of wisdom and faith in those we encounter within the church.

Five Devotions on Discernment

from the Book of Acts

        Read Acts 8:26-40.

        In this passage, we see Philip being led in his ministry after being commissioned in Acts 6. Philip hears an "angel of the Lord" (8:26) and then "the Spirit" (8:29) speak to him in very specific ways with very specific directions. Can we take this "hearing" literally? In what ways do people "hear" the Spirit's leading? How do we know that it is the Spirit speaking? Jesus says in John 7:17, "Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God."

        What did Philip discover on that "road from Jerusalem to Gaza" that made him realize that it truly had been the Spirit directing him there? 8:27-28

        What is the result of this Spirit-led encounter with the eunuch? 8:38

        8:39-40 says that "the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away" and he next found himself 15-20 miles away in Azotus. Is this a miraculous moving of Philip from one place to another? How similar is it to say, "The next thing I knew, I was in Albuquerque"? Is the emphasis in this passage on the manner of Philip's movement or on the author of that movement, the Spirit?

        When we are following the Spirit's leading, are we fully conscious of it? What tells us if we are?

        Read Acts 16:6-15

        This account details part of one of the missionary journeys of Paul. Paul had been called on the road to Damascus for this ministry (Acts 9) and set apart with prayer and laying of hands by the church at Antioch at the bidding of the Spirit (13:2-3).

        What's striking in Acts 16:6-7 is the negative advice of the Spirit: forbidding preaching in Asia and not allowing Paul to enter Bithynia. While we normally think of how God positively leads us, this passage indicates that God lets us know what not to do as well.

        How might God communicate that something is not the direction that we should take? What signs might be available to us of this?

        In 16:9, Paul has a vision "during the night." Are dreams and visions the same thing? How might they differ?

        How does a person know if a vision or a dream is from God? Note in 16:10 that it was not simply Paul who was convinced of God's call in the vision; rather it says "we" were "convinced." This presumes that after Paul had the vision, he discussed it with his traveling companions to confirm his own feelings about it. In 1 Cor. 14:26-33, Paul is very specific in saying that "revelations" and "speaking in tongues" should always be "interpreted" and "weighed" by others for the purpose of "building up" the church. 1 John 4:1 similarly says "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God." Discerning God's will is a collaborative process in the church of the New Testament.

        How might we go about testing visions and revelations and insights today?

        What did Paul and his party find when they went to Macedonia that served as confirmation of God's leading? 16:13-15

        What do we learn from these passages about God's leading in our ministry?

        Close this devotion with a prayer asking God to teach us how to read both negative and positive signs of the Spirit's leading.

Five Devotions on Discernment

from the Book of Acts

        Read Acts 11:1-18.

        The entrance of the Gentiles (non-Jewish people) into the Christian Church was the first major test of God's leading encountered in the fledgling church and is described in detail in Acts 11 and Acts 15. The first Christians had been Jews ("circumcised believers"), just as Jesus had been.

        What is the posture of these circumcised believers in Judean church? 11.2-3

        How might such behavior lead to conflict in a congregation?

        Peter's response is to describe his own discernment process "step by step" as it included multiple signs indicating the welcome of the Gentiles. What is the first sign that Peter describes? 11:5-9

        What was Peter's sense of the origin of this sign? 11:9

        How many times did this sign occur? 11:10

        What was the second sign that Peter encountered? 11:11-12a

        Peter was told of a third sign that someone else saw. What was that sign? 11:13-14

        What was the fourth sign that Peter witnessed? 11:15

        The fifth sign came in the form of a memory of Jesus' words, 11:16. In John 14:26, Jesus had promised the disciples that "the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you."

        Did Peter witness and read these signs alone? No, 11:12b. Note, as discovered in the last devotion, discernment is a collaborative process.

        What was Peter's conclusion from all these signs? 11:17

        Did the assembled church in Jerusalem agree with Peter's conclusion about the signs? 11:18

        Could they have continued to criticize and oppose Peter? Remember Gamaliel's advice in Acts 5:38-39, "if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them--in that case you may even be found fighting against God!"

        Drawing conclusions from this passage, if God is calling the church to a new ministry or path:

        How many signs are likely to point to it?

        How many people are likely to see it?

        What will be the place of scripture in relation to the signs? cf. 11.16

        How important is interpretation in reading signs and drawing conclusions for direction? Can interpretation be wrong? What would assure that interpretation is not wrong?

        In this story, the "circumcised believers," who would have been the majority in the Christian church of that day, were not happy in 11:2 about the influx of the uncircumcised Gentiles. In 11:18, their criticisms were "silenced." What does this say about personal agendas, fears, prejudices when it comes to discernment?

        Will a discernment process always "silence" or "convince" (16:10) everyone? In Acts 15:1, some from the Judean church tried to convince the Gentiles that they had to observe Jewish tradition in order to "be saved." Another meeting of the church was necessary (15:6-28) to finalize the matter.

        What do we learn from these passages about God's leading in our ministry?

        Close this devotion with a prayer asking God to assist us in using scripture to interpret signs of the Spirit's leading.

Five Devotions on Discernment

from the Book of Acts

        In previous devotions, we have seen signs of the Spirit's leading in many and various ways. Assign each of the passages below to a different member of your group. Then have each member share with others how the passage describes the Spirit's leading in that particular situation:

        Acts 4:8-10 - The Spirit comes to individuals

        Acts 2:1-4 - The Spirit comes to groups

        Acts 13:2-3 - The Spirit comes during worship and fasting

        Acts 22:17-18 - The Spirit comes during prayer

        Acts 10:30-32 - The Spirit comes in answered prayer

        Acts 10:44-48 - The Spirit comes during the preaching of God's word

        Acts 11:16 - The Spirit comes in recalling Jesus' words (= scripture)

        Acts 19:1-6 - The Spirit comes at baptism

        Acts 8.14-17 - The Spirit comes in the laying of hands

        Acts 9.10-12 - The Spirit comes in visions

        Acts 10.19-20 - The Spirit comes as a voice heard

        Acts 11.27-28 - The Spirit comes as an insight

        Acts 20.22-23 - The Spirit comes as a matter of reading the signs and interpreting events

        Acts 15:6-28 - The Spirit comes within group processes of deliberation and conversation

        Can our own egos and desires speak louder than the Spirit? Consider Jonah 1:1-3

        Will signs and visions always be from God? No. Acts 19:13-16

        What is the place of scripture in helping to interpret such signs? Acts 11:15-17

        Multiple signs pointing to the same thing and collaborative process will also help to test signs.

        What do we learn from these passages about God's leading in our ministry?

        Close this devotion with a prayer thanking God giving us insight into discernment and the leading of the Spirit.