Click here to see the sermon discussion questions or see them listed below. We highly encourage you to listen, think, and talk about the sermon. These are questions you can reflect on by yourself, with your family, or with your small group.

Discussion Questions:

1. We saw in our text and in the life of Jesus, that God often works more powerfully in and through suffering, than without it. Jesus was most powerful upon the cross, and the church spread further during times of great persecution. Have there been times in your life where you’ve seen the same? That in moments that seem unfavorable, God did mighty things in and through your life?
2. Have you ever felt that people seem to treat you differently because of your faith? How did that impact you?
3. We saw devout people lamenting Stephen’s death. How is lamentation consistent with the sovereignty of God? How do we make sure our theology doesn’t make us stoics?
4. We noticed that it was not only the apostles that God used for evangelism and proclamation. How do we make sure that, as a church, we are not leaving the majority of the ministry to the ‘few’?  In what practical ways can you contribute to the work within the church, and evangelism outside of the church?
5. When we face opposition in our evangelism, why do we shy away from the main issue—that we are at odds with God because of our sin? Can evangelism happen best through the support of programs by the church? Why should we not put our faith in programs being the only opportunity for evangelical impact?