Acts of Leadership Discussion Questions

Week 4: Move Toward the Messes part 1
Pastor Rick Henderson             October 18-19, 2025

The study guide is designed for your individual use throughout the week to get you thinking about the Bible passage and offers ideas for spiritual practices you might consider trying. These discussion questions are designed to help you further process aspects of the passage, as presented in the sermon, with your group.

Discussion Questions for Week 4

1. Icebreaker: what’s your funniest or most meaningful story about engaging with another culture?

Read Acts 10

2. Which of these played a significant role in your own faith journey: being impressed by some Christ-followers in a way that compelled you to look into Christianity further, or “living above things in your backstory that you now regret” – or was it both?
3. How would you answer the question, “who gets to define what ‘good’ is?”
4. Why is it so important to, as Tim Keller put it, “realize the difference between what it means to be born again and what it means to be good?”
5. God used Peter to tell Cornelius about Jesus, rather than direct revelation, communicating that people-to-people communication is vital. Why is it so important to God that people are “bound together?”
6. Which of Peter’s actions do you find more challenging to emulate: the idea of breaking the religious rules (as Peter did in going to Cornelius) or embracing people you’ve been conditioned to dislike or distrust (since Romans were the occupying force)?
7. Is there anything else from the passage that you found impactful, confusing or challenging that you want to discuss?

Discussion Questions for Week 4 - Annotated

1. Icebreaker: what’s your funniest or most meaningful story about engaging with another culture?

• • Ideally this is a first-hand experience, as even those who haven’t traveled abroad have likely encountered people with different cultures.
  • This could be a cultural faux pas you’ve made or a bizarre experience.
  • If someone tells a negative story, try to spin it to something positive or emphasize that different isn’t necessarily worse before moving on.

Read Acts 10

• Prelude to question 2: Rick speculated as to how Cornelius might have become a “devout man who feared God,” and suggested two possibilities…

2. Which of these played a significant role in your own faith journey: being impressed by some Christ-followers in a way that compelled you to look into Christianity further, or “living above things in your backstory that you now regret” – or was it both?
3. How would you answer the question, “who gets to define what “good” is?”

• • The relativistic world around us says “everyone defines it for him/herself,” but we believe that God’s definition is the only one that counts – especially where eternity is concerned.
  • Follow up with “…and how does he define it?” A few helpful verses…
    • Matthew 19:17: God himself is good.
    • Genesis 1: God’s creation is good.
    • Micah 6:8: “to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

4. Why is it so important to, as Tim Keller put it, “realize the difference between what it means to be born again and what it means to be good?”

• • It’s not enough to be good. Without Christ we can’t be (according to how God defines it). We are made good only through Christ.
  • From the sermon: being born again means we take on a brand-new identity, a brand-new way of thinking and a brand-new way of living, by surrendering ourselves to his leadership.

5. God used Peter to tell Cornelius about Jesus, rather than direct revelation, communicating that people-to-people communication is vital. Why is it so important to God that people are “bound together?”

• • If attendance is a problem in your group, you can use this to emphasize that the only way to be bound together in your group is to be present.
  • Also a good plug for being engaged in other ways … seeking people out on Sunday mornings, serving, etc.

6. Which of Peter’s actions do you find more challenging to emulate: the idea of breaking the religious rules (as Peter did in going to Cornelius) or embracing people you’ve been conditioned to dislike or distrust (since Romans were the occupying force)?

• • This is a tough question, so feel free to omit if time is running out, your group is still forming or individual members are new to the faith, or if you want to end on a more positive note.

7. Is there anything else from the passage that you found impactful, confusing or challenging that you want to discuss?