From Weary to Wonder
11 May - 29 June 2025
Isaiah 40:28-31 · At the start of the year, our church spent three days in prayer and fasting. During that time, many in our church felt that God was stirring us to respond, calling us to reawaken our faith and rekindle a sense of wonder in Him. After seasons of uncertainty, we are hungry for where God is leading us. This series invites us to see afresh the incredible hope and strength found in Christ. Rooted in Isaiah 40, we pray it reminds us all of God's everlasting love and renews our spirits for the journey ahead.
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Acts 8:1-8, Isaiah 40:28-31 · Out of our prayer and fasting days in January, there was a sense of weariness and a need to reawaken our relationships with God.
We’ll read about the early church in Acts, looking to see what happens when the excitement stops, when tough times come and when we feel weary. How do we find a fresh perspective on life and a relationship with God?
Study Questions
Read Acts 8:1-8.
1. The church we read about in Acts 8 looks very different to the church in Acts 1.
How do you think they would have been feeling? How would this change impact you if you were facing the events of Acts 8?
2. Who was Saul? And who did he become?
Read Isaiah 40:28-31.
The people Isaiah is speaking to find themselves in captivity and exile. Things don’t look the way they had expected or hoped. Isaiah encourages them to hold on to God by: look backing at what God has done (v28); looking around at what God is doing now (v28-29); and looking forward to the future hope that God has promised (v30-31).
3. Where have you seen God at work in the past - both in your own life and in the church?
4. Are there ways in which you can see God at work now, even if it looks different to how you think it should or would like it to - both individually and as a church?
5. What is the hope that Jesus gives us, both now and in the future?
6. The dictionary definition of wonder is “a feeling of amazement and admiration caused by something beautiful, remarkable or unfamiliar”. What do you think of when someone talks about the wonder of God?
7. What can we do now to rediscover the wonder of God?
8. Pray that we rediscover the wonder of God this week.
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Acts 8:26-38 · The things we meditate on and fill our minds with are reflected in the person we become. To become more like Jesus—and understand what He meant when He said that by knowing Him we can have life and have it to the full—we must spend time with Him. How do we rediscover the joy of personal discipleship, a hunger to engage with God’s word, and encourage one another to do the same?
Study Questions
Read Acts 8:26-38.
What is your dream job?
Read verses 26-27. How does Philip respond to the command of the angel?
Read verses 29-30. What is the role of the Holy Spirit and what is Philip’s role?
Did the Spirit tell Philip to convert the eunuch?
Read verses 30-31. What do these verses tell us about where the eunuch is at in his own spiritual journey?
Do you see a hunger for truth in those around you?
If someone asked you what your purpose in life is, what would you say?
If you think God might be telling you to do something, what should you do?
As we continue in our discipleship, we can all learn more about Jesus and we can all be teaching others.
Who are you learning from, and who is teaching you?
What might be your next step in your journey with God?
Read Isaiah 53 together prayerfully.
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Acts 9:1-19 · A relationship with Jesus brings us a brand new identity: one not based on the things of this world—power, position & popularity—but instead one simply based on being His child.
The quiet faithfulness and assurance Ananias had from his identity as a child of God was used by God to help give Saul a brand new identity and turn his life upside down for the good. What would your life look like if you could truly grasp your identity coming just from your position as God’s child?
Study Questions
Read Acts 9:1-19.
Do you know any stories of life-changing moments?
What was Saul’s identity before his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus? How did he view himself, and how did others see him?
In verses 3-6, Saul meets Jesus. How does this experience change Saul’s understanding of God and of himself?
Why do you think Jesus chose Saul, someone actively persecuting the church, to carry His name to the Gentiles? What does this reveal about God’s power to re-define identity?
Ananias expresses fear about meeting Saul in verses 13–14. How does God’s response to Ananias in verses 15–16 affirm Saul’s new identity and purpose?
What role does Ananias play in confirming Saul’s new identity in Christ in verses 17–18? How might we be called to speak into the identity and calling of others?
In verse 19, Saul regains his strength and begins his new journey. What signs do you see in this passage that his identity has shifted from persecutor to disciple?
How does this story challenge our assumptions about who can change or be used by God?
Pray for wisdom to know the steps we might take to live more fully in the identity God gives us.
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Numbers 13:1-3a; 26-30
Numbers 14:5-9; 20-24What do you do when the future looks uncertain…or even impossible?
In a land full of giants, Caleb and Joshua saw a promise—not a problem. While fear paralysed others, they moved forward in confidence—not in themselves, but in the God who had proven faithful time and time again.Study Questions
Can you think of a time when you were faced with a big decision that felt risky?
What influenced the decision you made - fear, faith, comfort, opportunity…?
Read Numbers 13:1-3a, 26-30.
In verses 27-33, when the spies brought back the negative report, do you think they doubted God’s ability or his will?
Read Numbers 14:5-9; 20-24.
How did Joshua and Caleb respond differently in verses 6-9?
What do their words show about their trust in God?
Tim said, ‘Taking risks for God reveals the hand of God.’
How have you seen God at work when someone has stepped out in faith, even when the outcome wasn’t certain?
In what ways did the spies ‘spread a bad report’ that destroyed the confidence of the Israelites?
How can we build confidence in each other?
Read Numbers 14:24.
What does it mean to have a ‘different spirit’ and follow God ‘wholeheartedly’?
How might that apply to your life today?
How can we avoid being reckless but still take risks for God?
Where might God be calling you to trust Him more?
Prayfor one another — for courage to take faithful risks, for confidence in God's provision, and for vision to live beyond ourselves.
Pray for our leaders - for discernment and courage.
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Acts 9:32-43 · Healing is a topic that we each might approach with different feelings and experiences. But we see in Scripture that healing was never only for the individual, it served as the Gospel message pointing people to God’s love, power, and the hope we have in our eternal home.
Study Questions
Read Acts 9:32-43.
1. What do you notice about healing from these accounts of Tabitha and Aenas?
2. On Sunday, Sarah talked about different experiences people might have had, and their reactions to the idea of healing.
What is your response when you think about healing?
3. The phrase, ‘Do not be afraid’ is mentioned 365 times in the NIV Bible, God’s love is mentioned 551 times and healing is mentioned 138.
How do these statistics help us as we approach the issue of healing?
4. What is the strangest reason you have heard, to ‘explain’ why God hasn’t healed?
5. How does this passage help us to understand the nature and the power of God.
6. On Sunday, Sarah quoted Dr Jack Deere, “Healing is not our responsibility, it is God’s. He can take both the glory and the blame.”
How does this help us as we explore the topic of healing?
7. Do you have any testimonies of God healing - either physically, emotionally or spiritually?
8. Read Revelation 21:3-4.
How does this passage show that we are not yet living in the world as God intended it to be? What hope does this offer us?
9. Spend some time praying for healing - either for yourself or others, knowing that we can trust God and that the promise of an eternal home free of pain, tears and suffering is on offer to all.
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Acts 12:1-14 · There is power in prayer. When Peter was in prison, the church prayed earnestly, not to control the outcome, but to align with God. True prayer isn’t about getting our way; it’s about daily surrender, deepening our relationship with God, and trusting His will. Imagine how our lives, our relationships, and even our communities could be transformed if we truly grasped and leaned into the power of prayer.
Study Questions
Read Acts 12:1-14.
What is your biggest challenge about the whole subject of prayer?
Read vv1-5. After James had been killed and Peter arrested, how much faith do you think the church had?
Notice the contrast between the detailed description of the power of the opposition (vv1-4), and the brief comment, ‘…but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.’ (v5). It’s almost as if the author is comparing the two ‘powers’. In what ways might we underestimate the power of prayer?
What do you find encouraging about the fact that the passage talks about the church praying, rather than about Peter praying?
Peter is dramatically rescued in vv6-11. What confidence does this give us to pray? And why do you think God chose to rescue Peter, particularly in light of God’s great plan for his church (see v8)? How might this impact our prayer lives?
Notice the ‘together’ aspect of prayer – the church was praying together. Why is that so important? Why, throughout the bible and church history, might Christians have chosen to ‘lay hands’ on each other as they pray?
In vv12-16, the praying Christians don’t believe it is Peter! How could this encourage us in our prayer?
Is a prayer of faith more powerful than a skeptical one?
This week choose NOT to pray for one of your needs, and instead ask the group to pray for it.
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Acts 19:1-7 · The Holy Spirit empowers the Church. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, along with spiritual gifts like prophecy, tongues, and discernment, not for show, but to strengthen our faith and encourage others. These gifts are meant to build up the Church and draw people closer to an understanding of who God is. When used with humility and love, they become powerful tools for transformation and outreach.
Study Questions
What comes to mind when you think about the Holy Spirit?
Read Acts 9:1-17.
Some Christians have grown up being taught a ‘two-person trinity’. Have you experienced this in your own church background? How has your understanding of the Holy Spirit changed over time?
In verses 1-2, Paul asks the believers in Ephesus whether they received the Holy Spirit when they believed. Why do you think he asks them this?
Read verses 3-5. What is the difference between John’s baptism and baptism in the Holy Spirit?
In verse 6, Paul lays his hands on the believers when he prays for them. What signs accompanied them receiving the Spirit? Do we desire or expect these things to happen today?
Judy shared that the Holy Spirit is for the uninformed, the wary, the, weary, and the longing.
Which of these best describes your current posture toward the Holy Spirit?Isaiah 40:31 promises that those who hope in the Lord will “soar on wings like eagles.”
In what areas of life do you feel like you’re flapping instead of soaring?The Holy Spirit doesn’t make us weird—it makes us more fully ourselves.
How does that idea change your willingness to be filled with the Spirit?In Ephesians 5:18, Paul urges the followers there to, ‘be filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.’ In the Greek text, the word for ‘be filled’ is actually in the continuous present tense, giving the verse the meaning, ‘Be continually filled with the fullness of the Holy Spirit.’
Pray for one another to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
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Acts 27:13-44 · Life doesn’t always go as planned, but we can trust that God is always present and His promises never fail. He is the unshakable rock on which we build our lives, the only secure foundation.
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