After Peter performs a miraculous healing, people gather; so he takes the time to explain what the healing means. And while the healing itself is what draws immediate attention, the greater joy is the much richer, underlying hope Peter is preaching. That hope is life-altering but rarely is your life "altered" without some pain involved. As has been said: "It hurts like heaven - which is more than hell... because heaven wants you to change, and hell hopes you never will." Let's talk about what it means that we are "Sons of the Prophets".

Discussion QuestionsHow are we with confrontations? Do we try to avoid them at all costs? Why are confrontations difficult to face? Can we describe a time when we were confronted by someone or when we had to confront someone? How did those moments turn out?Read vv.11-13. How does Peter confront those who came to see the miracle? What did he accuse them of? How do you think the crowd felt when they heard the words, “You handed him over to be killed” in v.13 and “You killed the author of life” in v.14?How does Peter completely give God the glory in the miracles? What do you think the people were thinking when they saw the beggar healed? Why did they run towards Peter? How can miracles potentially distract away from God? How does Peter address them? Why is this so important, especially when miracles occur?How is the Gospel bad news before it is good news? Read vv.17-19. How do you think the people felt when they heard this? How does understanding the bad news make the significance of the good news even stronger?Take some time to read Ephesians 2:1-7. What is the bad news of this passage? What are some keywords or phrases that describe this? Why are verses 4-7 so glorious and amazing?How does Peter view the Scriptures? Read Luke 24:27, 44. Also, read John 5:39-40. What can we learn from Peter in how he handles and uses Scripture? How do we view the Scriptures?Where is the Word of God in our life? Do we read the Word to get knowledge or to get to know God? Do we ever feel like reading His Word becomes burdensome or task-oriented? Why is reading the Word difficult for us? How did the sermon encourage and challenge us to be more intentional with our time in the Word?Russ shared this in the sermon: “It hurts like heaven - which is more than hell... because heaven wants you to change, and hell hopes you never will." How does this make you feel? Do we believe this to be true? How have we been changed by the Good News of Christ?We are called “Sons of the Prophet.” What does that mean to you? What does our Scripture tell us about that in vv.24-25? How does that encourage and empower us as we live out our faith?