"The Restoring Work of the Holy Spirit"Discussion Questions
Read the Text
Joel 2:28–3:1
“And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
Acts 1:4–8
And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2:14–21
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
And I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
the sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’
Psalm 51:11-12
Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Introduction Questions
1. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “restoration?”
2. Have you ever experienced a broken relationship restored? What caused it?
3. What is something currently in your life you hope is soon restored?
Observation Questions
1. What event do you think is being described here in Joel 2? When do you think this prophecy was or is going to be fulfilled?
2. What does this text teach us about the role of the Holy Spirit?
3. What do you think the text means when it says in verse 28, “all flesh?” Who is he referring to?
4. What about Sunday’s sermon stuck out to you or challenged you? What did you learn, love, or were you reminded of?
Personal Reflection Questions
1. How have you seen God do restorative work in your life? What has he restored in your life?
2. Who can we pray for tonight who has wandered away from the Lord and needs restoration to the Father?
3. What habit in your life pushes you away from your heavenly father rather than pushes you closer to your heavenly father? How should you change?
4. In light of our text this week and our sermon on Sunday, how might we respond in obedience? What do you think God is asking you to do?