An eight-week journey through the birth and growth of the early church.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 2:42 · ESV
A reading guide from The ChurchHitchcock, TX
Acts 2 Group StudyThe Church · Hitchcock, TX
How to use this
Eight weeks in the early church.
The book of Acts shows us what happens when ordinary people are filled with the Spirit and devoted to Jesus. Over eight sessions, your group will trace the church’s first days and ask what it means to live that way now.
Each session follows the same simple flow. Don’t feel pressure to cover every question — follow the conversation where the Spirit leads.
Each week follows the same rhythm
Read
Read the week’s passage aloud together.
Discuss
Work through the three questions. Let everyone in.
Apply
Land on one way to live it out this week.
Pray
Pray for one another before you go.
The Church01
Acts 2 Group StudyThe Church · Hitchcock, TX
Sessions 1–3
Promise, power, and the Word.
Session 1Acts 1:1–11This week: Wait on, and rely on, the Spirit rather than your own strength.
· What did Jesus tell the disciples to do before they did anything else? Why does that matter?
· Where are you tempted to act in your own power instead of relying on God?
· What would it look like to “wait on the Spirit” in a decision you’re facing?
Session 2Acts 2:1–13This week: Ask God to fill and empower you for what He’s called you to.
· What stands out about how the Spirit arrived? How did the crowd respond?
· Have you ever sensed God’s power at work in or through you? Describe it.
· What might change if you truly believed the same Spirit lives in you?
Session 3Acts 2:14–41This week: Share one part of your story or the gospel with someone this week.
· What is the heart of Peter’s message? What does he point people to?
· What makes sharing your faith feel hard — and what might help?
· Who is one person God might be putting on your heart to talk to?
The Church02
Acts 2 Group StudyThe Church · Hitchcock, TX
Sessions 4–6
The blueprint, boldness, honesty.
Session 4Acts 2:42–47This week: Lean into one of the four devotions — Word, fellowship, bread, or prayer.
· Which of the four devotions comes easiest to you? Which is hardest?
· What would it look like for our group to live more like this?
· What’s one practical step you could take toward deeper community?
Session 5Acts 3:1–4:31This week: Ask God for boldness to do or say one thing you’ve been avoiding.
· Where did the apostles’ boldness come from (4:13)?
· When have you stayed quiet about your faith out of fear? What happened?
· What would “courage from time with Jesus” look like in your life?
Session 6Acts 4:32–5:11This week: Practice honesty and generosity in one specific way this week.
· What was beautiful about the church in 4:32–37? What went wrong in chapter 5?
· Where are you tempted to look more generous or spiritual than you really are?
· What does wholehearted honesty before God and others require of you?
The Church03
Acts 2 Group StudyThe Church · Hitchcock, TX
Sessions 7–8
Serving and sent out.
Session 7Acts 6:1–7This week: Notice a need around you this week and meet it — even a small one.
· How did the church solve the problem in this passage? What does that teach us?
· What needs do you see in our group, church, or community right now?
· Where is God inviting you to serve, even if it’s behind the scenes?
Session 8Acts 8:1–8This week: Take the gospel somewhere it normally doesn’t go in your week.
· How did God use even persecution to spread the gospel?
· How have you seen God bring good out of a hard situation?
· Now that the study is ending, what’s your group’s next step together?
Take a minute
Looking back over eight weeks, what’s the one thing God has most pressed on your heart? Name it, and decide how you’ll keep living it out.
The Church04
Keep going
Don’t let it end here.
You’ve seen what God did through an ordinary, Spirit-filled church — and He’s still doing it. Don’t let the momentum stop when the study does. Pick a next book, a next step, a next person.
Pair this with our other group resources, and reach out about what your group could study next.