Sermon Study · Study Guide
Church is a Team Sport
June 14, 2026 · Austin Axen
The Big Idea
A Spirit-filled church practices devotion, shares life and resources, and measures victory by worshiping God and welcoming people into his family.
Remember Sunday’s message
Sermon reminders
We Practice Together
Austin highlighted four practices that fueled the early church: the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. These were shared commitments, not merely private habits.
We Share Together
The believers shared resources and relationships. Their generosity met real needs, while worship and meals drew them into a glad, personal, and connected life together.
We Win Together
Austin described the church's scoreboard as worshiping God and seeing people saved. God gives favor and adds people to his church as believers live authentically on mission together.
Wednesday’s conversation
Reflect & discuss
Read Acts 2:42-47 together and pray. As you listen, notice what the believers practiced, what they shared, and how Luke described the result.
Check the fuel
Acts 2:42 names the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. Which practice is strengthening you right now, and which one are you most likely to underuse?
Description and direction
Austin said Acts contains both description and prescription. What in this portrait should shape the church today, and where should we be careful about turning a narrative into a formula?
A genuinely shared life
The believers shared possessions, meals, worship, and daily life. What makes generosity and fellowship real rather than simply being in the same room on Sunday?
A different scoreboard
Verse 47 joins praising God, favor with people, and the Lord adding those who were being saved. How should that reshape what we call success for a church or a small group?
Carry it into the week
Next Steps
From the sermon
- Choose one of the four practices you are underusing and take one concrete step this week.
- Share a meal with someone.
- Continue praying for the person in your Jerusalem circle.
- Watch for an opportunity to show care.
Application
Choose one practical act of shared life this week. Meet a need, invite someone to a meal, pray together, or study Scripture with another person.
My notes
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from the ESV Bible, © 2001 by Crossway. Text Edition: 2025. Used by permission. Permissions. Prepared for this small group from the June 14, 2026 sermon; questions and applications are editorial study material.
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