Hear His Voice – Part 1

Introduction

Hearing God’s voice is something we all long for. The good news is God Himself wants to speak to us, too. In Acts 11, Peter shares how God spoke to him in a vision, challenged his thinking, and led him into something new. From this passage, Pastor Tim teaches us that hearing from God isn’t complicated. When we try to discern His voice, we may get it right or wrong, but there’s grace in the process, and God invites us to keep learning how to listen, test, and obey.

Discuss

Leaders: Choose questions that spark meaningful conversation and discern where God is leading—no need to answer them all.

1. Can you think of a time when you thought you heard God speak – whether it turned out to be right, wrong, or somewhere in between?
2. Read verses 4–10. What do you notice about how Peter positioned himself to hear from God? What role did prayer, vision, and Scripture (Ezekiel 4:14, Matthew 15:11) play?
3. Why do you think it’s important to ‘keep showing up’ in prayer even when it doesn’t feel powerful or exciting?
4. Peter hesitated because of what he understood from Scripture. How can we stay faithful to Scripture while also being open to how God might be leading us?
5. God spoke to Peter through vision, Scripture, and confirmation from others. Which of these has God used most often to speak to you? Which feels hardest to trust?
6. What helps you discern whether something is truly from God? Do you have people in your life who help confirm or challenge what you’re sensing?

Person of Peace

Peter’s vision wasn’t just about food, it was about people. God was preparing Peter to meet Cornelius, a Gentile who was already seeking Him (Acts 11:11–12). Cornelius was his person of peace. He was someone God had already been working in, even before Peter arrived. Who is someone in your life right now who seems open, curious, or searching – and how might you come alongside what God is already doing in them?

Respond

Learning to hear God’s voice is a journey of trust, humility, and daily attention. It’s not about getting it perfect, it’s about staying open and willing. What’s one practical way you can position yourself to hear God more clearly this week – through prayer, Scripture, or conversation with others?

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Hear His Voice – Part 2

Introduction

Prophecy is commonly portrayed as something imaginary, highly subjective and expressed by peculiar people. Yet the Scriptures teach that prophecy is a powerful gift of the Holy Spirit, purposed for encouraging and strengthening believers. Used wisely, it can inspire, enable and provide great assurance and comfort to the receiver. How can we, as the body of Christ, be faithful to stewarding this gift of the Holy Spirit? How can we be a ‘prophetic generation’ – one that speaks the word of God in a timely manner and with conviction to others and our community?

Discuss

1. Read Acts 2:17–18. What is one of the effects of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit? Note that dreams and visions are expressions of the prophetic gifting to enable us to hear God’s voice and direction for a specific moment.
2. Prophecy is used to edify the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 14:4). What does “edify” mean and how does a good prophetic word edify?
3. Have you received an encouraging prophetic word? What was the impact of the prophetic word on you?
4. Read Acts 21:10–11. How was this prophetic word a blessing to Paul despite the severity of the message? How can a prophetic word help us prepare for what lies ahead?
5. Have you given a prophetic word to another person before? How did you know it was inspired by the Holy Spirit? Why is it important that the word aligns with Scripture and is confirmed by other Spirit-filled Christians?
6. Have you had a negative experience of a prophetic word? How did it make you feel? Despite this, how can we learn and grow from this? (1 Thessalonians 5:19–22)

A prophetic word can also be given to someone who does not yet know God. Such a ‘person of peace’ (someone who likes, serves and listens to you) may already have a heart that is soft and open to the word of God. Take a moment to ask God to show you who the person of peace may be in your life right now. During the week, wait on God for this word and find an opportune time to share it, inviting them to read the Bible with you.

Respond

There is a difference between holding the office of a prophet (Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28) and exercising the gift of prophecy (1 Corinthians 14:1–4). Few are called into the specific role and authority of a prophet, but all can exercise the gift of prophecy as led by the Holy Spirit. A prophetic word is conveyed with humility, love and gentleness. It should encourage, build up, inspire faith, and bring clarity and peace. Take a few minutes now to pray as a group and wait on God for a possible word for someone in your group. During the week, pray for wisdom in sharing this word with the person.