Sunday, October 22, 2023 - Acts 6:1-8:3 - What feels random or a setback in our lives is still always under God’s control and direction. He has never abandoned His perfect plans for His people or His world and won’t stop now! Looking back, then, through history we can see constant examples of this and, therefore, have our faith strengthened for whatever He calls us to today.
Sunday, October 15, 2023 - Acts 4:23-5:42 - Our faith is most often exposed (and refined) in the face of trials and hardships. Our resolve to Jesus’ mission is even more so tested when we face opposition. But the early church knew where to look when things got hard and through their prayers the Holy Spirit produced a community of love, grace, and holiness.
Acts 3:1–4:22 - Many things have power and influence over us today. Sometimes we might not even realize the hold they have on us, but the Name of Jesus is a confrontational claim and challenge to every authority and influencer of this world that there is only one way to a life full of meaning and joy. We must decide, then, where our deepest loyalties and allegiances lie.
Acts 2:1–47 - The beginning of the church signals that the end of this age has come. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, God is now bringing all of His plans to completion and has even invited His people to join in that work. In reflecting on the birth of the church on Pentecost, we should all have the same response, “What now must we do?”
Acts 1:1-26 - You often think when someone leaves that’s the end of their part in the story. But in the Bible the ascension of Jesus is just the beginning! The Book of Acts is just that – the acts of the risen and ascended Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the Church. Luke opens, therefore, these records by showing us how the story of God continues on, not just then, but still today!