Acts - The Story of the Church

DATE: January 8, 2023

THEME: It's a Good Day to Do Good

SCRIPTURE: Acts 3:1-11

When Peter and John entered the temple, they encountered an opportunity to do good in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, and the man was able to experience the power and the presence of God by being healed - entering the temple with the Apostles walking, leaping, and praising God. This man's life was forever changed and we are inspired to go and do good with the same power in the same Spirit and in the same name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

DATE: December 18, 2022

THEME: THIS; Part 4 - Radical Presence Radical Love

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2

Acts tells us that the results of the radical presence of God through the pouring out of His Holy Spirit results in a radical expression of love in the Kingdom of God. THIS is what defines the Church...love for God, one another, and others through the presence of the Spirit of Yahweh.

DATE: December 11, 2022

THEME: THIS; Part 3 - The Joy of Change

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2

What does "THIS", the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, call us to do in response? It draws us to "Change your minds and be publicly profess your allegiance to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." The presence of God in our lives draws us to shift the course of our lives in dramatic, yet life-giving and flourishing bringing ways. The joy of change is that it leads us into right living, which brings life, healing, and great joy.

DATE: December 4, 2022

THEME: The Point & Purpose is Peace

SCRIPTURE: Acts 2

Those who saw and heard the commotion and miracle before their very eyes asked "What does this mean?" The point & the purpose for the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is peace, God's Shalom expressed through His people, His Church. There are two occurrences where God delivered His people and then gave Him His own presence in place of slavery; at Sinai and at the Cross. He made peace then gave His presence.

DATE: November 20, 2022

THEME: Choose Fellowship

SCRIPTURE: Acts 1:12-26

The Disciples desire to replace Judas, who decided to abandon the fellowship of Jesus' followers and go his own way. He rejected The Way, the disciples, and Christ Himself when he betrayed the Son of God. By his example, we see the heart of God's desire that we stay faithful, choose fellowship, and when we walk in unity, it's like music to the Father's ears.

DATE: November 13, 2022

THEME: Peace in the Wait

SCRIPTURE: Acts 1:1-14

One of the most difficult times in life is waiting...practicing patience. It's even more difficult to wait when you know what's been promised; to fight anxious thoughts and the temptation to speed up God's timeline or try and project our interpretation of God's plan onto Him rather than follow Him. God has promised His Holy Spirit to those who love God and put their faith in the LORD Jesus Christ...the apostles show us how to follow God's instructions and wait on & walk by His Holy Spirit.

DATE: November 6, 2022

THEME: Intro to Acts

SCRIPTURE: Acts 16:10-40; 20:5-21:17; 27:1-28:16

The work of Luke can be summarized as "God's Kingdom & Salvation; its root and fruit. As we begin our new series we will be going through the history of the 30 years that changed the world using the Book of Acts as our outline. As we observe the origins of the Church in the first century, it can be tempting to idolize them and what God was doing until we realize that the story of God is being written still and just as powerfully today through His people, His Kingdom on earth, His Church. As we begin this series, we take a look at the author of the book of Acts; Luke. We look at the why and how he wrote his great 2-volume work, who he was, and how we ought to read his works in light of who he was in the Church. He's so much more than we have realized.