Controversy and disagreement has been part of the church from the beginning as we find in Acts 15. The way it was handled back then still helps us today to work the many issues affecting the church.

As Paul and his companions make their first missionary journey, we see the power of God's Word to change lives even in the face of opposition.

In Paul's first sermon recorded in Acts, he shows us exactly how he should see the unfolding of history and reality: God is the God of everything.

In Acts 13, the book begins to focus on the commissioning and ministry of Paul and his companions and reveals some truths we can apply to our own commissioning, beginning right in our own homes and hometowns.

What was that prompted the church to pray for Peter in jail even though the apostle James had been killed and allowed Peter, locked in chains and awaiting his trial, to sleep so soundly? Trust in the sovereignty of God.

Upon hearing the surprising news of God's outpouring of His saving Spirit on the Gentiles, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to see this for himself. What we witnessed was the unmistakable work of God's grace and a reminder that we need to be looking out for and rejoicing in God's ongoing work all around us.

In the healing miracles of Aeneas and Dorcas, we find Peter acting like Jesus, His Teacher. Yet, it took an divinely arranged encounter with the gentile Cornelius to change his mind to thinking like Jesus.

While most conversions to Christianity are not as dramatic or world-changing as Saul's, nonetheless, we can likely see the same elements in our own conversion and live according to the same Spirit that empowered the apostle we know now as Paul.

Sent by the Spirit down a desert road, Philip's obedience demonstrates the impact of fulfilling His divine appointments.

In contrast to Simon the magician who wanted to pay for the Spirit, many Samaritans in Acts 8 chose to freely receive him. Yet the peculiar nature of the Spirit's arrival among the Samaritans prompts a deeper discussion into how we should understand the Holy Spirit and his interaction with believers today.