This Sunday, we paused our series in Acts to focus on a much-needed topic: Rest. Our city is not a well-rested one. No matter the neighborhood or background, DC has a hustle to it. Understanding the need for rest, and the biblical concept of rest is essential for us.

In the aftermath of the Jerusalem Council Paul and Barnabas headed back to Antioch to teach together. They agreed to go out from there to revisit the churches they had planted together on their first journey. Not all went as they planned, but God was able to work in and through them even in the midst of it.

This Sunday we come to a watershed moment for the Early Church. The Apostles Peter, James, and Paul came to a point of conflict that could have threatened to divide the entire church. The future posture of Christianity was hanging in the balance. So, a council was called in Jerusalem, gathering the Apostles, the Elders, and the people of the Jerusalem church together. There is much to mine in this pivotal passage. As we walk through it together, we will see what is essential to the gospel, and something of how to handle things that we hold important but that are less essential.

This Sunday we will continue our series with Acts 14:20-28. Last week we saw that the Apostle Paul was dragged outside of the city and left for dead. This week we see his response. He got up and went back into the city. It's an unpredictable move that showed his passion for the work God had called him to. Not only that, Paul proceeded to go back through every city that he and Barnabas visited on their journey. Remember these are all cities that they had been run out of! Beyond the resilience of these men in their ministry, we will also see the beautiful reality that gospel proclamation and the advance of God's Word leads to church planting as people's faith is strengthened, disciples are made, Elders are trained and appointed, and the church is gathered to celebrate God's goodness and grace.

This passage shows the continuation of Paul and Barnabas' first missionary journey, as they went on to a city called Lystra. There Paul healed a crippled man, similar to the beginning of the ministries of both Jesus and Peter. The people of the city started to worship the two men as gods before making a quick turn against them. This passage shows vividly that when we idolize, we will demonize.

This section shows us the ways that people responded to Paul and Barnabas as they preached the gospel in various cities. They preached to Jews and Gentiles, and got responses that ranged from belief and repentance to plots to kill them. The passage shows us the ways that our hearts are prone to respond to the gospel.

Paul and Barnabas continued their journey to a city called Antioch in Pisidia. There they focused first on preaching the good news of Jesus to the Jews in the city, which was a pattern for all of Paul's ministry. This passage is unique in that it captures Paul's sermon, and illustrates for us the approach that he took as he preached about Jesus in synagogues. We will see an emphasis in this passage that God keeps His promises and His Word to us.

The lens of the book shifts to the ministry of the Apostle Paul, as he pursued the call Jesus placed on him to be a witness to the Gentiles. Paul's journeys take the gospel to the nations. We begin with Acts 12:25-13:12, which tells the story of Paul and Barnabas being sent out from the church in Antioch and preaching the gospel on Cyprus. This passage will show us what it looks like to live our lives On a Mission from God.

This Sunday is the final Sunday of our series in Haggai. We close it out with Haggai 2:20-23, which is addressed to one of the all-time-great Bible names, Zerubbabel. We will see in this passage that God has a promise for His people and that Zerubbabel is declared to be God’s signet ring. In our time together we will explore the implications of big Z’s status as a signet ring, and the significance of Zerubbabel’s appearance in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

This passage shows us that the Law cannot actually make us clean. On our own, we are all defiled people. Yet, God has not abandoned us. He loves us and pursues us, and has promised blessing even before our obedience has shown itself. So, as we celebrate Preparation Sunday, we will do so with great anticipation for God's blessing for His people.