As we near the end of our study on the Book of Acts, we journey with Paul back to Jerusalem as he finishes his third missionary journey. As he’s preached the gospel throughout the Roman Empire, he’s also been raising money to bring back to the needy Jerusalem church.

But he stumbles into a powder keg. Revolution is in the air. Partisan tensions abound. Everyone is on edge. Fear permeates day-to-day life. Sound familiar?

What can we learn from Paul as we contemplate how to live according to the way of Jesus in our fragile world?

One of the most moving and passionate scenes in all of Scripture took place at a seaport town when the Apostle Paul, about to board a ship to Jerusalem where he expected to suffer, summoned some of his closest friends to bid them farewell. Just before his ominous journey, he and his disciples knelt down and prayed together, wept, and embraced one other. And then these men kissed him, their spiritual father.

Few of us know the depths of love that these men experienced with one another. Their relationships were shaped by the kingdom of God. This is the way it’s supposed to be! But, sadly, many of us have learned to keep a “healthy distance” between ourselves and other believers (which is actually unhealthy). We expect that, eventually, something will go awry, that what is good and beneficial in the church will be swallowed up by something sinister or, at least, some disappointment.

But it doesn’t have to be this way! God has called his church to be a place of deep camaraderie and enduring friendship as we come together in faith to advance his kingdom.

Sunday, Sep 19 - Jeremiah 29:4-13
Jeff Vanderstelt

Sunday, Sep 12 - 2 Cor 1:3-7

Week 32: Unstoppable Kingdom - A Journey Through Acts
September 5, 2021 - Acts 18:24-19:8

Toward the end of the Apostle Paul’s ministry, he went to a large pagan city in Asia called Ephesus. Breaking ground here would be difficult. This city was decadent, idolatrous, and would likely be resistant to the gospel. Many church-planters today would likely opt to launch somewhere else. Not Paul. Soon, he found a dozen disciples of John the Baptist. Remember, John was Jesus’ cousin and he told everyone that Jesus was the Messiah, the king of Israel and redeemer of all humanity. But these guys hadn’t heard of Jesus! They were still following the old way. So Paul took these 12 people and taught them — among many others — for the next two years (Imagine the Apostle Paul discipling you for two years!). And this is what the scriptures say happened as a result of their training: “all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord.” Do you think God can do this again in our city? Do you think that God can break the hard ground of our community and society so that people can hear the gospel? Do you think that God can renew lives and transform our city? We think so.

Week 31: Unstoppable Kingdom - A Journey Through Acts
August 29 - Acts 19:8-10

Week 30: Unstoppable Kingdom - A Journey Through Acts
August 22 - Acts 18

Week 29: Unstoppable Kingdom - A Journey Through Acts
August 15 - Acts 17:16-34

We live in a day and age when it seems like everything is being questioned. There is a rapidly growing belief that whatever we’ve been told about this or that is probably wrong, that there is a dark “other side” to the story that’s been kept from us.

Sadly, this is sometimes true and as people of the truth, we need to acknowledge this. For instance, if you’re familiar with Church history, right alongside the stories of heroic and self-sacrificing saints are horrific stories of abuse and mistreatment of non-Christian people. This is one reason why many people today are rethinking the faith.

But this is not how it all began. The advancement of the way of Jesus was done precisely according to the way of Jesus – courageously sharing the truth of the gospel from a posture of self-sacrificing humility and relentless love. And when there was suffering, it was Jesus’ followers who were enduring the beatings and death (not the other way around).

Why? Because God loves all people and wants all people to be a part of his family. Jesus’ earliest followers got this. It was the gravitational center of their lives as it should be for all who have surrendered to our Lord.

This Sunday we begin the Apostle Paul’s second journey into the unbelieving, pagan Roman world. Let’s watch him and his small band of colleagues exude the love of God. Maybe we can learn a few things.