Acts 12 reminds us that it is the norm for God's people to find themselves in situations so far beyond their control that they feel helpless and hopeless. James is executed, Peter is imprisoned, and Herod appears to have all the power. While Herod displays his control, the church prays earnestly, Peter rests peacefully, and God continues to accomplish his purposes. This passage invites us to trust God's sovereignty, to pray fervently, to find our peace in who God is, and to remember that, in the end, there is only one who is truly in control.

In this week’s message, Dave Bruskas, Executive Director of Discipleship, walks through Acts 11:19-30 and the growth of the church in Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians. Through the faithfulness of ordinary believers, the encouragement of Barnabas, and the unity of the early church, we see what happens when people are deeply formed by Jesus. The passage challenges us to consider whether our lives are so shaped by Jesus that people naturally see him in us.

In Acts 10–11, we see the first Gentile conversion and one of the most important turning points in the book of Acts. TA walks through four movements in the story and then highlights four things that matter to Jesus and should matter to us. This passage challenges us not to settle for mediocrity as a church and to make sure what matters to Jesus still matters to us.

In this week’s message, TA taught through Acts 9:32-43 and showed how the healing of Aeneas and the raising of Tabitha point to one central truth: Jesus is healer. These miracles reveal Jesus’ power not only over physical brokenness, but also over our broken relationship with God through his death and resurrection.

In Acts 9, we see that God saves people no one expects, through servants no one would choose, to accomplish what no one can stop. Tyler walks through Saul’s story and highlights four movements of grace: God’s radical intervention, Ananias’s reluctant obedience, Saul’s redirected purpose, and Barnabas’s risky encouragement. Together, they show that God can make much of your obedience.

Tyler Staton, author and lead pastor of Bridgetown Church in Portland, OR, walked through Colossians 4:2–6, showing that prayer isn’t just something we do; it’s what our lives are meant to be shaped by.

In Acts 8, we look at a unique moment in the early church where the Spirit is given in a way that highlights the unity of the gospel—that people who were once enemies are now brought together as family.

In this message, TA walks through Acts 8 and challenges the difference between appearing to follow Jesus and actually knowing him. Through the story of Simon, we see how someone can look like a follower of Jesus, believing, being baptized, and staying close to spiritual activity, yet still miss the gospel.

This Easter message from TA reminds us that while the resurrection of Jesus may be familiar, it’s not something to overlook. In Acts 5, the apostles boldly declare that Jesus was raised, exalted, and now offers repentance and forgiveness of sins, inviting us to behold Jesus and respond. Because Jesus is alive, forgiveness is available, death is defeated, and new life is offered to anyone who will receive it.

Good Friday slows us down and brings us face-to-face with the cross. While we’d rather move quickly to Sunday, the cross shows us what was required to deal with our sin. Jesus’s death was necessary because of our sin, exclusive because he alone can save, and sufficient because his work is complete.