To encourage and equip people to love God, love our neighbors, and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts: Empowered for a Mission

Over two billion people alive today chose to call themselves Christians, but this was not always the case. The story of Jesus began with a very small group of followers in the city of Jerusalem. From this humble beginning the message of Jesus has spread around the world to impact people of different cultures and languages. The story of Jesus has persisted over thousands of years. The book of Acts offers us a detailed story of the incredible beginning of the church, and it teaches us how to carry out the mission of the church in our world today.

The End

The conclusion of the book of Acts can leave us unsatisfied because it is easy to focus in on how much we don’t know about the way the story of the apostle Paul ends. However, as unsatisfying as it might be to miss elements of the story, it is important to remember that the book of Acts is about the work of God’s Spirit to build his church and not about Paul.

An Unlikely Fellowship

This week we will examine some of the details that preceded the first missionary journey of the early church. As we see the backgrounds of the people that sent out Barnabas and Saul and their devotion to seeking God’s direction, it speaks to how our church should look and act today.

Martydom

As the early church grew in influence it began to find itself at odds with the same religious leaders that opposed Christ. As Stephen is martyred by these people, he demonstrates for us what it looks like to be truly living for Christ even in the midst of dying for Christ.

Hypocrisy

In one of the strangest stories in the book of Acts we see how hypocrisy is something the church has struggled with from the very beginning, and something that we need to intentionally fight against today.

Being Refreshed

We are creatures of habit. As we walk through daily routines in our jobs, marriages, and faith sometimes life can get a little bit stale. This week as we continue looking at the book of Acts we explore how to find refreshment in life through the presence of God.