We will be returning to our study of the Book of Acts this Sunday, and I can’t wait.

Acts is not only a historical account of the early church—it shows us what God desires for His church and for each of us as followers of Jesus.

In Acts we see ordinary people empowered by the Holy Spirit to live boldly, love faithfully, and proclaim the hope of Christ to the world.

What makes the book of Acts so relevant for our church today?

The Book of Acts is so relevant to our church today because it gives us a clear vision of who we are as a community and what God is asking us to do. Just like the first century church, we too are surrounded by political challenges, an idolatrous and immoral culture and many, many distracting temptations and life circumstances.

The story of Acts is how God uses very ordinary men and women (Acts 3:12, 4:13) and empowers them with the indwelling presence and power of God to proclaim a message of hope and salvation to all the nations of the world.

Our assignment is simple—to “speak of what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:2) and leave everything else up to God. Our message is the death and resurrection of Jesus through faith to the whole world (Acts 2:23-24), and we are to proclaim this message prayerfully, boldly and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Is there one story or character in Acts that particularly inspires you and why?

It’s hard not to be drawn into the story of Stephen—his life, his death and the vital role he played in the formation of the church. Acts 6:8 says, “Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.” His unwillingness to back down from the bold proclamation of the Gospel ultimately led to His martyrdom. Like Jesus, Stephen did not want his murder to be held against the people of God, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:60).

Stephen knew what Jesus meant in Matthew 16:25, “If you save your life, you’re going to lose it, but if you lose your life for my sake, you’re going to find it.”

None of us can save our own lives, no matter how hard we try. The only thing we can do is spend our lives, and there is no better way to spend our lives than spending it on proclaiming Jesus’ love to the end. Stephen spent his life well.

What’s one thing you hope our church family will take away from this study?

I want us to walk away from the Book of Acts convinced of the miraculous presence and power of the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to read the stories of Acts and think, “God doesn’t work that way anymore. God doesn’t heal that way. He doesn’t move that way. He doesn’t release that way anymore.”

I am convinced God still does irrefutable miracles and when we surrender ourselves to the exciting work of the Holy Spirit, we are going to see even more.

We tend to play it safe with our prayers and expectations of what God can do in and through us. The Book of Acts urges us not to play it safe and to pray big prayers and dream big dreams.

As we pick up our study of Acts together this weekend, please know that I’m praying for you!

I’m asking the Holy Spirit to be at work among us—filling us with His presence, moving us to pray big prayers, and giving us courage to proclaim the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus through faith to the whole world.

With love,

David Anderson
Lead Pastor

P.S. If you’re just joining us on our journey through Acts, or if you’d like a refresh on what the book is about, I encourage you to visit our ACTS PAGE for some additional information.