The Book of Acts

It is fitting to study Acts in the wake of Pentecost and Trinity Sundays. This is an appropriate time in the liturgical calendar to consider "Life in the Spirit." Jesus is still very much at work in his church. The Apostle Luke writes, “In the first book...I dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach..." In Acts, Luke's writing contains the work that Jesus continued to do through the Spirit and his Apostles after the Ascension. Can you even imagine a New Testament without Acts? We would be sorely diminished had Luke never written it. The Acts of the Apostles contains the first sermons given by Peter upon receiving the Holy Spirit. The centrality of Jesus' death and resurrection is proclaimed while giving witness with courageous boldness. In the Jerusalem Council, the early church wrestles with leadership conundrums like whether or not to insist on Gentiles being circumcised. We see Saul the Pharisee get converted and move into missionary endeavors which bring the gospel into the European continent. The contemporary church is always brought to some level of comparison with the passion, zeal, struggles and even persecutions of the first believers. Since most of it is narrative, we must discern what is merely descriptive versus what is prescriptive for us today. Overall, we must pray for a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit who continues to advance the mission of the church. You are encouraged to begin reading Acts again on your own and join us each Sunday this summer for worship.