We’re going to make it through the book of The Acts of The Apostles! Our last sermon in Acts will be next week, August 3. It’s been a journey of blessing, discovery, trial, and uncertainty. We’ve learned how the Lord founded the church using ordinary men and women in the first century. Some had walked and talked with Jesus. Others had heard the Good News, believed in the Gospel, and were now spreading the message of Jesus themselves.
Acts, of course, picks up the story of Jesus at His ascension. After He returns to His Father in heaven, the Apostles wait for the promised Holy Spirit. When the Spirit arrives at Pentecost, endowing them with power to preach. Many hear the Gospel in their native tongue, repent, and are saved. From there, the work begins. The disciples now spread the Good News throughout Jerusalem, Judea, and into the rest of Asia Minor.
Peter is the first to announce the Good News to the Gentiles as he goes to the house of Cornelius.
However, Paul becomes the central figure in the Acts of the Apostles. Converted on the road to Damascus, Paul, a hater of “The Way,” now refutes anyone who would deny that Jesus is the Messiah. From Acts 14 to the end of the book, we read Luke’s account of Paul’s missionary work.
In the last few chapters of Acts, we’ve seen how the Lord worked providentially to bring Paul to Rome so that he could proclaim the Gospel. This has been and continues to be the work of God’s kingdom in the world. As much as Paul was instrumental in the beginning of that work, you, too, are part of the work God is doing to continue to bring people to faith. Somebody may not beat you for your faith. You may not face shipwreck, but you are a vital part of the ongoing story that we first read of in Acts. May the power of the Gospel we saw in these pages still be seen at work in us.
With Acts completed, we’re about to start a new sermon series called Familiar Bible Stories. Of course, some of these will be well-known accounts of how different people in the Bible interacted with their world. Other accounts may be less well-known; however, their message will be the same. That’s because the message of the Bible never changes. The accounts of people in the Bible are often more about what God is doing than about what the individual is doing. That will be our focus. The questions we will strive to answer are, “What is God doing? Why is God working in this way? And, How does He want us to respond to His work?
As we examine how God worked in the lives of various biblical characters, from Adam & Eve to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, we will look for God’s faithful presence at work in every situation these people encounter. The promise of redemption is found in the account of Adam and Eve, and the Old Testament traces the unfolding story of this promise. Each character we encounter will point to God’s work to bring us to the cross. We’ll finish the series looking at Jesus in the New Testament. I’m eager to begin this new series. I pray that you will view these stories through the lens of the Gospel and, with fresh eyes, see how God is at work in your life as well.
