PASTOR’S NOTES
But you shall be receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This week we are starting our new sermon series in the book of Acts! Let me begin by saying thank you for choosing to dive into God’s word with our church and be a part of our weekly devotions. My desire is that we have weekly devotions posted mid-week that prepares you for the message that will be preached for the upcoming Sunday. I can’t stress enough how helpful reading the text and knowing where we will be before the preaching of God’s word will grow your faith.
So lets begin……
The book of Acts is an amazing book that sets alone from any other book of the Bible. It’s where Jesus ascends to Heaven, God gives the people His Holy Spirit, it is the beginning of Paul’s ministry, and the birth of the church. The book of Acts is a cornerstone type book for believers to learn from and hold tight to as they walk with Jesus.
It’s important to know that this cornerstone book begins in uncertainty. Uncertainty for the men who were following Jesus. The uncertainty was driven out of new territory in which God was leading them towards. A faith that the men had not yet experienced or been called to have. The disciples were without Jesus in physical form for the first time and were promised power from a source that was beyond their comprehension. They were used to following by faith and now being called to lead by it. In the uncertainty, Jesus promised His men that He was leaving, but that He would always be with them!
A powerful reality of scripture is that after the Gospels, the entire New Testament is born out of Acts 1. Even as I type this statement, I am blown away at the power of that truth! Not only the New Testament scriptures, but our lives today are born out of Acts 1! Jesus had ascended. The men were promised power from the Holy Spirit. For all those who followed Jesus, it was now time to “go out” and make disciples.
Everything that you and I know of today concerning faith, discipleship, and the church, can be traced back to Acts 1. I pray we not only grow in our knowledge during this study, but also that we grow in love and strength as we go back to our faithful roots of being a witness for Jesus!
SCRIPTURE TO GO ALONG WITH THIS WEEK’S MESSAGE
Read Acts 2:32, 3:15, 10:39, and 22:15 and the see the call to be witnesses throughout the book of Acts.
