Worship
Scripture
“He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.You are witnesses of these things.I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
“When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.” -Luke 24:46-53
“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teachuntil the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.” -Acts 1:1-2
Our Journey Through Acts
As we have stepped into 2024 (Happy New Year!), I felt led to begin an intentional journey through the book of Acts. I want us to go back to our roots, to do what we first did and to believe what we first believed. Let’s go back to where Christianity was birthed without denominationalism, where we lived dependent on the Spirit of God to fulfill what had been commissioned. We will see what the community of Jesus lovers looked like and what the Spirit of God did in conjunction with Father and Jesus. It may take us months or all year, but this glorious book is our story. It’s our starting point and a blueprint for the Church. Acts 20:24 will be our true north as we journey all through Acts. (This is my Scripture for 2024 specifically!)
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” -Acts 20:24
We will officially launch next week so that you have time to get friends to join you in this journey. I will be using several commentaries and utilizing quotes from a myriad of authors that represent the ecumenical Church Jesus gave His life for. Please invite others to sign up for these devotionals by forwarding this email and having them fill out the form on the bottom of this page.
The Foundation of Acts
The gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, both written by a Gentile named Dr. Luke, were once considered one book with two volumes before they were separated into two books. Acts opens with a reference to Theophilus, meaning “God lover.” Some understand Theophilus to not be just one person but a name for all believers. “Most excellent” was a way to address those who held high office, deeming it appropriate to parallel the saints of God (you and me) in his address. The promised gift of the Holy Spirit is given just as Jesus said He would come, which launches the Church into her destiny and future. We will see four threads that run throughout Acts: prophecy fulfilled, the Holy Spirit’s power, the apostles’ witness to Jesus, and the birth of the Christian community. This journey from Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth will not be easy, but it will be remarkable, and we will be changed in the process as we follow their lead.
“Humanly speaking, [Christianity] had nothing going for it. It had no money, no proven leaders, no technological tools for propagating the gospel. And it faced enormous obstacles. It was utterly new. It taught truths that were incredible to the unregenerate world. It was the subject to the most intense hatreds and persecutions.” -James Montgomery Boice, clarification added
“The journey that begins with Acts 1:1 does not end at 28:31, even if Luke’s writing stops there. Numerous proleptic references to Paul’s witness and his death in Rome signal one trajectory that lies ahead: Paul will testify in Rome and will be executed there. More significantly, since the opening of Acts the story has anticipated Jesus’ return. Having traced the fulfillment of the promise of the Holy Spirit and the fulfillment of the witness to Jesus in and beyond Jerusalem, the story anticipates that the third promise, that of the Parousia, also will be fulfilled. As the heavenly messengers instructed the apostles at Jesus’ ascension, expectation of that return does not mean mere waiting, but involves obedience of the sort Paul is engaged in at the close of Acts: ‘proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance’ (28:31).” -Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Acts commentary, emphasis added
God’s Direction of His Church
We are still in the book of Acts, God lovers! We are still looking to Heaven waiting for the return of Jesus all while preaching the gospel with boldness. This story is our story. Their future is still our future. The works and wonders of the Spirit are still alive today as they were when the Church was birthed. God is still in control of the destination of the Church—we are just a part of the many facets of the work of God because He chooses to so graciously include us. He doesn’t follow us; we follow Him.
“In the vast majority of instances, however, the church takes its orders from God, rather than making its own plans or devising its own strategies. … Brought into existence and continually directed by God, the church offers a bold witness to the world. That witness takes its most obvious form in the proclamation of the gospel throughout the cities of the Mediterranean, beginning from Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and extending to the ‘ends of the earth’ (1:8).” -Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Acts commentary
Our Present Assignment
As a female Christ follower, I want to make note that Luke’s Gospel account ends with giving attention to women. They were a significant part of the ministry of Jesus. Here in his second volume, he opens with the women being present and central and continues throughout the book of Acts. Jesus was the great table flipper of cultural norms against women. He was the first women’s liberator. We see Luke take His perspective, highlighting the role of women in preaching the gospel.
This is our story. This is our history. Acts is our mandate. The Spirit was given to us as a promise and a way to fulfill the plans and purposes of God. Yes, He is our counselor and comforter and course corrector, but as we will see throughout Acts, the Spirit of God was imperative to fulfilling the purposes of God. Nothing has changed for us. Miracles, signs, wonders, and salvation are contingent on the power of the Spirit in partnership with the will of God and our faith combined. How beautiful and intimate that reality is!
“The primary assertion to make about the church in Acts follows from Luke’s depiction of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, namely, that the church exists as evidence of God’s plan and God’s activity in the world. The church draws its existence from God’s intervention, rather than from its own initiative.” – Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Acts commentary
Glorious Bride of Christ, this is our finest hour as it was for the baby Church in Acts! They were assigned with birthing the Church, and we are assigned with building it—preaching the gospel and making disciples. No other generation has been assigned to this hour. It belongs to us, and, like the wonders in Acts, it’s time to ask for a greater anointing and gift of faith to move in tandem with the Spirit so that Jesus is magnified in the Earth. We have a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on to our finish line. I want to run my race and not lose focus when everything is shaken. In this election year in the U.S., we are bound for a road of tumultuous events. However, so was the Church in Acts, and God’s glory and wonder was profound! Let’s vow to the Lord as we begin these months together in Acts each week that we will not retreat. We will not run and hide. We will press forward in the power of the Spirit to take our rightful place on the front lines of this massive end-time harvesting event, gathering in all tribes, tongues, and nations and pointing them to Jesus! See you next week in Jerusalem!
A Few Key Notes
- Join us in person or online this Friday, January 5, to learn from a Muslim background believer how you can effectively communicate the gospel message to Muslims. Lunch is included if you attend the in-person event. Secure your ticket!
- Love your neighbor and join us in sharing about Jesus during Dallas Harvest Day! We will teach you how to share the gospel and then go and evangelize together. Meet at La Victoria, 1605 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas, TX 75204, at 9 a.m. this Saturday, January 6. Tell us you’re coming by emailing [email protected].
