1010 Thrive

The early days of the church were a time of phenomenal growth and apostolic miracles. In Acts 5:15-16 we read, “People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.”

Jesus promised the Twelve that after they received the Holy Spirit, they would be able to do greater works than He (John 14:12). Obviously, Jesus' works included dying on the cross for our sins and rising again for our redemption, and there is no greater work than that. But it's reasonable to conclude that over the course of their ministries, the disciples performed more healing miracles than Jesus in His three years.

We explore some of these “signs and wonders” and what they meant for the early church. Additional scriptures referenced include Acts 2:43; Mark 5:25-34; Acts 9:36-42; Acts 5:12; John 10:23; Acts 3:11; Acts 2:1-4; Acts 19:11-12; Ephesians 6:12; and Acts 16:16-18.

Throughout the book of Acts, various questions are asked of or by the apostles. Today we explore several of these questions and reflect on answers – those given in the text and those we might consider giving if these were asked by or of us. Questions are taken from Acts 1:6; Acts 1:10-11; Acts 2:7-8, 12; Acts 2:37; Acts 3:12; Acts 4:7; and Acts 4:15-16. Additional scriptures referenced include Jeremiah 23:1-8; Ezekiel 36:16-30; Ezekiel 37:21-28; Acts 1:7-8; 1 Corinthians 14:2, 13-15, 21-22; and Acts 26:10.

There are four different men named Philip mentioned in the Bible. Phillip was the name of two of King Herod the Great’s sons by different wives (Luke 3:1 and Matthew 14:3). The other two Philips in the Bible were servants of Christ and instrumental in the early church: Philip the disciple and apostle of Christ, and Philip the evangelist. We explore the life of the evangelist and lessons we can learn from that life.

Additional scriptures referenced include John 1:43-44; John 12:20-22; John 6:7; John 14:8-9; Acts 1:13; Acts 6:5; Acts 8:5-15, 26-40; John 4:1-26; Esther 1:10; Esther 4:4; Daniel 1:9; Isaiah 53:7-8; Romans 10:14; and Acts 21:8-9. 

In Jesus’ farewell message to his disciples before the Ascension, He says this in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And within days, these disciples began to follow through on this charge.

In today’s top ten list, we identify ten places to which the gospel was taken by the disciples. These include Joppa in Judea, Caesarea in Samaria, and other parts of the Roman Empire from Macedonia to Syria to Asia Minor. Additional scriptures referenced include Acts 9:32-43; Acts 8:1, 40; Acts 6:1-7; Acts 13:14-51; Mark 6:11; Acts 9:1–25; 22:6–21; 26:12–18; 2 Corinthians 11:32, 33; Acts 28:1-10; Acts 20:7-12; Acts 14:1-15; and Acts 17:10-13.

The Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” He adds in 2 Corinthians 12:9, ”And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’” Throughout the book of Acts, we see God using flawed, fallible human beings to spread the gospel. If He can use them, He can use us.

Additional scriptures referenced include 2 Corinthians 12:7; Acts 3:6; and Acts 4:13

We explore what we know about the name of the book: Acts of the Apostles, its author, and its most important themes. The story of Acts really begins with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s dramatic sermon; the result is a flame that spreads all across the Roman Empire. After the church is planted in Jerusalem, the believers are spiritually empowered and guided from there into “Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This, in a nutshell, is the entire theme of Acts.

Additional scriptures referenced include Revelation 21:14; Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; John 6:71; Acts 6:2; 1 Corinthians 15:5; Ephesians 2:20; Luke 1:1-4; Matthew 28:18-20; and Mark 16:15-18.

The book of Acts is, in many ways, a blueprint of how to “do church.” Prayer is an excellent example. Prayer is mentioned in one form or another 10 times in Matthew, 12 times in Mark, and 5 times in John. But Luke mentions it 19 times in his gospel and 32 times in Acts. God acts in response to His people’s prayers. We explore who prays, for what purpose, and with what result in the book of Acts.

Pentecost is significant in both the Old and New Testaments. “Pentecost” is actually the Greek name for a festival known in the Old Testament as the Feast of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:9). The Greek word means “fifty” and refers to the fifty days that have elapsed since the wave offering of Passover. The Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the grain harvest. With the outpouring of Holy Spirit on disciples during this holiday and with Peter’s powerful preaching, the first Pentecost following the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, signals the beginning of the church age.

Additional scriptures referenced include Acts 2:1-41; Job 12:10; John 3:8; Genesis 2:7; Exodus 3:2; Exodus 12:21-22; Exodus 24:17; Isaiah 10:17; Psalm 97:3; Malachi 3:2; Hebrews 12:29; Revelation 3:18; Matthew 26L72, 74; Luke 22:57; Luke 24:21; Joel 2:28-32; and John 14:12.

The book of Acts gives a unique glimpse into the life and practice of the early church. It describes the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2, the spread of the Gospel outside of Jerusalem in Acts 8 and to the Gentiles in Acts 10, how the church made decisions in regards to doctrine (Acts 15), and more. The sermons in the book of Acts give us a window into the preaching ministries of Peter, Stephen, Philip, James, and Paul, along with the immediate impact those sermons had.

Romans 10:17 tells us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Earlier in verse 14, Paul poses this for our consideration: “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”

The book of Acts begins with a powerful sermon and ends with Paul “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:31). In today’s top ten list we explore ten important sermons from the book.

A story has five basic but important elements. These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow. There are some who argue that other components are also critical, like tone, theme, and point of view. But we ask our listeners to accept these initial five as the basic building blocks of any good story.

We use the five components to examine the book of Acts, the fifth book of the New Testament. And we conclude that this book is unfinished. How it ends is up to us. Scriptures referenced include Acts 1:14-39; Acts 4:5-22; Acts 5:1-10; Acts 2:36; and Luke 20:17.