Jesus’ Resurrection Is Our Backbone
Shaping Theme in Acts: Resurrection As we study the book of Acts, there are certain themes which rise to the surface that are really important to consider. We are not laying Acts out in front of us like a set of blueprints, sitting down and figuring out seven steps to get a thriving, vibrant church where […]
Under Authority | Acts 4
Shaping Theme in Acts: Authority Remembering that Jesus arose from the grave helps us to remember that we aren’t just followers of a philosophy or practitioners of a practice, but believers in a risen person: Jesus Christ. Today’s theme flows directly from that, and that is the theme of Jesus’ authority. Authority means the right […]
The Holy Spirit
Shaping Theme in Acts: Holy Spirit There is a central mystery of God’s nature that we have labeled with the theological term Trinity. The Bible teaches that God is one, yet three – he is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This is something that is beyond our ability to fully […]
The Holy Spirit | Part 2
Shaping Theme in Acts: The Holy Spirit Is for All God’s People Have you ever sensed a powerful darkness in our culture, in our society? You don’t always notice it when you’re going about your everyday lives, but sometimes it hits you. There is powerful evil and darkness in this world. We see it all […]
Signs & Wonders
Shaping Theme in Acts: Signs and Wonders One Bible dictionary defines signs and wonders as “events which unmistakably involve the immediate and powerful action of God.” These two words are nearly synonymous and are almost always seen together in both the Old and New Testaments. They do have shades of meaning that are a little different: signs identify […]
Evangelism and the Church
Shaping Theme in Acts: Expansion by Communication We are studying the book of Acts – the history of the beginning of the church – with open eyes, open minds, and open hearts to see what it says about being Christians together. A lot of what we do together is human tradition – many of which can be good. […]
Shaped by Scripture
Shaping Theme in Acts: Scripture. Imagine that you were one of Jesus’ early disciples – you devoted your entire self to Him and had followed Him sometime during His three years of earthly ministry. Then He was arrested, publicly mocked, and crucified and buried in a tomb. But now, you’re hearing reports that people have […]
Shaped by Unity
Shaping Theme in Acts: Unity. Think about the people in your life – the relationships you have. Try to picture the people that you are connected to, that are connected to you. Is it a lot of people? Is it just a couple people? Try to line them up on a scale from “most connected” […]