Acts: Seeing the Big Picture

In this week's message, Pastor Steve Clifford takes a wide lens view to the book of Acts to discuss the practical lessons that we learn from the early church, and the lives of the early Christians who were a part of it.

The book of Acts covers the first 30 years of the early church, starting with the ascension of Jesus and continuing through the expansion of the early church through the leadership of Peter, Paul, and other early Christians. Acts' description of the early church provides a blueprint of the way that the modern church and modern Christians should function.

Acts teaches that the church should embrace those who are struggling, be open to the broken, include diverse people and welcome those from all walks of life. The church should be focused on the spiritual goal of determining God's will for our lives, and carrying it out through specific actions. The church should send its best into the world to spread the message of God.

In addition, Acts teaches us about how we are to act as Christian individuals. We are to live out the gospel by acting in the moment, while actively seeking out and being guided by the spirit. We are to take our witness to others in our day to day life, and share our walk with others as opportunities arise. We are expected to seek conversations with others, not arguments, and we share both our struggles and Jesus' message of redemption. Our walk is not always easy, but we are redeemed. We should not be discouraged where others do not agree with us, but are encouraged to rely on others who share our beliefs as we are carrying out God's message, and with hope that sharing the gospel with others will change both our lives and theirs.

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