On Easter Sunday, the story didn t end with Jesus resurrection and a quick announcement that people can now go to heaven when they die. For starters, Jesus resurrection didn t establish a comforting deathbed sentiment - it established a Kingdom. A new reality grounded in the death and life of Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit. A new reality that the way had been made for all to draw near to God. The story continued. In the book of Acts we read what happened beyond Easter. We read of newly-empowered disciples-turned-apostles, filled with the Spirit and called beyond their smallmindedness and doubt to teach and lead and witness. We read that the number of believers rapidly grew beyond those 11 apostles: to 30, then 120, then three thousand. We follow their journeys, venturing beyond geographical and cultural borders with the Good News of the gospel. We see how God s people began to include those beyond the original family. And the story still hasn t ended. There is a family tree, a chain of discipleship that goes beyond the early church to each of us today, a chain that does not end with us. God continues to call His Church beyond. His message stretches from the empty grave to the ends of the earth, and like the apostles, we have been sent out with that message. As we look at the early church beyond Jesus ministry on earth, we also look at our church today, and how God is calling us beyond ourselves, beyond our borders, and beyond what we thought we knew of His Kingdom.
READING PLAN As we unpack The Church Beyond over the coming month, we invite you to read with us through the book of Acts, one chapter a day for the next four weeks. As you read and reflect, keep the following questions in mind: - What comes up for you as you read? Did God remind you of something? Did the Spirit reveal something new or minister to you? Were there questions that came up for that you need clarity on? - Where do you see Jesus Christ in this passage? Jesus is at the centre of everything in the Scriptures. It follows that he is at the centre of everything we understand about church, faith and the Kingdom. What in the passage has helped you see more of Jesus and the cross, or moved you to love him more? - How does the reading move you beyond? Beyond knowledge into action (is there something personal and actionable you sense the Spirit is leading you to do in obedient response?); beyond yourself (who in your life needs to know the truth you ve discvoered? How can you share it with them?); beyond the individual level (what might it look like for Red Church to engage with and respond to the passage? How can you be part of this in the context of the wider body of Christ?). Monday April 4 Acts 1 Tuesday April 5 Acts 2 Wednesday April 6 Acts 3 Thursday April 7 Acts 4 Friday April 8 Acts 5 Saturday April 9 Acts 6 Sunday April 10 Acts 7 Monday April 11 Acts 8 Tuesday April 12 Acts 9 Wednesday April 13 Acts 10 Thursday April 14 Acts 11 Friday April 15 Acts 12 Saturday April 16 Acts 13 Sunday April 17 Acts 14 Monday April 18 Acts 15 Tuesday April 19 Acts 16 Wednesday April 20 Acts 17 Thursday April 21 Acts 18 Friday April 22 Acts 19 Saturday April 23 Acts 20 Sunday April 24 Acts 21 Monday April 25 Acts 22 Tuesday April 26 Acts 23 Wednesday April 27 Acts 24 Thursday April 28 Acts 25 Friday April 29 Acts 26 Saturday April 30 Acts 27 Sunday May 1 Acts 28
THE BOOK OF ACTS: AN OVERVIEW Purpose: to give an accurate account of the birth and growth of the Christian church Author: Luke (Acts is a sequel to Luke s gospel) Date written: between A.D. 63 and 70 Overview: The book of Acts begins with the outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit and the commencement of the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This Spirit-inspired evangelism began in Jerusalem and eventually spread to Rome, covering most of the Roman empire. The gospel first went to the Jews, but they, as a nation, rejected it. A remnant of Jews gladly received the Good News. But the continual rejection of the gospel by thevast majority of the Jews led to the everincreasing proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles. This was according to Jesus plan: The gospel was to go from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8). This is, in fact, the pattern that the Acts narrative follows. The glorious proclamation began in Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), went to Judea and Samaria (chapters 8 and following), and to the countries beyond Judea (11:19, 13:4 and on to the end of Acts). The second half of Acts is focused primarily on Paul s missionary journeys to many countries north of the Mediterranean Sea. He, with his companions, took the gospel first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Some of the Jews believed, and many of the Gentiles received the Good News with joy. New churches started, and new believers began to grow in the Christian life. Timeline: AD 30 Jesus crucified; Pentecost; church begun (Acts 1 & 2) AD 35 Stephen martyred; Paul s conversion (7; 9) AD 38 Paul returns to Tarsus (9:26-31) AD 43 Barnabas goes to find Paul (11:22-30) AD 44 James martyred; Peter in prison (12) AD 46-48 Paul s first missionary journey (13-15) AD 50 Jerusalem council (15:1-31) AD 50-52 Paul s second missionary journey (16-18:22) AD 53-57 Paul s third missionary journey (19-20) AD 54 Nero becomes emperor AD 57-59 Paul imprisoned/on trial (21:27-26) AD 59 Paul s journey to Rome (27-28) AD 62 Paul released from prison (28:30-31) AD 67? AD 70 Paul martyred Rome destroys Jerusalem Helpful Resources: Tom Wright s Acts for Everyone (there are two books: Part 1 (Acts 1-12) and Part 2 (Acts 13-28)) is an excellent, accessible commentary. A good Study Bible with references and notes will also be a great asset!
KEY THEMES RESURRECTION Jesus transformed body is now the beginning of God s new creation; and in God s new creation, heaven and earth will come together in a new way. Jesus risen body is the beginning of that, the beginning of a heavenly reality which is fully at home on, and in, this physcial world ( earth ), and the beginning of a transformed physical world which is fully at home in God s sphere ( heaven ). The point of the resurrection itself is that without it there is no gospel... The resurrection of the Jesus who died under the weight of the world s evil is the foundation of the new world, God s new world. HOLY SPIRIT The Counsellor that Jesus promised his disciples is a new, present and powerful reality. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus followers would experience a renewal which would form them as the restored humanity, celebrating the fact that God was becoming King of the whole world, and knowing that as a reality inside their own lives. Jesus told his followers to wait for this to happen before they tried to do anything too much... Luke would tell us to wait, too: to pray for the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, and to find our calling and energy from that source. KINGDOM The gospels show us how Jesus was a far different King from what the Jewish people, including his disciples, thought they were waiting for. Now Acts shows us how Jesus Kingdom was far different from what was expected, too. Chapter one of Acts starts out with the disciples asking Jesus when the kingdom will come about (a kingdom they thought would be characterised by Israel being exalted to the top nation), but they don t yet fully understand that the kingdom is here, now. At the same time it is yet to happen, as we still await the time when the whole world is visibly and clearly living under God s just and healing rule. But we are now living in between those two realities, and, Jesus says, you must be my witnesses from here to the ends of the world. COMMISSION The disciples, now called apostles ( sent ones ) are to go out as heralds, not of someone who may become King at some point in the future, but of the one who has already been appointed and enthroned. The way God s kingdom is being implemented is through these human beings. Peter, John, Philip, Paul, Barnabas and thousands more witness to their new faith in Christ. By personal testimony, preaching, or defense before authorities, they told the story with boldness and courage to groups of all sizes. COMMUNITY In a couple of passages, Luke (the writer of Acts) emphasises the way in which the early church was living as the true people of God. They were a community characterised by a distinct lack of need among themselves, common sharing, and love for each other. This community rapidly grew: the inital group of 11 growing to 120 and then 3000 within a few weeks. The church never stayed in one loungeroom! Acts presents a dynamic, growing community of believers from Jerusalem to Syria, Africa, Asia and Europe OPPOSITION In Jerusalem, the Temple authorities thought they were the guardians of the official traditions of Israel; but, in the very same city, there was a community which was practicing the life of the true covenant people of God, and thereby quietly upstaging all that went on in the Temple. All of this increases tension that is starting to build between Jesus followers and the Temple authorities. Through imprisonment, beatings, plots and riots, Christians were persecuted by both Jews and Gentiles. But the opposition became a catalyst for the spread of Christianity.
FOR THE PROMISE IS FOR YOU AND FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR ALL WHO ARE FAR OFF, EVERYONE WHOM THE LORD OUR GOD CALLS TO HIMSELF. ACTS 2:39