4 weeks through Acts exhorting students to live out their faith. There’s something about the beginning period of Christianity that feels magnetic. The early church had something figured out that seems to be lacking in the version of Christianity we have today. It was a sense of mission. But what they had access to as witnesses is something we still have access to today, so if we can learn from their view of and experience of the gospel, we may just find that we begin living a far more influential and powerful version of our faith.
Video Messages Included
Intro: Witnesses are the best people to share what really happened.
Truth: That’s why it matters that Luke recorded the moments in Acts where some of the earliest Christians are referred to as “witnesses” to Jesus and His resurrection. For them, witnessing the power of Jesus changed their perspective, their character, and their mission. And as a result, they dedicated their lives to sharing the news and implications of Jesus’ resurrection from the grave.
The Point: Witnessing the resurrection changes everything.
Intro: It’s easy to look at old tech and assume that all old things are irrelevant.
Truth: But when the disciples followed Jesus’ model in healing someone, they demonstrated that looking backwards can help us a lot as we’re moving forward! It was helpful for them as witnesses then, and it’s helpful for us now. The resurrection still empowers believers today to love, heal, and transform the world as Jesus did!
The Point: Witnesses look back to look forward.
Intro: We love seeing people thrive under pressure, and we want to be people who do the same—especially when it comes to our faith. But that’s easier said than done.
Truth: When Peter and John faced pressure from the religious leaders of their day, they didn’t buckle. They were bold and chose to continue to witness despite the possible consequences. And their boldness in the gospel was rooted in their experience of the gospel. When we experience the gospel boldly, we’ll be bold in reflecting the gospel.
The Point: Witnesses are bold under pressure.
Intro: We are living through an epidemic of loneliness, and it’s not good.
Truth: That’s probably why underneath the healing and the boldness and the pressure was a current of believers spending time with one another and caring for one another. They identified with each other despite differences. They valued people more than they valued stuff. Their community was centered around the work of Jesus. And because they cared for one another the way they did, we are here today growing in our relationship with Jesus.
The Point: Witnesses care for one another.