Book of Acts - Conclusion

 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  (Acts 1:8)

It's been an interesting and informative year-long journey through the Book of Acts.  As we conclude the series and look back on all that we have studied, we can see that not only does Acts 1:8 serve as a structural outline for the Book, but, it also shows that the Church today really is just a continuation of the story of the Early Church.   We still have the same Mission and Message, and the Power is still from the Holy Spirit.

Some of the notable events in the Acts narrative timeline are:

• In Jerusalem (Chps 1-7)
• Peter's leadership and ministry
• Pentecost and coming of the Holy Spirit
• Persecution of the Church and Stephen martyred
• Spread of gospel to Judea and Samaria  (Chps 8-12)
• Philip's ministry
• Peter's Vision
• Paul's conversion
• To the "ends of the earth" (Chps 13-28)
• Paul's Ministry and Missionary Journeys
• Jerusalem Council (SALVATION IS BY FAITH THROUGH GRACE alone)
• Paul's Imprisonment and Defenses

Some of the things we can learn from the Book of Acts and the example of the Early Church are:

• The Church to focus on the foundational essentials - TEACHING, FELLOWSHIP, COMMUNION-WORSHIP, and PRAYER  (it was clear that the Early Church was made up of people of prayer)
• Our message should focus on the Resurrection, Salvation, and Jesus as the Messiah, using evidence from Scripture, and being more effective by keeping in mind who our audience is
• Be BOLD in declaring the Good News

What I personally gained from studying the Book were:

•  Knowing the Apostle Paul better - Not only did we see his unwavering singular focus on his calling, we also saw times when he needed encouragement.   He serves as an example of faithfulness to keep going even when encountering all kinds of trials (beatings, persecution, storms, shipwreck, etc)
• Encouragement to seize whatever opportunities to serve God and declare the message, even if we are WAITING - While Paul was imprisoned awaiting release or trial before Caesar, he still continued to be used by God despite his chains
• Reminder of the essentials of declaring the Good News - Christ, resurrection, and salvation
• Emphasis that we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and that it is through His Power that we effectively witness; and that it is our duty and calling to be His witnesses
• Warning that the Enemy always attacks, especially when we are doing the work of God as the Church
• Reminder that God is sovereign and that His Plans will ultimately be fulfilled - He is constantly at work, even when we may not see it.  He is with us and can cause all things, even persecution, to work together for good
• Seeing that motivation comes from being sure of our calling and knowing that we are walking on His Path