TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH…
“You will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” Acts 1:8).
After His resurrection, Jesus invited the disciples to an astonishing journey of action; indeed a series of actions, one after another, involving the disciples and the early believers who, under the influence and power of the Holy Spirit, took the message of the risen Saviour to the “ends of the earth.”
That action is what the book of Acts is all about…
Watch the ascension of Christ, the anointing of the apostles by flames of fire.
Race with Philip to catch up with the eunuch of Ethiopia and, through him, see the march of the gospel in distant Africa.
Witness the action of Stephen’s stoning leading to the miracle of the Damascus road that coverted Paul, the great missionary, who literally tore down every frontier to reach “the ends of the earth”?
Hear Peter preach his Pentecostal sermon, watch his encounter with Cornelius that prepared the church for the challenge of the mission to the Gentiles.
All these, and other action stories, keep us excited to read a book that tells of a church becoming a living organism, growing and expanding, looking for new ways through sea and land until pursuing its way to the ends of the earth. These were truly the acts of the apostles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The book of Acts is, indeed, an inspiring chronicle of how an insignificant group rooted in Judaism becomes a worldwide movement, confronting religious and philosophic systems that dominated the world. This achievement became possible because the early church was involved in an outstanding missionary revolution, unmatched by any other Christian movement through history. That revolution was rooted in a command of Jesus at the beginning of the book of Acts.
The book starts with a few disciples, hidden in the room of an unknown house in Jerusalem, their hearts filled with fear. It ends with thousands of people joining the new Christian movement and with those same disciples, now filled with a bold vision, sharing freely and with joy, announcing God’s forgiveness in Jesus to the whole world, no matter what. The book clearly tells us that many of them did that, risking their lives
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What was the reason for such a fantastic change? What happened in between? We find an incredible message carefully wrapped in the book of Acts. This book is about the journey that God calls us to – a journey of adventure to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Come and join us at LBC this autumn for a new series of messages called: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!
This will be an unforgettable adventure on how to become God’s disciples by looking at the model and lives of Peter, Paul, Stephen and many more.
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