The Church Is…

The book of Acts is one of my favorites.  Luke’s account of the early church is filled with adventure, struggle, and triumph.   There are stories of persecution, healing, churches being started, and the gospel being shared. If you are looking for an exciting place in Scripture to read, go read Acts.  You will not be disappointed.  

Acts help give lots of descriptors of what the early church was like.  In the face of persecution and trial, the early church was powerful as the Holy Spirit guided it.  Believers were united in purpose.  Even though the church is made of imperfect people, it was a place for all to experience the gospel’s transforming power and the joy that comes from salvation.  

As we seek to start a new ministry in Colorado, I am looking to Acts as a place of guidance.  Dwell Church aims to be a place that is guided by the Spirit too.  

Powerful

Traditionally, the book is called “The Acts of the Apostles,” but in my copy of the bible, I’ve changed it to say “The Acts of the Holy Spirit Through the Apostles.”  In Acts 1, Jesus gives some final instructions to the disciples, promises the Holy Spirit, and ascends into heaven.

In verse 8, Jesus ensures that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.”  In chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit comes we experience that power.  The coming of the Holy Spirit is described as the roaring of a mighty windstorm and flames of fire sitting on each of them  Immediately, in an undoing of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11) each of them can speak foreign languages.

From that point forward in the book of Acts, we see the continued power of the Holy Spirit working through those in the early church.  They display other-worldly boldness (Acts 4:1-22), even more so for men who hid as Jesus was crucified.  They healed and performed signs (Acts 3:1-11).  

Today, the church is still just as powerful through the Holy Spirit.  Just like the apostles, we believers, have the Spirit living and working within us.  We may not witness these same types of healings and signs, but there are floods of people in the church who have been healed from all kinds of addiction, greed, pride, and other sins.  Just as Peter, Paul, and others proclaimed the transformative message of the gospel, today’s churches do the same in the powerful name of the Holy Spirit.

Sent

The apostles spread out.  Peter went in one direction.  Paul and Barnabus went another.  Acts 8 finds a man named Philip walking down a desert road, led by the Spirit (8:26).  Along the road he shares the good news of Jesus’ resurrection with an Ethiopian eunuch.  Overjoyed, the man went on his way.  Phillip continued on his way, once again led by the Spirit preaching in every town from Azotus to Caesarea.  

One major theme seen in Acts is that the apostles and others who put their faith in Christ lived a life that was sent.  In chapter 13, the church at Antioch released Paul and Barnabus to be sent by the Holy Spirit to Cyprus and Asia Minor.

Just as Antioch sent out some to begin gospel work in other places, Dwell Church exists not only so the word of Christ dwells richly in Colorado but also to plant churches that plant churches.   We plan to equip believers and release them to be sent to start new ministries and plant more churches until everyone hears the gospel. 

Triumphant

The book of Acts closes in a way that is comforting to me.  Luke ends the story ensuring all who will read that the powerful gift given to the apostles—and now to us—was indeed everything he promised. 

Paul was “boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him”

—Acts 28:31

Because of the infinite power of the Holy Spirit, the church is triumphant.  Every church on earth may have a lifespan, but God’s universal church is triumphant.  God wins.  The book of Acts ends with God triumphant in power over what he created. 

We can trust in the Almighty because he is victorious.  The pressure isn’t on us.  The very good God who abounds in steadfast love, who gave up his everything in Jesus to purchase our freedom is powerful to overcome where we fall short.