Why I'm Excited to Study the Book of Acts
In the 17th century, Isaac Newton (building off the work of Galileo) defined his universal laws of motion. One such law was the law of inertia, which stated: “an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” The laws of physics are helpful in understanding things such as motion and movement but they do little to explain a movement.
For thousands of years the church has moved forward…unhindered by outside forces and only picking up more momentum along the way. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Jesus himself declared, “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). The sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the subsequent establishment of the church has been the single greatest movement the world has ever known.
And the movement continues today. It is a movement that all followers of Jesus are not only invited into but swept up in. It’s a movement that surpasses ethnic boundaries, geographical lines, age demographics, time periods, and social economic status. It’s a movement that has faced countless attacks, threats, persecutions and continues to thrive. It’s a movement that is so much bigger and more spectacular than anyone could dream up or script out.
The book of Acts contains the story of this great movement. It's a movement that set the trajectory of the church to come, transformed thousands of lives, and made more of a cultural impact than anyone could have fathomed. But it wasn’t just a movement that happened back then…it’s a movement that continues today.
The truth is we want our life to count for something more. We love the idea of being caught up in something that is bigger than us. That’s the nature of a movement. Movements move and if we’re honest with ourselves we want to move with them, which is why the book of Acts is so vital. Not only does it outline the beginning of the greatest movement in human history - it invites you and I into that movement. It beckons us to be a part of it and to be swept up into the grandeur of what God has, is, and will do through his Church.
Vision carried in leaky buckets and our church is nearing its three year birthday, which means many of the people that are now a part of Port City were not here when we started this journey. As we continue to grow as a church it’s vital that we continue to keep God’s vision for our church front and center knowing that if we’re not careful this vision will slowly leak out over time.
This series is meant to call some to join this movement by placing his/her faith in Jesus. When you surrender to Jesus as Lord you are now a part of the biggest movement the world has ever known and a participant in its eternal impact. But this series is also a major reminder for those that call Christ Lord of what we get to be a part of. It’s a reminder of God’s vision for our life and for his church. And it’s a call to give all we are and all we have as we participate in the greatest movement in human history.
Movements move. Are you in?
