Acts: The Story of the Church.

It has been such an encouraging time in the life of Redeemer Presbyterian Church! In the last six months, we’ve welcomed new staff members, including Paul Hahn, our Lead Pastor. We are pursuing a land purchase as our footprint in the city grows. We’ve seen babies born, new members welcomed, and longtime members renewed in the gospel. After a beautiful Easter service in April, it has been a joy to dig into Luke’s gospel as we explore the effects of Jesus’ resurrection for our life together. And yet with all of God’s faithfulness to us, even as we celebrate what has come before, because of the resurrection we know that the best is yet to come.

May 21^st is Ascension Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus ascending into heaven to be at the right hand of the Father. It is also the day Redeemer will launch a new series on the book of Acts, called The Story of the Church. Luke the physician wrote this book, as well as the Gospel of Luke which bears his name. Luke begins Acts with these words: “In the first book [Luke], O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen…” (Acts 1:1-2 emphasis mine). If Luke’s Gospel recorded what Jesus began to do and teach, the implication is that the book of Acts constitutes what Jesus continues to do and teach.

Over the next twenty-seven weeks – all the way until Advent – we will dwell on Jesus’ continuing ministry by the Holy Spirit, in and through the church he founded. It is a fitting story for Redeemer to contemplate. We are now entering into a new stage of our life and ministry: Blessed by the incredible work of our founding pastor and members, enlivened by the gospel, and guided by our core values, it is time to dream together about the continuing ministry of Redeemer. If there is one main idea of the book of Acts, it is this: Jesus is still present and active in the world today through his body, the church. In that sense, Acts is a kind of blueprint for our congregation.

We long to experience the kind of fellowship at Redeemer that the early church experienced – breaking bread, sharing prayer requests, delighting in the scriptures, and doing works of ministry together (Acts 2:42-47). We pray that new leaders would be raised up to carry the mission forward, like Stephen (Acts 7) and Philip (Acts 8). We hope to see new churches planted, like in Antioch (Acts 13), and Philippi (Acts 16) and Corinth (Acts 18). We want to participate with the wider church to make room for different peoples and races (Acts 15). We desire to be a bold witness to the principalities and rulers of this world (Acts 4). And most importantly, we look forward to God converting people through the ministry of Redeemer; from those who are openly interested, like Cornelius (Acts 10), to those in need, like the Philippian Jailer (Acts 16), and those who are truly antagonistic, like Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9).

Whenever we are tempted to think that the best days of the church are behind us, we need to reread the book of Acts. God has wonderful things for us yet to do. Join us as we trace the continuing ministry of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit, in his church.