ACTS: The Birth of the Church

The four Gospels described Jesus's life and ended with His death and resurrection. The book of Acts continues His-story after the resurrection and follows the transition from the Old Covenant into the New Covenant, where the Holy Spirit came to live in the heart of the believer.

This is a twelve-week study and is the first of three studies on the book of Acts:

Acts: The Birth of the Church (12 weeks)

Acts: Paul's Three Missionary Journeys (10 weeks)

Acts: Paul's Arrest, Trial and Imprisonment (8 weeks)

This study is about God's plan to establish His church by empowering His people with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the good news of salvation to a fallen world and save people from the gates of hell. God used ordinary people like Peter, James, Stephen, Philip, Barnabas and Paul to be the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" to carry out the great commission.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NASB)

The early church faced strong resistance from the religious and political leaders of the day, as they tried to intimidate the apostles through lies, betrayals, violence and murder. The book of Acts contains some of the Bible's biggest villains attempting to silence God's people. But their bullying did not work. God is bigger than any villain and through the power of the Holy Spirit, many heroes emerged, who overcame their fears and despite great danger, they continued to proclaim the good news.

We cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard. (Acts 4:20 NASB)

There is even a villain who became a hero after encountering Jesus on the road to Damascus. God changed the heart of Saul of Tarsus and used him to plant churches and evangelize most of the Mediterranean world. If God can forgive a murderer like Saul and use him to write half the New Testament, then God can certainly use you and I for His plan of redemption.

This study ends with Barnabas and Paul returning to Jerusalem after spending a year discipling the elders in the church at Antioch. After Paul and Barnabas returned, King Herod beheaded the Apostle James and threw Peter into prison. This signified a shift in the way the apostles were being treated and ushered in a new wave of persecution against the believers.

Buckle up and get ready to experience the power of the Holy Spirit working through the lives of some of God's most faithful servants!