The “brighter and brighter” future of any church community relies not merely on human words and actions, but on the Holy Spirit and on power (1 Cor. 2:4; 4:20). In this series we will examine carefully the work of the Spirit and the radical expressions of Christian faith of two church communities – the Jerusalem and the Antioch churches. These churches faced unprecedented difficulties at their times: a great famine “over all the world” (Acts 11:28), first ever persecution of the Christian faith (following Jesus’ death and resurrection; Acts 4:1ff), large-scale conversions of non-Jewish communities and the subsequent clashes with Jewish customs (Acts 15:3-5) etc. Yet both churches have an astonishing array of virtues: genuine care for members (Acts 2:45; 4:34), unity in prayer (Acts 4:24), discipline in worship and fasting (Acts 13:2), unreserved generosity (Acts 11:29), love of studying Scriptures (Acts 11:26), and even a multicultural leadership team composed of teachers and prophets (Acts 13:1). No wonder the Holy Spirit selected both churches as the bases for Christian missions. It was at Antioch that the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26), and God continued to add “to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Both churches are models that we must learn from, and be transformed into.
Date | Theme | Chapter |
27/6/2021 | A Truly Radical Community | Acts 15:1-29 |
4/7/2021 | A Truly Caring and Prophetic Community | Acts 11:19-30 (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1-3) |
11/7/2021 | A Truly Vibrant and Missional Community | Acts 13:1-5 |
18/7/2021 | A Truly Courageous and United Community | Acts 4:24-35 |