Frontier Church

The Activation: ”Barriers to our Purpose”, Acts 8:1-13

Scholars believe that when early Christians were under the leadership of the apostles and the church in Jerusalem, they had become somewhat passive. When they were scattered all of that changed: they had to gather up the courage to communicate to total strangers what they had learned. They were less eloquent and less experienced than the apostles but, in the end, they proved to be extraordinarily effective because they were 100s and 1,000s times more numerous than the apostles and because they could only deliver a simple, authentic message about what had just recently transformed their lives. They did not have prepared messages; they did not have theological degrees; all they had was the Spirit, the apostles’ teaching, and the Gospel they could bring in word and deed. We'll follow this development with Philip and the Samaritans, look at: How does the Kingdom of Jesus Work to Renew All Things?-Everyone living their purpose, free of circumstances-The effect of living our purpose-The choices we make, because of our purpose

”The Spirit’s Sermon”: Breaking Barriers to Our Hearts, Acts 2

The first ever "Christian" sermon saw an environment of supernatural miracles, manifestations, encounters, and the launch of the first church... a mega-church:). But the power of the sermon cut them to the heart. WHY?We're going to see how the Spirit's Sermon (through Peter) addresses the heart of the human condition by looking at the:-Barriers to Our Hearts-How Hearing the Gospel Renews our Hearts-How to Communicate Jesus to People's HeartsActs Series

The Ascension: Experience the Closeness, Acts 1:1-11

The trajectory of Luke’s narrative in Acts constructs the history of the beginning of the church as a promise from Jesus Himself. That promise foretells the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the global spread of Christianity throughout the ancient world.The way in which Luke introduces the promise of the Spirit informs us that Jesus’ ascension will take who He was and what He did on earth and release it with multiplying power into our lives and throughout the world.The Ascension (Acts 1:1-11)The biblical description of Jesus’ ascension is not stating (spatially) that Jesus is in outer space (otherwise Luke would have provided an account similar to the ‘heavenly journeys’), but that Jesus now permanently bears a new relationship to us as our King––i.e., the One who governs our actions, hears our needs in the throne room, leads us in battle, empowers our efforts, and wisely guides the fate of our lives. The Promise of the Spirit shows us that "ascension" will take who He is and what He did on earth & release its multiplying power into our lives & throughout the world... It is inviting Theophilus and us if we want to take part in this promise of the Spirit. If so:1. ASK THE QUESTIONS2. TASTE (& SEE) THE FRUIT3. EXPERIENCE THE CLOSENESSChallenges that Acts Presents to us Today:OUR MISSION. Acts demonstrates the priority of sharing our faith with others. These early evangelists sought to show that Christianity could answer the questions people were asking, and the records of the speeches indicate that their message was strongly content-oriented––i.e., they had something valuable and meaningful to say when the opportunity arose. OUR CIRCUMSTANCES. Second, Acts presents a vibrant community that is passionate about the mission of the Church irrespective of their immediate circumstance. OUR COMMUNITY. And more broadly, to a Western society in which individualism reigns, the earliest Christian community presents a people who strove to hold all things in common…