This morning we are continuing through the book of Acts, the story of the early church. It has been quite an exciting ride for the early disciples so far. They had been following Jesus, convinced that he was the Messiah, the one who would overthrow their Roman oppressors and restore Israel to its former glory. But Jesus was brutally crucified, nailed to a cross, crushing his followers. But Jesus rose from the dead, proclaiming to them that His mission was not to overthrow Rome but to destroy the power of a bigger enemy, the devil, to overthrow death, to make a way by His death for people around the world, whose sins had separated them from God, to be brought back into relationship with God, both now and beyond the grave.
After his resurrection, Jesus spends time over a period of 40 days with his disciples. He then ascends to heaven, and sends His Holy Spirit to be the presence and power of God inside each believer. Remember that before he ascended, Jesus said to his disciples in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Since then, the transformed disciples have been boldly sharing about Jesus’ death for their sins and his resurrection and triumph over death, calling people to turn from their sin and self-centeredness to faith in Jesus, and thousands of people are coming to faith in Jesus. A multi-ethnic community has formed in Jerusalem that is growing like crazy, devoted to following Jesus and caring for everyone’s needs. But by the end of chapter 7, one thing has not yet happened – they have not yet left Jerusalem or Judea to follow Jesus’ commands to be his witnesses in Samaria and the ends of the earth. But in the beginning of chapter 8, a great persecution breaks out, and the disciples are scattered. It's a reminder that sometimes it takes an inciting incident to move us out of our comfort zone into the future God has called us to. This morning, chapter 8 will focus on the ministry of Philip, one of the men raised up in chapter 6 to be a servant in the church.
