Are We A 'Book of Acts' Church?

Genesis 4:26 declares, "then began men to call upon the name of the Lord." The family of Seth recognized their need and dependence on God while the descendants of Cain centered their lives around 'self-reliance.' Our culture has sadly followed the way of Cain, but it's time to recognize our deep need for God and to pray!

Jesus has declared that his house is to be a house of prayer. It is to be a place of unhindered worship and access to God. The early church devoted themselves to prayer and we see throughout the book of Acts - God's amazing responses! If ever the church needs to devote themselves to prayer once again, it's now!

We continue our look at the importance of biblical fellowship. There are no lone rangers in the church. We were created to need one another. There is enough strife and division in the world. The church must be a place of safety, refuge, and trust. This also should filter into our everyday living as well!

In Acts 2:42, we see how the early Christians devoted themselves to the apostle's doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. This means they made these things their priority! Many of us today never fully give ourselves to anything - we often lead superficial lives. But God desires our churches to be places of fellowship that flow out of the walls of the church.

After the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were empowered to fulfill the commands of Jesus to "go and be my witnesses." As the book of Acts unfolds, we see the early church holding to two key priorities; preaching Jesus and learning more about Jesus. Are these still priorities for the church today?

The Book of Acts is primarily a record of the promised descent and operation of the Holy Spirit role in the work of redemption. It is our record of the church being born out of nothing. During this series, we will evaluate the principles that comprise the first church and ask, "Are we a 'Book of Acts' church?"