Expanding Churches: Jerusalem–Acts 1:1 – 6:7 (Part II)

As we continue the journey through Acts, we find more key principles that were very evident in the Early Church and are critically necessary in the church today.  These “timeless, supracultural principles” can be used in any culture and do not need to conform to a “western” model, and they do not require money, education or buildings.  They only need hearts yielded to the Holy Spirit and His powerful transforming work.

Let’s continue to list these principles in the rest of this section.

Acts 4:1-22: Opposition and persecution do not stop those filled with the Holy Spirit.  They increase in powerful preaching and astonish those who oppose because they were “uneducated, common men… [but] they recognized they had been with Jesus” (4:13).

Acts 4:23-31: Opposition drives God’s people to prayer and they ask for more __________.

Acts 5:1-11: Discipline is exercised in the church through unity between God and the leadership.  This resulted in: “great fear came upon the whole church and all who heard these things” (5:11).

Acts 5:12-16: “________ and __________ were regularly done among the people”

Acts 5:17-42: God makes sure that doors of opposition open to further the preaching of the gospel.

Acts 6:1-7: “The disciples were increasing in number” (6:1) and leader/servants are selected who are full of the _______ and __________.  God’s Word continued to ___________!

This is what we want to see God doing in the church today!  We must be willing to submit to the Holy Spirit and desire with all our hearts to do God’s work His way.

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