Error
Acts is an account of the first several decades after the resurrection of Jesus detailing the beginning and spread of Christianity.
At Pentecost, God used Peter, fresh from his failure, to share evidence for Christ, his own experience, their need for forgiveness, and God's solution. God confirmed his words with supernatural power.
Acts 2:42-27 describes the forming of the first church. We are given a picture of a community centered around Christ, people deeply involved in each other's lives, and a commitment to serving and loving each other. These are principles that should carry over into the modern church as well.
The church begins to face persecution. In response, they come together in unity and pray. Rather than asking for their suffering to be taken away, the believers pray for endurance and perseverance to keep spreading the gospel.
Persecution and division begin to threaten the early church. Despite these attacks, the church becomes strengthened by their resolved through suffering, their conflict resolution, and their unity under Christ.
Conflict occurs both outside and inside the church. God gives us a roadmap on how to handle conflict: see conflict as an opportunity, acknowledge our own wrongs, gently restore the other party, and pursue forgiveness and reconciliation.
Philip was used to witness Christ to many different races, ethnicities, and cultures. Because Philip understood the deeper unity we have under Jesus, he was effective at reaching those who were superficially different than himself.
On his way to continue persecuting the Christian church, Saul has an encounter with Jesus that results in him coming into a relationship with Christ. This is an amazing story of grace that led to a completely changed life. Paul would never forget this encounter and take these lessons with him as he began to radically follow God for the rest of his life.
While discerning God's will is obvious in some circumstances, it can also be a difficult process that requires prayer, wisdom, and discernment. We must continually seek out God's will for our lives if we wish to give our lives to Him.
The early believers prayed for the release of both James and Peter from prison. James was killed, but Peter was freed by God. While God often answers prayers, it is important to pray persistently and often even when prayers go unanswered.
Christianity is vindicated time and time again by archeological and historical evidence. Paul argues that God has left evidence for Himself through the creation of the world and that God's message strikes the human soul and heart.
Paul rebuked the apostle Peter for siding with the legalists of the early church. The free gift of God will always be in danger from opposition, but like Paul, we need to stand firm in grace.
Paul sacrifices his rights as a Roman citizen and is brutally beaten for his faith. By doing this, Paul likely spared others from the same suffering. Jesus, who suffered on our behalf, may call us to suffer on the behalf of others. As Christians, we can continue to praise God in the midst of suffering.
Paul delivers a famous speech in Athens to persuade those living there of the God of the bible. We see through this speech that Paul knew the scriptures well, he knew the culture well, he loved people deeply, and he trusted God to play His role.
In Paul's day, Corinth was an epicenter of sinful practices, and he entered the city with fear. Despite the rejection and fear that Paul faced, he kept preaching the gospel again and again until a church was planted. From Paul's experience in Corinth, we learn that it's always too soon to quit preaching the gospel and that God can reach even those who seem farthest from Him.