“For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance!”

Acts 28:30-31

Dear HBIC Family,

At first glance, Luke’s Acts of the Apostles closes anticlimactically. This book that begins with Jesus’ Ascension and the Coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost ends very quietly. In Acts we have followed along as the Holy Spirit has formed and led the Church. We have seen miracles and life transformation. We have seen a small group grow into a family crossing borders and even continents. And we have seen Saul, the persecutor, redeemed and transformed into Paul, the great church planter, missionary, and early father of the church.

Paul himself assumed that his journey would end in Jerusalem. He was confident in his spirit that his work was done, and that Jerusalem would be his end. Yet, something surprising and amazing happens along the way. Paul believed that the climax of his ministry would be preaching the gospel and then dying. However, before he was to go home to glory, God surprised Paul by teaching him that while we still have breath in our lungs, there is work to do. And so, the book ends not in Paul’s death, but with Paul still doing his work – testifying of who Jesus is and proclaiming the kingdom to all who would have ears to hear.

This week, we will finish our Acts: The Church Then and Now series by learning how the Church testifies. Like Paul, we are all tasked with the work of testifying about who Jesus is and what God has done, and asking the Spirit to help us proclaim the gospel until our last breath. To prepare for this week’s services, I invite you to read and reflect on Acts 28, but especially verses 17-31. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:

How do you see the God’s faithfulness to Paul?

How have you felt God’s faithfulness this week?

What opportunities do you have to proclaim the kingdom of God?

How is your life testifying about Jesus?

To end our services this week, we will be participating in communion together, celebrating with sisters and brothers all across the globe for World Communion Sunday. In communion, we give thanks to our God for his salvation brought to us by the Spirit and through the loving sacrifice of Jesus our Savior. In communion, we obey Jesus’ command to come to his table. And in communion, we come to the table together as one in Christ and one together, the world over.

Sisters and brothers, the book of Acts reminds us that the Church is powered by the Spirit. We learn that we belong to God and each other. We learn that our work, until our final breath, is to testify of Jesus our Lord. And we learn that we are to proclaim the kingdom of God, together. Come, let us march together in the light of the Lord.