What Acts is Trying to Tell Us

The Bible is filled with powerful narratives - of love, loss, redemption, the list goes on. These stories aren't happenstance. They’re there to remind us that human beings (like ourselves) once lived and faced major decisions when it came to their faith.

To me, Acts is one of the most pivotal books of the Bible. Jesus has risen, taking just nine verses for him to ascend to Heaven indefinitely. He tells his disciples to “wait for the gift” his Father promised (. That Gift comes in the form of the Holy Spirit, and now these same disciples have received power, giving glory to God with each miracle.

As the story segues, a man who’s on fire to kill Christians meets his Maker, changes his heart, and ends up writing two thirds of the New Testament.

Two-thirds. What else but grace provides that opportunity?

As I went through Acts, I realized this wasn’t just another book of heroes and heroines who stood for God in tough times. This was a book of people who were called to share a message of hope, even if it cost them their life.

The Book of Acts is not a passive, insular reading experience. It tells us we’ve been given a gift and mission (should we choose to accept it) to share with as many people as possible. The very title of the book is Acts. That means once we’ve synthesized the narrative, we need to make moves in Jesus’ name.

There’s a verse from a song by Christian artist Matthew West that goes:

If not us, then who

If not me, then you

Right now, it’s time for us to do something

If not now, then when

Will we see an end

To all this pain

It's not enough to do nothing

It’s time for us to do something

We need to tell the world that there’s hope. Feed them. Clothe them. Tell them the Son of God lived on earth in human form. That he died for sins we haven’t committed yet. That He rose from the dead.

And that He’s coming back again.