In this first week of the “Being the Church” series, Andy Saperstein considers what it means to bear witness to our faith in the world among friends and family, neighbors, strangers and enemies alike. In the early verses of Acts, Jesus declares that once the Spirit has fallen on the church, we will be his witnesses both near and far, from our own homes to the ends of the earth, as we fulfill our identity and calling as the people of God. To have a genuine encounter with Jesus and to be filled with the Holy Spirit qualifies us to be his witnesses; listen to this week’s talk to consider what that might look like in your own life.

- Series Description -
Among the most compelling stories in the Bible is contained in the Book of Acts, written by the humble and gentle physician, Luke. In Acts, Luke tells the story of the birth and expansion of the church in the early decades following the Lord’s death, resurrection, and ascension. He tells the story of the coming and work of the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and of other early saints. He tells the story of early opposition to the faith, of the first martyrs, and of the courage of early Christians in the face of resistance and even death. At the beginning of the book, the Christian community is limited to Jewish believers mostly in and around Jerusalem; by the end of the book, the church is growing and expanding among Jewish and Gentile communities throughout the Mediterranean world and beyond. Come out for this 8-week series, “Being the Church,” bring a friend, and join us in living out in our own day and time what it is to be the church together.