We’ve just spent the last several months as a church community studying the book of Acts. Our series was titled Church=X, representing that all of us bring an opinion of what the Church is about based on the combination of scripture and our personal experiences [good & bad] to define the variable X.
We started with the foundation of Jesus’ commissioning of a handful of followers to begin their work in Jerusalem and through the power of Holy Spirit the movement that He began would spread around the world.
We’ve just spent the last several months as a church community studying the book of Acts. Our series was titled Church=X, representing that all of us bring an opinion of what the Church is about based on the combination of scripture and our personal experiences [good & bad] to define the variable X.
We started with the foundation of Jesus’ commissioning of a handful of followers to begin their work in Jerusalem and through the power of Holy Spirit the movement that He began would spread around the world.
We looked at what it meant to develop a burden for the city you live in. To me, the most intimidating part of Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 is not the movement of discipleship traveling to “the ends of the earth” but the present intensity and faithfulness required to be the Church in “Jerusalem” or the place that you are currently living.
We studied the personality of Peter, Barnabas and Paul. The passion, risk, discipleship, determination, hope, forgiveness, friendship, etc. that seemed to be the defining characteristics of church leadership.
We explored how every city and culture was shaped by the presence of at least one committed follower of Jesus.
I finished our series giving my own definition of the Church, based on my understanding of the dream that God seemed to have in mind as I studied this epic historical narrative. I’d love to know your critique of this and how you might define the variable X.
Church = the message of Jesus, spoken and lived out by people, in a way that transforms cities and cultures.
How do you define Church?
