Well, we made it! They said it would never happen, but we’ve finally made it to the end of the book of Acts and our World Changers series. Twenty-eight chapters, 1,006 verses, and 18,451 words. We’ve surveyed twenty-nine years, visited sixtythree cities, and traveled 10,282 miles. And today it all comes to a close.
The promise Jesus gave His disciples in Acts 1:8 is being fulfilled: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” We’ve seen how the Gospel initially reached those in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1–6:7) before branching out to Samaria (6:8–9:43) and then the Gentiles of the nations (10:1–16:5). Then we saw the Gospel going to the ends of the earth through Paul’s three missionary journeys (16:6–21:16). Finally, we’ve seen how the Gospel reached the heart of Rome with all its global influence, reaching even barbarians along the way (21:17–28:31)!
As Dr. Luke concludes this history of the early church, he highlights once again the dynamic power of the Gospel which cannot be contained. The apostle Paul might be in chains, but the Good News is going forth without hindrance. Paul’s future might be uncertain, but what is guaranteed is that the salvation of Jesus and the kingdom of God will continue to advance to the ends of the earth and unto the end of the age. The greatest message the world has ever known—that Jesus came to save sinners— that message is the unstoppable Gospel!
In many ways, the book of Acts is just a prequel to our own story. As God’s people, we continue today what began all those years ago. Here in Chicago, we are the “ends of the earth” when we consider where this all began. The Good News of Jesus has come to us, across all these miles and down all these years. Aren’t you so grateful? And now we get to be part of the next chapter. We get to be World Changers in our day and age as we shine, show, and share the love of Jesus with a world that desperately needs His salvation. There are people far from Jesus but near to us where we live, work, learn, and play. It’s our turn to join Jesus on mission in our world.
Because we are loved, more than we know!
