Waypoints: Reaching the Destination

What a journey! Two years of walking through the Bible in a way that showcases the God that we serve and the One who sustains us. We have encountered a God in the Old Testament that creates life, establishes His Word, walks with His people, protects, guides, gives, and points ahead to His coming. We have encountered a God in the Gospel of Luke that reveals to us His Son, given for our sake to save us from sin and make good on God’s promise of redemption, restoration, and forgiveness for humankind. We see that very reality continue in the book of Acts as He moves through His Church and uses His people as instruments of His ministry to tell the world of His truth, mercy, and grace. What a journey!
 
As we close our series of Waypoints this Sunday, we look back at our time in the book of Acts in a way that also looks forward. The movement of God throughout history is a compelling one and that same work that He began at Creation, that moved throughout His people Israel, that culminated in Jesus Christ, and was spread throughout the world by His disciples, continues with each of us today. God has invaded our lives in such a way throughout this series that we are reminded of His unfailing love for us, His desire for relationship and fellowship with us, and His call upon each of us to share our lives with those around us in ways that bring the attention back to Him.
 
In Acts 1:8, Jesus shares these final words with His disciples moments before He is taken up into heaven. He said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We have been given His Spirit of life and of boldness that walks alongside of us, that encourages us, that teaches us and guides us, and prompts us to live this new life we have been given in Christ in ways we would be unable to do on our own. It is this Spirit and this new life that makes us witnesses of what Christ has done for each of us. And so, the story of Acts actually continues with you and with me: sharing and spreading the love and hope that are ours in Christ with a world around us that needs to be gripped by this truth as well. May God continue to give us the strength, joy, and guidance that we need to represent Him as we live out our days.
 
Pastor Ben