Message: “Out of the Shadows” from Ray Stedman

Scripture References: Acts 1:1-14

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From Series: "Where the Action Is"

An unusually comprehensive series on the history of the early Christian church as recorded by Luke. Reading through this series is like being taken vividly back to the First Century, but in such a way that the reader gains a sense of continuity with events in the church taking place today. "this is the book of action, revealing how God is at work through Christians. There is intense conflict throughout the book but a conflict met by a ringing confidence that is wonderful to see. It is a record of power exercised in the midst of persecution; an account of life and health pouring from a living Christ into a sick society through the channel of obscure men and women, very much like you and me. We could never understand the New Testament if we did not have the book of Acts, for it fills the gap that would exist between the gospels and the book of Romans, which follows. At the end of the gospels we find a handful of Jews gathered in Jerusalem talking about a kingdom to come to Israel. In the book of Romans we find an apostle who is not even mentioned in the gospels and who was not one of the twelve, writing to a band of Christians in the capital city of Rome, talking about going to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts tells us how this happened and why this change occurred."

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