Setting the Stage: Acts 1 and the Mission of the Church
God does not leave His people without direction or power. In this sermon from Acts 1, Pastor David Rose shows how God prepared the way for the birth of the church and why that preparation still matters today.
Walking through Acts 1, we see how Christ’s earthly ministry prepared His disciples for the work that would follow. Through His teaching, example, and resurrection, He formed them to teach, serve, and bear witness, and He promised the Spirit’s power to carry out God’s mission through a praying, patient church.
That’s still true for us today. God builds His church through a people who trust His timing, submit to His purposes, and make Christ known wherever He sends them.
Key Takeaways
- God worked powerfully through Jesus with purpose. (Acts 1:1-3)
- God gives power for His purposes, not ours. (Acts 1:4-11)
- God works through the prayers of His people. (Acts 1:12-26)
- “They were all continually united in prayer . . .” Acts 1:14
Further Study
- Read Acts 1:12–14 with John 17:20–23 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18. Luke says they were “continually united in prayer.” Unity is not the same as sharing a room. You can pray together and still be pulling in different directions. What would it look like to treat prayer as aligning yourself with God’s heart, not an attempt to steer His hand? Try ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication). Spend real time in adoration before asking for anything. What changes in your tone, your desires, and your focus?
- Read Acts 1:4–5 with Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31, and Hebrews 10:36. Christ told them to wait. That wasn’t a pause in the plan. That was the plan. What would patient obedience look like for you this week?
- Read Acts 1:15–26 with Psalm 119:105, 2 Timothy 3:16–17, and Proverbs 3:5–6. When the church faced a major decision, Peter rooted it in Scripture. They prayed and they submitted the outcome to God. What inputs are discipling you most right now: Scripture, or the content you consume every day? If you faced a big decision this week, would your approach match Acts 1:21–26? What would need to change for that to be true?
- Read Acts 1:6–11 alongside Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, and Revelation 21:1–4. The disciples wanted immediate restoration. Christ points them to something more: a kingdom that begins now, changes people from the inside, and will be fully revealed when He returns. What “solution” do you look to first when the world feels unstable?
- Read Acts 1:12–14 with Luke 22:31–32, John 21:15–19, and 2 Corinthians 12:7–10. That upper room was probably not a victory lap. They had questions. They had disappointment. Yet still they prayed together. And Peter’s story proves God uses weakness, failure, and slow growth to form steady disciples. When God doesn’t do what you want, how do you usually respond? Do you pull away, distract yourself, get cynical, or get busy? What would it look like to let disappointment push you toward prayer and deeper trust?
The Gospel
If you have questions about what it means to be a Christian, we would love to talk with you about it.
Reach outIn the beginning, God created you in His image to know Him, to worship Him, and to reflect His character. Humanity chose another path. We rebelled, and we tried to shape God around our desires rather than submit to His. That rebellion is sin, and it separates us from God.
Yet Christ came. God took on flesh. He lived in perfect obedience, taught with authority, and showed us what faithfulness looks like. And then He went to the cross. Christ carried the weight of our sin, bore the judgment we deserved, and satisfied God’s justice in our place (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
Three days later, Christ rose. He defeated sin and death. He proved He is the Savior of the world.
After His resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples about the kingdom and sent them out as witnesses. The gospel produces ordinary people, transformed by grace, empowered by the Spirit, and sent to proclaim that Jesus is alive.
How Do You Respond?
This gospel calls for a response. It calls you to turn from sin, to surrender control, and to trust Christ fully. It calls you to believe that His death and resurrection are sufficient for your salvation and that His Spirit can reshape your life.
If you have questions about what it means to follow Jesus, we would love to talk with you. Reach out to our church office, or speak with one of our pastors.
And remember this. You are not alone. The same Spirit who guided the early church still works today, forming faithful disciples and leading God’s people forward in hope.