Called to Gather - Part 1
In Week 1 of Called to Gather: A Study Through the Book of Acts, Lead Pastor Ben Miller opens Acts 1 and shows us something every follower of Jesus needs to know: God never intended us to fulfill His calling in our own strength.
Whether you are exploring faith, learning what it means to follow Jesus, or asking what your next step is, Acts gives us a picture of what it looks like to belong to the Church, live in spiritual family, and participate in the mission of Jesus.
Acts 1:8 becomes a hinge point for the entire book: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere.” Jesus gives ordinary people an extraordinary mission, but He does not expect them to accomplish it with ordinary strength.
1. JESUS IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH Throughout Acts, we see Jesus building His Church and empowering His people to participate in His mission. The goal is not our influence, platform, success, or significance. • We are not empowered for our own purposes. • WE ARE EMPOWERED FOR GOD’S PURPOSES. We are invited to participate in what Jesus is already building: His house, His family, and His mission.
2. JESUS PROMISES THE HOLY SPIRIT Acts 1:4-5 records an important instruction from Jesus: wait for the gift the Father promised. The disciples had already been given the mission, but they still needed the power. Jesus told them that John baptized with water, but they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not simply help us try harder. He comes alongside us, lives within us, cleanses us, changes us, strengthens us, and prepares us for God’s purposes.
3. STOP TRYING TO DO GOD’S WORK IN YOUR OWN STRENGTH Maybe you know what God has called you to do, but you feel like the wrong person for the job. Maybe it involves your family, marriage, work, relationships, ministry, or sharing your faith. Acts 1 reminds us that the answer is not simply more effort. Jesus told the disciples to WAIT FOR THE GIFT. The ordinary, fearful people we meet at the beginning of Acts do not stay the same. Through the Holy Spirit, they become courageous witnesses with a purity, boldness, and purpose they did not have on their own. The question is: Am I living in my own strength, or in the power of the Holy Spirit?
4. WE ARE EMPOWERED TO PARTICIPATE IN HIS MISSION Jesus empowers His Church to be witnesses, carry the good news of salvation, gather people into the family of God, tell our stories, pray boldly, serve people, and make Jesus known. Acts shows ordinary people receiving an extraordinary mission. And yes, that mission is impossible in our own strength. But with His Spirit, everything changes.
KEY TAKEAWAY: You can’t, and you shouldn’t, do this in your own strength. Jesus is building His Church. He has given us a mission, and He has promised the Holy Spirit to empower us to fulfill it. • Not for our thing. • FOR HIS THING.
CALL TO ACTION: Ask yourself: 1. Where have I been trying to do life in my own strength? 2. What has God called me to that feels bigger than me? 3. Am I willing to depend on the Holy Spirit instead of myself? Then pray: “Holy Spirit, cleanse me, fill me, and empower me, not for my purposes, but for Yours.”
GO DEEPER IN ACTS: During this Called to Gather series, read and/or listen through the book of Acts 1 or 2 times and use these resources mentioned in the message:
Joy Church Resources + Church Leadership Resources: https://www.joychurchbend.com/resources
Bible Project: https://bibleproject.com
The Bible Recap: https://www.thebiblerecap.com
YouVersion Bible App: https://www.youversion.com
Bible Hub: https://www.biblehub.com
Let God meet you in His Word throughout the week, not only on Sunday.
