Acts: Looking Back and Pressing Forward - Grace Bolaji

Preaching from the book of Daniel, David reminds us that like Daniel in Babylon, Christians today are called to live a counter-cultural life. He highlights three decisions Daniel made: doing work as worship to God and service to others, living courageously by his convictions, and prioritizing prayer. The sermon encourages us to live in this way, trusting that our efforts, though sometimes leading to suffering, can allow God to work powerfully through us.

This week, Jacob Crolla (Life Church Edinburgh) teaches from Genesis 28 – looking at the promise and purpose of God’s blessing, and our call to pray for his manifest presence for the sake of our city.

This week, Anna Kurkierewicz (Mile End Service) teaches from Paul’s encounter with the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30-23:11). We explore how God’s plan and call is to a purpose much greater than our own, even when life is not easy. We see how the resurrection of Jesus gives Paul, and us, an unshakeable hope, and is the foundation of our identity as ‘co-heirs’ of Jesus’ kingdom.

This week at our Mile End service, Kenny teaches from Paul’s testimony to the crowd in Jerusalem (Acts 21:37-22:21). We look at the significance of sharing our story with those who don’t know Jesus, and our call to be ‘in the world but not of it’. We see the power in identifying with those in our life who don’t follow Jesus – sharing our own past and common experiences, and how encountering Jesus has made a difference to our lives, and to the way we live.

This week, Grace teaches from Paul’s farewell to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20). We explore how an encounter with Jesus can radically reshape our entire being if we allow it; spiritual formation requires intentional effort, not passive waiting; and mission and service are inseparable.

This week, Joel teaches on Paul’s time in Ephesus (Acts 19) – looking at how the power of Jesus led to radical devotion to Jesus, which led to a city transformed for Jesus.

This week, Adnan teaches from Acts 27 – looking at Paul’s climactic and dramatic sea voyage towards Rome, in which he and his companions face a storm and shipwreck. We explore what the story teaches about facing resistance and challenge, and how these shape us as followers of Jesus – rooting us in God’s presence, putting our faith into practice, and pointing others to the hope of Jesus.

This week, David Stroud (Central Service) teaches from Daniel chapter 1, looking at how we live faithfully as God’s people in a society of conflicting values. We look at how Daniel’s faith transformed his work into service and worship, gave him courage in the face of challenges and consequences, and how his daily life was fuelled by prayer. The story of Daniel gives us a picture of how followers of Jesus make a difference for God wherever they are, and can work for the renewal of their surroundings.

This week at our Central service, Lou Richards teaches from the story of Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18:24-28). We look at how their example encourages us to embrace our role in spreading the gospel, especially during a time of spiritual openness, and how we can identify the ordinary spaces and relationships can become ‘holy ground’ for ministry. We explore how God uses our availability and obedience, not perfection, to transform lives and communities.

This week, Adnan (Mile End Service) teaches from Acts 17 – looking at Paul’s time in Athens. We see what the story teaches about communicating the hope of Jesus in a spiritually contested city, and how the passage points to the reality of God’s presence in making sense of our world, relationship with God making sense of us, and the resurrection making sense of our hope in Jesus.