"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Acts 1:8 "He lived there [in Rome] two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." Acts 28:30-31
The book of Acts documents the unstoppable advance of the gospel. Luke concludes his account with Paul in Rome, continuing to preach the good news. This was the initial fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to the apostles in chapter one. The book is built with two overlapping structures: 1) the geographic advance of the gospel from Jerusalem (chs. 1-7), through Judea and Samaria (chs. 8-12) and throughout the Mediterranea (chs. 13-28) and; 2) the path of the Word (the gospel):
- “And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem” (6:7)
- “Samaria had received the word of God” (8:14)
- “The Gentiles also had received the word of God” (11:1)
- “The word of God increased and multiplied” (12:24)
- “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you” (13:44)
- “The word of the Lord was spreading throughout the whole region” (13:49)
- “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (17:11)
- “This continued for two whole years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord” (19:10)
- “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (19:20)
- “And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (20:32)
Luke is careful to document the advance of the Word. In his missionary journeys, Paul circles back to visit his earlier church plants. But the Word is not mentioned on these return visits. The Word only moves forward in Acts – always advancing. This is meant to encourage us as we share the gospel. It will always be opposed, but it can never be stopped. (Check out testimonies from 2020-21 as people have been reaching out to friends and neighbors!)
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14
Nothing can stop the promises of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18
Since Jesus has promised victory for the church, nothing can stop us from completing the mission Jesus has given us – to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt. 28:18-20).
This is what God is doing in the world: empowering the advance of the gospel to the remaining unreached / unengaged people groups. The vehicle by which God is accomplishing this is the church. We are the only hope for the world. God has not commissioned angels to bring the gospel to the nations. He does not speak from the heavens, calling people to repentance and faith in Jesus. God is working through the faithful witness of everyday believers like you and me.
That is the plan. And it is working. In fact, nothing can stop it from working. It’s a simple, humble strategy. But because it’s so simple it enables the gospel to move very rapidly.
As we conclude our journey through Acts, be encouraged by the work of God in and through you. And press on with the gospel to the next friend, family member or neighbor the Lord is calling you to reach! That is how the gospel moves today – one conversation and one relationship at a time!