Why is apostolic resolve so important these days? Keep reading to discover insights about this often-overlooked youth ministry trait.
God has given you a mission. It’s your specific piece of advancing THE Cause of Christ in your community. You must have apostolic resolve as you identify it, relentlessly pray over it, and do everything you can in the power of Christ to accomplish it.
Today’s generation of teenagers is literally on the highway to hell. And we have the message that can rescue them! Don’t lose sight of this vital mission. God places it firmly in your made-worthy-by-the-blood-of-Christ hands!
Throughout Acts, the church constantly does just that. Again and again, Jesus’ early followers improvise, adapt, and overcome. Their growth came through prayer, hard work, and duct tape.
Apostolic Resolve to Improvise, Adapt & Overcome
Spirit-fueled followers of Jesus started in the temple. But soon they scattered to house churches. As the church expanded across Judea and beyond, localized elders eclipsed the Jerusalem apostles. When needs arose, deacons tackled them so leaders could focus on the ministry of Word and prayer. When persecution hit the church in Jerusalem like a hurricane, believers scattered. They used that as an opportunity, preaching the Word wherever they went. Nothing stopped them.
When Gentile believers came into the Antioch church in droves, legalists from Judea pushed against this message of grace. But the church adjusted again. They clarified and codified the gospel message and corrected the legalists. They also re-sent missionaries to make sure everyone knew the true message of grace.
Paul improvised, adapted, and overcame too. In prison, he didn’t sit idly, waiting for a better outcome. He wrote letters that became part of the canon. When people forced him out of the synagogue in Ephesus, he shifted to the School of Tyrannus. And he adjusted his strategy from addition to multiplication! Paul unleashed an unstoppable force of disciple multiplication through the Ephesians (Acts 19:8-10).
The Book of Acts Lives On…
The Church launched with an Acts 2 bang. Then it kept moving and adjusting until it saturated much of the known world with the Gospel. This same unstoppable force, this missional community of love and truth, has been the ramrod in the hands of Christ for 2,000+ years. It batters the gates of hell and rescues souls for eternity.
