The Ongoing Mission

INTRODUCTION

This morning we have the privilege of wrapping up the book of Acts.

In some ways this ends a journey we have been on for a couple of years--since we started Acts back in early 2023.

However, in truth, this ends a journey we have been on since the summer of 2020.

It was way back then that we started Luke and we have learned that Acts is truly the sequel to Luke.

It is two volumes of one ordered account that Luke was presenting to Theophilus.

Luke 1:1–4 ESV

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Acts 1:1 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,

And Luke’s second volume--Acts--began with a key verse that we have returned to again and again in our study.

Acts 1:8 ESV

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.”

In this verse, we see Jesus giving His Apostles and His church a mission.

They are to be witnesses for Him and their witnessing is going to have geographical movement.

The Gospel won’t stay in Jerusalem.

It will go from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria--to the end of the earth.

It will go from the heart of the Jewish world to the nations.

For Christ is not just a Savior for the Jews, but for the world.

There is only one name given by which men may be saved.

So this morning, what we will see is Jesus’ words still coming true as Luke’s work comes to a close.

We will see that what Jesus said would take place has taken place.

And even more exciting than that is the fact that it is still taking place.

This morning we will see that Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 have not just come true.

They are still coming true.

And our little church, plowing away at our work, here at 1311 Seaford Rd--is a part of that.

CONTEXT AND OUTLINE

A reminder of where we are in Acts.

Paul has just gone through a terrible trial at sea on his way to Rome.

The last we saw, he has just survived a shipwreck.

People were jumping overboard and riding planks to the shore

We pick it up with Paul and the crew from the ship on the island of Malta.

I’ll read the text and then we will work through four sermon points this morning:

1. The mission is being carried along by the Spirit working through the Apostle (v. 1-10).

2. The mission is being carried out by the Spirit to the end of the earth (v. 11-15).

3. The mission is being carried into the Gentile nations (v. 16-28).

4. The mission is being carried on by the Lord’s church today (v. 29-31).

Acts 28 ESV

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: “ ‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” He lived there 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.

CARRIED ALONG BY THE SPIRIT (v. 1-10)

We start with the incident on the island of Malta. It is there that we see the same pattern playing out that we have seen throughout Acts.

The testimony of the Apostle is attested to by divine miracles.

1. The mission is being carried along by the Spirit working through the Apostle (v. 1-10).

SUMMARY

Everyone on the ship makes it through the drama of the shipwreck and ends up on the island of Malta.

Malta is about 50 miles South of Sicily, Italy, in the Mediterranean.

The native people that they encounter are incredibly nice and kind to them, welcoming them with a fire (v. 2).

While Paul is helping to build the fire, a viper comes out of the pile and bites Paul and is clamped on his hand (v. 3).

This should be a death sentence.

There was no antivenom in the 1st Century.

Everyone who saw this would have expected that Paul was a dead man.

And that is exactly what the islanders think. They see this and think that Paul has killed someone and the Universe is now judging Paul through this snakebite (v. 4).

This may seem like a primitive way to think, but it is really just a standard pagan worldview that is still subscribed to by people all around us today.

Whether it is Maltese natives believing that false gods had cursed Paul in the 1st century or it is new age Millennials and Gen-Zers believing in Karma--what is the difference?

Either way, it is a pagan belief that says, “You do something wrong in the Universe and the Universe will get you.”

And then when bad things happen to people, quick conclusions are drawn.

“They must have DONE something.”

People have thought this way for thousands of years and continue to.

It is a way for humans to seek justice without having to pay homage to the God of justice.

But in this case, their thought process is turned on its head because Paul shakes off the snake into the fire and he is fine (v. 5).

Once they realize that he isn’t going to die, they decide that he is not cursed by the gods. Instead, he is a god! (v. 6)

If you keep reading, Paul is in the suburbs of Malta, when he meets the chief man of the island or the most wealthy man of the island.

This guy, Publius, cares for Paul and his team for three days (v. 7).

While Paul is there, God works through him to heal the man’s father, who was sick with a fever and dysentery (v. 8).

Once that happens, all sorts of people with diseases come to Paul and they are healed as well (v. 9).

In the end, Paul and the team sail on, with the natives giving them whatever they needed (v. 10).

THE APOSTOLIC PATTERN

First of all, we have to say that God was incredibly kind to Paul and everyone on board the ship.

In his providence, He saw to it that the natives of Malta were not hostile, but kind.

However, despite their kindness, this would have been a very difficult evangelistic situation for Paul.

We have to assume there was no shared language with the Maltese people.

So how would the people of this island know that Paul was a messenger sent by God?

The same way everyone has known throughout Acts--by the miracles that attested to the Spirit’s work in the Lord’s Apostles.

Throughout Acts, this has been the pattern.

In the same way that miracles attested to the identity of Christ as the Messiah, miracles attest to the Spirit of Christ working through the Apostles of the Messiah.

PETER

We saw it in Acts 3, when Peter and John heal the lame beggar and then preach the Gospel in Solomon’s Portico.

We saw it in Acts 5 when many signs and wonders are done regularly among people in Jerusalem through the hands of Peter and the Apostles.

We saw it in Acts 9 when Peter healed Aeneas, who had been bedridden for 8 years, and then raised Dorcas from the dead.

PAUL

We saw it in Acts 13 when Paul, filled with the Spirit, causes a man to be blind with his words.

We saw it in Acts 14 when Paul heals the man who could not use his feet.

We saw it in Acts 16 when Paul casts the demon out of the slave girl.

We saw it in Acts 19 when Paul is doing extraordinary miracles and even cloth that he touched is healing people when it is applied to them.

We saw it Acts 20 when Eutychus is raised from the dead after falling out of the window.

And we are seeing it now in Acts 28.

In all of these cases, the miracles serve to attest to the identity of the Apostles that Christ is using to lay the foundation of His church.

And in all of these cases, the miracles attest to the power of the message that they preach as they lay the foundation of the church.

And the fact that what was happening in Acts 3 is still happening in Acts 28 demonstrates that the mission is continuing on.

Jesus said that the Apostles would be His witnesses from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and to the end of the earth.

In Acts 3, the miraculous attests to the Apostles’ identity and message in Jerusalem.

In Acts 28, the miraculous attests to the Apostle’s identity and message on a Mediterranean Island with a bunch of natives. That is the end of the earth.

Jesus’ words have come true.

The mission continues.

CARRIED OUT BY GOSPEL ADVANCE (v. 11-15)

SUMMARY

Let’s keep looking at the passage.

Paul and company stay in Malta for three months.

This was not a random amount of time.

They were waiting out the winter months.

Once they got past January, they would start to get winds coming off the Sahara Desert in North Africa and there would have been very little threat of thunderstorms.

They board a ship that has the Greek gods Castor and Pollux as the figurehead on the front (v. 11)

Reminders to us that Paul is deep in the jungles of the pagan world now.

Their first stop is Syracuse, where they stay for three days. (v. 12)

Then they sail around to Rhegium and then to Puteoli. (v. 13)

By recording the details of the route, Luke tells us something of the ship’s travel.

To get from Syracuse to Puteoli, the ship would have had to go through a very narrow strait that is about two miles wide.

That strait was dangerous because it was filled with whirlpools that could cause the ship to wreck.

However, it was worth the risk because it saved a ton of time and some hard sailing around Sicily. SHOW MAP PICTURE HERE

Now, amazingly, when they get to Puteoli, they find Christians there.

How was this the case? How were there Christians in Italy before Paul even got there?

And then, if you keep reading, at the end of verse 14, Paul finally arrives at Rome (v. 14).

This is a big deal. We have been moving toward this moment since Acts 19:21 when Paul said, “I must also see Rome.”

But again--what does Paul find upon his arrival--more Christians!

People from cities all along the Italian coast travel to Rome to see Paul (v. 15).

And when Paul sees them, he takes heart and gives thanks to God.

From these verses, we get our 2nd point:

2. The mission is being carried out by the Spirit to the end of the earth (v. 11-15).

FROM JERUSALEM TO ROME

Once again, we have to think about where we started in Acts.

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem.

That is the epicenter of the Hebrew world.

It makes sense that the Kingdom of the Hebrew Messiah would be built out from that location.

But now we have gone from Jerusalem to Judea to Samaria and here we are--in Italy.

First Puteoli, then Rome.

If Jerusalem is the epicenter of the Hebrew world, Rome is the epicenter of the pagan world.

And what we can see is that the Gospel has arrived there.

Even before Paul has.

THE SPIRIT OF GOD IS THE HERO OF ACTS

And what this really shows us is that the Apostles are not the true heroes of the book of Acts.

And that is no slight to them--they would agree.

If you flip to the front of Acts, your Bible probably says, “Acts of the Apostles.”

This is not a new name.

Acts has been called this since at least the days of Irenaeus--an early church father who called it this in writing way back in 180 AD.

However, an more accurate name might be “Acts of the Holy Spirit,” because in truth--the Holy Spirit is the star of the book.

He is the One who is moving the mission along.

When Jesus told His Apostles to go and wait in Jerusalem to be His witnesses--what or WHO were they waiting on?

Acts 1:8 ESV

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.”

The answer is The Holy Spirit.

It is the Spirit of the Lord who empowers the church at Pentecost.

It is the Spirit of the Lord who empowers Peter to take the Gospel from Jews in Jerusalem to Gentiles like Cornelius in Caesarea.

It is the Spirit of the Lord who empowers Paul to take the Gospel to Macedonia and Achaia and Asia.

And it is the Spirit of the Lord who is empowering Paul’s witness in Rome.

But that is just what we have gotten to see Him do in what Luke has recorded.

What these brothers in Italy tell us is that the Spirit was doing work in the 1st Century that isn’t even documented in the Scriptures.

For example, the Spirit empowered someone to take the Gospel to Europe.

To Italy.

To Rome.

It isn’t hard for us to imagine how this happened.

Thousands were coming to Christ in Jerusalem.

It is not hard to imagine that some of them came from Rome and they were taking the pearl of the Kingdom that is the Gospel back to the place they were from.

This is especially likely when you consider that many came to Christ during feast times when Jews from all over would have been making the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

What we don’t have is the details of who did this work.

We don’t have details of how the first church started.

We don’t have details of the persecution those witnesses for Christ in Italy might have faced.

But we do know who would have been behind that work.

The Holy Spirit.

So whether it is Peter or Paul or unnamed believers taking the Gospel light to Italy, it is the Spirit who is the constant.

He is the power behind the proclamation.

He is the One behind the Witness.

He is the Agent advancing the Gospel from Jerusalem to the end of the earth throughout the early days of the church.

The words of the Son in Acts 1:8 are coming true because the Spirit, promised by the Son, is poured out.

He is ensuring that the gates of Hell will have no defense for Gospel advance.

That is how the Gospel lands on Nero’s doorstep even before Paul does.

CARRIED INTO GENTILE NATIONS (v. 16-28)

Let’s keep going and look at what is going on in verses 16-28.

In these verses, we can see that as the mission continues, the nature of the mission is changing.

3. The mission is being carried into the Gentile nations (v. 16-28).

ARRIVAL IN ROME (v.16-17)

When Paul gets to Rome, he is placed under house arrest with a single soldier guarding him (v. 16).

You might expect Luke to say that he went and prepared his defense or hired an orator to take up his cause in court, but that is not what happens.

Instead, he does what he always does in a new city--he preaches to the Jews there.

Usually he goes to the synagogue, but he cannot do that under house arrest.

So he does the next best thing--after just a few days, he calls the local leaders of the synagogue to come to him.

In verse 17, you see him starting to address them.

PAUL’S ADDRESS (v. 17-20)

He starts by summarizing why he is in Rome as a prisoner in the first place in verses 17-19.

He explains his innocence.

He recounts the story of his arrest and examination and his appeal to Caesar.

Then, in verse 20, Paul says something that is key— “...it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.”

Paul is standing before synagogue leaders.

Pharisee types.

Spiritual leaders of the dispersed Jewish nation in Rome.

And he looks at them and essentially says, “I am wearing these chains because of the Christ I preach. And HE is the true hope of Israel.”

RESPONSE (v. 21-28)

They inform him that they have not even heard of him. Nothing has been written. There has been no report (v. 21)

But they have heard of the Gospel and the Christian movement.

They want to hear from Paul because they have been hearing so many people speak against those who follow Christ (v. 22)

Then the most amazing thing happens.

They come to him at an appointed time and they bring great numbers with them and all day long, Paul gets to expound to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus using the Law and the Prophets (v. 23).

There are three verbs used to paint a picture of how Paul taught that day.

Expounded: Explained the Scriptures or even exposed the Scriptures

Testifying: To solemnly witness

Convince: Persuade

This is the Apostle on fire, doing what he loves to do.

He teaching the Lord’s word with a serious, personal, persuasive tone.

He is making the argument for Christ from the revealed Word of God.

He is showing how everything from Moses to Malachi points to Jesus as the Messiah.

Some of them believe and some of them do not (v. 24).

They are destined to depart in disagreement (v. 25).

But before they go, Paul stops them and he makes a statement.

He quotes Scripture to them.

He doesn’t condemn them for their unbelief.

Instead, he lets the authority of the Scriptures and the Spirit who inspired them do the talking.

The quotation is from Isaiah 6:9-10.

These verses come right after Isaiah’s calling to ministry.

Isaiah sees the Lord being adored by angels in temple, crying out “Holy, holy, holy!”

He confesses his sin and the sin of his people and his sin is atoned for.

And then God’s Word is proclaimed to him:

“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

Isaiah responds to the Word by dedicating his life to God’s work:

“Here I am! Send me.”

And then, God says, “Go--but your message to the people will essentially be that their hearts are too hard to listen and repent.”

Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV

And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

So Paul cites this passage in verses 26-27 and he does it to make a point:

Acts 28:28 ESV

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

This is a word of judgment from the Word of God through the Apostle of God.

He is quoting Isaiah 6 and letting these unbelieving Jews know that their unbelief has led to the light being carried into Gentile nations.

THE GOSPEL TO THE GENTILES DUE TO JEWISH UNBELIEF

See--there was a time in which the nations were in darkness.

The Jews had the light of the Word of God.

The light of the prophets.

The light of the tabernacle and the temple.

The light of the Law.

And during these times, the only way that a nation would come into contact with the light was if they bumped into Israel due to the geo-political happenings of the age.

But what did the Jewish people do with this light?

Well according to God’s commission to Isaiah, they rejected it.

They did not believe God.

They were idolatrous and rebellious.

God had his faithful remnant within the nation of Israel. He always has His remnant.

But the nation as a whole killed the prophets.

And then they killed God’s Son.

Jesus’ Parable of the Wicked Tenants explains this:

Luke 20:9–18 ESV

And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

The man who planted the vineyard is the Lord.

The tenants are Israel.

The servants are the prophets, which are cast out and ignored and treated shamefully.

And the Son is Jesus.

He is rejected and killed by the nation of Israel at Calvary.

And since they have rejected the Cornerstone, they will fall on that stone and be broken to pieces in judgment.

Here in verse 28, Paul is explaining part of that judgment.

Salvation had been first to the Jew and then to the Gentile.

Romans 1:16 ESV

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

This is why Paul went to the synagogues first in every city throughout Acts.

This is why the church of the first century was primarily Jewish.

However, due to the unbelief of Israel, the Gospel is now going to those outside of the vineyard.

And it will be listened to.

And the church will actually be primarily Gentile for the bulk of her existence.

This doesn’t mean that no Jewish people will believe.

But it does mean the nature of the mission is changing.

The primary thrust of the Great Commission will take place in the nations, not in Israel.

Many believe there will be a great revival among the Jewish people before Christ returns, due to what Paul says in Romans 11.

Regardless of whether that is true or not, we pray for the repentance of Israel and for the Gospel to take root among Abraham’s ethnic people.

But we also remember that the true Israel of God are those who are in Christ.

Those who have believed in the Cornerstone.

Whether they are Jewish or Gentile.

That is how the mission works now.

Now let’s wrap up and see how the mission continues.

CARRIED ON IN THE CHURCH TODAY (v. 29-31)

We understand the Gospel is going to the Gentile nations, but how is it getting there?

4. The mission is being carried on by the Lord’s church today (v. 29-31).

THE WAY ACTS ENDS

When it comes to our fourth teaching point this morning, we are clued in by the way the book of Acts comes to an end.

We have been studying this epic the better part of five years.

24 chapters of Luke.

28 chapters of Acts.

So what’s the conclusion?

Return of the Jedi ends with Vader’s defeat and a change of heart

Planet of the Apes ends with Charlton Heston screaming on the beach

Lord of the Rings ends with Frodo heading to the Gray Havens

What is the big ending here?

It’s Paul living under house arrest on his own dime for a couple of years and entertaining guests.

It is Paul proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom and teaching about Jesus with boldness and no hindrance.

In one sense, it is a very nice and appropriate ending, right?

We started today with Jesus’ commission in chapter 1— You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the end of the earth.

We started with Pentecost in Jerusalem and we are ending with the Apostle Paul sitting in Rome.

We started with Peter preaching in the heart of the Jewish world and we are ending with Paul at the end of the earth, proclaiming and teaching in the heart of the Gentile world.

But in another sense, we would say that it is almost anti-climactic.

We don’t get answers about what is going on with Peter. In fact, we don’t hear much about him in the back half of the book at all.

We don’t get answers about the verdict of Paul’s trial. We don’t find out what happens between him and Caesar.

We don’t even get any big confrontations in Rome, other than the one with the Jewish leaders.

Instead, the book just kind of ends.

And I believe this is purposeful.

It is left open-ended because though Jesus’ words have come true, they are also still coming true.

YES--the Gospel has made it to the heart of the Gentile world, but we also know that there was so much more world to be discovered.

We know that for 2000 years, the Gospel has continued to press into the end of the earth and reach Gentile nation after Gentile nation.

For 2000 years, people group after people group have come into contact with the Gospel of Christ and the Lord has gained numbers from the nations.

And it is still going on today.

THE ONGOING MISSION

We are still going to the nations.

We are still taking the hope of Israel into all the world.

And we are still building the church.

Acts ends without a climax because the climax hadn’t come.

Remember--the star of the show is not Peter or Paul.

It didn’t really matter what would happen in Rome with Nero.

The star of the show is Jesus.

And He will return when the Acts 1:8 mission is complete.

Matthew 24:14 ESV

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.

When every people group has had a Paul come and proclaim the Kingdom and teach about the Lord Jesus and there have been churches established on every coastland--then the end will come.

When the last name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life comes in--then the end will come.

When full number of the Israel of God has come into the vineyard and they are drinking from the cup of the New Covenant in Christ’s blood--then the end will come.

So this is why we increase our mission budget year over year.

This is why we give to the Cooperative Program and partner with thousands of other Southern Baptists to support 3500 missionaries on the international field.

This is why we give to the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and support North American church planters.

This is why we support our Seaford Baptist Career Missionaries and we aim to see new churches started, pastors trained up to shepherd those churches and the Bible translated into every heart language.

This is why we are considering adopting the North African and Middle Eastern people dispersed in the nations as a group that we want to pray for and see reached.

This is why Paul went to Rome.

This is why a man named Ulfilas took the Gospel to the Visigoths in the 4th Century.

This is why William Tyndale risked his life to translate the Bible into English so that every plowboy could read it.

This is why David Brainerd took the Gospel to the Delaware Indians.

This is why William Carey took the Gospel to India and launched the modern missions movement.

This is why Adoniram Judson took the Gospel to Burma and Hudson Taylor took it to China.

This is why a handful of families from Yorktown planted a church in Seaford, VA.

It is all done to build the church. Advance the Kingdom.

And ultimately, to see the King return and rule His multi-national, multi-lingual, multi-cultural church forever and ever.

And as we end Acts, we understand that the work continues through us.

Acts has no big ending because the story is still being written through us as we take the Gospel from the Neighborhood to the Nations.

Let us go with all boldness and without hindrance.