Standing Firm in the Face of Opposition

The Rise series explores how the church, as seen in the book of Acts, rose up in culture and continues to impact the world today. It begins with the birth of the church through the Holy Spirit, as Jesus promised, and follows its mission outlined in Acts 1:8—to spread from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. The book of Acts doesn’t truly "end," as its message continues through the ongoing work of the church. A key theme is seeing through Jesus’s eyes, exemplified in Acts 3 through the healing of a crippled man by Peter and John. This miracle highlights Jesus’s heart for the individual, aligning with Luke 15, where heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. The church’s vision remains focused on transformation—changing communities through hope in Jesus, one person at a time. However, as the church rises, opposition also begins, with Acts 4 marking the first instance of Christian persecution, a challenge that continues in different ways today.