WOA Education Department to Expand Bible Study Material with Lecture Book on Acts

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

These are the last words of Jesus as recorded by Luke in the beginning of the book of Acts. And these words also highlight the importance of studying about the early church and its leaders, especially the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul.

Only the book of Acts gives us a chronological narrative of how these words of Jesus were fulfilled: from the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down on the believers who gathered in Jerusalem and then over the following years how the good news of Jesus Christ spread from Jerusalem throughout the entire Roman Empire.

The records conclude with the Apostle Paul in Rome, with Acts 28:30-31 saying: "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ-with all boldness and without hindrance!"

With the desire to encourage and equip its members to follow in the footsteps of the Apostles and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in mission outreach, the education department of World Olivet Assembly has commenced its work on new lecture material on the book of Acts. It will feature a chapter-by-chapter narrative that includes historical background about the geography and culture of the time while also applying it to today's modern context.

"Though outwardly, it may seem that the world has changed dramatically from the days of the early church until now - and indeed the technological and other advances would have been unimaginable at that time, the reality is that there are many parallels between the challenges the early believers faced and what we experience today," the lecture book team commented.

"It is our hope that the study material will be an encouragement to our churches around the world to boldly 'proclaim the kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ' just as the Apostles did some two thousand years ago," they continued, and added, "The world may be changing but the truth of the Word of God and the salvation in Jesus Christ never changes, it is as relevant and needed today as it has ever been."