Worth Memorizing:
1:8- 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.”
2:38- And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
4:12- And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
When we started Acts 40, I don’t think any of us really knew what God might do through something this simple. On the surface it just looks like walking, reading a chapter of Acts, and checking in each week. But over the past few days it has already been exciting to see the group come alive. People are posting their walks and runs, sharing where they are reading in Acts, and encouraging each other along the way. What started as a simple challenge is already turning into something bigger because we are doing it together. Sometimes the most ordinary things become the tools God uses to grow us. A few steps here, a chapter there, and a short prayer along the way can start shaping our hearts and our habits. Before long it begins to shape our church too. That is really what Acts 40 is about. Not just getting miles in, but learning what it looks like to walk with Jesus one step at a time.
In Acts 1, Jesus ascends and tells the disciples to wait. Think about this. Over 500 people saw the risen Jesus. But when it came time to wait, pray, and stay committed, only 120 were in the room. Not everyone who sees stays. Not everyone who starts continues. And we felt that in a small way. Acts 40 started on a Sunday, but instead of jumping straight into reading, we prayed. We waited until Monday to begin. Why? Because walking with Jesus doesn’t start with speed. It starts with surrender. Sometimes the most spiritual step you can take is standing still and trusting God.
Then Acts 2 happens and the church is born. The Spirit shows up. What started with 120 turns into thousands. But what made it powerful wasn’t just growth. It was devotion. They devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. They kept showing up. They did life together. That’s what we want our church to be. Not just people who attend, but people who are devoted. Acts 40 isn’t about logging miles. It’s about building a church that walks together, grows together, and stays consistent together. You don’t build endurance overnight. You build it step by step. And that’s how God builds a healthy church too.
Acts 3 ties perfectly into our weekly challenge. A man who couldn’t walk is sitting at the gate. Every day someone had to carry him. Then through the power of Jesus changes everything, and the man goes walking and leaping and praising God. This week we challenged you to walk a mile with someone else doing Acts 40. Why? Because sometimes people don’t need advice. They need someone beside them. Some people are spiritually stuck. Some are inconsistent. Some are just tired. When you walk with someone, you’re saying, “You’re not doing this alone.” That’s church.
Then Acts 4 hits, and opposition shows up. The disciples are threatened and told to stop. And this week, for some of you, opposition looked like inconvenience. Already the thought creeps in, “Maybe I’ll skip today.” Isn’t it wild how fast inconvenience makes us want to quit? But resistance doesn’t mean stop. It means push through. Maybe boldness this week looked like adjusting your schedule, finding a different place to walk, or just choosing to stay consistent. The early church didn’t quit when pressure came. They prayed and kept moving. So do we.
Then Acts 5 brings it back to the heart. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look more committed than they really were. They cared more about the appearance of devotion than actual devotion. And that’s a good reminder for all of us. It can be easy to focus on checking boxes, logging miles, or keeping up with everyone else. But this challenge was never about impressing anyone. It’s about honesty before God. If you miss a day, that’s okay. If you fall behind, just pick back up. The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is faithfulness. This journey is about growing, staying consistent, and letting God shape us along the way.
So church, let’s wait well. Let’s walk together. Let’s push through resistance. Let’s walk with integrity. And let’s be part of the 120 who don’t just see Jesus, but stay in the room and keep moving.