Acts 1

What was God's plan to help Jesus' broken and flawed followers accomplish his mission? Phil Ware continues his series called Better Broken that focuses on how God used flawed, broken people to change the world by sharing the message of Jesus and this involved Purpose: to be witnesses, Plan: to release God's power through prayer; People: the

In the Bible, sometimes a person's name was changed because of something that person did or because of something that God was going to do through that person. Phil Ware continues his series called 8GT -- Eight Truths that Turned the World Upside Down.

Our world is fractured and lost. It needs to see what the way of the Kingdom looks like in real life today! Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on restoring the kingdom.

"[Jesus] replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times [for the restoration of the Kingdom], and they are not for you to..."

"[Jesus] replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times [for restoration of the Kingdom], and they are not for you to know....."

"[While the disciples were waiting in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed], when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed..."

Despite early Jewish opposition and later Roman persecution and martyrdom, their passion, conviction, and impact could not be stopped. Phil Ware continues his series called 'I Doubt It' and focuses today on Jesus' call and promise that his eleven apostles and those that followed them would turn the world upside down with their message of good news and hope and grace.

"So [the disciples] nominated two men [as a replacement for Judas]: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. Then they all prayed,...."

"During the forty days after [Jesus] suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was....."

"Dear Child of God, You probably know the story that is told by Doctor Luke in the verses below. Familiarity can sometimes lead you to miss something...."

What do you do with the one who is missing? Phil Ware continues his series, Better Broken, focusing on the problem of there being 11 apostles and how people fail us and what are we doing to do to go on after we've been betrayed.

"[After Jesus' ascension,] the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the...."

"So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" He replied,..."

"So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" He replied,..."

"Dear Disciple, The two passages below tell about My commissioning the disciples right before My ascension to the Father. You cannot ask for a more..."

Your world is fractured and lost. It needs to see what the way of the Kingdom looks like in real life today! Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on restoring the kingdom.

Doesn't sound like much of a plan, just to sit and pray, but it was Jesus' plan! Mark Frost finishes his 4 part series on Acts 1 and the key scenes that set the stage for the church to launch out into a whole new era of mission.

How can you compare these two things? Phil Ware continues his series on the mission trip to Sagrada Familia, The Community in Lima, Peru, and ties it in this article or post to Jesus' ascension.

"In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen...."

"As [the disciples] strained to see [Jesus] rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why are..."

"In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen...."

"[The disciples] all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of....."

"[Luke wrote,] In my [gospel] I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his..."

"In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen...."

"Peter continued [about the need to replace Judas], "This was written in the book of Psalms, where it says, 'Let his home become desolate, with no one...."

"In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven after giving his chosen...."

"[After Jesus' ascension,] the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, a distance of half a mile. When they arrived, they went to the..."

"[In response to a question about when he would free Israel and restore the kingdom, Jesus] replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those....."

"[Peter said,] "So now we must choose a replacement for Judas from among the men who were with us the entire time we were traveling with the Lord Jesus..."

"[Not long after Jesus' ascension,] Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, "Brothers and sisters, the..."

"On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with [the disciples], he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,..."

"Dear Precious Follower, I know that waiting is hard for you. Regardless of your reason for having to wait, I know that waiting is hard. However,..."

As our world sinks ever deeper into the abyss of division, evil, hatred, and violence, Jesus followers must do more than spout platitudes, post opinions, blame others, go to church, pray, and preach. Phil Ware finishes his series called 8GHT and focuses on Jesus' command for us to quit standing around and doing nothing but to go and do something to redeem our lost world.

As our world sinks ever deeper into the abyss of division, evil, hatred, and violence, Jesus’ followers must do more than spout platitudes, post opinions, blame others, go to church, pray, and preach. Phil Ware finishes his series called 8GHT and focusses on Jesus' command for us to quit standing around and doing nothing, but to go and do something to redeem our lost world.

We must not forget to punch that little red button and make sure the current of heaven's grace and power flow to us and flow through us to the world. Phil Ware continues his series called 8GHT, focusing on eight principles out of Acts 1:1-10, today his focus is on the Holy Spirit being the power behind the early church.

Everything seems better than it relaly was. Mark Frost of Interim Ministry Partners shares the second in his series on Acts and nostalgia and doing the work of God in bringing the Kingdom of God.

Is there a way to catch our breath and be renewed for a fresh start? Phil Ware begins a short 4 part series on the Holy Spirit as we begin the New Year, this one is focused on living by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When I die, my prayer is that Jesus will tell me that my life has honored his final command with even more passion and purpose. How about you? Phil Ware continues his series on "What is CORE" by focusing on Jesus' final and intentional last command to make disciples of all nations.

Behind every act of power in Acts, we see Jesus at work, guiding his followers and providing his strength for them to do what he asked of them. Phil Ware begins an eight-part series on eight truths that turned the world upside down, a look at the early verses of the book of Acts.

God uses the most amazing connections and people to fulfill his promises to bless all people! James Nored and Phil Ware share Jesus' plan to reach all peoples, like the Ethiopian Nobleman and the people in the farthest reaches of the earth, with the goodness of grace.

"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."

"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..."

"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..."

"During the forty days after [Jesus] suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was....."

"Once when [Jesus] was eating with [the disciples], he commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you..."

"[Jesus said,] "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere — in..."

"[Jesus said,] "John baptized in water; you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit. And soon.""

"In order to learn how to discharge your duty as a witness for Christ, look at his example. He is always witnessing: by the well of Samaria, or in the...."

"[To the apostles, Jesus said,] "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere..."

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:14 -- They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:14 -- They all joined constantly together in prayer

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:11 -- “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:8 -- You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:14 -- They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

Inspirational illustration of Acts 1:8 -- ut 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

What does this last glimpse of Mary teach us about Jesus and discipleship? Phil Ware finishes his series on the Windows to Wonder, on Mary the mother of Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, and Savior, and reminds us that we can all be part of Jesus' forever family.

If the apostles needed to wait on the Spirit, shouldn't we? Max Lucado reminds us that the Holy Spirit is essential to all we do and are as followers of Jesus, so let's wait on the Spirit to lead us and empower us before launching out too hastily into the unknown.

Learning to reach out, and further out, to speak for Jesus. Mark Frost continues his series on Acts scene 1, with a great article on being witnesses built around Acts 1:8 and about reaching the world -- here, near, and far.

It was in the middle of one of these nitty-gritty down-to-earth conversations between Jesus and His disciples that He fleshed out the secret. Melissa Troyer reminds us of Jesus' strange promise of going away being better for His disciples than staying with them.

These ordinary people did the extraordinary: they lived Jesus' words into reality. Phil Ware continues his series called 8GHT on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on sharing the message of Jesus with the world God loves and all the people of all races and nationalities and social levels.

Why would he choose this bunch to be his plan? Phil Ware continues his series on Catch and Release reminding us that we are chosen to be Jesus' witnesses specifically because of who we are and what he has done for us in our lives.

Move beyond resolutions to Kingdom living! Phil Ware begins the New Year with an article or post about the book of Acts and the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to take broken people and use them powerfully to change the world.

Behind every act of power in Acts, we see Jesus at work, guiding his followers and providing his strength for them to do what he asked of them. Phil Ware begins an eight-part series on eight truths that turned the world upside down, a look at the early verses of the book of Acts.

"Dear Follower, I promised My followers that the Holy Spirit would guide them in their witness to the nations (Acts 1:8). Today, I want to talk to you..."

"Dear Faithful Follower, One of the marks of Our — Father, Son, and Spirit's — people has been their acceptance of "moving out," that is,...."

"Dear Friend, The verses you read below are from Acts chapter 8. They tell of the scattering of My followers from Jerusalem. This scattering began..."

Jesus knew the sting of sarcastic ridicule and unbelief from his family Phil Ware continues his Resurrection 2.0 series reminding us this week that Jesus' own family did not believe until after his resurrection.

God loves all the people of the world (John 3:16) and wants us to demonstrate his love for them so they will turn from their destructive ways and be saved (2 Peter 3:9). Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to recognize God's call to mission for us as we seek to be God with Skin On to people here, near, and far.

"Dear Friend, Two powerful themes from the Bible converge in this one story in today's Scripture about Philip and the Ethiopian dignitary:After My..."

True disciples of the Lord haven't stopped going ever since Jesus commanded it! Phil Ware continues his series on "What is CORE" by focusing on Jesus' final and intentional last command to make disciples of all nations, and emphasizes the first process of doing that: GOING!

This example of bringing together a coalition of people, organizations, churches, and businesses to bless others in the name of Jesus is a powerful example of what Kingdom life could be! Phil Ware shares the work of Houses for Healing (H4H) in Abilene, Texas, which serves people of that region of Texas with a place to stay while they (or their family with them) are receiving medical care in Abilene.

What in the world did were they for? Jesus' resurrection fills all of our life with meaning.

As followers of Jesus, the clouds hold a message of hope for us, not just a warning. Phil Ware continues his series on Resurrection 2.0 and focuses this week on Jesus' return in the clouds which is guaranteed by his resurrection from the dead.

Are you helping, hurting, or just in the way? We can stand in the way of reaching the lost or we can open the highway to let folks come to Jesus!

What did it smell like at the manger? Phil Ware talks about the significance of shepherds being found at the manger of Jesus.

The Father has given us access to holy power and a way to bless each other through prayer if only we will take advantage of it! Phil Ware completes his four part series on growing to become like Jesus through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, the transformation that Jesus promises us when we choose to follow him as his disciple.

Why is it so hard to let go of our best and brightest, yet at the same it is so good to do so? Phil Ware shares the principle in his Church to Kingdom series on being a sending church.

When we wait on the Holy Spirit, we are anticipating God's power to work through us to God's glory! Max Lucado reminds us to wait on the Holy Spirit to come with power.

We are called to be a group of mustard seed people — folks who know they are GATHERED to be TRANSFORMED and SCATTERED. Phil Ware introduces us to the concept of TRANSENDING.church and calls us to be a people who gather to transform and scatter.

these ordinary people did the extraordinary: they lived Jesus’ words into reality. Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on sharing the message of Jesus with the world God loves.

Are you ready to tell someone? Throughout the book of Acts, there are examples of regular people telling their friends about how God sent His Son so that the world might be saved. With 4.6 billion souls still needing to hear that story, we have a lot telling to do.

Our actions reveal our beliefs If we don’t tell others about Jesus, if our actions contradict our professed ideals, if we claim concern about people’s souls for eternity, but make no significant effort to share with them our Savior -- then we must not believe God or we don’t care.

"They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus. . ...."

We are witnesses… We, the present day followers of Jesus, are the progeny of those men and women of the first century. The mission is now ours! With 2/3 of the 6.7 billion of the world's population who don't know Jesus, we have much to do.

'I wish I had time just to sit around and pray,' my friend said. He walked away in a huff! Phil Ware begins a series of messages built around the disciples' request to Jesus to teach them to pray with today focusing on our need to pray first.

What happened to the power that Jesus promised to us? Phil Ware focuses on Jesus' promise to send the power of the Holy Spirit to empower the church and our need to seek and use that power!

Caught to be released into life, community, and purpose by the grace of God! Phil Ware begins a series of articles on sharing Jesus in word and deed with others called Catch and Release and focusing on following Jesus.

Let’s be witnesses with those here, near, and far (Acts 1:8) like the first followers of Jesus did! Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 and focuses today on being witnesses of the great things Jesus has done.

"Dear Precious Believer, You became a child of the Father when you turned your heart and life to follow Me, called on Me in faith to be your Savior,....."

Are we willing to make fellowship more than coffee and donuts? Phil Ware continues to talk about the greater things the early church experienced in the opening days of the believers following Jesus and in this case, genuine fellowship, sharing and having life in common, is key.

So is it really better to be safe than sorry? Phil Ware talks about the old adage, better to be safe than sorry, and shows what Jesus says about it: the follower who takes this approach will be condemned.

Let's be witnesses with those here, near, and far like the first followers of Jesus did! Phil Ware continues his short series on Acts 1:1-11 called Phil Ware continues his series called 8GT -- Eight Truths that Turned the World Upside Down -- and focuses on finding those seeking Jesus and being witnesses to them of the great things Jesus has

Can you think of a more noble vision or a more compelling mission for us, the Lord’s people, than to be Jesus’ bodily presence to our fractured and fragmented world James Nored and Phil Ware challenge us through words and video to embrace God's mission for us as the bodily presence of Jesus in the world.

Aren't you tired of the same ol' things? Phil Ware begins a series of messages from Acts 2 and 3 on greater things that Jesus does through his followers.

When Luke summarized the heart of the early church, he chose to highlight one particular word — Phil Ware continues his series on prayer this week, focused on the early church's devotion to prayer that they learned from Jesus.

They all abandoned Jesus except for this one group! Phil Ware continues his series of reflections on the importance of women in the Bible, to Jesus, to Paul, and to the early church.

So if they didn't and couldn't, how dare we? Mark Frost continues the series on discovering your mission before finding your minister with the Interim Ministry Partners team and he focuses on prayer.

Don't let the signs of the times scare you! Many try to predict when Jesus will come back. The Bible says His coming will be a surprise. The main thing we need to do is be ready to greet Him, whenever that may be.

So how beautiful are your feet? Phil Ware continues his four message series on Jesus' last words which must be our first priority.

Spend a year journeying through the New Testament with Jesus. Phil Ware shares the beginning of A Year with Jesus and an invitation to join the free daily devotional and get to know Jesus more fully during the course of the year as you journey together through the New Testament.

How do we know what passages of Scripture are most essential? Phil Ware stops at the mid-point in his series on What is CORE to review and look forward to what is ahead.

Many of us have experienced the goodness of God through the life of a woman of faith who helped shape us and mold us in our personal walk with Jesus. Demetrius Collins and Phil Ware lead us in a virtual, DIY, worship through words and music using YouTube videos to call us to give thanks for the godly women of faith in our lives.