All year long, our church has been diving deep into the topic of maturity. We just wrapped an incredible 13-part collection called Mature Church.

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More than a building, the church is the group of believers who are committed to following the way of Jesus. We stand on the shoulders of the early church, walking the path they established long ago. This collection journeys through the book of Acts, unpacking what it means to share the Good News, establish community, and follow the way of Jesus in modern culture.

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Acts is considered to be volume two of a two-part work known today as Luke-Acts. In the Bible, both the book of Luke and the book of Acts were written by Luke, an apostle of Jesus. Acts gives an account of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the early church, and how the message of Jesus began to spread around the world. The book of Acts recounts the disciples’ experiences and the persecution they faced, the characteristics and growth of the early church, and the fulfillment of many Old Testament prophecies. While church today looks different than the early church, there are key themes from the book of Acts that hold true for us today.

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Read below for a glimpse at the messages included in this collection.

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When You Love Jesus but Not the Church

The church was not our idea, it is God’s plan. It’s not a building — it’s the body of believers who are committed to following Jesus and sharing His message. Not only does God call us to maturity as individuals, but to maturity as the church. What does a mature church look like? Instead of walking in the dark, we can be sure of our next step, walking convinced, connected, and commissioned.

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Today Could Be the Day

Both life and God can move suddenly. We often believe that God is slow, but when God is ready to move, He moves quickly. As we wait for him to move suddenly in our circumstances, we can choose to stay planted in the present, faithfully obeying, preparing, and pursuing. We might not be sure of His plan, but we can always be sure of His power. 

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Sustaining the Spirit

The early church's devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer is a mark of their maturity. While culture today looks different than the days of the early church, our devotion should remain the same. A devoted church results in gratitude, generosity, unity, worship, and evangelism. Our commitment won’t always be perfect, and it won’t always be pretty, but God is faithful to keep His promises as we continue to turn toward Him.

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Out of the Upper Room

One of the boldest prayers we can pray is for God to lead us out of the upper room and into the world. As culture tells us to go against God’s word, we are charged to stand firm and speak boldly. If the world is loud about sin, hate, and revenge, the Church must be loud about salvation, love, and forgiveness. The world is in need of what we have — all we need to do is extend our hands and expect a miracle.

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Divine Subtraction

It’s wise to learn from experiences; it’s wiser to learn from the experiences of others. As we continue to study the early church, we discover that God removes what we think we need so He can reveal what we actually need. Divine subtraction makes way for correction, protection, and reflection in our lives.

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Take a Stand

There are moments in life when we take a stand. When our favorite team scores, when we sing along with our favorite artist at a concert, when our political views are shared — we often stand in agreement to show our support. Stephen’s life is a picture of what it looks like to take a stand. As the first Christian martyr, he was willing to lay down his life for the Gospel. As followers of Jesus, there are moments when we, too, take a stand all alone for His sake.

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What You Got Going Big?

Do you ever feel small and insignificant? In a world that views success as bigger and better, it’s easy to feel like we don’t measure up. But God’s measure of success isn’t more — it’s obedience. For Philip and the eunuch, one small moment of obedience on a desert road led to the Gospel spreading through an entire continent. The people who are willing to do something small are often the ones who accomplish something big.

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The Evidence of an Encounter

Have you ever experienced a moment that changed your life? On the road to Damascus, a man named Saul, who was known for persecuting Christians, had a radical encounter with Jesus. He said, “...as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me.” In one moment, Saul’s life was changed and he became Paul. He went from a murderer to a powerful preacher who wrote nearly half of the New Testament. His life became evidence of his encounter with light.

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Unexpected Favor

What’s the best gift you’ve ever received? Maybe it was a surprise party, a thoughtful note, or an exciting trip. Whatever comes to mind, the gift was likely an unexpected and undeserved surprise. The same is true about God’s grace. Grace means unmerited favor — we don’t deserve it, and we can’t earn it, but God freely gives it. Grace is not a principle, it’s a person, and His name is Jesus.

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When Things Don’t Make Sense

It goes without saying that life is full of highs and lows. If we aren’t careful, navigating challenges can leave us feeling like life is unfair. But in the middle of the chaos is always a silver lining — just because our circumstances might be bad doesn’t mean God is not good. Every challenge is an opportunity to walk by faith and not by sight.

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The Heart of the Father

Success isn't measured by if we fall, it's measured by if we get up. This Father’s Day message holds a powerful discussion as Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. sits down with his dad, Pastor Rich Wilkerson Sr., for a conversation around life, faith, and lessons along the way.

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Worship Works

Worship is a weapon in our hands, but any weapon is rendered useless if we don’t access the power it carries. In an instant, worship can usher God’s presence and power into our lives, breaking our chains and setting us free. We don’t have to stay bound to our problems — our freedom might just be on the other side of our praise.

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How Do We Overcome?

When we walk through a challenging situation, it’s easy to wonder how we’ll ever overcome it. The truth is that our testimony is powerful proof that we’ve already overcome. In our last talk of the Mature Church collection, we explore the question of how we can overcome life’s challenges.