Build the Kingdom! - 27 July 2025

Sometimes, I miss important things when I’m reading my Bible. In chapter 19 verse 20 we see Luke, the author of Acts, remind us that something really important is happening. But if you ‘blink’ you miss his reminder of his key theme: “So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.” Six times in his book (in 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20, and 28:31), Luke tells us that the word of the Lord “continued to increase” or words similar to that.We’ve been focusing on the Book of Acts in our worship and our group life. It’s been exciting to study the growth of the church as new Christians shared their faith and key leaders boldly proclaimed the good news about Jesus and his love for all.This Sunday our worship focus will be ‘Build the Kingdom’. Throughout Acts, Luke gives us accounts of how this is done by Christians making new Christians. On Sunday, we’ll be concentrating on 2 key elements of this process:The influence of the Holy Spirit andThe bold proclamation of the GospelThe Holy Spirit is still active in building the Kingdom of God, of working in the lives of people bringing them to life-giving faith in Jesus. In 2023 at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, a spiritual revival began with a spontaneous continuation of worship and prayer following a regularly scheduled chapel service on February 8th. Students stayed in Hughes Auditorium after the service and were joined by others, leading to a 16-day event that drew national and international attention. The revival was characterised by various expressions of faith, including spontaneous worship, prayer, repentance, and expressions of joy and unity.  News of the revival spread rapidly, drawing attention from media outlets, religious leaders, and individuals seeking spiritual renewal. The revival was additionally significant because of its spread on social media, particularly among Generation Z, the most irreligious generation in US history.Many of us are aware of the presence and influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Often, people share with me their stories of something ‘miraculous’ that has happened to them or their friends or family. Often, they acknowledge that it must have been the Holy Spirit working in that ‘miraculous’ situation because they can find no other explanation for it.I encourage you to not only look for the action of the Spirit around you day by day but to share your joy as such experiences grow you stronger in your faith. And give thanks to Jesus who strengthened his disciples in his last days with them by promising that he would send the Holy Spirit to enable them to do even greater things than he did.The Holy Spirit is at work at BCUC helping us to Build the Kingdom. Can you not see it?  Together in Jesus,Rob