Dear Theophilus, Acts

Does your church function like the early church in Acts?

Doubt it.

Yes, you may see snippets of similarities, but if you look closely, you'll find huge gaps. Don't believe me?

• Consider the early church's astronomical growth. Does your church experience that?
• When was the last time someone at your church died for their faith?
• Does your church experience Holy Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues? Most don't.

We're just getting started:

• What about sharing all your resources with other believers?
• How about supernatural healing, signs and wonders, and exorcisms?
• Do you take offerings for other believers and not yourself?

Wait, there's more:

• Do you meet daily in people's homes and public spaces?
• Is community and getting along more important than just about everything else?
• Do you minister to one another, serve as priests, and focus on telling others about Jesus?

Dear Theophilus, Acts is a devotional. It's a Bible Study. And it emerges as a manifesto for today's church.

It's time to realign your thinking. Dear Theophilus, Acts will ease you into it. It gives forty devotional insights from the book of Acts for today's church--and for you.

Peter DeHaan, PhD, earned his doctorate--awarded with high distinction--from Trinity College of the Bible and Theological Seminary. He lives in Southwest Michigan with his wife and plays with crossword puzzles in his spare time.