Acts - The Gospel on Display
Well, welcome to The Well Community Church! I am so glad you are all hanging out with us here on this wonderful game day. I think I’ve seen Christian McCaffrey’s jersey about forty times today—it is everywhere! But we are thrilled you are here. If we haven’t met yet, my name is Brad. I’m one of the pastors here at The Well, and I get the privilege of handling God’s Word with you today.
We are going to be in the book of Acts. We’ll start in chapter one and do a high-level overview—skipping a rock, if you will, through most of the book.
As you walked in either this week or last week, you were given a brochure outlining some of the next steps we are preparing to take as a church. We will dive into the specific details of that in a couple of weeks, but before we talk about what we are going to do, we wanted to take time to be reminded of why we feel the need to do it.
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon says there is nothing new under the sun. That is a fancy way of saying that if you hang around here long enough, you’re going to hear certain things repeated. If you’ve been at The Well for any length of time, you know there are core passions we are deeply committed to, and every now and then, we need to bring them back to the forefront so we don’t lose focus.
Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NASB)
That which has been is that which will be, And that which has been done is that which will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.
In 2 Peter 1, the Apostle Peter writes, “Therefore I will always be ready to remind you of these things… As long as I am in this earthly dwelling, I consider it right to stir you up by way of reminder.” This message is one of those reminders for many of us, but for others, it might be brand new, because we are experiencing a reality together that is very unique.
2 Peter 1:12-13 (NASB)
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you [already] know [them], and have been established in the truth which is present with [you]. I consider it right, as long as I am in this [earthly] dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
A Season of Unprecedented Growth
If you happen to be visiting with us, our church is currently experiencing growth like we have never seen before. To illustrate this across all our campuses, gatherings, and venues—including those watching via video or out in the theater—I want to do a quick exercise. It requires 100% participation.
If you have been at The Well for twenty-three years or less, please raise your hand and keep it up. Keep it raised. If you’ve been here twenty years or less, keep your hand up. All we lost there were the original pioneers from the very beginning! If you’ve been here fifteen years or less, keep it up. Ten years or less, keep it raised. Five years or less, keep it raised. If you’ve been here two years or less, keep your hand raised.
Look around. You can put your hands down now. What has happened over the last few years is truly special. In the last eighteen months alone, our church has doubled. Our kids’ ministry has grown by over 200%, and our student ministry has grown by over 150%.
Now, bigger is not inherently better. That is not what we are saying. But as we grow as a movement, we have to ask: How do we steward what God is doing? How do we accommodate growth while maintaining doctrinal faithfulness? How do we avoid mission drift? How do we stay true to who we have been from the very beginning? Are there examples in Scripture of how the early church navigated rapid growth?
Thankfully, the book of Acts leaves a clear trail of breadcrumbs for us.
The Church and the Call of Discipleship
The movement of Christianity went viral long before “viral” was a thing. It started with one person: Jesus Christ. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus calls twelve disciples. Later, He sends out a larger group of seventy to proclaim the kingdom.
Then, in Matthew 16, Jesus speaks of gathering what He calls “called-out ones.” The Greek word is ekklesia, translated in your Bible as “church.” The prefix ek means “out from,” and kaleo means “to call.” The church is not a building; it is a people called out to be taught, trained, equipped, and discipled so they can influence their region. It starts with an individual life, impacts a home, transforms a city, and reaches an entire region.
Matthew 16:18 (NASB)
’I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.
At the end of Matthew, Jesus gives the Great Commission, commanding His followers to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He commanded.
Matthew 28:19-20 (NASB)
‘Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
The Greek word for disciple is mathetes, which means a student or pupil. In modern culture, a student is someone who sits in a lecture, absorbs data, and regurgitates it on an exam. Biblical discipleship is far more than knowing what your Rabbi knows; it is living the way your Rabbi lives. It encompasses both orthodoxy and orthopraxy—belief and behavior, knowing and doing. Discipleship is about how truth fundamentally reshapes your life.
In Acts chapter 1, the disciples have witnessed the risen Christ and ask a logical question: “Lord, is this the time you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Jesus responds in verse 7 that it is not for them to know the times or seasons set by the Father’s authority. Then He gives them a promise.
Acts 1:7-8 (NASB)
He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
Jesus tells them, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the remotest parts of the earth.” The word for witness is martus, from which we get the word “martyr.” It means one who testifies and proclaims. This wasn’t just a command; it was a prophetic statement of what was about to unfold.
The Early Church’s Growth and Simplicity
In Acts 1:15, the gathering grows from the twelve to about 120 assembling in the upper room. In chapter 2, the Holy Spirit is poured out, Peter preaches a powerful message calling people to repentance, and the growth accelerates rapidly.
Acts 2:41 (NASB)
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
About 3,000 souls were added in a single day! Whenever someone tells me, “I don’t really like large churches; I prefer something small,” I understand what they mean, but they wouldn’t have liked the Jerusalem church either. By modern standards, that was an instant megachurch. The real issue is rarely size—it’s intimacy. People ask, “Can I be known? Can I find community? Does anyone care about me?” If a large church means being anonymous and isolated, I wouldn’t want that either. But that is not what biblical community looks like.
Look at how the early church operated amid explosive growth:
Acts 2:42-43 (NASB)
They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.
They committed themselves to four simple things: the apostles’ teaching, fellowship (koinonia—reciprocal, shared life), the breaking of bread, and prayer. Notice the simplicity. There were no elaborate marketing schemes, demographic targeting strategies, or corporate growth engines. They simply taught the Scriptures, prayed together, shared meals, and walked in authentic fellowship.
As a result, everyone was filled with awe. They couldn’t explain the movement apart from the hand of God. Day by day, they met publicly in the temple courts and privately from house to house.
Acts 2:46-47 (NASB)
Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
We didn’t invent the model of Sunday gatherings paired with mid-week home groups—we borrowed it straight from the early church. You gather corporately to worship, and you gather in homes to be known and cared for. When believers live out the teachings of Jesus in authentic community, it becomes magnetically attractive.
By Acts 4:4, the number of men alone grew to about 5,000. In Acts 5:14, multitudes of men and women were continually being added.
Acts 4:4 (NASB)
But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.
When religious authorities tried to suppress the movement, the respected teacher Gamaliel offered wise counsel: “If this plan or action is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; you may even find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:38-39 (NASB)
‘So in the present case, I say to you, stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God.’
As the church grew, complexity followed. In Acts chapter 6, a dispute arose between Grecian and Hebraic widows over the daily distribution of food. The apostles recognized that while practical care was essential, they could not abandon their primary calling to prayer and the ministry of the Word.
They appointed seven trusted servants (diakonoi, or deacons) to oversee the care ministry so leadership could remain devoted to teaching and prayer. Because they prioritized equipping and sound teaching, the Word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly.
Acts 6:7 (NASB)
The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.
Equipping Hubs Across the Nations
In Acts chapter 7, Stephen becomes the first Christian martyr, overseen by a young Pharisee named Saul of Tarsus. But in Acts chapter 9, Saul has a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus.
Acts 9:19-20 (NASB)
and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he [began] to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’
Saul begins proclaiming Jesus as the Son of God. Galatians 1:17 reveals that Saul spent three years in the Arabian desert with his Scriptures, re-examining the Old Testament through the lens of Christ, before returning home to Tarsus.
Meanwhile, the gospel expanded northward to Syrian Antioch, crossing cultural and ethnic barriers as Gentiles placed their faith in Christ.
Acts 11:21-24 (NASB)
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. The news about them reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch. Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and [began] to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain [true] to the Lord; for he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And considerable numbers were brought to the Lord.
When news reached Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to investigate. Seeing God’s grace at work, Barnabas rejoiced, but he recognized a major need: Antioch was full of new believers who desperately needed teaching, training, and discipleship. Barnabas traveled to Tarsus, found Saul, and brought him back to Antioch.
For an entire year, Saul and Barnabas met with the church and taught large numbers of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”
Acts 11:26 (NASB)
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
The term “Christian” means “Christ-like one.” The surrounding culture observed their transformed lives, their sacrificial love, and their daily conduct, and concluded, “These people look and live just like the Christ.”
From Antioch, the Holy Spirit directed the church to commission Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey throughout Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), planting churches in cities like Galatia, Colossae, and Ephesus.
[SCRIPTURE: Acts 13:44, 48-49]
On Paul’s second missionary journey, guided by a vision of a Macedonian man crying out for help, the gospel entered Europe. Churches were established in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth.
[SCRIPTURE: Acts 18:8, 11]
Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, faithfully teaching the Word of God. On his third journey, he spent three years in Ephesus, establishing a daily training school in the hall of Tyrannus so that all the residents of Asia heard the Word of the Lord.
Acts 19:10 (NASB)
This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.
By Acts 21:20, the elders in Jerusalem remarked to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews who have believed.” The Greek word used here refers to tens of thousands.
Acts 21:20 (NASB)
And when they heard it they [began] glorifying God; and they said to him, ’You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law;
Throughout Acts, a clear pattern emerges: the larger the church grew, the more intentional they became about teaching, training, equipping, and discipling. Cities like Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, and Rome became strategic equipping hubs where believers were deeply grounded in truth to impact their surrounding regions.
Transformed Minds in a Conformed World
Why is this relentless focus on equipping so necessary? Because walking with God in a fallen world is fundamentally unnatural to our flesh. Apart from Christ, our default mode is indulgence, self-interest, and conformity to cultural patterns. When we come to faith, we must be retrained to walk by the Spirit.
In Romans 12, following eleven chapters detailing God’s immense mercy and grace, Paul writes:
Romans 12:1-2 (NASB)
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul urges us not to let the world squeeze us into its mold, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Transformation occurs as God’s Word reshapes how we think, feel, and live. Without intentional grounding in Scripture, mission drift is inevitable. We risk adopting cultural trends rather than standing firmly on eternal truth.
In Ephesians 4, Paul explains the blueprint for church ministry:
Ephesians 4:11-15 (NASB)
And He gave some [as] apostles, and some [as] prophets, and some [as] evangelists, and some [as] pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all [aspects] into Him who is the head, [even] Christ,
Pastors and teachers are not called to do all the ministry themselves; their role is to equip the saints to do the work of ministry. The word “equip” means to mend, align, or restore something so it can fulfill its intended purpose—like mending a fishing net.
A church cannot rely solely on paid staff to meet the needs of a growing congregation. The body of Christ must do the work of ministry. When volunteers step forward to teach our children, mentor students, lead life groups, and care for one another, the whole church matures.
Equipping protects us from becoming spiritual toddlers who get knocked over by every cultural wave, viral trend, or unbiblical idea. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we grow up in every way into Christ.
Deepening Our Roots
Our church is undeniably feeling capacity constraints across our campuses. Parking lots are full, venues are packed, and space is tight. The natural temptation is simply to build larger facilities as quickly as possible. While we will likely need to expand our physical footprint in the future, we believe our immediate priority must be deepening our spiritual foundations.
The only thing more dangerous than doubling in eighteen months would be doubling again without the discipleship structure to sustain it. We refuse to compromise depth for crowd size. We never want to turn people away from life groups because we lack trained leaders, or leave our kids and student ministries under-resourced.
Before we expand our physical walls, we are dedicating this season to teaching, training, equipping, and discipling. We want The Well to be a vibrant hub of gospel transformation here in Fresno, Clovis, and the greater Central Valley.
Our prayer is that as God continues to draw people, they will encounter a community of believers whose lives are so thoroughly transformed by Jesus that our neighbors look at us and say, “I don’t know everything about those people, but they truly live like Christ.” May God grant us the grace to be faithful stewards of that calling.
Let’s pray together.
Father, thank You for the privilege and responsibility we have to teach, train, equip, and make disciples. We know we cannot do this in our own strength. Make us faithful stewards of the people You bring through our doors. Help us to grow not merely in numbers, but in spiritual maturity, doctrinal clarity, and sacrificial love. May our lives put the beauty of the gospel on full display. We commit this season to You, in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.