Church in the Wild
From Formation to Confrontation
“The good ship Christ church was ready to catch the wind of the Spirit and set sail on her voyage of spiritual conquest. But almost immediately a perilous storm blew up, a storm of such ferocity that the church’s very existence was threatened.” —John R. W. Stott
We’re two months into the Church in the Wild series.
In case you’re unfamiliar, it’s our deep dive into the book of Acts, the story of how ordinary people, filled with extraordinary power, bore witness to Jesus in hostile territories around the world.
Volume 1 is in the books.
In this month’s primer, I’ll offer a recap of where we’ve been in Volume 1 and a preview of where we’re headed in Volume 2 as we continue to explore Acts and the power of witness.
Note: This is not an exhaustive recap. I only highlight the movements most essential to the arc of the series, not every verse. For more insights, I encourage you to read the entire chapter and allow the Holy Spirit to draw your attention to themes and details not explored here.
ACTS 1
Acts 1 opens by grounding the entire narrative in the continuing ministry of the risen Christ.
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:1-3 NIV
Luke is careful to frame the later ascension not as Jesus’ departure but as His enthronement, the moment He assumes His rightful place as the exalted King who now directs His mission from heaven.
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “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.”
But before the church is sent, it is told to wait, a deliberate move underscoring that Christian mission originates in divine empowerment, not human strategy.
4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Acts 1:4-5 NIV
After Jesus’ ascension, the chapter concludes by noting the community’s desire to restore the apostolic order after Judas abandoned his post.
15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16 and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”
Acts 1:15-17 NIV
Their discernment in electing Matthias reveals an early ecclesiology, one in which leadership is discerned communally, anchored in the story of Israel, and submitted to the God “who knows the hearts of all.”
23 So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25 to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26 Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.
Acts 1:23-26 NIV
This chapter, specifically verse 8, serves as a table of contents for the entire book, as it will take us from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.
8 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 earth.”
ACTS 2
Acts 2 stands as one of the most theologically dense chapters in the New Testament.
Luke situates Pentecost within Israel’s redemptive calendar, signaling that what unfolds is not an isolated spiritual experience but the fulfillment of God’s long-promised plan to pour out His Spirit on all flesh.
The multilingual proclamation symbolizes a reversal of Babel and the birth of a multiethnic, Spirit-empowered people whose unity does not erase difference but sanctifies it.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
Acts 2:5-11 NIV
Peter’s sermon, the first Christian proclamation of the gospel, anchors the Spirit’s activity in the death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus, emphasizing that the outpouring is evidence that Jesus now reigns.
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
Acts 2:36 NIV
The chapter concludes with the formation of a radically countercultural community devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, shared meals, and prayer. Their economic generosity, communal rhythms, and public witness reveal that Pentecost is not merely an event to be celebrated but a way of life to be embodied.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47 NIV
So what now?
ACTS 3 AND BEYOND
As we turn the page to Acts 3 and the chapters that follow, Luke transitions the narrative from ecclesial formation to public engagement.
The community shaped by prayer, Scripture, and the Spirit now steps into the socio-religious landscape of first-century Jerusalem with its streets, gates, marketplaces, and judicial structures where its witness will inevitably provoke scrutiny and resistance.
In this next movement of Acts, the church emerges not as a privatized spiritual fellowship but as a visible, missional body whose faithfulness will require courage.
We will see a Spirit-empowered community praying under pressure, speaking truth to entrenched power, attending to the marginalized, negotiating internal complexities, confronting institutional corruption, crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries, and extending the reach of God’s kingdom into spaces previously considered inaccessible.
In short, Acts 3 and beyond will unveil the church’s vocation as a witness in the contested spaces of the ancient world, or as we like to call it, church in the wild.
Church in the Wild continues at Kingdom South from now until the end of the year.
Consider this your standing invitation into the mystery and the movement.