In the final sermon to our vision casting series “Counter Culture Church” we looked at the kind of prayers that the early church in Acts was devoted to. We saw how their prayers were distinguished from their time not because of its content but because of their attitude in prayer. It was an attitude of persistence, dependence and a desire to pray together. In order for the Church to be counter cultural, the people of God must be a people of prayer.

Continuing our study into the early church, we looked at the practice of breaking bread, or more commonly known as communion and how this made believers counter cultural. We saw how the early Church practised this ordinance in order to propagate unity, proclaim the Gospel and as a personal reminder to believers that they were indeed part of the body of Christ. Ultimately, we saw how the table of the Lord is yet another distinctive of those who profess to be followers of Christ.

As we continue our study into the characteristics of the early church that made them counter cultural, we examined their devotion to “the Fellowship”. We saw how the early church was completely devoted to the mutual upbuilding of one another, hence why they had everything in common. This participation to the body of Christ distinguished them from religions that promoted individualism, and displayed a true community of God.

As we begin our vision casting series, we look at what made the believers in the book of Acts a counter culture church. We saw how the believers were devoted specifically to the Apostles teachings, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the pursuit of holiness. In the same way, believers today should demonstrate a dedication to the Gospel and an intentional pursuit for holiness. In this way, the light of the Gospel that we have received will shine in a “crooked and twisted generation.”