This is Part 7 of our series: The Church the Holy Spirit Built.

Luke continues to highlight the powerful themes shaping this early movement—based on legitimate eyewitness accounts. There was a surprising unity, a deep sense of shared purpose, radical generosity, and undeniable power.

So what was going on?

If I had to sum it up for Theophilus, I’d simply say:

“…and much grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:33, NIV)

In context, charis refers to the experienced favor of God—poured out over the gathered believers. This wasn’t just about agreeing with a confession of faith. They felt it. They knew it. God was irrationally for them. He actually liked them—as they were.

Imagine that.

Imagine what it would feel like to live in the confidence of God's unearned, unstoppable favor. It was visible. It was powerful. It was megale—great. Something unmistakably special. Something enviable.

And honestly...

Don’t we need that today?

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Remember how this whole series began?
Luke is writing to Theophilus—likely to explain what got into those original disciples of Jesus… and what kept driving the movement over the next 30 years, transforming it into an international phenomenon unlike anything the world had ever seen.

And now, Luke turns up the volume even more.

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This is Part 5 of our series: The Church the Holy Spirit Built.

I’m continually amazed by the transformation of Peter.

Who told him he could heal a crippled man?
What if it hadn’t worked?
What if he became a public joke?
Wouldn’t it have been safer—and more practical—to just start a GoFundMe for the guy?

And yet, there he is. Bold. Unfiltered. Taking a wild, Spirit-led risk.
Honestly, don’t you imagine Peter was just as shocked as everyone else?
I can almost see John turning to him, eyebrows raised, thinking:
“What just happened?! Peter… what are you doing?”

So why now? Why this place? Why this man?

Because Jesus was scripting something far bigger.
The physical healing was incredible, yes—but it was just the setup.
The real miracle—the one that changes everything—was still to come.
And with everyone’s attention locked in, Jesus speaks... through Peter.

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