What is the purpose of the church according to Acts 1?

Pastor Ken puts it simply: the church exists to show the world what happens when the Lord is risen. He bases it on Acts 1:8, where Jesus says the disciples will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes and will be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

What does it mean to be a witness for Jesus?

Pastor Ken describes a witness as someone who shares what they’ve seen, lives what they believe, and loves like they’ve been changed. He compares it to finding a great restaurant: you don’t need a class before you tell a friend about it. His added advice is to share Jesus without being a jerk about it.

What was wrong with the disciples’ question about restoring Israel (Acts 1:6)?

After the resurrection they asked Jesus if he was now going to restore the kingdom to Israel. Pastor Ken reads that as asking for what they wanted rather than what Jesus wanted. His takeaway is that being close to Jesus isn’t the same as being mature in him, and even good desires can compete with God’s plans if they aren’t surrendered.

Is it wrong to want deeper teaching from my church?

Pastor Ken doesn’t call it bad, but he says the purpose of church isn’t deeper teaching, it’s deeper obedience. In his words, you don’t go deeper by learning more but by obeying more, and what God asks us to obey is to love God and love others. He also warns that you can have right theology and still have the wrong heart.