Church and Community - Lesson One: His Church Is Marching On

What does it truly mean to keep the gospel marching forward in our lives and in our communities? This lesson from Assistant Pastor Dillon Meadway on Sunday, October 11th 2026, draws from Acts chapter 4, where Peter and John stood boldly before the most powerful religious authorities of their day and refused to be silenced. The central truth they declared was simple but earth-shaking: they could not stop speaking about what they had personally seen and heard. That same principle challenges us today. There is a profound difference between knowing about God and actually knowing God. Like standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon for the first time, no photograph or description can substitute for the real experience. We are invited to ask ourselves whether our faith is built on inherited words or on genuine, personal encounters with the living God. The lesson draws a striking parallel between the intimacy of marriage and our walk with God. Just as a spouse can speak about their partner with unmatched depth and passion because they have lived life together, we can only speak about God with true conviction when we have been in real communion with him. The early disciples were recognized not simply because they were bold, but because others could tell they had been with Jesus. That distinction matters enormously for how we carry this faith forward.