Values
ACTS is made up of more than letters. It’s made up of values - powerful concepts that guide the Mission of ACTS and propel the people of ACTS into action. We invite you to follow the links and begin exploring these powerful concepts:
Adventure
If you take the time to flip through the pages of the Bible, you will find very few polite little meetings with God. In fact, you won’t find even one. Encounters with the Living God bring terrible danger and terrible comfort. Nothing is safe about edging closer to a Being who formed stars and snails with His bare hands. Reactions to a timeless and heroic God include awe, amazement, dread, confession, worship, loyalty, and love – but never boredom. “Safe?... Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”—CS Lewis, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Community
Friendship. Belonging. Love. Call it what you want, we all crave it. Especially when challenged to do something hard, none of us wants to stand alone. In William Shakespeare’s The Life of King Henry V, the monarch encourages his weary English troops as he speaks fondly of a “band of brothers” who will be envied by other men once the battle is complete. The “happy few” who contend shoulder to shoulder discover a bond that outlasts the current challenge. Community and Adventure are inseparable within the local church. “He appointed twelve... that they might be with him.” —Mark 3:14
Transformation
The cross on which Christ was crucified forms the ‘T’ of our own transformation. Without Christ, lasting life-change is impossible. Yet the Bible promises, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God...”—2 Corinthians 5:17-18. Just as the Creator-God turns unimpressive acorns into sturdy oaks, so the Savior-God changes hard-shelled, sinful humans into growing and productive people who are filled with His Life.
Sending
There is a time to study the maps and enlist a crew. There is a season for mending sails, varnishing woodwork, and staring out at the horizon. But there is also a time to roll up the charts, cast off the anchor, and sail past the edge of the painting. Jesus came not just to gather disciples but to mobilize them. “Go! I am sending you...” —Luke 10:3