Week of 1/11/26: Walking by Faith
SUMMARY
Weekly Theme: Be the Church - Walking By FaithSermon Text: Acts 1:12-26
Primary Reading: Acts 5-9
Secondary Reading: Genesis 10-18
Memory Verses (Through January 24th): 1 Peter 1:3-5
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
[5] who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 | Theme Reflection - “Walking by Faith”
Faith is not understanding everything; it is confidence in God who has called you to himself in Christ Jesus. In Genesis 12, Abram leaves what is known, carrying only a promise. In Acts 5–9, the early Church steps forward through persecution and scattering - trusting that obedience is safer than comfort or being in control.
Saul’s conversion, Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian, and Stephen’s courage all reveal a God who leads His people through risk before they fully understand His plans.
To Be the Church - Walking by Faith is to trust God and follow His Word when the road ahead is unclear. The map belongs to God. Our call is to trust His voice through His Word more than our current understanding, to move because He is faithful - not because we are certain.
Faith is not understanding everything; it is confidence in God who has called you to himself in Christ Jesus. In Genesis 12, Abram leaves what is known, carrying only a promise. In Acts 5–9, the early Church steps forward through persecution and scattering - trusting that obedience is safer than comfort or being in control.
Saul’s conversion, Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian, and Stephen’s courage all reveal a God who leads His people through risk before they fully understand His plans.
To Be the Church - Walking by Faith is to trust God and follow His Word when the road ahead is unclear. The map belongs to God. Our call is to trust His voice through His Word more than our current understanding, to move because He is faithful - not because we are certain.
2 | Daily Reading Rhythm
3 | Practice of the Week - Faith Walk
Take one walk this week in silence.
At each step, breathe a short prayer:
Take one walk this week in silence.
At each step, breathe a short prayer:
- Step 1: “Lead me, Lord.”
- Step 2: “Teach me to trust You.”
- Step 3: “You are enough.”
4 | Doctrinal Focus - The Doctrine of Faith
Heidelberg Catechism Question 21
Q. What is true faith?
A. True faith is
not only a sure knowledge by which I hold as true
all that God has revealed to us in his Word;1
it is also a wholehearted trust,2
which the Holy Spirit works in me 3 by the gospel,4
that God has freely granted, not only to others but to me also,5
forgiveness of sins,
eternal righteousness,
and salvation.6
These gifts are purely of grace,
only because of Christ’s merit.7
(Click here and scroll down to Lord’s Day 7 to see the Scripture references)
5 | Missional Focus - Faith that Reaches Out
Faith always moves toward others (Gal 5:6, Eph 1:15)
The Church that walks by faith also walks toward need (Acts 4:34, Gal 2:10)
Identify someone in your life who does not yet know Jesus.
Pray daily for them by name, asking for opportunities to listen, serve, and speak of Christ with humility and courage (Acts 4:27-31).
“Lord, grow my faith and give me boldness to love others and speak the Gospel ”
6 | Community Group Discussion Questions
From the Readings
From the Readings
- What similarities do you see between Abram’s obedience in Genesis 12 and the apostles’ courage in Acts 5–6?
- How do Stephen’s witness and Philip’s obedience show different expressions of the same faith?
- Why does the Church’s waiting and praying in this passage display faith rather than inactivity?
- What does it mean to trust God’s sovereignty when the next step isn’t clear - like the disciples determining who should replace Judas as the 12th disciple?
Where is God inviting you to trust Him as you walk forward into uncertainty?
- What step of faith have you delayed because you fear uncertainty?
- How can our group encourage faith in one another when we face doubt or delay?
- What might it look like for our group to embody a faith that others can notice and be drawn to?
Help children connect faith to their everyday choices and confidence in God.
- What does it mean to “trust” someone? Who do you trust the most?
- Why did Abram leave his home? How did he show faith?
- Can you think of something God asks us to do even when we don’t understand why?
- How can we demonstrate faith at school, at home, or with friends this week?
- What helps you remember that God is always with you - even when you can’t see Him?
7 | Closing Prayer
I praise you Father for the gift of faith. Thank you for the grace of union with your Son Jesus by faith, and all the bountiful benefits that brings.
I praise you Father for the gift of faith. Thank you for the grace of union with your Son Jesus by faith, and all the bountiful benefits that brings.
“Faith casts my anchor upwards where I trust in you… Be pleased to live and move within me, breathing in my prayers, inhabiting my praises, speaking in my words, moving in my actions, living in my life, causing me to grow in grace. Your bounteous goodness has helped me believe, but my faith is weak and wavering, its light dim, its step tottering, its increase slow, its backsliding frequent; it should scale the heavens, but lies groveling in the dust. Lord, fan this divine spark into glowing flame. When faith sleeps, my heart becomes an unclean thing, the fount of every loathsome desire, the cage of unclean lusts… Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength until all heaven fills my soul and all impurity is cast out.”
Amen.
(The Valley of Vision)
Amen.
(The Valley of Vision)