About this episode

Adrian McCartney explores the expansion of the early church from the Gospel of Luke into the Book of Acts, emphasizing community and inclusivity.

How does a movement that starts in a tiny, hidden corner of the world explode into a global reality? In Part 2 of our Before & After series, Adrian McCartney uses the vivid imagery of a 70-meter-long tapestry to trace the expansion of the early church from the Gospel of Luke into the Book of Acts. Moving from the narrow, traditional borders of Jerusalem, Adrian maps out a beautiful trajectory of a God who is constantly widening the circle. By looking at the parallel threads of the Feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9) and the first church conflict over food distribution (Acts 6), we see the heart of Jesus on display: a ministry where everyone gets filled, where control is shared, and where leadership is handed over to the community. Adrian challenges us to recognize that we are the living end of this tapestry—called not just to debate who Jesus is, but to show the world what He is like through our shared life, hospitality, and radical inclusivity right here in Belfast.

People in this episode

Host: Adrian McCartney

Topics covered

• early church expansion
• Gospel of Luke
• Book of Acts
• community leadership
• radical inclusivity
• hospitality

Keywords

• early church
• Gospel of Luke
• Book of Acts
• Feeding of the 5,000
• food distribution
• community
• inclusivity
• Belfast

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Gospel of Luke, Book of Acts

Places: Belfast

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