We Are Family | Acts 2:42-47

May 16, 2026

What if church felt less like an event you attend and more like a family you belong to? In this message, Adam Woods looks at Acts 2:42–47 and explores what made the very first church so alive, attractive, and spiritually powerful. It wasn’t a perfect group of people. It was a Spirit-filled family that protected what mattered most.

We see four simple, but costly, priorities: devotion, generosity, togetherness, and joy. These first followers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to real fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayer — and that devotion formed them. They opened their hands with radical generosity, met each other’s needs, and shared their homes and lives. They gathered in large groups and around everyday tables, and God filled their life together with deep joy and awe.

This message speaks to anyone who feels lonely, is searching for real community, is wrestling with money and generosity, or is tired of shallow, consumer Christianity. It’s for the person who wonders if church is worth it, the parent trying to create a healthy spiritual home, the believer who’s drifted into distraction, and the skeptic who is curious if the gospel makes any difference in real life. As Luke describes, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”11 Acts 2:42 (NIV)

In this message,  Adam invites not-yet-believers to respond to the good news of Jesus with repentance, faith, and baptism into Christ, stepping into God’s family. For those already following Jesus, he calls us to take practical steps of devotion to God’s Word, open-handed generosity, intentional togetherness, and joyful worship this week. You’ll be challenged to stop just “going to church” and start living as an Acts 2 family where God can grow you and use you to help others find life in Jesus.

In We Are Family, Adam Woods from The Crossing in Milton, DE teaches from Acts 2:42–47 about how the first Christians lived as a church family. He explains four priorities—devotion, generosity, togetherness, and joy—and shows how they can shape church life today. The message calls people to move from just attending church to belonging to a Spirit-filled family centered on Jesus.

Acts 2:42–47 describes believers who devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayer.  Adam Woods explains that this devotion led to radical generosity, shared life, and deep joy in the early church. 

 Adam shows that the church in Acts 2 held their possessions with open hands and met needs sacrificially, even selling property to help others. He teaches that generosity begins with trusting God as provider and flows into finances, time, hospitality, and encouragement. The Crossing presents this as a practical way to follow Jesus and reflect God’s heart in Milton, DE.


We Are Family teaches that Christians are not meant to follow Jesus alone, but in a committed church family. Adam explains how prioritizing togetherness—gathering for worship, joining groups, sharing meals, and opening our lives—helps believers move from isolation into real community. The Crossing encourages people to take simple steps into church life so they can experience the kind of relationships seen in Acts 2.

The sermon invites those not yet following Jesus to respond to the gospel with repentance and baptism into Christ, stepping into God’s family. For believers,  Adam calls for practical next steps like daily time in Scripture and prayer, intentional generosity, and committing to be with other Christians regularly.

In We Are Family, Adam Woods teaches from Acts 2:42–47 in the Acts series at The Crossing in Milton, DE. He shows how the first church lived with four clear priorities—devotion, generosity, togetherness, and joy—and how those same priorities still shape a healthy church family today. This message speaks to people who feel disconnected, are searching for real community, or want to know what the Bible says about church life that actually changes everyday relationships. The core takeaway is simple: when the gospel truly changes people, it doesn’t just save them individually—it makes them family.