The Notables of the Early Church
(Acts 1:12-14)
1. Following Jesus Christ has never meant deserting the human race and living in seclusion -- or putting on an image of otherly-worldness -- if there is such a word. True, some Christians have chosen to live this way, like the Amish. But most have not.
2. In the early third century, Tertullian defended Christians to their critics as follows:
"We sail with you, and fight with you, and till the ground with you; and in like manner we unite with you in your traffickings—even in the various arts we make public property of our works for your benefit. How it is we seem useless in your ordinary business, living with you and by you as we do, I am not able to understand."
3. An even earlier statement puts it this way:
“For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of mankind either in locality or in speech or in customs. For they dwell not somewhere in cities of their own, neither do they use some different language, nor practice an extraordinary kind of life. Nor again do they possess any invention discovered by any intelligence or study of ingenious men, nor are they masters of any human dogma as some are. But while they dwell in cities of Greeks and barbarians as the lot of each is cast, and follow the native customs in dress and food and the other arrangements of life, yet the constitution of their own citizenship, which they set forth, is marvellous, and confessedly contradicts expectation.” (Epistle to Diognetus, II-III c.)
Main Idea: The Church is made up of God’s people. This was true from the beginning and is true today.
I. WHO: The Notable People Who Made Up the Earliest Church (13)
• From verse 11, we can note that they were all from Galilee
• According to vs. 15, there were 120 people total
• Many more believers (we know that over 500 saw the risen Lord at once), but only 120 in Jerusalem for Pentecost.
As we briefly look at some of the people in the very, very early church, you may be struck with the following:
1. They were sinners who sometimes failed;
2. Most of them knew one another before they had ever followed Jesus;
3. They were all from the same region of Israel -- the general area where Jesus grew up
4. I tell you this because sometimes we are guilty of getting unrealistic about those who have died or those who founded the church as though they were somehow "other worldly" or "larger than life."
A. The APOSTLES
1. The "inner circle," Peter, James, and John
--Peter was the starter, the initiator who would get the church going
A native of Bethsaida who moved to Capernaum
he was married, so he had a mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14); wife later traveled in ministry (I Cor. 9:5)
His original name was Simon, probably a contraction of Simeon...Jesus changed it to Cephas (Aramaic) or Greek, "Peter" meaning a stone....
Peter was a great initiator, the strongest leader in the group...
(1) bold confession --Matt. 16:15-18
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it
(2) bold blunder--Matt. 16:21-23
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
• The Jews referred to Abraham as a rock, because his faith was an example to future generations. Jesus referred to Peter as a rock because his confession of faith, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God" is the prototype belief of every true Christian.
• James was the first martyr, beheaded for his faith
• John was the youngest and last apostle, wrote the last book of the NT
2. The other 8 Apostles
• Peter and Andrew were brothers
• James and John were brothers and business partners with Peter & Andrew (fishing)
• Philip was a friend of the above and probably was a partner or worker
• Nathaniel was a close friend of Philip, possibly studied Torah together…
• Thomas may or may not have known the other disciples before he followed Jesus
• --Matthew & James the lesser
• --Levi Matthew is called the son of Alpheus and possibly the brother or half brother of James the lesser (also called a son of Alpheus); Alpheus was Jesus uncle or great uncle (also called Clophas)....(Mark 2:14)---Matthew would have been a first or second COUSIN to Jesus....
• Thaddeus
• Simon the Zealot
3. Some manuscripts add, "and their children" or "and their wives and children."
4. In the Gospels, we know the Apostles bickered and complained and were not always the sharpest tools in the shed…
5. But isn’t that just like us? We don’t always catch on, we don’t always get along, we are still very human, even though we have spent much time with Jesus in His Word and prayer.
B. The WOMEN
Luke 8:1-3
"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."
It is likely that these are the same women, since Luke wrote both Luke and Acts to Theophilus.
C. Jesus’ FAMILY
1. Mary (Miriam), the mother of JESUS
• Never mentioned again in the NT by name
2. Jesus’ BROTHERS
a. NAMED in Matthew 13:55-57 (turn there)
When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" And they took offense at him.
But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
b. Natural children of JOSEPH and Mary
c. Jesus called Mary’s FIRSTBORN (Luke 2:7)
"…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."
d. Joseph kept her a virgin UNTIL Jesus was born (Matthew 1:25)
" But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."
e. Jesus’ brothers did not believe until AFTER the Resurrection (John 7:2-10) (turn there)
Note this event in Mark 3:21, 31-35 (turn there)
Jesus could also could have had a strained relationship with His mother at this point, noting this and another passage:
Luke 11:27–28: "And it came about while He said these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice, and said to Him, ’Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts at which You nursed.’ But He said, ’On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and observe it.’"
f. Jesus made a special appearance to JAMES (I Corinthians 15:7)
II. WHERE They Were and WHAT They Did (12, 14)
A. In JERUSALEM
1. About One Kilometer from the Mt. of Olives
A Sabbath Day’s walk less than ¾ of a mile, indicates that Luke understood Judaism
2. In an Upper Room
B. They PRAYED
1. Not NECESSARILY for the Spirit to come
• Christ died on Passover, rose on First Fruits, and Spirit would come on Pentecost whether they prayed or not; they prayed to prepare themselves…
• 10 day period…perhaps similar to the 10 Day period before another feast, Yom Kippur: "…the beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance which culminate in the Day of Atonement…" Rabbi J. H. Hertz
2. They prayed in UNITY
No factions, no differences, no half-heartedness, no ego trips
The simplicity of being on the same page with pure devotion
3. They WAITED together (Acts 1:4)
They waited because they needed the Holy Spirit’s power; they were only human. And even with the Spirit’s power, they remained human.
