“Those who received [Peter’s] word were baptized, and there were added [to the Faith] that day about three thousand souls.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
[1]
T
The first response to the Spirit was amazement. Then, the disciples began to point to the Living Saviour and one stood to charge those who listened with deicide! His words were unlike what passes as a sermon in this day. It was pointed and it was unsparing. The concluding words stung: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” [ACTS 2:36].
If the first response was amazement and questions, the second response was conviction. Those who listened “were cut to the heart;” they urgently pleaded, “Brothers, what shall we do” [see ACTS 2:37]? The Spirit-empowered message stripped them naked before the righteous demands of Holy God; every excuse for unbelief was torn away and their sin fully exposed. Those listening were rendered helpless; they knew they were unable to deliver themselves from God’s righteous wrath. Those who listened were broken, they were contrite, they were no longer self-reliant; if God was to be satisfied, He would have to perform a new work in their hearts.
What the Law could not accomplish, the gospel message was doing. Whereas they had been filled with pride, they were now grieved over their sin. Where confidence in their accomplishments had once marked their lives, there was genuine contrition. They looked upward to discover peace and pardon. Their lives were now marked by repentance—sorrow for their sin, grief that they had caused the death of God’s Son and determination to forsake their attempts of self-willed religious justification.
The preacher answered their cry, demanding that they repent, turning from their efforts to justify themselves. This was not a demand for a few, but it was universal—all must heed the call to repent. When they had turned from their own pursuit of righteousness, they were to openly identify with the Risen Lord of Glory. Then, and only then, would they know the forgiveness of sin. Baptism, immersion in water to picture what was taking place in the heart, would be the public mark that they now belonged to the Lord. This immersion would become for them the picture of God’s grace working in their lives as they believed the message of grace.
When they had thus obeyed, they would receive the Holy Spirit. He would not be some second work of grace, but He would be God’s promised gift to all who were obedient. What they experience and what they received was promised to all who will believe.
Much more was said that day; the air was electric with expectancy and earnestness. Unlike modern church services, there was little decorum, where sermons devoid of passion echo to empty pews while a few unresponsive people look at their watches and wonder if they will beat the church crowd to the cafeteria. The preacher insisted, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” And people responded—in swelling numbers. Three thousand were added to the number of disciples on that one day. They accepted the message and they quickly, openly submitted to the baptism demanded of any who would identify with the Saviour.
In one day, the number of believers grew to more than Jesus had gathered in His entire ministry. This was more impressive than merely feeding four or five thousand with a few loaves and some fish. It was fulfilment of Christ’s promise that “Whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” [JOHN 14:12]. Could there be a greater demonstration of the power of the Risen Christ than the salvation of lost people? Where Christ is faithfully proclaimed, His Spirit works to convict people of sin, compelling them to look to the Son of God. This is the promise that calls churches to faithful proclamation of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. This is the anticipated harvest of lives that are transformed by God’s Spirit working in human hearts.
It is what followed when those who heard the message looked to Christ that concerns us today. It is vital that we see how God was working in their lives to transform people from a pious group of men and women into the Body of Christ. To discover how God worked then, and how He works now, we must look to the model He has provided. That model is provided in these closing verses of the second chapter of Acts.
OBEDIENCE TO CHRIST — “Those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls” [ACTS 2:41]. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep My commandments” [JOHN 14:15]. Later, in John’s First Epistle, the Apostle, speaking on behalf of God, writes, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. Whoever says, ‘I know Him’ but does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps His Word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked” [1 JOHN 2:3-6]. It should be apparent that obedience is essential for a disciple.
Jesus left but few commandments. Perhaps the most universally recognised command is, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” [JOHN 15:12]. This statement followed the longer presentation when He spoke to the disciples earlier on that night, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” [JOHN 13:34, 35]. Jesus was clearly concerned that His disciples love one another. This ideal has never been rescinded; it is still incumbent upon disciples.
This commandment for disciples to love one another finds its roots in the Old Testament commandments that Jesus identified as “the great and first commandment” and the second that is “like it.” “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” [MATTHEW 22:37-39].
The one who loves God will love her neighbour. John understood this, for he wrote, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” [1 JOHN 4:20, 21].
Jesus was clearly concerned that His disciples reveal their love for one another by obedience to Him; and obedience to His will would lead them to serve Him. In the passage cited from the Gospel of John, Jesus continued by saying to the disciples, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another” [JOHN 15:14-17].
If the disciples acted in love, they would be engaged in service to Him, service that resulted in making disciples. There are other imperatives that were spoken by Jesus, but one that is universally recognised and often ignored is known as the Great Commission. Jesus commanded His followers to “make disciples of all nations.” The discipleship program would consist of three actions—going, baptising and teaching. Here is the statement as Jesus gave it. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” [MATTHEW 28:19, 20].
The command Jesus gave to His disciples is to “make disciples of all nations.” The means by which Jesus anticipated that disciples are to be made is revealed through three participles—go, baptise and teach. What happened on that Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem was that the disciples—all one hundred twenty of them—went out into the streets; energised by the Spirit of God, they were obedient to the Spirit’s leading. Each disciple was testifying to the mighty work of God, declaring that He raised Jesus from the dead. Though all the disciples were testifying, we have Peter’s message provided in this second chapter of Acts; nevertheless, all the disciples were in unity with the message Peter delivered.
The disciples’ message confronted those who listened with the knowledge that the Son of God had been crucified, and those who heard bore responsibility for His death. They didn’t drive the nails, but they were indifferent to His death or even openly hostile toward Him; thus, they were responsible for His death. Those to whom we witness in this day did not drive the nails into Jesus’ hands; but we are indifferent to His sacrifice and even at times openly hostile toward Him. Therefore, we bear responsibility for His death. However, God raised Jesus from the dead, declaring Him to be the Christ, very God in human form.
As the Spirit of God convicted those who heard of their guilt before God, they questioned what they should do. The discipleship programme was now initiated. The proper response, given by Peter, was that they must repent—they must turn around, changing their minds and responding in godly fashion. As evidence of their repentance, they were to identify with the Risen Lord of Glory through baptism. They were to picture His death, burial and resurrection, confessing that their old nature was dead and now put away, and that they had been raised to new life through faith in the Son of God.
The discipleship programme was initiated when the believers went out into the city to declare that Jesus, having been crucified and now Risen from the dead, is the Christ. As God’s Spirit caused that message to resonate in the heart of those who heard, they sought relief of how to respond, receiving the answer that they were to openly identify with the Living Christ. Now, the discipleship programme would move to the teaching stage. This would be a life-long process as those who were born from above and into the Kingdom of God would “grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” [see 2 PETER 3:18a].
I must note a phrase that is often neglected or even ignored among Christians today—“there were added!” Those who believed and who received baptism that day were about three thousand individuals. Those who believed and were baptised were added … to what? The new disciples were added “to their number,” [2] “to the group,” [3] “to them,” [4] “to the number of believers,” [5] or in the view of Eugene Peterson, they were “signed up.” [6]
To clarify that Luke is focused on the congregation, the last verse of the chapter tells us that “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Those who were already saved were “the church,” “the assembly.” Consequently, those being saved were added to those who were already saved. Thus, many early manuscripts understand that those being saved were added to “the church” [7] or to “the assembly.” [8]
It is essential to see that the community of Faith was needed for those being saved. Tragically, many professed Christians arrogantly appropriate to themselves the idea that they can be a “church of one.” Such individualistic, free-lance, unconnected, secret and lone-wolf Christians sacrifice the benefits designed into the congregation for a transient self-important feeling of supposed moral superiority to other Christians.
These first Christians committed themselves to one another as the people of God. These first Christians voluntarily submitted to one another, accepting God’s appointed leadership to direct their spiritual pursuits and to invest their gifts into one another for the glory of God and the benefit of one another. Someone who professed to believe Christ without open commitment to the community of Faith would have been an anomaly—so anomalous as to be non-existent.
What should be abundantly evident is that those who believed were baptised; and when they had believed and accepted baptism, they were deemed to have been included as members of “the church.” Those who did not receive baptism as believers could not be accepted as members of “the assembly.” Those who did not believe could not be received for baptism, and were, therefore, not members of the congregation. The discipleship process began when the Gospel was accepted as true and the one receiving that Gospel identified with the Lord of Glory through baptism. Then, all that would follow would be a continuation of the discipleship process.
Preparing for the next portion of the message, I note that worship consisted of four elements: teaching in accordance with the Apostles’ doctrine; fellowship; the Lord’s Table; and prayer. No one element is more important than the others—all were necessary to ensure that the service honoured God. These four elements characterised the life of the Spirit as revealed in the congregation. These four elements are yet characteristic of the congregation that is guided by the Spirit of God. Not only are these elements characteristic of the services of the early churches, but those participating persisted in these actions. The mark of the believers was their commitment to these elements provided in the text.
DEVOTED TO APOSTOLIC TEACHING — “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” [ACTS 2:42]. Those individuals who were added (through confession of faith and baptism) devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles. Church was not so much an entity the believers joined as it was the Body of Christ in which the believers would grow. Today, professed believers tend to join a church, much as they might join any organisation, out of convenience or with a desire to receive some benefit. These disciples were focused on participation, beginning with equipping themselves for service through receiving instruction.
When we read that the new believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,” it should be evident that the responsibility for sound teaching was, (and is), a two-way street. Those who stand behind the sacred desk are responsible to ensure that what is presented aligns with the message the Apostles would deliver; there must be no deviation from sound doctrine. This requirement for sound teaching continues to this day. The preacher is not at liberty to present his own thoughts as though they were the mind of God—he is responsible to ensure that what he teaches presents what God has declared in His Word. He is not free to introduce novel theories that appeal to the flesh or that soften the righteous demands of the Faith. There must be no deviation from truth.
Those appointed to serve as an elder or an overseer are to be men who are “able to teach” [see 1 TIMOTHY 3:2; see also TITUS 1:9]. This was the pattern Paul employed and expected Timothy to employ when elders were appointed [see 2 TIMOTHY 2:1-3]. It was the instruction given to Titus when Paul commanded, “Teach what accords with sound doctrine” [TITUS 2:1]. Moreover, the emphasis throughout the New Testament is that teaching is central to the meetings of the faithful. While the meetings of the assembly would include singing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs, a meeting for the sole purpose of singing would never have happened. Without a message, worship would not have taken place.
We have an example of the centrality of preaching/teaching when we read, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” [ACTS 20:7]. The ideal of preaching as central to worship was set forth in the labours of the Apostles, and continued until the churches began to substitute what was called “worship” for preaching.
In the seminal work, “A History of Preaching,” E. C. Dargan writes, “The accounts and remains of preaching in the times immediately following the Apostles are very meagre, but we know that there was preaching of both the evangelistic and didactic sort. As those who could bear oral witness to the main facts of the gospel history passed away, and the authoritative teachers appointed directly by the Master himself died off, the exposition of the written Word became more and more the essence of preaching as a part of Christian worship.”
[9]
Another, newer study, of the advance of the Faith throughout the centuries, two scholars, citing ancient literature, write, “One of the best sources of information [concerning worship among the early churches] is Justin, who, about 155, wrote to explain Christian ways to non-Christians. Justin describes the worship in house-churches.
‘On the day called Sunday, there is a meeting for all in one place, according to the city or countryside where one lives.
‘The Memoirs of the Apostles (i.e. the Gospels), or the writings of the Prophets, are read as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the President, in a sermon, calls us to imitate these good things.
‘Then we all stand and pray.’”
[10]
A message from the written Word of God, not a book review or an economic treatise, was central to worship among these earliest congregations. And so it should be to this day!
Later, the authors note, “We may add to Justin’s mention of the sermon some words of Irenaeus. Irenaeus, who was Bishop of Lyons in Gaul from 177 to 200, wrote about the preaching of an aged Bishop, Polycarp, in the house-church at Smyrna. Irenaeus in his boyhood had heard Polycarp preach, and this preaching made a lasting impression upon him:
‘Lessons received as a boy, make an impression which becomes part of the mind, and the impression remains, growing as the mind grows. So, I can tell the very place where the blessed Polycarp, sitting down, used to preach; his comings out and goings in; his bodily appearance; and the talks which he used to make for the congregation. He used to talk of his going about with John, and with the others who had seen the Lord, about their sayings, this and that which he had heard from them about the Lord, about his mighty acts and his teaching.
‘And because Polycarp had received it from eye-witnesses of the Word of life, Polycarp used to tell everything just as it is in the Scriptures.
‘Even then, the mercy of God was upon me, and I used to listen eagerly, noting these things, not on paper, but in my heart.’
“…Such preaching as that of Polycarp could never happen again. When Irenaeus wrote, about the year 180, no preacher was left alive who had been taught by an Apostle who had actually known Jesus. But we should note what Irenaeus has said: that which Polycarp received from the eye-witnesses was ‘just as it is in the Scriptures.’ The New Testament is what the eye-witnesses passed on. So, our preaching today can have the same basis that Polycarp’s preaching had.”
[11]
In the context of the message, those who believed sought out an assembly where teaching was central to worship and where the teaching aligned with what the Apostles themselves had taught; and such devotion to preaching continued for years after the days of the Apostles. Immediately following the Resurrection, there were few deviant messages; however, deviation from the Apostles’ message occurred within a very short time as various errors were introduced. The model means that those who turn to Christ are responsible to seek out a congregation where biblical preaching is central to worship and where such preaching is faithfully presented.
The second avenue that is obvious as we read the text is that the new converts devoted themselves to the community of the Faith. We text informs us that their devotion led them to join in worship “day-by-day” [see ACTS 2:46]. The people were enthusiastic to seek out and to listen to sound preaching and teaching. These saints gathered to learn the will of the Lord, to discover what God was doing and how they fit into the divine plan.
It sometimes seems as if Ezekiel defined biblical preaching as practised in this day. “As for you, son of man, your people who talk together about you by the walls and at the doors of the houses, say to one another, each to his brother, ‘Come, and hear what the word is that comes from the LORD.’ And they come to you as people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear what you say but they will not do it; for with lustful talk in their mouths they act; their heart is set on their gain. And behold, you are to them like one who sings lustful songs with a beautiful voice and plays well on an instrument, for they hear what you say, but they will not do it” [EZEKIEL 33:30-32].
If we will be the Community of Faith, we must insist upon biblical preaching. Then, like the Bereans of old, each member of the congregation will accept responsibility before God to “examin[e] the Scriptures daily to see if [what is taught is] so” [see ACTS 17:11]. We will prepare our hearts for worship by reading the Scriptures throughout the week so that we are familiar with the text. We will meditate on what is written, asking the Father to instruct us. We will bring our Bible to the service to look up those portions of the Word that are cited, ensuring that they are presented accurately and in context. We will weigh what is said, comparing that to what is written. In doing this, we will be reflecting the model presented in God’s Word.
DEVOTED TO THE FELLOWSHIP — “They devoted themselves to … the fellowship” [ACTS 2:42]. It is simple enough to note the definite article and conclude that those saved devoted themselves to the congregation. But what does devotion to the fellowship look like? There is an outward expression of the inward fellowship expressed in this term.
These disciples liked one another; in fact, they loved one another. We Christians are instructed to, “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor” [ROMANS 12:10]. Tragically, many professing saints appear to have derived their theology from Linus van Pelt. To paraphrase this pint-sized philosopher, “I love the church; it’s Christians I can’t stand.” [12] In this first congregation, life was shared. There was no fear in making oneself vulnerable—a family member would never betray a brother or sister. The believers trusted one another with the most delicate aspects of life. They cared enough to extend themselves for the benefit of fellow believers, expecting nothing in return save the love of Christ the Lord.
Christians in the early congregations enjoyed a much more muscular relationship than contemporary Christians. The community was unified, and the unity of community was witnessed empirically in the closing verses of this chapter. “All who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” [ACTS 2:44-47]. This was life together, life in which the people looked for ways to affirm one another and to build one another in the Faith.
There is a theological aspect to this devotion to the fellowship that may be neglected. When an individual comes to faith in the Risen Christ, God’s Spirit takes up residence in that individual. The residence of God’s Spirit in the life of a believer is emphasised when Paul confronts the Christians of Corinth, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” [1 CORINTHIANS 6:19, 20].
Collectively, the assembly is likewise a Temple of the Holy Spirit, a truth that Paul presented earlier in the same letter: “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you” [1 CORINTHIANS 3:16]? We explored these facts in a previous message. [13] When people indwelt by Christ’s Spirit unite under His guidance, that union is characterised by unity. Where the Spirit of Christ is, there is peace. Let me caution that a lack of conflict does not necessarily mean the Spirit of God is present. A cemetery is quiet; but it does not mean there is divine harmony. All the graves may point in the same direction and there may be no dissenting voices in that place, but we would not say there is life. Where people are gathered, though they are redeemed, there will be a diversity of opinions. However, if the Spirit of God is present, they willingly submit to the Word of God to find what pleased God! That is unity!
DEVOTED TO WORSHIP — “They devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread” [ACTS 2:42]. These new-born saints were devoted to worship. The Lord’s Table was central to their worship; they sought opportunity to remember the Master’s sacrifice and His gift of life to those who believe. The worship was not some hurried affair in which people performed a rite as though it was the totality of worship—they met the Risen Saviour, holding Him in honour in their hearts.
It has been a source of consternation to me to observe the conduct of the Lord’s Table in many churches. Often, this divinely prescribed worship seems tacked on at the end of a service, almost as an afterthought. At other times, it seems as if the celebrants are in a hurry to be finished with the observance so they can get on with other things they appear to believe is more important. But I ask, “What can be more important than meeting in worship the One who loved us and gave Himself for us?”
I cannot understand a servant of Christ who stands before the people, rushing through the worship as though it is some memorised performance. If the one presiding over the Lord’s Table fails to have a high view of Christ, it is reflected in the service. Tragically, the people will take their cue from the attitude manifested by the one officiating.
I have observed, even within the churches I have pastored, at times when some present the elements, it is as though they were mimicking the Italian priests who so deeply offended Martin Luther, precipitating the Reformation. He observed priests speaking in Latin when the people no longer understand the language, as they elevated the hosts, saying, “Bread you are, and bread you shall remain.” The mockery was offensive and the Table of the Lord was debased. I do not believe in ritual for the sake of ritual; but I do believe there should be an attitude of respect and honour when we come to the time of worship. We should exalt the Name of the Lord and honour Him in our actions as well as with our words.
Paul challenged the Corinthians to think about what they were doing. He wrote, “Flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” [1 CORINTHIANS 10:14-21].
DEVOTED TO CORPORATE PRAYER — “They devoted themselves to … the prayers” [ACTS 2:42]. Reviewing what is written in the text to this point in the study, the new saints joined a church that was a learning congregation—they avidly sought out the Apostles’ teaching; this was a sharing and caring congregation—they eagerly sought out ways to build one another; this was a worshipping church—they were eager to meet the Risen Saviour through worship; and this was a church denoted by prayer.
No doubt they prayed as individuals, but when we see the definite article with the notation of prayer, it indicates that they set aside time for formal prayer as a congregation. This was an assembly that were persistently seeking opportunity to unite specifically for prayer. Prayer is hard work, if the absence of prayer meetings among contemporary Christians is any indication. Prayer was no less demanding in that ancient day. However, prompted by newborn love of the Son of God and by the Spirit who dwelt within each believer, these saints were eager to join their hearts so they could pray together. To this day, when twice-born saints are yielded to the Spirit of Christ living within, they will seek opportunity to pray whenever they are together. Even a casual meeting will prompt prayer.
Some years ago, the venerable expositor of the Word, Harry Ironside, wrote, “Prayer is an expression of dependence, and when the people of God really feel their need you will find them flocking together to pray. A neglected prayer meeting indicates very little recognition of one’s true need.” [14] The earliest believers recognised their dependence on God. Consequently, they turned to Him at every opportunity.
I cannot help but be impressed by the response of those early believers after Peter and John had been seized, hailed before the Sanhedrin and threatened. This is what is written in the divine account. “When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
‘“Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’—
for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus’” [ACTS 4:23-30]
God heard their prayer, and He answered in powerful fashion. The verse that follows reads, “When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the Word of God with boldness” [ACTS 4:31]. This is the impact of prayer!
GOD’S CONTINUING WORK — “Awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” [ACTS 2:43-47].
The saints, filled with God’s Spirit, demonstrated that they needed to learn, needed to encourage one another, needed to focus in renewed fashion on Christ’s death and needed to praise God and seek the answers to their petitions that He alone could give. I know that where the Spirit of God dwells, power will be evident. Outsiders will be awed by unseen power—they won’t be able to define what they are experiencing, but they will know that are in the presence of Someone great and powerful.
“Pastor, do you really believe that wonders and signs will be witnessed?” Why would God not perform powerful work where He is honoured? The people of God would have powerful witness, and sinners would be converted. The people of God would enjoy intimacy with the Living God, and He would be delighted to answer their requests because they would be seeking His glory. The people of God would have their needs met and they would be equipped to strengthen the weak, to comfort the distressed, to build up the assembly of the righteous and to confound those opposed to Christ the Master.
Dr. Luke notes a most peculiar disposition to sacrificially provide for the neediest among the believers. This should not be taken to mean that they encouraged indolence or sloth among some; we are taught, “If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat” [2 THESSALONIANS 3:10]. However, when there is genuine need, Spirit-filled believers will deprive themselves to assist those in need.
That first congregation is a model for all assemblies since. It was never meant to be an anomaly; rather, this was to be a model. Joyous worship, eager participation and God’s concomitant blessing were the results of new-found faith in the Son of God. It is the same excitement that you experienced when you first came to faith in Christ the Lord. Though it may have been many years ago when you were born from above, I daresay you still remember the joy that come with your new birth. That is the condition that God desires for His people.
Do you still have that joy? Do you long to recapture it? Let’s begin by again devoting ourselves to Him Who never fails. Let’s begin by seeking God’s blessing to restore us to those wonderful days that have receded into dim memories. And if you have never put faith in the Son of God, today is the day for you to believe and to receive His gift of life. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21].
This is our message; this is the divine invitation to all who are willing to receive it. Do it today; do it now. May God graciously give you life in His Beloved Son as you believe this message of life. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] E.g. The New English Bible (Oxford University Press; Cambridge University Press, New York 1970)
[3] American Bible Society, The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation, 2nd ed. (American Bible Society, New York, 1992); GOD’S WORD Translation (Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids 1995)
[4] Christian Standard Bible (The Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, TN 2017)
[5] E.g. The Everyday Bible: New Century Version (Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, TN 2005)
[6] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language (NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO 2005)
[7] See KJV; NKJV; Geneva Bible; Richard Francis Weymouth, The New Testament in Modern Speech: An Idiomatic Translation into Everyday English from the Text of “The Resultant Greek Testament”: Commentary, ed. Ernest Hampten-Cook (James Clarke and Co., London 1903); etc.
[8] See John Nelson Darby, The Holy Scriptures: A New Translation from the Original Languages (Logos Research Systems, Oak Harbor 1996); NCV (ibid.); The New Jerusalem Bible (Doubleday, New York 1985); Institute for Scripture Research, The Scriptures (Institute for Scripture Research (Pty) Ltd., South Africa 2000)
[9] Edwin Charles Dargan, A History of Preaching, vol. 1 (Hodder & Stoughton, New York 1905) 553
[10] John Foster and W. H. C. Frend, The First Advance: Church History 1, AD 29-500, Rev. ed. with additions, vol. 5, SPCK International Study Guide (SPCK, London 1991–) 22-26
[11] Ibid.
[12] Linus’ actual quote was, “I love mankind; it’s people I can’t stand.”
[13] Michael Stark, “You are Not Your Own,” (sermon), 21 May 2017, http://newbeginningsbaptist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/1-Corinthians-06.19-You-Are-Not-Your-Own.pdf
[14] H. A. Ironside, Lectures on the Book of Acts (Loizeaux Brothers, Neptune, NJ 1943) 77
