The Church, The Mission

English Standard Version (Chapter 2)

22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. 25 For David says concerning him,

“ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

26  therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

27  For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

28  You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,

35  until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

English Standard Version Psalm 109

Be not silent, O God of my praise!

2  For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me,

speaking against me with lying tongues.

3  They encircle me with words of hate,

and attack me without cause.

4  In return for my love they accuse me,

but I give myself to prayer.

5  So they reward me evil for good,

and hatred for my love.

Zec 12:10.38 

And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Zec 12:10.38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Fellowship of the Believers

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The new converts didn’t merely add Christianity to their already busy lives, but devoted themselves to their Christian experience. V 42 is a compact description of Christian discipleship.

The New Bible Commentary 2:1–47 The Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem

These verses describe the Christian community in the days after the Pentecost speech. The believers displayed a generous attitude toward possessions (see also on 4:32–5:11 below). But there was no blind rush to ‘rid themselves of all their possessions’, as if personal property was in itself evil, instead they gave as there was the need. The believers’ financial problems were not automatically and miraculously solved by virtue of becoming Christians. Even in this ‘golden age’ of the church, there were needy people (although because of the sharing they didn’t generally remain needy; 4:34; 6:1).

The believers continued every day to meet together in the temple courts, as well as in their homes, where they shared table fellowship.

C.S. Lewis said once: “We all serve God inevitably, but it makes a great difference whether you serve like Judas or serve like John.”

John Piper

SO, which are you First Christian? Are you a believer he is willing to give away everything to meet the physical needs of individuals, so that through that act of generosity God will meet their spiritual needs.

The cross is the guarantee of the continuing, unfailing generosity of God.

John Stott

The kingdom that Jesus preached and lived was all about a glorious, uproarious, absurd generosity. Think of the best thing you can do for the worst person, and go ahead and do it. Think of what you’d really like someone to do for you, and do it for them. Think of the people to whom you are tempted to be nasty, and lavish generosity on them instead.

N. T. Wright