God's People

What do you feel when you open the door and come inside our church building?

(pause)

I know that many here today have attended this church for years. You may not have much experience with other churches.

But I can tell you, as someone who has pastored multiple churches, and have attended or visited numerous churches, opening the front door of a church can be a scary thing!

(pause)

For some churches, when you open the front door, everything is quiet and somber. The lighting seems dim. Sometimes, there is an air of discouragement.

Some churches feel cold and informal. Some churches are filled with tension.

Some churches make you feel loved, accepted, and wanted.

(pause)

Our scripture today describes the aftermath of the Day of Pentecost when Jesus' promise of the Holy Spirit was given. The believers were cleansed of carnality and filled fully with the Spirit.

The first part of Acts 2 mentions Jewish groups of people from 15 different regions of the known world who had gathered for Pentecost. One commentary explains the historical context, saying…

Every adult male Jew was supposed to attend three annual feasts - Unleavened Bread (connected with the Passover), Weeks, and Tabernacles (Deut. 16:16). The Jews of Palestine came to Jerusalem in largest numbers for the Passover, which commemorated the start of their national life and also marked the beginning of their religious year. But the Jews of the Dispersion had their biggest celebration at Pentecost. This was because traveling on the Mediterranean was much safer in May or June (Pentecost) than in March or April (Passover). (BBC, p. 273)

On this particular Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was given to the believers and they went out sharing the Good News that Jesus was the Messiah. Consider the understanding of the people at that time.

The Jews had waited for the coming of the Messiah for hundreds of years. Now they learn that the Messiah had come. But they had killed the Messiah!

(pause)

Yet, as Peter went on to preach, God raised Jesus from the dead. Remember also that Peter began this message by quoting from the prophet Joel. God said through His prophet He would pour out his Spirit upon the people in the last days.

Acts 2:19–20 ESV

And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

Yes, Jesus had told the believers in Acts 1:7 that their primary concern should not be when Christ would establish His kingdom.

(pause)

Yes, we recognize that 2,000 years later that Christ still has not returned.

(pause)

But throughout the New Testament, we get the sense that the first Christians thought Christ's return would be quite imminent … for them.

For example, the believers in Thessalonica were dismayed when some passed away before Christ's return. They were afraid that these believers had "missed it!"

It was only as time passed on that we see the expectation that Christ's return, while imminent, was not immediately imminent. We see this in Paul's response to the Thessalonian believers.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 ESV

Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,

Here's the point… it appears that many of these Jews from around the world who had come for Pentecost and had believed that Christ was the Messiah then stayed in Jerusalem for some time.

They stayed in Jerusalem to learn more about Jesus as the Christ. They also stayed because they expected Jesus to return in the next few days, weeks, or months.

Thousands of pilgrims had flooded the area. These people did not have a lot of money. They had left their job to be there. We all know that people get hungry… .

We understand both the opportunities and challenges of ministry for the early church.

As we look at this scripture, we find a beautiful description of community life in the early Church. In verse 42 there are four characteristics of vibrant community life in Christ's Church.

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Big Idea: God's people should be devoted to doing life together.

What was the community life of this church marked by? Firstly, they were…

1. Engaging God's Word, vv. 42-43.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching …

We noted earlier that many of these converts had come to Jerusalem specially for Pentecost. They had not listened to Jesus teach about the kingdom of God. They had not seen how Jesus lived. They did not watch Jesus perform miracles.

Therefore, it only makes sense that these new followers of Jesus needed to learn from the apostles. The apostles had lived with Jesus for some time. They had been trained by the Master. They understood what the Kingdom of God is about.

After his death and resurrection, Jesus had spent concentrated time with the apostles and other disciples explaining to them how the Old Testament prophesied of His coming and life.

The New Testament was not written at this time. They did not have Jesus' stories and teachings written down. So the people continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.

Today, we have the Bible, God's final revelation, in written form. Like the first converts devoted themselves to the apostles' doctrine, we should devote ourselves to engaging God's Word.

How do we engage God's Word? We should begin individually by reading a portion of scripture daily. We should ask the Holy Spirit to speak to us from the scripture.

As we read God's Word, we should carefully consider what God is trying to tell us from the passage. Then, we should commit to practice the principles that we learn from the Bible.

Engaging God's Word often includes Bible memorization. As the Psalmist wrote: Psalm 119:11

Psalm 119:11 ESV

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Throughout the day, we should continue to meditate on the truth of God's Word and seek to apply it to our lives.

Engaging God's Word continues as we meet with fellow believers - in Sunday school, worship services, prayer meetings, etc. and study God's Word and how to apply it to our lives.

Why do we emphasize engaging God's Word so much?

"We emphatically affirm the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, infallibly true as originally inspired, constituting our only divinely authorized rule of faith and practice." (A Handbook of Faith and Practice, p. 4)

This BOOK is our guidebook for life!!! Any other book, any other teaching, is only helpful as it clarifies or makes practical the teachings of God's Word!

We do not follow any prophet or teacher. We follow Christ, who is revealed through the written Word of God!

Notice what happened as the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' doctrine. Verse 43 tells us … Acts 2:43

Acts 2:43 ESV

And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

(pause)

What was the community life of this church marked by? Secondly, they were…

2. Exercising God's Love, vv. 42, 44-45.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to … the fellowship…

The biblical word "fellowship" has lost much of its meaning in our context today. We tend to think of fellowship as eating snacks or a meal together in the fellowship hall after service. Or maybe we go around shaking hands while singing a chorus.

Someone has explained…

In New Testament times, the word fellowship meant to “share in common with,” and it is employed in a number of contexts that will help us get a better understanding of what is implied.

Believers are “called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9), which means that we share together in a common identity and relationship with Jesus Christ.

Similarly, the apostolic benediction highlights “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14). And Paul can speak of a “fellowship” between himself and the Philippians in the gospel (Phil. 1:5 asv).

“Fellowship” thus signals our common participation in Christ and the sense of unity this entails. It is the word Paul uses for the collection he was organizing for the church in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8:4; 9:13).

Verses 44-45 of our text picture the biblical fellowship intended by Luke as he wrote these verses.

Acts 2:44–45 ESV

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.

It seems like almost every time we read verses like this, we spend an inordinate amount of time explaining this was not Communism. As someone has written…

The early believers were not Communists. They were “commonists.” And there’s a big difference. Communism says: What’s yours is mine. “Commonism” says: What’s mine is yours. (Courson's Commentary)

Simply, the early Church was devoted to exercising God's love! Many of these converts had come for the Pentecost holiday. Now, they were staying longer because they wanted to learn about Christ.

But they didn't have regular jobs in Jerusalem. Yet they still needed to eat! So, those who had property willingly sold possessions to help provide for the financial needs of their brothers and sisters.

Today, in our setting, I believe this characteristic is expressed by multiple ministries of local churches. Sometimes, churches operate food banks to provide food for those who are limited financially.

Years ago, I heard of one church who had a fascinating ministry. A number of auto mechanics attended this church. The started a ministry providing free oil changes and auto service one night of the week to widows and single mothers with children.

Sometimes churches organize work parties to help do yard work free of charge for elderly people in the church or community.

Truly, the opportunities for ministry are endless! The point is… we as a church should devote ourselves to exercising God's love in practical ways.

(pause)

What was the community life of this church marked by? Thirdly, they were…

3. Enjoying God's People, vv. 42, 46.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves … to the breaking of bread …

Acts 2:46 ESV

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

There is a lot of controversy and debate about exactly what this "breaking of bread" refers to. Some would suggest that verse 42 refers to Communion, but verse 46 refers to eating a regular meal.

There are multiple ways that these verses can be understood. Often, what we think about how often the Lord's Supper should be observed colors our interpretation of what "breaking of bread" refers to.

We should note that Paul's exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11 suggests that, for at least Corinth Church, it was the practice of the church to eat a meal and to observe the Lord's Supper every time they met.

Furthermore, we should understand that Paul did not condemn this Church for eating together every time they met. Neither did he condemn them for celebrating the Lord's Supper so often.

Rather, Paul condemned the selfish practice of people hogging the food! The rich were arriving to the meeting place first and gorged themselves.

The poor and slaves got there last and had little to eat. And so the poorer people were embarrassed and humiliated before their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul said, "You ought to be ashamed for shaming your brother and sister!"

It could still be argued that it was not the common practice to celebrate the Lord's Supper every time the church ate together. Regardless, we should not miss the point.

(pause)

The point here is that the church was enjoying life together by breaking bread - whether that included observing the Lord's Supper every time or not.

We should also note that in celebrating the Lord's Supper we are not involved primarily in an individual expression of worship.

Rather, Communion is a time of communion… with God and with our brothers and sisters in Christ!

Therefore, as a church today, we need to foster experiences in which the church can enjoy being the church together. We need to recognize in our times of celebrating the Lord's Supper that we are joining together as God's people to worship Christ.

And we need regular times of what we typically call "fellowship" where we eat together, talk together, and play together. The Church should enjoy being God's people!

Someone has written…

Tempting as it is to think of this as an exclusive reference to the Lord’s Supper, Luke may well be drawing attention to something else: eating together—the potluck supper!—was an important part of church life.

The first Christians needed times to talk, discuss, and learn from each other. And as they did so, they “received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).

Fellowship around food was important in the early church. And it should be viewed as of no less importance in our time.

The “Wednesday Night Supper” has become a very common practice in many churches, as has the Sunday evening meal before (or after) the evening service.

Whatever individual churches decide is best for them in their circumstances, this practical aspect of ministry around food, involving sharing and conversation, seems vital in bonding relationships and fostering a sense that we are one family.

These times should be valued as an important aspect of church life. (Acts by Thomas, Derek W. H.)

(pause)

What was the community life of this church marked by? Fourthly, they were…

4. Entreating God's Favor, vv. 42, 47.

Acts 2:42 (ESV)

And they devoted themselves to … the prayers.

Acts 2:47 (ESV)

praising God and having favor with all the people. …

The first church was a praying church! Think about the various examples we read in Acts of the church at prayer.

Acts 3 - Peter and John were going to prayer when the lame beggar asked them for money.

Acts 4 - After being threatened by the Sanhedrin, Peter and John went back to the believers, and they prayed for boldness.

Acts 6 - the complaint by the Greek-speaking widows resulted in 7 men chosen to oversee the food ministry. They were set before the apostles. They prayed over them and released them for ministry.

Furthermore, the apostles reasserted their primary objectives. What were they? Prayer and ministry of the Word.

Acts 7 - Stephen was stoned to death, but he knelt and prayed for God to forgive those who were in the process of murdering him.

We could continue, but will not for sake of time. Someone has explained…

Once again, Luke employs the definite article, “the prayers” (Acts 2:42). The idea seems to be specific prayers rather than just prayer in general.

The expression might, for example, signal their continued participation in the set times of prayer in the temple (cf. Acts 2:46; 3:1).

But it might also signal Luke’s desire to suggest that whenever these Christians met together—in the temple or in their homes for a meal—they would spend time in prayer.

Since Luke adds that during table fellowship in homes they were “praising God” (Acts 2:47), it is natural to think that prayer was also something they did.

They were not content merely to talk to each other; they also talked with Jesus Christ. (Acts by Thomas, Derek W. H.)

Through prayer and praise - worship of God - the Christians were constantly entreating God's favor. They were praying!

(pause)

The examples and quotes throughout Christian history are numerous. The simple fact is that a growing, effective, powerful church is a praying church.

The central idea of this message has been that…

Big Idea: God's people should be devoted to doing life together.

We come to this conclusion because the community life of the early church shows a devotion to engaging God's Word, exercising God's love, enjoying God's people, and entreating God's favor.

Do we value these principles that result in a vibrant community life for the church?

Is study and practice of God's Word is seen as a boring, academic exercise or do we long to delve into God’s Word so that we can hear from the Holy Spirit and experience Jesus afresh in our lives?

Are we committed to ministering to the needs of others, not just what we get out of the church service?

Are we committed to God’s people - enjoying one another, caring for one another’s concerns?

Do we long for God's favor - worshiping him through song and seeking his will through prayer?

My prayer for our church is that we might hunger to experience the kind of joyous, generous community we see in Jerusalem church … in our church today.

My challenge for you… is that we might experience the vibrant community life that the first church did. But to do so, we… must… take… action!

We must devote ourselves to the four characteristics of healthy community life in the church.

(PAUSE)

Will you become devoted to engaging God's Word?

Will you become devoted to exercising God's love?

Will you become devoted to enjoying God's people?

Will you become devoted to entreating God's favor?