The Ministry of the Early Church

FEBRUARY 27, 2022 STUDY NOTES ACTS 2:43-47 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES THE MINISTRY OF THE EARLY CHURCH Act 2:43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. We are not sure whether “every soul” refers just to the saved or includes the lost also Probably both because the word “fear” has the thought of astonishment or amazement Because they recognize the presence of God in what someone says or does (Acts 5:5, 11; 9:31) The emphasis is God’s glory, Act 19:17 And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Everyone who witnessed the “wonders and signs” felt a sense of awe They recognized that this was the supernatural power of God present within the Apostles That which was “done by the apostles,” was God working through the Apostles The Apostles who confirmed the Word of God were confirmed by God, Heb 2:3 How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him; Heb 2:4 God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will God gifted the Apostles with miracle working power, 2Co 12:12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. The miracles identified them as the men of God who came with the message of God Their message was that Jesus is the Savior, Jesus is alive, Jesus is the Christ, Act 17:3 Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. God was working supernatural works through the Apostles to draw attention to Jesus, Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. “Wonders” are a miraculous occurrence serving as a witness to the Person and Work of Christ “Signs” are a distinguishing mark which points to something and identifies it Giving the evidence that something which has been said or done is of utmost importance “Signs” reveal that it is God who is speaking or doing something with spiritual significance “Signs” reveal that a divine purpose is being presented and there is no question about it “Signs” performed by the Apostles were for the same purpose as those performed by Jesus, Joh 20:30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name. Many believed because of the signs and wonders performed by the Apostles Act 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; There are many in America today who claim to “believe” in Jesus, they claim to be a Christian But they don’t have a lifestyle that backs up their claim, which indicates they are lost They have some things common to a Christian lifestyle, they own a Bible and go to church A true believer believes that the Bible is the Word of God, and it is to be read and studied daily, 2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. They studied the “Apostle’s Doctrine” because they were “True Believers” (Acts 2:42) Page 1 of 6 A true believer believes in the purpose of church attendance, Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. They came together because of the “fellowship” they shared with one another (Acts 2:42) Jesus spoke of those who claim to know Jesus but have never really believed in Him, Mat 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? Mat 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Intellectual belief or a head knowledge of Jesus is not a belief unto salvation Genuine belief unto salvation involves the mind, will, and heart, Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Rom 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (First the heart, then mouth) “All that believed were together” has the thought of what Peter previously called fellowship They met together because their faith in Christ drew them together (Desire of a heart salvation) They came from all walks of life, but they all had a new walk of life, they were united in Christ They “had all things common,” the word common is related to the word for fellowship Christians have a common faith, Tit 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour Christians have a common salvation, Jud 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. “Common salvation” is the salvation which is common to those who have experienced it Those who are identified as the “Beloved” now share in the experience of a common salvation As Christians they cared for one another and shared with one another, Act 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Sharing material possessions was not a burden it was a blessing, a blessing of the “heart” Because they loved the Lord, Mat 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. Love for God was first in their life, Mat 22:38 This is the first and great commandment With God’s love filling their hearts they could love one another with an unselfish love, Mat 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Their “heart” was willing to share what they had with those in need Act 2:45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. When Christians are filled with the Spirit their prayer time is not filled with “Lord give me” Their prayer is, Lord, what can I do for others? Lord, what can I give to others? The early church members “sold their possessions and goods” It is likely that the word “possessions” referred to their land, cattle, and animals The word “possession” is used again in, Act 5:1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And the “possession” they sold was land, Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? We will come back to that account in Acts 5 later (Acts 5:1-11) The word “goods” probably refers to their material goods, things related to their livelihood Page 2 of 6 Things that were a part of their daily life, but their daily life was lived sharing with others They were willing to sell their “possessions and goods” in-order to share with others Their sharing was not based upon the “wants” of others, but the “need” of others As need would arise among the church family, they would share in-order to meet the need Why would anyone be willing to sell their possessions or share their material goods with others? This was not a government welfare program it was a church loving God and filled with the Spirit Paul explains it to us in, Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The will of God is fulfilled when you allow God to work in and through you The will of God is a powerful witness because it is a powerful work God is working His will in us through His power in us, His power in us is the Person of the Spirit How powerful is His work in us, Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, The divine presence of God and the obedience of the Christian to God are involved in good works The saying of, “Let go and let God” must be understood, the meaning is not “God alone” We must let go of self and allow God to take hold of us, let go of self and hold on to God God’s will and our works cannot be accomplished unless both are present and working together When you plan to live for God you learn that God has already planned for you to live for Him Your desires and your goals will become what God has already planned for you Your achievements and your accomplishments will be because of God’s guidance and direction But we all know how easy it is to follow our own personal wishes and desires And in so doing, we often claim to be doing what God wants us to do, calling it God’s will Which takes us back to Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5, they sold land, Act 5:2 And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Peter knew what they had done, Act 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Peter did not whitewash their deed in-order to cover up their sin, Act 5:4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. (Often done by many) You can read the rest of the story this afternoon in Acts 5:1-11 Look at a passage that teaches us the attitude of the early church concerning their possessions, Heb 10:34 For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. The “spoiling of your goods” means that they had been robbed of their possessions Referring to the violent and unjust seizure of their property Because they were following Christ, they were losing what was rightfully theirs They were being robbed while the world around them watched and cheered But the world that was watching could not understand why they “took it joyfully” Sinners cannot understand how the faithful Christian can accept such a thing with a joyful heart But they took their loss “joyfully,” that is not a natural response of the human heart They were also joyful because of their attitude toward worldly possessions and earthly treasures Their heart was in Jesus and not upon their earthly possessions and property Jesus said, Mat 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Our heart is not to be set on earthly treasures, Mat 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Set your heart on heavenly treasures, Mat 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: The Hebrew Christians knew something that the world today does not know or understand Spiritual knowledge and spiritual insight are very important to the Christian life Page 3 of 6 We need to learn the truths of God in-order to live according to the truths of God We need to learn the promises of God in-order to claim the promises of God The Hebrew Christians had a spiritual heart which allowed them to have a spiritual mind There was a strong Christian conviction within them that allowed them to persevere trials of life They were not defeated from outside forces because of their inside power to overcome They knew that they already had something better than worldly goods and earthly treasures They knew that what they had already received from heaven was only going to get better Our heavenly experience is not limited to dying and going to heaven Earthly possessions are inferior and temporary, heavenly possessions are better and enduring Their daily testimony proved what they believed, the evidence of their Christian life Act 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, The NT Christians had a daily schedule, which they day by day continued to keep “Continuing daily” actually reads “continually continuing,” same word found in verse 42, Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Their Christianity was not limited to the clothes they wore on Sunday and a visit to church If we follow their example our daily activity will include reading and study of the Bible And daily communication and fellowship with other Christians and time for prayer The reason their life centered upon spiritual activities is because they had a spiritual mindset They were in “one accord,” they were thinking alike, which is why they were acting alike This was not an experience that had its beginning on the Day of Pentecost The disciples that waited in Jerusalem for the promise of Jesus to be fulfilled were likeminded, Act 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. Because they were in “one accord,” they came together to pray Because they prayed together daily, they remained in “one accord” They were in “one accord” when the Holy Spirit came upon them, Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Ten days from the time of His ascension was the Day of Pentecost and the disciples were waiting They had obeyed Jesus, they waited together in body, mind, heart, will, soul, and love for God They shared the same desire to be obedient to the words of Jesus, they were in “one accord” 120 were physically gathered-together as followers of Jesus Christ 120 were spiritually “all together” waiting for the Promise of the Father They have now been united-together forever in one spiritual body known as the “Church” They were now continually in “one accord” because they were daily filled with the Spirit Because the Holy Spirit influenced their mind, heart, and soul, they had the same desires They desired to come together daily in the Temple, which was for a prayer time It is doubtful that these Christians were entering the Temple to offer sacrifices They had accepted the perfect sacrifice of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, Heb 7:27 Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. There is no longer the need for repeated sacrifices for the sins of man The once for all sacrifice of Jesus was-sufficient for all of man’s sin The one sacrifice revealed that the Levitical system of sacrifices had come to an end Jesus was the one sacrifice for the sins of man once for all And they were “breaking bread from house to house,” they were eating meals together But it is likely that following the meal they would partake of the Lord’s Supper Page 4 of 6 In those days sharing meals with friends was a meaningful experience Among Christians it was even more meaningful, there was a stronger relationship They met together in fellowship, sharing together their relationship in Christ, talking about Jesus Peter explains the results of Christian fellowship, Act 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, “Gladness,” is a heartfelt experience, knowing that God’s grace has been bestowed upon you What you are experiencing can only be possible because God has made it possible The word “gladness” has the thought of extreme joy, Jude used it that way, Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (same word as “gladness”) Jude tells us that when we are presented before God in glory there will be “exceeding joy” But the “gladness” of the Christian is not limited to our future of Heaven or the return of Christ Christians are to be filled with “exceeding joy” today, 1Pe 1:8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Which is a foretaste of our “exceeding joy” when we see Him, Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. “Singleness of heart” actually means “sincerity,” the absence of hypocrisy Many churchgoers of today are often accused of being a hypocrite The answer to such accusations is a sincere heart for God that is filled with gladness Which is exactly what Peter is telling us in the next verse Act 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. “Praising God” is not to be limited to a special Sunday event such as a revival or concert People get excited through singing, and there is nothing wrong with it We should sing with excitement and praise, even when no one else is listening, Eph 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Men, go get on a tractor and let her rip, ladies get in the kitchen and raise the roof We should sing with excitement and praise when we come together to worship, Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Be sincere, don’t worry about who is listening, sing unto the Lord, Psa 98:4 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Even if your singing sounds like noise, as-long as it is joyful, God will be praised Praising God resulted in a personal testimony, a witness to all who came in-contact with them The word translated “favor” is the word most commonly translated “grace” They had been graced by God and they were graceful in their living Those who witnessed their way of life had a grateful attitude toward them Those who knew God glorified God, just as Jesus had promised, Mat 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And those who didn’t know God were drawn to God, they came to God through Jesus The Great Commission was being fulfilled, Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: The followers of Jesus were going forth to lead others to follow Jesus Then they would teach them what they had learned about Jesus, Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Page 5 of 6 Amen. No wonder they were praising God daily, no wonder God’s grace was bestowed upon them daily Souls were being saved day by day, they were not added to the church until they were saved, Act 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. 3,000 souls had already been added to the 120 who were waiting for the coming of the Spirit, Act 2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. It was believers who were being added to the church, Act 5:14 And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.) Even though the church was being persecuted, many more believed and were added to the Lord Because they witnessed and received the faithful witness of those filled with the Spirit, Act 11:24 For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. We should not be surprised that souls were being saved, Jesus was doing what He had promised, Mat 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We should be asking, why is it not happening in our day? The Lord was adding to the church daily because Christians were daily filled with the Spirit Christians were encouraging one another daily, Act 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And Spirit-filled Christians were sharing the Gospel of salvation with those who needed Jesus How many in Limestone County need Jesus today? How great is the need of Jesus today? Listen to the song Page 6 of 6