Acts Chapter 2:14-35 A Call to Community B ack in the day Acts 2:42 was our church verse. Because we were small, we focused on community. Every Sunday after the service we d have a potluck meal. Recently, when I was at a funeral for the mother of a close friend, the granddaughter came up to me and told me that one of the best memories of her childhood was the Jello she had at these potlucks. It s great to know that you and the church are part of the positive memories of a child s life. It is also a testimony to the importance of community in a self-absorbed world. Here though we see the beginning of a new community, the church. But wait, Peter is still preaching. Andrew held his peace as long as Peter was preaching. So did the rest of the disciples. But now the Spirit that had blown through him blew over the crowds of people, and those who had understood Andrew s language before, now came near and took hold of his robe. Please, they said in their foreign tongue. Baptize us. Andrew lost shyness that day. And the anxiety that had made the world seem so dangerous and uncertain that, too, passed away. He never was a loud man after that. And he would always rather answer than ask. But the words came easily to his lips. And the proper gesture waited ever within his reach. And over and over again he said what the Lord taught him to say: Damsel, Andrew said, tilting the child into the water, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And this was good and true and right and holy, because before he left the Lord had said: Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. 1 III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 1. The Coming of the Spirit and Peter s First Sermon 2:1-41 d. Peter s Sermon Verses 14-41 i. Peter s Response Verses 14-21 ii. Peter s Message Verses 22-41 2. The Fellowship of Believers 2:42-46 Introduction: As we return to this Pentecost, let s first summarize Peter s sermon, given through the filling of the Holy Spirit. Remember, it was presented to a crowd who had gathered because of the chaos created by the Spirit s promised coming. There were basically three aspects to Peter s message. 1 Wangerin, Jr., Walter, The Book of God, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996, p. 846.
1. He responded to the crowd, No, this wasn t a drunken party at 9:00 AM in the morning. 2. He told them what was happening was the beginning of the fulfillment of Joel s prophecy regarding the coming day of the Lord. (see Joel 2:28-32). Peter s focus was to move the crowd to an understanding that those who call upon the name of the Lord would be saved. 3. He next demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, was the one prophesied by David to direct men to God. (see Psalms 110:1 and 132). Now taking all of this into consideration, Peter finished by stating unequivocally that God had made Jesus both Lord and Messiah. ii. Peter s Message: So how did the crowds respond? First, understand the response of the crowd is due to the Spirit s working through Peter s words. This is demonstrated by their conviction engendered by the Spirit. Luke tells us they were pierced to the heart. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrew 4:12). This is true whether we re talking the written word or the spoken word. What would you describe as your piercing moment? What is notable here is, while Peter had been the one speaking, the people addressed their question to all the disciples. Though again it is Peter who responds by stating, one must repent and be baptized. Note: I just want to remind us that we are not to take what we read here as being normative. Everything related to the birth of the early church must be understood in light of scripture as a whole and specifically the rest of the New Testament. It is important to remember this, otherwise one could come to the conclusion that the acts of repentance and baptism are necessary for salvation. We know from the general thrust of scripture that implied in Peter s words is an acceptance of Christ as Savior. Having believed, they were called to repent and as a testimony of that repentance to be baptized. This is not works but the product of faith. If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about but not before God. What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:2-3). Repentance is a proof of the belief in and acceptance of Christ s gift of salvation. This belief is demonstrated by a changed life. We often say, it is 180º shift in the direction of one s walk. The Greek is translated ) 72 (
metanoe w metanoeoœ; to think differently or afterwards, i.e. reconsider (morally, feel compunction): repent. 2 MacArthur points out: Although Peter s hearers feared God s judgment, true repentance involves more than fear of consequences. Commentator Albert Barnes rightly notes that false repentance dreads the consequences of sin; true repentance dreads sin itself (Emphasis in original). True repentance hates sin for what it is an affront to God. Knowing that sin is evil and that God hates it motivates the truly repentant person to forsake it. Genuine repentance thus forsakes sin and turns in total commitment to Jesus Christ. 3 Baptism is an immediate act that is a testimony of that acceptance of Christ s gift of salvation and a commitment to live in that reality of the acceptance of that gift. But for these early Hebrew Christians, baptism also meant a break with the system and a public acknowledgement of Jesus as the Messiah. This was a risky move. Consider for already the Jews had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Christ would be put out of the synagogue (John 9:22). While both repentance and baptism were found within Judaism, the baptism here is unique in that it was in the name of Jesus and the focus was on each and every person individually being baptized. The focus was not corporate or communal as it was in Judaism. And with salvation comes the gift of the Holy Spirit. Right from the start it is clear that there aren t different classes of Christians. While organizationally the Apostles were the foundation of the church and had the responsibility to oversee the infant structure, as far as being part of the community of believers, all are on an equal level, all are indwelt by the Spirit. Which was certainly different from what went before. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28). Peter also gave those who were turning to the Lord that this same opportunity would be given to all, near and far. This would also seem to hint at the fact these same truths would be available to all, Gentile as well as Jew. This ties back to the quote from Joel, which whether or not Joel, Peter, or Luke understood it, would encompass the Gentile. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls (Joel 2:32). Finally, Luke tells us that he didn t bother to record all the words of Peter s sermon, but Peter did make one thing else clear. Turning to Christ was both turning to something, God, and away from something the perverse generation in which they lived. This was the same generation Jesus warned against. 2 Bennett, Rick, Key Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, OakTree Software, 2009 3 MacArthur, John, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Acts, Chapters 1-12 Moody Press, Chicago, IL, 1994, p. 74. ) 73 (
O unbelieving and perverse generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me. (Matthew 17:17). The rest of the day must have been pretty busy for the disciples because of total of three thousand individuals came to a saving faith and were baptized by the disciples. The church was off to an auspicious start in the process of going from Jerusalem to Judea, to the uttermost parts of the world. 2. The Fellowship of Believers: Luke steps out of the immediate time frame to tell his readers what went on with these early believers. Clearly right from the beginning a The Way community began to form. This would have been necessary because, while Rome simply saw the early church as one of the many subsets of Judaism, some members of the Jewish leadership and the Jewish community already saw a growing threat. Consequently, they kept the pressure growing until we read of Saul s persecution of believers. The early community activity was typified by studying the Apostles teachings, fellowship, both communal meals and the Lord s supper, and praying. Now what specifically the teachings encompassed is unclear. In the earliest days it may have included oral accounts of both Jesus words and the messages of the apostles, such as the previous one. It probably included the scriptures as well, learning how they spoke of Jesus. Over time they would have included the gospels, as they were written, and the collected writings of the Apostles. The focus here is to demonstrate the intensity and commitment of these early believers. As a community they grew, not just in numbers, but in spiritual growth. It is this commitment that is frequently missing from the Church at large. Considering the intensity of the early church and the church today, what do you see as the difference? More on this in a moment. First and foremost the responsibility of the local community of believers is to make disciples, to continue the work started by our predecessors as noted here. This is what I mean by continuity, the fact we are simple the individuals who make up Volume 21 of Acts. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve (1 Corinthians 15:3-5). It was an exciting time. It was a frightening time. Those impacted by all this would not have been limited to just the believing community but to the non-believers as well. Everyone in the geographical area would have been well aware of what was going on. Individuals who had previously believed in God and consequently were open to the Spirit, accepting Christ, were seeing Him work in their midst. God was continuing to validate His ministry through the early church, which at this point was still focused on the Jew, by the same methods He had through Christ. Miracles, signs, and wonders were still occurring through the Apostles with frequency. ) 74 (
The community provided for one another, that is, those who had would provide for those who were in need. This is community, but not communal. Initially this could have included just about anything but as we ll see later it came to refer specifically to land or property. John MacArthur puts it this way. That this was not a primitive form of communism is evident from the imperfect tense (denoting continuous past action) of the verbs translated selling and sharing (cf. 4:34). They did not at any point sell everything and pool the proceeds into a common pot. Such a principle for Christian living would have obviated the responsibility of each believer to give in response to the Spirit s prompting (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1 2). Further, it is clear from verse 46 that individuals still owned homes. What actually happened was that personal property was sold as anyone might have need. It was an indication of immense generosity, as people gave not only their present cash or goods, but also their future in acts of sacrificial love to those in need. And it is clear from Peter s words to Ananias in Acts 5:4 that such selling was purely voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira sinned not by refusing to part with their possessions but by lying to the Holy Spirit. Finally, in no other church described in Acts was this pattern of selling property repeated. Second Corinthians 8:13 14 describes a similar kind of generosity to the Jerusalem poor. 4 Now about the collection for God s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). Didn t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God (Acts 5:4). Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality (2 Corinthians 8:13-14) John would later direct: If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? (1 John 3:17). Worship was on ongoing experience as well. And it continued in much the way it had before because the believers continued to go up to the temple. They continued to go to the synagogue as well. Within a few years though believers had been rejected from the temple and cast out of the synagogues. And every day the church continued to grow. Conclusion: While I ve noted before Acts itself shouldn t be considered normative, the concept of community seen here and expanded on throughout the New Testament is still to be the pattern for our church. I m not speaking of the specific exercise of community seen here, but the broader one. The idea of a Lone Ranger believer was and still is nonexistent. The individualism that is endemic to our culture has found its way into the church. But this is not God s desire for us. How have you seen this problem manifest itself? 4 Ibid., p. 188. ) 75 (
The early church, and the persecuted church in all ages, has been one of community, not necessarily communal, but clearly community. This meant all are examples of love, compassion, study, fellowship, and evangelism. These attributes should continue to typify the church in every region, in every day. This should typify the church in the U.S. as much as it has in China, and Africa, etc. The Church was and is, and our church should be learning, loving, worshiping, and evangelizing. The task given by Christ and reinforced by the Apostles was the task given to these three thousand new believers, and it is the same task that has been given to us. The example of the life of Christ and the early church was one of balance. It is this same balance we need to maintain today. It is a balance between study of the word, worship, fellowship with God (prayer) and with one another. To be a community of believers means normal socialization, including spending time together, eating together and enjoying one another s company. The previous are the elements that strengthen the community, empowering it through the work of the Spirit to its primary purpose. And that is to move beyond the community and to evangelize the world, making disciples by following Christ s command that you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together Lord, bind us together Bind us together in love. There is only one God, There is only one King; There is only one body, That is why I sing: Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken. Bind us together Lord, bind us together Bind us together in love. 5 5 Gillman, Bob, Maranatha! Music Praise Chorus Book, Bind Us Together, Maranatha Music, USA, 1993, #43. ) 76 (
Acts Chapter 2:41-46 A Call to Community III Peter and the Gospel to the Jews 1:1-12:24 B. The Founding of the Church in Jerusalem 2:1-7:60 1. The Coming of the Spirit and Peter s First Sermon 2:1-41 d. Peter s Sermon Verses 14-41 i. Peter s Response Verses 14-21 ii. Peter s Message Verses 22-41 2. The Fellowship of Believers 2:42-46 Introduction: 1. 2. 3. (see Psalms 110:1 and 132) ii. Peter s Message: (Hebrew 4:12; Romans 4:2-3; John 9:22; Galatians 3:28; Joel 2:32; Matthew 17:17)
2. The Fellowship of Believers: (1 Corinthians 15:3-5, 16:1-2; Acts 5:4; 2 Corinthians 8:13-14; 1 John 3:17) Conclusion: (Acts 1:8) Personal Application: This week consider how we might contribute to strengthening a sense of community within our own body. How does a community environment encourage an evangelistic out reach? Prayer for the Week: Lord, may we encourage one another to good works, especially the good work of giving out the Gospel. In Christ s name, amen.