Acts 2:41-47
Priorities of a Dynamic Church
Introduction
Luke records the birth and expansion of the Christian movement. It
is difficult not to be impressed with its dynamism (STATS).
What is the key to this dynamism?
The main key is the Holy Spirit (review).
But another key is church-life. In this passage, Luke provides us
with a snap-shot of that church-life, which was animated by the presence
of God (vs 43a). How different from most churches today, which are
often more like funeral homes than centers of spiritual excitement.
We have the same resources, so we can experience the same dynamism
if we have the same priorities . . .
Learning
The very first thing mentioned is that “they continually devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching.” In other words, they were
a learning church.
They didn't view the apostles' teaching as merely human speculation.
Rather, they accepted it as God's inspired Word. Jesus has appointed
them as his authoritative spokesmen, and promised that the Holy Spirit
would enable them to understand and communicate the meaning of his life
and death. Therefore, what the apostles taught was binding and authoritative.
Wouldn't it be great to have their teaching? We do—through the
New Testament. It is the record of the apostles' teaching.
This passage, like others in Acts (19:9-10; 20:31,32) and the epistles
(2 Timothy 4:2), emphasizes the priority of a comprehensive
and in-depth understanding of apostolic doctrine. This alone provides
a solid foundation for healthy spiritual growth. Christians who fail
to lay this foundation are vulnerable to spiritual deception.
Fellowshipping
They also continually devoted themselves to “fellowship.”
Christian fellowship is not a hall outside the sanctuary. The term (koinonia)
means “to have in common.” Christians share the most important
thing in common—the very life of Christ. And God has designed the
Christian life so that we must share his life with one another.
So they practiced Christian community as a way of life. They “were
together” (vs 44), and they “took their meals together with
gladness and sincerity of heart” (vs 46). Yes, they met together
frequently for Bible study—but these meetings were evidently only
the tip of the iceberg of their fellowship. They visited one another,
they ate together frequently, they talked about the Lord and prayed
together—they generally prized being able to be with one another.
“Isolated Christians are defeated Christians.” Does this
describe you?
Praying
They also continuously devoted themselves to “prayer.” These
people had been personally reconciled to God and were excited about
the privilege of being accepted as his beloved children. What could
be more natural than talking with him on a regular basis?
The “breaking of bread” refers to communion, and it is mentioned
in the context of their prayer-life. We should not think of communion
as an impersonal, ritualistic observance that gains us points with God.
The whole point of communion, according to Jesus, is that it is a reminder
of our forgiveness and acceptance by God through Jesus' death for our
sins. This is an excellent way to remember how privileged we are, and
to cultivate a thankful attitude to God for his grace. And to keep it
personal, they took communion in private homes (vs 46) along with meals.
They also prayed together. It seems obvious that Luke is emphasizing
corporate prayer. There is something about praying with other Christians
that is really important, but it's difficult to explain. It binds us
together closer as we engage in the intimate act of communicating to
God. It enables us to pray more effectively as we pool our knowledge
of God's will. It stimulates us to pray more when we're alone.
Giving
Read vs 44b-45. Here is a radical distinctive—they were a giving
church. They even went so far as selling their property and giving the
proceeds to people who were in need.
This doesn't mean that they pooled their assets to live communally.
They affirmed private property (Acts 5:4), and retained their own
homes (vs 46: “in the various private homes”). Neither does
it mean that they naively gave hand-outs to whoever asked (see 1 Thessalonians
4:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15).
It means, rather, that they acknowledged that God was the ultimate
owner of their possessions, they believed that he would care for them,
and they understood they had a responsibility to manage God's resources
in ways that facilitated his goals. They saw their money primarily as
a means to bless others rather than as something to hoard and spend
on themselves. So they gave generously and sacrificially to help others'
spiritual lives (PILGRIMS STAYING) and alleviate real human need (see
Acts 4:32-37).
Witnessing
Read vs 47. This portrait just wouldn't be complete without this, would
it? It just wouldn't be right to have something this good (love relationships
with God and one another) and keep it to ourselves. In fact, the Bible
teaches that the richness of our relationships with God and one another
will dry up unless we are also reaching out in love to offer this to
people who don't have it. God's Spirit motivates us to share what we
have with others.
Nothing is said about periodic evangelistic “crusades.” Not
that this is wrong, but what is striking is that evangelism was a natural
and ongoing part of their daily church life.
They were demonstrating an attractive alternative to the people
in Jerusalem. This is what Luke means when he says they “were
having favor with all the people.” Not everyone liked what they
were into—next week we'll see that the religious leaders held
them in disfavor. But the average person saw their hope and gratitude
and rich community—and they were attracted to this.
They were also sharing how to be reconciled to God. Although
this passage doesn't mention this, we know they were doing it because
Jesus commissioned them to “be his witnesses.” They shared
naturally about the reason for their new life—the gift of the
Holy Spirit which is available to all who accept Jesus as Messiah.
They were able to explain the reasons for their faith, and they invited
their friends and family members and neighbors to receive this gift.
The result: people were coming to Christ on a virtually daily basis.
Conclusion
No wonder they “kept experiencing a sense of awe!” This doesn't
mean they had no problems, or that they never experienced pain. As we
will see next week, they experienced plenty of negatives. It means that
their lives were so infused with the love and power of God that it overshadowed
these negatives.
We have the same resources available to us today. We can experience
the same sense of awe. If you aren't, ask yourself the following questions:
Have you personally received Christ? This is a spiritual dynamism
that requires being indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Are you building a lifestyle around these priorities? I'm sure they
did lots of other things (worked; raised families; etc.), but the
key is that they “continually devoted themselves” to these
things. They made the time and built their lifestyles around learning,
fellowshipping, praying, giving, and witnessing. Church life wasn't
a once-a-week activity worked in around the rest of their life. It
was the center of their lives, around which the other activities were
integrated and upon which they were able to do these other things
effectively.
Copyright
1995 Gary DeLashmutt
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