When we read the book of Acts of the Apostles we understand some of the early challenges it faced as well as the tremendous success it experienced. Once the Holy Spirit was given a dynamic new ministry began and the believers banded together. It was an exciting time as thousands heard the gospel message and placed their faith in Christ, the Messiah for whom they had been waiting. The Kingdom Jesus had told them about took on a different form than what they had expected. It was not a political kingdom that would overthrow the Roman government but it was a kingdom of the heart that would reflect the values of Christ and reach the ends of the earth. It was a kingdom that represented Christ to the world and gave testimony of what he had accomplished for the entire world through his death and resurrection. When hearts are changed through the message of the gospel, nations will change. The rule of God’s laws will guide the believers to bring a transformation to the nation. Jesus instructed his disciples that they were the salt of the earth. Salt permeates whatever it enters and is spread throughout it. It changes the flavor. The early church as well as the church today has that same effect. The focus of the early church was to reach each person with the gospel message and allow the Holy Spirit to work in them to make them like Christ. Once the Word of God is planted in the heart of a person, there is tremendous potential for change. A heart that is ready to receive the Word and does not allow the world, the flesh and the devil to impede its growth or destroy its growth will flourish and produce the fruit of the Spirit that represents the true nature of the Kingdom of God.
It must have been a little chaotic for the early church when you think of the thousands of people who became believers and were trying to understand what they were supposed to do. All they had known had been dictated to them by the scribes and Pharisee and their leaders. They were accustomed to all the rituals and services of the temple and now they had a new revelation of the Messiah. Their eyes were now opened to the truth and the scriptures they had studied and memorized took on new meaning with fuller understanding. It must have been exciting for them to read the scriptures with a new perspective.
In Acts 4 Peter and John had been placed in jail by the religious leaders for their witness of Jesus. When they were released they returned to their fellow believers to report what had happened.
Act 4:24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, "Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
Act 4:25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, "'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
Act 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed'--
Act 4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
Act 4:28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place.
Act 4:29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
Act 4:30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus."
The response of the believers was based on a new understanding of Psalms 2. They understood the application of these verses to their present situation. With this understanding of what was happening and the assurance that God had prophetically declared this through David, they gained confidence in the sovereignty of God and called upon God for his intervention. They did not ask to be removed from the situation or the opposition but asked for boldness to speak along with healings, signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus to give testimony to his power and love.
This is one of the characteristics of the early church that must also be alive in the church today. We have to be willing to put ourselves into the marketplace to be bold witnesses to the Lord. We cannot back down from opposition but we must like the disciples recognize that God is sovereign, nothing that is happening surprises him because he has had knowledge of it before it happened. He understands the opposition and he wants us to boldly engage and not retreat . He will confirmation his word through healings, signs and wonders.
Act 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
The church prayed for boldness. They gathered to pray and God responded by filling them with the Holy Spirit to continue to be bold witnesses. When they had finished praying there was a visible sign given to them, the shaking of the earth. In my mind this reaction from heaven was a sign of God’s great approval of what they had asked to receive. God was excited that they would ask for boldness and as confirmation to show his approval, he manifested the shaking. Your petition has been granted and as proof here is a little shaking to confirm that it has been granted. Can you imagine how encouraged the believers were after this happened?
Acts 2:32-37 give a report of the early church’s characteristics that shaped the formation of it and is still applicable to us today.
Act 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
Act 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Act 4:34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold
Act 4:35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Act 4:36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
Act 4:37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Unity.
They were all of one mind and soul. What they had all come to agree upon with mind and soul was that Jesus was the Messiah whom God raised from the dead. This was the core belief that bound them together and separated them from the Jewish leaders. The resurrection of Jesus was the most important aspect of their witness. If Christ was not raised from the dead, nothing else mattered. But since they were witnesses to his resurrection this was a deciding factor and conclusive proof that he was the Messiah. Without the resurrection, Christianity becomes only a philosophy that can be rejected or accepted without repercussion. It does not matter what you believe if there is no resurrection. Life ends at death, period. Other religions can speculate about an afterlife or reincarnation but they have no proof of their validity or truth. Christianity has the evidence of the resurrection and based on that we have the assurance that there is life beyond the grave and that the life we are living now has a purpose, history is moving toward an end.
Today we see a great fracturing of the Body of Christ over doctrines and practices. The unity of mind and soul of the early church has been cluttered with disagreements over interpretation of scriptures. It did not take long for the unity of the church to be challenged and in Acts 15 a council was called in Jerusalem to figure out how to resolve the issue of what the Gentile believers needed to do. The leadership met and they resolved the issue to preserve the unity of the church. The importance of unity was stressed and they came to agreement with the help of the Holy Spirit. Church history does not bear witness that this happened all the time and today we see the results of people placing more value on their beliefs and doctrines than unity of the church. The simplicity of the early church’s focus on the sharing of the gospel and their need for boldness and the power of the Holy Spirit has been lost and mired in divisions among the body that have diminished our witness to the world. Unity helps us focus on the things that are most important and that is the evangelization of the world through the proclamation of the gospel message. Let’s let this be the most important thing in our lives and the basis of our fellowship and unity with other believers. I am not saying that some doctrinal issues are not important but the reality is that people will be won or lost to the Kingdom of God through the message of the gospel and not through church doctrinal differences.
Community
The early church saw the need to gather as a community. They had to come together because of the conflicts they faced and opposition of the Jews. There was a need to share resources because there was obviously some persecution happening in which people perhaps were disowned by family members or lost their jobs. In addition there were many Jews from other countries who had journeyed to Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost who became believers and needed the help of others to survive. They were under new ownership or management and their understanding of property changed. They freely shared what they had because it was not under their ownership but Christ’s. It is easy to give away things that are not yours. It was based on need not on greed. The believers freely gave to meet real needs of people who were suffering. James, the half-brother of Jesus wrote about this in one of the first letters we have in the New Testament.
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
The Apostle John taught a similar message to the church.
1Jn 3:17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?
When love becomes our primary motivation it is not difficult to give to meet needs. Our selfish nature wants us to hoard and make sure our needs are met before we think about meeting someone else’s need that is even greater. When God’s love controls our lives we will become generous people. We will give without expecting something in return and we will give joyfully because we are blessed enough to be able to share what God has given us to meet a need of another person.
The early church was the willing to sacrifice to meet the needs of others. They willingly sold land and possessions to be able to help those in need. This was not communism it which they had no option but to give but rather was totally the free will of the people to give what was theirs to others. Matthew Henry in his commentary on these verses quotes a Dr. Lightfoot
. Dr. Lightfoot computes that this was the year of jubilee in the Jewish nation, the fiftieth year (the twenty-eighth since they settled in Canaan fourteen hundred years ago), so that, what was sold that year being not to return till the next jubilee, lands then took a good price, and so the sale of those lands would raise the more money.
The love they had for each other made possible the sale of their possessions and generous donation. When the money was given it was laid at the feet of the Apostles. They had confidence that the money would be used for the benefit of those in need and that no one was going to get rich or abscond with the money.
This attitude of sacrifice and care was part of the DNA of the church in the years after Pentecost. Collections were later taken up to help the church in Jerusalem in its time of need. Paul in his letter to the Corinthian church commended the church in Macedonia for their sacrificial giving to help meet the needs of the believers in Jerusalem and encouraged the church in Corinth that had been dragging their feet on collecting an offering to do the same.
2Co 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,
2Co 8:2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
2Co 8:3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
2Co 8:4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints--
It seems that we have lost this willingness to sacrifice at this level today. We read of ministries in which money is used for personal luxuries instead of helping believers in need. Lavish lifestyles are viewed as God’s blessing on your life that you are entitled to. It is hard to rationalize extravagance when Jesus instructed his disciple to “not lay up riches for yourself.” All of us wrestle with the question of how much is enough, how much we should keep and how much we should give away to meet the needs of others. We like Barnabas must be willing to freely give what God has given to us as he leads us to respond to needs. We have been blessed and are blessed to be a blessing to others.
Richard Stearns, president of World Vision in his book, “The Hole in Our Gospel” gives some sobering statistics regarding the distribution of wealth and the use of money in the church in the USA.
If you make $25,000 per year you are wealthier than 90% of the world’s population.
If you make $50,000 per year you are wealthier than 99% of the world.
World Vision conducted a survey of pastors a few years ago and asked them to identify the areas of ministry that were most important to them and the church. The survey revealed:
79% Worship
57% Evangelism
55% Children’s ministry
47% Discipleship programs
18% Helping the Poor
Helping the poor is not much of a priority in the American church but the worst problem is the lack of giving among people who are capable of giving. If just the church in the USA which is composed of about 340,000 churches had members who gave a tithe or 10% of their income there would be more than enough money to meet the critical needs of the poor in the church and in the world. On average believers in the USA give about 2.5% of their income to the church. If everyone gave 10% instead of 2.5% with the extra money which would amount to 168 billion dollars there would be enough money to eliminate the most extreme poverty on the planet for more than a billion people. Universal primary education for children would cost just 46 billion; and the basic health and nutrition for everyone in the world $13 billion. (page 218)
The resources are available but the resolve is lacking either because of ignorance of the true needs of the poor or because of selfishness and lack of genuine love for our brothers and sisters in need.
May we freely and joyfully learn to sacrifice and demonstrate the same care the early church had for the believers.
The community was also needed to understand how they should live with this new found revelation. They needed teaching from the scriptures by the Apostles. There were both physical and spiritual needs that had to be met as they were together in community. The fellowship of the believers was also important as many were ostracized from their family and friends because of their belief in Christ. They needed the support of each other as they tried to understand how they should live and relate to others. They had a new identity and this required adjustments in many areas of their lives.
We need to gather as believers for fellowship and instruction in the Word of God. Being a part of a community of believers is God’s design for our growth. If we neglect the gathering of the saints, we do ourselves no favor and we deny others the opportunity to learn from us. The early church understood this and practiced it and the gospel spread like wild fire.
Great power
Act 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
The word translated as great is the word “mega”. We understand this word as we are familiar with the Megapaca in Guatemala. The word translated power is the same word in Acts 1:8, it is the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. The early believers had the mega supernatural power of the Holy Spirit at work in their lives.
The Apostles were the eye witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. Their testimonies were anointed by the Holy Spirit power to convict and convince people of the truth of Christ the Messiah. They effectively used the Scriptures to reason with the people and prove that Jesus was the fulfillment of the Promises and prophecies given. In addition the very thing they prayed for; signs, wonders and miracles were part of the supernatural confirmation of the messages shared.
We do not have the same eye witness testimony of the Apostles but we do have their written testimony in the scriptures and we have our own personal testimonies that the Holy Spirit will anoint to convict and convince people of the truth. We need the empowering of the Holy Spirit to be effective in our communication of the gospel. Without his working and intervention we accomplish little. He can give us the right words to say and the way to say it to be effective. We have to live in dependence upon him to lead us and anoint our minds to speak the truth.
The disciples did not back down from the threats against them. They returned and were met with great power to testify of the resurrection of Christ. They were tenacious in testifying of the resurrection of Jesus. They did not cower away, run away or hid away. I listened to a testimony of a missionary to a Muslim nation who was brutally attacked by a group of radicals. Not only was he beaten but his wife was as well and it all happened in the presence of his children. The family came back to the USA to receive medical care and when they were healthy they decided to go right back to the same community where they were beaten. They would not back down and seek for greater comfort and security. When they returned their persecutors were stunned. They could not believe they came back and it caused them to wonder what drew them to return. Their love for the people and willingness to suffer made a tremendous impact and many people came to faith in Christ. There was great power in their testimony.
Great Grace
When we are willing to face opposition and be faithful to share the gospel God will pour out his grace upon us. We think of grace as God’s unmerited favor.
But “grace,” as used in this text (“great grace”) and texts such as Luke 2:40 and Acts 11:23, also refers to “operations of the power of God.” Just as God in mercy saves us by His grace, so that grace is manifested in great dynamic where the Holy Spirit is at work in power. Zech. 4:6,7 provides an OT illustration of this truth.
Zec 4:6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
Zec 4:7 Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"
The prophet instructed Zerubbabel to speak “grace” to the “mountain”—the hindrance he faced in the trying task of rebuilding God’s temple. Speaking “grace” to obstacles we face is an action of faith, drawing on the operations of God’s great power. We only speak: the work is entirely His—by His gracious power and for His great glory. (Spirit filled life study Bible. 1997, c1991 (electronic ed.) (Ac 5:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
God’s favor and his power are with his people who are walking in obedience to his calling. God will open the right doors for us and bring us before the right people to give us the opportunity to share the gospel message. The Holy Spirit is at work behind the scenes to prepare the hearts of people. We will go through adversity and rejection. It will be costly but it is all worthwhile.
John Piper related a story he heard told by J. Oswald Sanders at a chapel service at Wheaton College that speaks of the dedication we must have to share the gospel message in spite of difficulties and rejection but also of the grace of God and the power of this message that we are privileged to share.
“…there once was and evangelist in India who tromped across the roads to various villages preaching the gospel. He was a simple man, no education, loved Jesus with all his heart, and was ready to lay his life down. And he came to a village that didn’t have the gospel. It was late in the day and he was very tired. But he goes into the village and lifts up his voice and shares the gospel with those gathered in the square. They mock him, deride him, and drive him out of town. And he was so tired-no emotional resources left-that he lies down under a tree, utterly discouraged. He goes to sleep not knowing if he’ll ever wake up. They might come kill him, for all he knows.
And suddenly, just after dusk, he is startled and wakes up. The whole town seems to be around him looking at him. He thinks he’s a goner. He starts to tremble, and one of the big men in the village says, “We came out to see what kind of man you were, and when we saw your blistered feet we knew you were a holy man. We want you to tell us why you got blistered feet to come talk to us.” So he preached the gospel and, according to J. Oswald Sanders, the whole village believed.”
Great power and great grace go hand in hand as we engage in the proclamation of the gospel message.
The early church flourished because of many factors.
They prayed for boldness and God’s confirmation through miraculous signs.
They were continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
They understood and lived in unity that came through true love and a common purpose.
They lived as a community and not as independent believers.
They experienced great power and great grace in their ministry.
They saw great results
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