A Community Gathered...

For the past two weeks, we have been spending our time together looking at a letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles called the book of Acts, which records the story of how early followers of Jesus responded to the mission that they were given to be the vehicle that God used to reveal His Son Jesus as they partnered with God to advance His kingdom mission in the world. This week, as we enter back into the story of the birth of the church, we will see Luke, at the end of the second chapter of the Book of Acts, gives us a glimpse into the life of the early church. And in this glimpse inside the church, we see Luke reveal to us God’s design for His new community called the church.

In Acts 2:42-47, we will discover several timeless practices that are necessary for followers of Jesus to embrace in community with one another, so that we would be able to fully engage in the co-mission that we have been given by God to partner with God in a way that advances God’s kingdom mission as we reveal and reflect Christ to those around us. So let’s join Luke as he gives us this glimpse, beginning in Acts 2:42:

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.

In Acts 2:42-43, we see Luke reveal for us several timeless practices that these early followers of Jesus embraced as part of the new community called the church. First, we see that these early followers of Jesus intentionally gathered together corporately. The early followers of Jesus began to gather together in the temple courts to meet together in community. That is one of the main reasons that the Jewish religious leaders of the day were so upset; can you imagine 3,000 or more people gathering and taking over your place of worship to talk about a man that you had just killed? Luke tells us that these followers of Jesus gathered together in community to participate in three major activities.

First, they gathered together devoting themselves to the apostles teaching. In other words, they gathered together to hear the Apostles share the message and teachings of Jesus. Remember, the gospels and the letters of the New Testament in our Bibles had not been written. So early followers of Jesus gathered together in community to hear Jesus closest followers explain how Jesus fulfilled the message and teaching of the Old Testament and how they were to apply the message and teachings of Jesus to their day to day lives. They gathered together in large groups in order to hear a preacher preach. Preaching has always been preeminent and prominent in the lives of followers of Jesus.

Second, these early followers of Jesus gathered together in community for the breaking of bread. The breaking of bread here refers to the Lord’s Supper, or communion. Third, Luke tells us that they gathered together for times of corporate prayer. Now, as we have previously discovered and discussed, in Jesus day, it was a common practice for people to pray out loud, in groups, in church. Jesus had taught His disciples the importance of prayer and these early leaders of this new community called the church were passing this on to the early church.

And in the same way today, as part of God’s community called the church, we are called to gather together corporately in community with one another to experience and encounter God through the preaching of His word, through the celebration of communion and through times of group and corporate prayer. God builds, God grows, God equips, and God empowers His church to partner together with Him in the co-mission that He has given us to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world through preaching, prayer, and communion in community with one another as His followers.

In verse 43, Luke explains that as these early followers of Jesus gathered together and heard the message and teachings of Jesus; as they celebrated communion; as they prayed together; everyone kept feeling a sense of awe. What is so interesting is that this phrase, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to feel a sense of fear, alarm, or fright. But this morning, why would there be a sense of fear or alarm in the church? To understand what was happening, we first need to look back at what had previously happened.

Last week, we saw Luke reveal for us that the crowds listening to Peter’s sermon were cut to the heart. God’s words through Peter and God’s activity through the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence resulted in the eyes of those listening being opened to the truth of the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel and their need for rescue from selfishness and rebellion. And as these early followers of Jesus and as those who were in the temple continued to hear the message and teachings of Jesus, there was a response of conviction of selfishness and rebellion which resulted in a sense of fear, alarm, or fright.

And this sense of fear and fright was intensified by the wonders and signs that were taking place through the Apostles. As the Apostles exercised the sign spiritual gifts that God had given them to do the miraculous, these spiritual gifts served as a sign that authenticated their message and teachings as being brought from God and not simply made up by man. The crowds recognized that this was a message from God that could not be ignored or minimized. This was a message that required a response.

Later this week, we will see Luke reveal for us several additional practices that these early followers of Jesus embraced as part of a new community called the church...