Text: Acts 2:1-8, 12-13
When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house [place] *where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of* them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?
- Luke 24:53, “Every day they went to the temple, praising and worshiping God.”
12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter then preached an amazing sermon, a summary of which is found in the next verses…
(41) Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Feast of Pentecost was the anniversary of the giving of The Law at Mount Sinai and is considered to be the birthday of ancient Israel. Following that event, 3000 Israelites died. 1400 years later on the same day, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Jewish people at Mount Zion, and that day, the birthday of the church, 3000 were saved. The church was born!
(46) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
Acts 5:12, “All the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.” (A covered area that was popular for public lectures and discussions).
Acts 5:42, “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.”
These gatherings included the ingredients found in most church meetings today: prayer, teaching, worship, communion, and fellowship. In their homes, they would also eat together.
The principles remain the same.
The Gospel remains the same.
The means will change (Technology)
First Century Technology
Scrolls & letters (parchments)
2 Tim. 4:13, “When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.”
The technology of the day in the first century for passing on knowledge consisted of scrolls and parchments (Gk. Membranah = membrane or an animal skin) used for writing.
Scrolls ~ written parchment rolled up
Parchments ~ unrolled written parchment (valuable documents)
Today, we have 13 of Paul’s letters in the New Testament. But some of his letters have been lost…
1 Corinthians 5:9-10, “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral…”
Colossians 4:16, “After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.”
A couple of other verses of interest…
2 Thessalonians 3:17, “I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.”
1 Timothy 4:13, “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching” (because of high illiteracy. In the first century, 10% of people could read and only 3% could write).
Paul, and the other New Testament writers employed the technology of their day ~ written scrolls and parchments. Roman roads. One common language (Greek).
Technology through church history
Throughout church history the church has continued to embrace technology for the spreading of the gospel.
105: The paper revolution began
1439: Printing press was invented by Johannes Guttenberg
1455: The Guttenberg Bible
(The Bible was the first major book to be printed on his printing press. This marked the start of the book revolution).
1930s: Radio became very popular
(The first Christian radio station began in 1921)
1950s: Television started gaining popularity
(The first Christian TV program began in 1952 with evangelist, Rex Humbard)
1960s: Colour TV
1970s The computer age, videos, cassettes/CDs (duplication), Internet, online books, kindles, audio books and so on
My point here is that, throughout the centuries, the church has been very good at adapting to new technologies and incorporating them into the communication of the Bible and the gospel. At each step Christians have reimagined church…
Past pandemics have been times of death and devastation, but also times to rebuild and reimagine. At Bayside Church, we’re easing into 2021 to see what God has for us, where the Spirit leads us (Ex. 13:21).
I believe the church will continue to respond to the changes brought about by modern technology. We’re reimagining church, seeing things in a whole new way.
Some things don’t change
Jesus doesn’t change
The Gospel message doesn’t change
The need for in-person gatherings in large and small numbers
In the temple courts and from house to house
Other things do change
While In-person gathering is very important, church online is important too. The future us not about either/or but both!
We don’t copy the Bible word for word anymore. We’ve come a long way since Monks copied Scripture by hand. While the Bible is still being printed, more and more people are reading the Bible online.
We don’t copy cassettes and CDs anymore. Everything is now online.
Radio & TV have become increasingly on-demand and app based.
That trend will continue.
In the decade ahead, we’ll see all sorts of new technology arise that will impact us and cause us to continue to reimagine church!
Discussion Questions
Share your experiences of being filled or baptised with the Holy Spirit. (If there are people in the group who have not yet been baptised with the Holy Spirit, you may like to take some time to pray with them)
Discuss: “The first century church met in the temple courts (large numbers), and in their homes (small groups). Two millennia later this is still the pattern in healthy Australian churches.”
The message (gospel) remains the same, but the means (technology) changes. What technological changes have you witnessed in your lifetime? How has this impacted on your Christian life?
2 Timothy 4:9-22 is extremely insightful into the experiences of Paul’s final months before his execution. Read and discuss.
The last century has seen dramatic technological advances. How have things like radio, TV, computers, videos, cassettes/CDs, the Internet, online books, kindles, & audio books impacted your life as a Christian?