Acts: WK 7 We are the Church

What does it mean to be the Church?

Acts 2.41-47
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and has shown Himself to His disciples and many others while giving them additional instructions concerning the kingdom of God (1:1-3). One of His instructions was for them to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit at which time they would receive power from Him to be His witnesses in both Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth (1:4-8). While the disciples were watching, Jesus then ascended into heaven with the promise that He would return in the same way in the future (1:9-11). The disciples along with about 120 others gathered in the Upper Room to pray and wait.

It is now the Day of Pentecost and what Jesus had promised has now come to pass. The Holy Spirit came with a noise like a violent, rushing wind and then manifested Himself in tongues as of fire that rested upon each one there. Then, they are all filled with the Spirit and begin to speak with other tongues. The noise attracts a large crowd of devout Jews who had come to Jerusalem from many different countries. They hear those who were filled with the Holy Spirit speaking in the 15 different languages and dialects from the areas they had been born so they are puzzled. Some wonder what it means while others are mocking saying they must be drunk.

Peter then gives a sermon that refutes those who were mocking while explaining to the others what was happening. It was too early in the morning for people to be drunk (vs. 15). What they heard and saw was in keeping with Joel’s prophecy that in the last days God would pour forth His spirit. Joel’s prophecy concerns the coming Day of the Lord in which there would be judgement upon those who did not obey the Lord, but restoration for those that repented, so that hope was given that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (vs. 16-21). Peter then goes on to clearly present that Jesus is the promised Messiah that they needed to call on for salvation. He proved that He was Lord and Christ by His many miracles, wonders and signs (vs. 22), that Jesus was not a victim, but that His death was according to the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God even though it was accomplished at the hands of evil men (vs. 23). Jesus was also raised from the dead even as David had prophesied in Psalm 16, and He ascended to the right hand of the Father according to David’s prophecy in Psalm 110. Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension all prove that He is Lord and Christ, but they had crucified Him.

Verse 37 tells us that these devout Jews were “pierced to the heart” when then heard all of this. In light of the prophecy of Joel that Peter had already mentioned, they knew that the Day of the Lord would bring judgement upon all who did not obey the Lord and blessing only on those that repented, and they now stood guilty of killing the Messiah. They plead with Peter to know what they should do to be saved from their sin.

Peter’s answer is that they should “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He then continued testifying of Christ and exhorting them to* “Be saved from this perverse generation!”*

Verse 41 tells us the response. “So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” Though we do not know the total size of the group that was listening, a very large number of these devout Jews did understand Peter’s message and followed through with repentance. We need to remember that this was a radical departure from their practice of Judaism. Though repentance and ceremonial cleansing were always a part of Judaism, being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ was new. In addition, it has only been just over seven weeks since Jesus had been crucified, so this was a very risky action in view of the hatred the religious leaders had for Jesus. But about 3,000 of them understood that there was greater risk in remaining unrepentant, so they publicly identified themselves with Christ as a sign of their repentance. They probably used the ceremonial baths that were located at the base of the temple for the baptisms.

Matthew 16.15-19
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

“Continually devoting” is the idea of giving constant attention to.

Ephesians 5.25-27
25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 

Jesus loves and established the church

Too many people are comfortable going to church and not being the church!

Hebrews 10.23-25
23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. 24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

The church should be marked by power, community, and caring for each other’s needs.

The local church is the greatest hope for the world

V 47 says the Lord added to their numbers daily

The most Pentecostal thing that can happen is people coming to a relationship with Jesus.

Transformed lives follow true devotion to God’s people.

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