Acts 1-3

November 14

Acts 1-3

Power comes through the Holy Spirit. Jesus told the disciples to wait. He told them that when they received the Holy Spirit they would have power to be witnesses throughout the world. The disciples gathered together and waited while praying. Around 120 believers gathered together waiting and seeking the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise. On the day of Pentecost, the promise was fulfilled. The Holy Spirit came and filled the believers with His presence.

With boldness, Peter stood before the crowd and explained all that had happened. He explained the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. The people were convicted of their sin and asked what they could do now that Jesus had been killed. Peter told them to repent and be baptized. As the people turned to Jesus and were baptized, they committed their lives to this new community of believers. The church was born in a prayer meeting and the church continued in prayer.

" They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42, NIV) This verse and the rest of the second chapter of Acts give a good description of the Church acting like the Church is supposed to act. The people were learning more about Jesus and how He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. They supported one another physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They shared communion together. And they prayed.

 

Many people who claim to follow Jesus do not participate in any of the activities that marked the early church. We have become independent in our faith. We want to do things our way and joining with other people interferes with us. But the model of the early church gave balance to the believer and the community of believers. We are not an island, we are a part of a Body, the Body of Christ. Each person brings a unique piece of the total. Each person is needed and necessary.

 

If the Church would make its core values, the same as the values of the early church, we would be healthier, stronger, and would transform the world in which we live.