Most Christians are pretty realistic. They don’t hold out much hope for earthly utopias. A utopia is a perfect society on earth. And whenever anyone promises a perfect place on earth, we are pretty skeptical.
We had one once. It was called the Garden of Eden. But the way back there is barred. Our own sinful folly destroyed it.
We look forward to one, too. This utopia will be even better. Not a garden with two people, but a golden city filled with innumerable redeemed people. All creation rejoicing round Jesus Christ as Creator and Redeemer, to the glory of God the Father.
We look back to one utopia, and forward to another.
But how good can church life get in the now? It will never be heaven, granted. We are realists enough to believe that.
Who hopes for what he already has. But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:24-25 NIV)
Only in the new heaven will be no more mourning, death, crying or pain.
But what can we reasonably and sensibly expect of church life NOW? What can we aspire to NOW? What can we pray for, and work towards, and partner to build NOW?
Now of course all of you are interested in this. You’re here! You’ve prepared yourself to sit through it today. What is the best that you can expect?
Given that there will always be funerals, and hospital visits, and tears, and sinners confessing their sins, what is the best that we can hope for this side of glory?
Well, Luke gives a glimpse of one church at one particular place and time. It was particularly blessed, in that it knew Jesus Christ personally, and had 12 apostles, not to mention Jesus’ mum and brothers. Moreover, what we read is a description, not a prescription. Luke is saying what was, not what must be. But the example of the early church in Jerusalem is instructive. It in fact might be something for us to aspire to, if we find we ourselves have not come up to what they have achieved.
At different points in his account, Luke pauses to give summary statements about church life or church growth. It wasn’t all ‘Day of Pentecost’ stuff, of course. That was extra-ordinary -- which was why Luke recorded it. But there was the ordinary, everyday life of the church.
Notice, that Luke’s picture of Christian life wasn’t individualistic. 'Thanks for my salvation, Peter. Now I’m off, to live my own life, and I’ll see you in heaven.' No solo monasticism, here. It was profoundly a together life. It was a social life, a life lived together, with one another in the sight of God.
Even before Pentecost, we read in Acts 1:14 of the 120:
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. (NIV)
The Galileans joined together. Jesus’ kin were there, and his fellow Galileans, who had travelled with the risen Jesus from Galilee to Jerusalem.
But after the day of Pentecost, their numbers grew exponentially: Acts 2:41:
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Jesus was right -- his disciples would do greater things than even Jesus himself (John 14:12-13). The Risen Jesus left some hundreds in Galilee, and 120 in Jerusalem. But the disciples gathered 3000 on one day!
What would such astounding, 3000% growth do to their fellowship? How would they get on? What problems would such a massive explosion of church growth cause?
Well, Luke is a faithful historian and a realistic one. Luke will record some of the problems in this new community – and some of the problems were very serious indeed. We will come to them in due course. But in the passages today, Luke wants to make it clear how generally this new society worked and functioned. For this is the new kingdom of Christ, starting as a small mustard seed, but growing so that it will take over the world. It is a slice of heaven on earth. It is the future world brought into the present. A colonial outpost of heavenly citizens on earth, waiting to go home.
So what does it look like? Acts 2:42:
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)
They devoted themselves. The word ‘devote’ is strong one[1]. It means a strong, steadfast and constant attention and observance.
The individuals were changed, and they gathered together and formed an identifiable group. Individually, they had been cut to the heart, and then recreated by the message of Jesus Christ. Corporately, they were drawn together with common purpose under a common Lord.
What were the early church ‘into’? What characterized the way they spent their time? They were devoted to four things.
First, the ‘apostles’ teaching’. This was the centre of church life. The church is apostolic because it adheres to the Apostles’ teaching. Jesus promised the Apostles in John 16:13-14:
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. (John 16:13-14 NIV)
The one who listens to the Apostles, listens to the Spirit of Christ. And the one who listens to the Spirit of Christ, listens to the Risen Christ himself. Whoever listens to the Apostles listens to the one who sent them, Jesus.
So how do we listen to the Apostle’s now? They are now dead. Where being dead, do they now speak?
In the Old Testament. Because this was their bible. Jesus told them the Old Testament was all about him.
And in the New Testament. Matthew and John wrote gospels. Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul, Mark the recorder of the Apostle Peter. Paul wrote 13 letters, Peter 2, John 3 and the Revelation. James and Jude were Jesus’ brothers and wrote two letters. And Hebrews came from the Apostolic circle, even though we don’t know who wrote it.
In other words, the Bible is where we find the Apostle’s teaching. It is the only sure place to find it. And they believed their teaching was sufficient for salvation.
And we too must be devoted to the Apostle’s teaching. We must be bible people. Read the bible, think about the bible, meditate on it, chew over it, wrestle with it, believe it and obey it. Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest. That’s us. We are bible open people.
But the bible is a book that is hard to understand! True, Peter said that Paul wrote some things that are hard to understand. But that doesn’t mean everything is hard to understand, only some things. The way of salvation is crystal clear. Indeed, everything necessary for salvation is abundantly clear (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
How can you be devoted to the Apostle’s teaching. Read the Old Testament, both Old and New. See how Christ fulfills the Old Testament. Or come to one of our mid week growth groups, or bible studies. All of it is Apostolic teaching, because the Old Testament was their Bible, and the New Testament was their writing and contained their gospel.
Second, the early church were devoted to ‘the fellowship’. It is an unusual word, and distinctly Christian. The greek word is koinœnia It means ‘to share with someone in something above and beyond the relationship itself’[2]. In other words, it is means a common purpose, a common work, a common agenda. Sometimes it is mistaken for ‘friendship’, but ‘friendship’ is not ‘fellowship’.
Consider ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ The Nine companions were drawn together unbidden. They were to assist Frodo to throw the one ring into the fire of Mount Doom. The 9 companions were not friends. They barely knew each other and came to the quest with ancient animosities and old suspicions. Friendship came as a result of their long fellowship, yes. But fellowship does not come from friendship. Fellowship preceded friendship.
Fellowship can only come from sharing in, promoting, and fighting for a common cause. And the cause is far more important than mere friendship or kinship.
This is true of my relationship with you. I shared fellowship with you before I could have been called your friend. For we gathered under the Lordship of Christ before our Lord drew us together. It is he and his cause that draws us together.
Fellowship t is the sacred commeradery well ordered and trained troops feel toward one another as they head into battle. They are not there as friends. They have a country or a free world to fight for. They are involved in something bigger than them, and for which they are prepared to give their lives. Their own personal interests pale into insignificance as they consider the war effort.
Fellowship is the unity of purpose a champion sporting team experiences. They are not assembled because they are ‘friends’. They are chosen because the selectors believe that individually they are competent and together they will combine to win. But the fact that they aren’t friends to start with doesn’t stop them jumping all over each other with man-hugs, and high-fives, when they score a try or kick a goal or get a wicket. Because the fellowship causes friendship.
Fellowship is the spirit of common work that Chicken Mick can inspire in 200 of his mates and 100 local businesses to get a house finished for a single mum who’s dying of bowel cancer and leaves three teenage children behind[3].
And fellowship was there in the early church. They were devoted to it. It was there as every member promoted the gospel of the risen King Jesus. They did it in whatever way each one could. One body with members differently gifted. Some preached or taught, others served or lead, still others administered or helped. In whatever way they were able and gifted by the Spirit, they used it for common purpose. That is fellowship.
Third, ‘the breaking of bread’. The ‘breaking of bread’ refers to their common meals. They ate together. The disciples shared food in their homes (Acts 2:46). They met by households and daily. Particularly because of the physical needs of the community required it. This was practical hospitality.
And of course, breaking bread had a new significance, because of the Lord’s supper. Now their meals had a built-in remembrance of Jesus Christ. It seems that for the early church, the distinction between a ‘parish lunch’ and ‘the Lord’s supper’ or a ‘church dinner’ and ‘Holy communion’ was much less than it is for us.
‘The prayers’ suggests a reference to specific prayers. It may well refer to the set times of prayers at the Temple (see Acts 3:1, cf 2:46). However, it is clear that being involved in ‘the prayers’ was part of their devotion to prayer. It was part of the fact that they ‘all joined together constantly in prayer’ (Acts 1:14). They joined together in prayer.
The fact was that churching together was not a burden, a boring duty. It was their life’s breath and heart beat
Now, not everything about their church life was comfortable. In fact, frequently they were thoroughly unsettled. Verse 43:
Everyone was filled with awe (literally, fear came over each soul), and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. (NIV)
These Christians were not comfortable and settled. They realized they were dealing with God and eternity, and so lived their lives with a holy fear.
At great moments in salvation history, God came close to his people. He spoke to them directly from Mount Sinai when he gave the 10 commandments. And they cowered in fear, and begged him to stop. So that Moses said to the people:
"Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning." (Exodus 20:20 NIV)
And likewise, in the early church, ‘fear came over each soul’. But it was not paralyzing fear. Nor was it their only emotion. For the overwhelming feeling I get as I read verses 44 to 47 is of an attractive, joyful, grateful fellowship of people. Around the edges was a holy fear, but at the centre was elation.
Just like when someone climbs the mountain and reaches the summit. What is the mountaintop experience? At the centre of the summit, where the footing is sure, is pure joy and wonder at the view. But around the edges the wise mountaineer feels fear which keeps his foot from a foolish slip.
Let me read verses 44 to 46 for you again:
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together [they received their food] with glad and sincere [or generous] hearts…(NIV)
The thing about this is, it was all unstudied and unforced. The pastor didn’t go off and read a leadership book, or manipulate them by saying that God needed their money, or taking them on to a guilt trip to get more ministry out of them. Go to church more, read your bible more, share your food more, be more generous. Their lives were opened to one another, something more than friendship drove them to meet with one another, and as a result they met each other’s needs.
Radical faith led to radical love. And radical love led to radical generosity.
Now, this isn’t about communism verses capitalism. Christians are allowed to own their own houses. Article 38 of our denomination rightly says that ‘a Christians good are not common’. Becoming a Christian does not mean you forfeit your goods to the church. There is no compulsion in such things.
Christianity isn’t against private ownership. Many members of the church in Jerusalem clearly sold many of their goods. But they obviously didn’t sell the houses that they lived in. How do I know? Because they continued to meet in their homes.
And even the Apostle Paul will acknowledge private ownership, even if it extended to another human being. That is, slavery. Paul will send a slave back to his master because of private ownership (Philemon).
But what faith in Christ produced was a different attitude, not a different economic system. In attitude, they shared their things, whether their homes or their possessions.
Faith in Christ meant that each person looked beyond self-interest to the needs of others. And they gave generously and received thankfully. They did not give up meeting together, but joined together all the more as they saw the day of Christ approaching. (Hebrews 10:25) They used whatever they had -- their homes, their goods, their food, the public spaces like the temple courts – everything at their fingertips, to show their love for God and love for neighbor.
Any system can be used by sinful people for selfishness. So the Rich Greedy Capitalist says, ‘this is mine, and I won’t share’. And the Communist Party Leader can say, ‘Filthy Capitalism’. And then drive past his impoverished commerades to live in opulence as decadent as any capitalist.
The minister of religion can denounce greed, workaholism, and the evils of over-mortgaging, and then go home to his nice rectory standard house without any fear of not meeting mortgage repayments, and live off his well calculated stipend and MEA. The monk (or Moore College Student) can take his vow of poverty knowing that his board, meals, work, and library are well provided for, all owned and maintained by the church. And Archbishop or Pope can truthfully point to all the magnificent buildings and art works and say, ‘But it’s not mine – it belongs to the church’.
The system is not the problem. It is always the human heart.
But if I as your minister, show you not through just my words but my life that I really believe that the Risen Jesus is King, then that changes everything. The Holy Spirit will stir faith in my sinful heart. And faith will work through love. And it will lead to my gospel and self-sacrificial generosity. And such love, while it is not done for men to see, cannot be hidden.
And if you see me following Christ, and as the Holy Spirit stirs your heart, then you will want to follow me, as I follow Christ. “Ahh, now I see it. That’s what generosity and gospel zeal looks like in our context and our situation. That’s what really living for Christ means. This is how good church can be as we wait for Christ to return. I like it. I want some of it.'
And of course, some of you will outrun me, and will then spur me on even more. That’s only normal, because we each have different gifts.
But you and I will be doing it together, with one heart and mind, standing firm on the Apostles’ teaching, the bible, breaking bread together, sharing our lives, praying in common and devotedly, because we are involved in a common cause greater than any one of us, and which cannot fail, because it depends not on us but God.
And it is not only you, the insider, that sees it. The outsider sees it too. Our common life will make the teaching about God our Saviour attractive. Notice what Luke says in verse 47
… And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (NIV)
It is no accident that Luke puts that there. Peter’s Pentecost Testimony led to 3000 being saved. But the daily church life led to daily salvation. Continually sinners were saved and daily added to their number as they won the outsider over with their message and their ordinary but extra-ordinary lives.
May it be the same for us.
Let’s pray.
[1] proskarterw/ is used in the NT only in: Acts 1:14 (prayer of the 120); 2:42 (the post-Pentecost church’s attitude to Apostolic teaching, fellowship, bread, and prayers), 46 (together); 6:4 (Apostles continuing in prayer and ministry of the word); 8:13 (Simon Magus continuing with Phillip); 10:7 (of Cornelius’ faithful soldier in waiting). Also in Rom 12:12 (prayer); 13:6 (government as God’s ministers); Col 4:2 (prayer); Mk 3:9. From kartere,w, from kartero,j (`strong,' `steadfast'), of which the root is (to,) ka,rtoj for kra,toj `strength'; to persevere (`continue steadfastly') in anything, to give constant attention to a thing, Acts 2:42; th/| proseuch,,Acts 1:14; 6:4; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2; with the dative of a person, to adhere to one, be his adherent; to be devoted or constant to one: Acts 8:13; 10:7,; eivj ti,, to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing, Rom. 13:6; evn with a dative of place, to continue all the time in a place, Acts 2:46; absolutely to persevere, not to faint (in a thing); to show oneself courageous: Thayer
[2] Peterson, Engaging, 153
[3] http://www.7perth.com.au/view/today-tonight-articles/today-tonight-brodies-story/