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Sunday May 26, 2024
Sunday May 26, 2024
The Spirit Explodes
Part 4 of 22 - Healing and challenging
by Roger Kirby
(Acts 2:41 – 4:4)
Luke inserts several summaries of the developing situation into his account of which 2:41 is the first. He then continues his account of those early days of the church in Jerusalem, reinforcing by repetition the points he wants to make.
It is not possible (unless you are very rich!) to live in the way described in these verses for any length of time. Sooner or later the money will run out. Somebody has to work and provide a steady flow of income as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “if a man will not work, he shall not eat”.
Question 1: Why did Luke tell us about this necessarily limited period in the life of the infant church? What positive things is he stressing by doing so?
His purpose must be his interest in telling us about the positively good things that were being done in that early church. There was clearly a deep concern to learn about the meaning of their new found Christian faith and to live a life worthy of the Lord. It is hard for those of us in the calmer parts of the world to think just how different and difficult that will have been in the world of those days. He is stressing the togetherness of the early church with the richer folk looking after the poorer people amongst them.
The clear picture at the end of chapter 2 repeated at the end of chapter 4 is of a close-knit community sharing their worldly possessions and ensuring that there are no great inequalities of wealth among them. It seems that the natural economic forces of globalism lead inevitably to greater and greater inequalities of wealth distribution. The poor stay poor; the rich get ever richer.
Question 2: What can you do to resist this trend?
Probably not a lot! But each one of us must try to help those who are poor, particularly when it is no fault of theirs.
The second thing he is stressing is how much the early Christians were doing together. They were taught by the apostles what it was all about, together. They worshipped together, including the breaking of bread, or, as we call it the taking of communion. They ate together in each other’s houses. And much of it they did in the temple courts together so everybody in Jerusalem could see and hear what was going on. That must have been a powerful way to attract other people to follow Jesus. True Christian fellowship is not a rushing together for an hour or so every Sunday morning but a much more consistent activity spreading through the week. Think about how you meet and fellowship with other Christians and how you could do so more often and more consistently, to your mutual benefit.
Read 3:1 – 10.
Question 3: You, like Peter, may be short of silver and gold! Peter was able to give healing to the lame man. What can you give to the lame, the lonely, the lost or the lacking?
Notice that I carefully said ‘or’ in my list. Very few of us will ever be able to cover more than one of the list of shortcomings with any effectiveness. What is important is to identify our sphere of competence and to work within it with all a Holy Spirit’s energies. If it is the lame you will likely be a medic; if the lonely you will be active in visiting; if the lost you will be an evangelist; if the lacking you will be a teacher of faith. Which is it for you?
Read 3:11 - 4:4
Peter carefully said “it was not by their own power or godliness we made this man walk”.
Question 4: What does that warn us about?
Too many people preaching round the world are quick to claim that it was their super strong faith or special fullness of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to heal people. It is amazing how much influence those with enough self-confidence can wield on other people. Be careful to look for signs of humility and the giving of all praise to God and the glory of Jesus, as Peter did, in those who would try to impress you – and, indeed, in yourself!
Question 5: Peter called for repentance, stating that it would have past, present and future effects when he said “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out (past), that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (present), and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus (future). Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” Which of those aspects:past, present or future, is most attractive to people in your world? How can we ensure that we understand and benefit from all three aspects?
In our world most people are not the least bit interested in repentance because they have no vision of sin as being a serious affront to a Holy God. Any exceptions to that statement are probably only interested in the present anyway. Once we come to a knowledge of Jesus and what he has done for us our interest in the past fades for he has promised to forget our sins – why should we remember them if he does not? We should, however, delight in the promise of a time of refreshing and look ahead in confident assurance that we will eventually be with him in the renewed world to come.
Question 6: What was Peter calling for repentance from? Where does this rank in the list of terrible sins? What, then, can we conclude about the availability of forgiveness from really bad sins?
Peter has just been accusing his hearers of “handing Jesus over to be killed” and “you killed the author of life”. It is hard to think of worse sins than that! We may conclude that no sin is so bad we cannot seek forgiveness from it by exercising true repentance. Amazing.
There is a great promise in what Peter said of “a prophet like Moses”. This prophet will be from “your own people”; he was to be a source of miracle signs like Moses; he was to be listened to. Jesus fitted that prophecy perfectly. Many claims have been made since that somebody or other is this great prophet, but none have been remotely like Jesus or Moses.
Do not follow anyone else!
Luke inserts several summaries of the developing situation into his account of which 2:41 is the first. He then continues his account of those early days of the church in Jerusalem, reinforcing by repetition the points he wants to make.
It is not possible (unless you are very rich!) to live in the way described in these verses for any length of time. Sooner or later the money will run out. Somebody has to work and provide a steady flow of income as Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 “if a man will not work, he shall not eat”.
Question 1: Why did Luke tell us about this necessarily limited period in the life of the infant church? What positive things is he stressing by doing so?
His purpose must be his interest in telling us about the positively good things that were being done in that early church. There was clearly a deep concern to learn about the meaning of their new found Christian faith and to live a life worthy of the Lord. It is hard for those of us in the calmer parts of the world to think just how different and difficult that will have been in the world of those days. He is stressing the togetherness of the early church with the richer folk looking after the poorer people amongst them.
The clear picture at the end of chapter 2 repeated at the end of chapter 4 is of a close-knit community sharing their worldly possessions and ensuring that there are no great inequalities of wealth among them. It seems that the natural economic forces of globalism lead inevitably to greater and greater inequalities of wealth distribution. The poor stay poor; the rich get ever richer.
Question 2: What can you do to resist this trend?
Probably not a lot! But each one of us must try to help those who are poor, particularly when it is no fault of theirs.
The second thing he is stressing is how much the early Christians were doing together. They were taught by the apostles what it was all about, together. They worshipped together, including the breaking of bread, or, as we call it the taking of communion. They ate together in each other’s houses. And much of it they did in the temple courts together so everybody in Jerusalem could see and hear what was going on. That must have been a powerful way to attract other people to follow Jesus. True Christian fellowship is not a rushing together for an hour or so every Sunday morning but a much more consistent activity spreading through the week. Think about how you meet and fellowship with other Christians and how you could do so more often and more consistently, to your mutual benefit.
Read 3:1 – 10.
Question 3: You, like Peter, may be short of silver and gold! Peter was able to give healing to the lame man. What can you give to the lame, the lonely, the lost or the lacking?
Notice that I carefully said ‘or’ in my list. Very few of us will ever be able to cover more than one of the list of shortcomings with any effectiveness. What is important is to identify our sphere of competence and to work within it with all a Holy Spirit’s energies. If it is the lame you will likely be a medic; if the lonely you will be active in visiting; if the lost you will be an evangelist; if the lacking you will be a teacher of faith. Which is it for you?
Read 3:11 - 4:4
Peter carefully said “it was not by their own power or godliness we made this man walk”.
Question 4: What does that warn us about?
Too many people preaching round the world are quick to claim that it was their super strong faith or special fullness of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to heal people. It is amazing how much influence those with enough self-confidence can wield on other people. Be careful to look for signs of humility and the giving of all praise to God and the glory of Jesus, as Peter did, in those who would try to impress you – and, indeed, in yourself!
Question 5: Peter called for repentance, stating that it would have past, present and future effects when he said “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out (past), that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (present), and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus (future). Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” Which of those aspects:past, present or future, is most attractive to people in your world? How can we ensure that we understand and benefit from all three aspects?
In our world most people are not the least bit interested in repentance because they have no vision of sin as being a serious affront to a Holy God. Any exceptions to that statement are probably only interested in the present anyway. Once we come to a knowledge of Jesus and what he has done for us our interest in the past fades for he has promised to forget our sins – why should we remember them if he does not? We should, however, delight in the promise of a time of refreshing and look ahead in confident assurance that we will eventually be with him in the renewed world to come.
Question 6: What was Peter calling for repentance from? Where does this rank in the list of terrible sins? What, then, can we conclude about the availability of forgiveness from really bad sins?
Peter has just been accusing his hearers of “handing Jesus over to be killed” and “you killed the author of life”. It is hard to think of worse sins than that! We may conclude that no sin is so bad we cannot seek forgiveness from it by exercising true repentance. Amazing.
There is a great promise in what Peter said of “a prophet like Moses”. This prophet will be from “your own people”; he was to be a source of miracle signs like Moses; he was to be listened to. Jesus fitted that prophecy perfectly. Many claims have been made since that somebody or other is this great prophet, but none have been remotely like Jesus or Moses.
Do not follow anyone else!
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