The Fellowship of the King

Acts 2:42-2:47They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47

This week, our church had communion and a “sharing time.” A sharing time is a time when anyone can come up and share what they have been learning about living the Christian life, through experiences or through studying the Word. I introduced the time with this passage and a brief discussion of two Greek words.

The Holy Spirit's Spectacular Arrival

Acts 2:1-2:41

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. – Acts 2:1

Remember our crew of disciples? Last week we left them waiting. We talked about all the challenges of doing this – the waiting without a known resolution, the challenges of providing for so many people, etc.

On this particular day, it was Pentecost – the Feast of Weeks. This was one of the “big three” Jewish holidays described in Exodus 23:14-17. The passage states, “Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to Me.” The passage goes on to describe these festivals as the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Passover), the Feast of Harvest (Pentecost – which literally means count fifty – it occurs 50 days after Passover), and the Feast of Ingathering (Feast of Tabernacles).

Homothumadon

Acts 1:12-1:26I was born Jewish, and went through years of Hebrew school, culminating in a Bar Mitzvah when I was 13 years old. When I was about 9 or 10 years old, one day the Cantor (like a music director) at our synagogue told our Hebrew class that we were going to do a rendition of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and that I was to be Joseph! I was not actually asked if I wanted to do this. I was so much in shock that I didn't say anything. Over the next week, more detailed plans were put in place, and I grew more and more panicked. Finally, I told my parents that I absolutely did not want to do this. They talked to the Cantor and I got out of it.

Whew!

When I think about Jesus' final instructions in the first part of the first chapter of Acts, I wonder if the apostles/disciples felt the same way. Here is what He told them:

Jesus' Spectacular Departure

Acts 1:1-1:11In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. - Acts 1:1-1:3

With this passage begins the book of Acts, and with this passage our church began a journey that will last more than half a year.

The author was Luke, and the "former book" mentioned is what we call the Gospel of Luke. Luke was a physician, someone careful to observe detail, especially with regards to medical issues. At the same time, Luke was selective, sometimes mentioning things that take up years in a brief sentence.