Devoting Themselves

 Acts 2:37-47

Good morning!  Today we are going to make it to the end of chapter 2 in the book of Acts!

The chapter could be separated into 4 sections.  At the beginning of chapter 2, we have the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the rushing wind and the tongues of fire.  Fred shared on that two weeks ago.  Then, Peter addresses the crowd.  That was the passage Carl covered last week.  Now, we get to see how the people responded to Peter’s message.  Then, we will see what happened as a result of their response.

In last week’s passage, Peter proclaimed Christ in a variety of ways.  He explained the arrival of the Holy Spirit using a passage from the Old Testament.  Then, he told of Jesus’ life, His miracles, His arrest and crucifixion.  And He testified to Jesus’ resurrection, saying “it was not possible for Him to be held by death.”

Peter then referred to Psalms that David had written, speaking of a Holy One who would not see corruption in the grave.

Then, in Acts 2:32, Peter says, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses.”  Initially, when I think of the word “we” in that sentence, I think of the disciples who had seen the risen Jesus in the flesh.  But, it is interesting to consider that we are 50 days from the time of the resurrection.  In that time and beyond, there was no rebuttal that the tomb was not empty.  There was no body that could be shown.  The only thing the Pharisees came up with was to pay off the soldiers who had guarded the tomb telling them to say that the disciples had come and stolen the body.  This was hardly believable.  Armed soldiers versus civilians and no witnesses?

In a way, Peter could be including those from Jerusalem and those who had been in Jerusalem during or after the time of the resurrection.  They were all witnesses to the empty tomb.  The angel at the empty tomb said, “Come and see.”  The empty tomb of Jesus never resists an honest investigation.  No soldier or Pharisee ever said that the tomb wasn’t empty.  That fact was accepted by all.

There truly is none like Jesus.  Our Lord and Savior is alive.  He has overcome the grave.  He gives new life.  His transforming redeeming power is a wonder to behold.

Let’s pray as we prepare to look into just that.

Lord Jesus, Risen Christ, we worship You.  Thank You for giving us Your Word.  Thank You that we can see how You first sent Your Holy Spirit.  Thank You that we can see how the good news was told from the first.  May Your Spirit continue to fill Your people, fill us, that more and more people will come to put their hope and trust in You.  Speak to us now we pray in Your Name Jesus.  Amen.

Most times when I’m teaching on a passage, I share verse by verse and sometimes phrase by phrase.  Today, I’m going to read half the passage and then we’ll get into the details.  After we go over those five verse, I’ll read the remaining portion, six verses, and we’ll go over those as well.  So, this is Acts 2:37-41.

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. – Acts 2:37-41

When the people heard this … -- Acts 2:37

“This” was Peter’s address to the people in Jerusalem following the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost that we talked about a little already.

As noted, Peter started with a passage from the Old Testament from the book of Joel.  In it, God says of a coming day,

I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on My servants, both men and women, I will pour out My Spirit in those days. … And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said. – Joel 2:28-29, 32

That day has arrived, and God has now poured out and continues to pour out His Spirit on both men and women.

With that foundation, Peter went on to talk of Jesus.  It is an incredibly short but powerful testimony. 

Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him. – Acts 2:22-24

Then, Peter explained to them using David’s words from Psalm 16:8-11.  In those verses, David speaks of the Holy One of God who will not see decay in the grave.  Peter points out that King David died and is still entombed there in Jerusalem, and had been for a thousand years.  David was not talking about himself when he was speaking of the Holy One of God.

Next, we hear that Jesus is the fulfillment of that prophecy.  Jesus is the Christ, the chosen or anointed One of God.  Jesus rose from the dead on the third day.  His body did not see decay.

Prior to verse 32, Peter concludes with these words, “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”  How did the people respond to these words?

… they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" – Acts 2:37

These listeners were not unmoved by Peter’s words.  They heard what he said.  They were deeply impacted, cut to the heart.  And, they cried out, “what shall we do!”

I consider this a significant moving by the Spirit as well.  They were drawn to this message, and they wanted to know how to respond.  How often do we when we are challenged or corrected follow with this question, “what then should I do?”

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. – Acts 2:38

1.      Repent (Jesus’ message) – multiple times in the gospel, both Jesus and the disciples; John may not use the word repent, but he does presuppose repentance in his writings (especially John 16:8, The Holy Spirit will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin.) https://www.gty.org/library/articles/A238/repentance-in-the-gospel-of-john

2.      Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ – baptism and belief are often associated in Acts (8:12, 18:8); baptism in the name of Jesus is in contrast to John’s baptism (19:4-5); baptism does not effect or cause forgiveness, baptism is symbolic of forgiveness (Romans 6:3-4, we are baptized into Jesus’ death and raised to new life)

3.      You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit – the promise of the Holy Spirit is for all believers (Romans 8:9-11, anyone without the Spirit does not belong to Christ, and I Corinthians 12:13, we are all baptized into one Spirit)

The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call. – Acts 2:39

Who is the promise for?  All.  All means all and all’s all means.  The word all is there in the Greek, and it always means all.  Seriously, I checked the occurrences, and there are more than 1200 in the New Testament.  Two thirds of the time, it’s translated “all” straight up.  To get to 95% of the occurrences, you have to add words like “all things, every, all men, whosoever, everyone, whole, all manner of.”  That’s good news, right?

Later we will see the astonishment of the disciples as they realize the gospel is not only for the Jews, but for the Gentiles as well.  I find it humorous that Peter was preaching this truth before he understood it fully.

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation. –  Acts 2:40

When I read this verse, I thought about something Brian mentioned about how he follows up a person who has put their faith in Christ, gotten saved.  He said the next thing he does when he meets with that person again is to share the gospel.

So, I think you can look at this verse at least in a couple of ways.  Like Brian’s example, it’s as if Peter is sharing again the call to repentance and salvation.  In addition, we are called to turn from darkness and love the light (John 3:19), come to the light (John 3:20), walk in the light (I John 1:7), practice the truth (John 3:21), worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), honor God (John 5:22-24), do good deeds (John 5:29), to be holy (Hebrews 12:14, I Peter 1:15-16).

We should not follow the ways of this corrupt generation.  We should not lead lives of sin, but rather seek to honor and glorify God by how we live our lives.

And so, how did the people respond to Peter’s exhortation?

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. – Acts 2:41

Some accepted the message, but some didn’t.

Those who accepted the message took action.

It was not a small number.  There were more than 500 disciples at that time, but only 120 in Jerusalem.  I take 120 from Acts 1:15 which is focused on how many were in Jerusalem.  500 comes from I Corinthians 15:6 where Jesus appeared to this many people at one time.  The Bible does not give us the exact location of this meeting, but most likely, it was in Galilee.  From that, now there are 3,000, an explosive growth.  I wonder: Where did they baptize them all and how long did it take?  It would be cool to consider some of them getting baptized at the pool of Bethesda where the paralytic man was healed in John 5.  Bethesda means house of mercy.

Now that these people had believed and been saved, what did they do?

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. – Acts 2:42

There are four items in this list of activities that the new believers pursued or devoted themselves to:  the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.  Let’s consider each one.

Ephesians 2 has an interesting analogy of the role of the apostles.  It speaks of how we (both Jews and Gentiles) are reconciled to God through the cross of Christ.  Through Jesus, we have access to the Father by the Spirit.  As a result, we “are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.”  Then, it explains that the household of God is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:19-20) The role of the apostles and their teaching was foundational but not independent of Jesus, the chief cornerstone.

What did the apostles’ teaching consist of?  All that Jesus taught, especially the gospel.  Today, we have the message in the form of the New Testament.  At the time of the formation of the church, the teaching was oral and not written.

Fellowship is a result of the apostles’ teaching in I John 1:3. John said they declared what they had seen and heard so that their listeners would have fellowship with them.  I mentioned previously that we are to walk in the light.  I John 1:7 explains that as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another.

This is the first time that the word fellowship occurs in the New Testament.  I think that when it occurs in the Old Testament, it is always connected with offerings.  So, it is interesting that this concept is introduced with the formation of the church.  Fellowship and community are enabled by the Holy Spirit working in us.

Breaking of bread can describe sharing meals together and is associated with fellowship.  Undoubtedly, they shared meals together in fellowship as we will see in verse 46.  However, this use likely focuses on the Lord’s Supper.

The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. – I Corinthians 11:23-26

Prayer pops up again and again in Acts.  Already, in chapter 1 (v. 14), we saw that the disciples at that time were constantly in prayer.  They were meeting together to pray.  Both private and corporate prayer are emphasized in Acts and the whole New Testament.  Romans 12:12 encourages us to be faithful in prayer.  I Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing.  It is no wonder that this was an activity that these new believers carried out.

Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. – Acts 2:43

Everyone here comes from that same Greek word that means all.  All were filled with awe.  I assume that means both believers and unbelievers.  You kind of wonder what kept some from joining these new believers in the faith.

I expect it is the same as today.  Some are not ready.  Some are hardened and unable to turn to Christ.  What should we do if we find ourselves double-minded and not focused on Christ?  I think of the father in Mark 9:24 who asked Jesus to “help my unbelief,” by which he was asking Jesus to help his son. 

James exhorts us to humble ourselves before God. 

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. –  James 4:7-8

In the coming weeks, we will see more of the signs and wonders of the apostles.  Let’s go on to verse 44 and consider what other activities these new believers pursued.

All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.  Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. – Acts 2:44-46

A hallmark of these early believers was that they spent time together.  They also met one another’s needs.  This concept of selling possessions to help others will be fleshed out in chapters 4 and 5.  There, we will see that this giving was voluntary and timely.  The gifts were provided according to the need.

They were with one another daily.  Hebrews 13:3 exhorts us to “encourage one another daily.”  I think this is always an area where I can grow.  I do some daily encouraging, but I’m sure I can improve.

They met in the temple courts daily.  The temple courts are huge.  That space allowed as many believers to meet as there were.  To make it relatable, I put the temple mount in reference to something you have some reference toward.  Here’s the temple mount on the right.  Can anyone guess what’s in the picture to the left?  You could put two death valleys in the area of the temple courts.  How about that?  Three thousand or more people could assemble on the temple mount, no problem.

The point to take is that they met in larger groups as well as smaller ones as we see in the next verses.  We as believers should continue to meet together. (Hebrews 10:25)

They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. – Acts 2:46-47

Christians have a reputation for fellowship meals and covered dish suppers, and we’re going to have one after the service today.  That practice goes all the way back to the beginning.  The earliest believers were sharing meals in their homes, eating together with glad and sincere hearts.

In their glad and sincere hearts and praising God, we see the fruit of the Spirit in action.  The people exhibited love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Joy is a partner with salvation.  This will show up again plainly at the conversion of the Ethiopian in Acts 8 and the Philippian jailer in Acts 15.  It says they were both rejoicing and filled with joy.

This was a sweet moment in the early church.  Here they enjoyed the favor of all the people.  Enjoying favor means receiving goodwill.  They were accepted by all the people.  This was something that wouldn’t continue indefinitely.  So, I think it is something we should enjoy when it happens, but not expect that it should always happen.

Jesus said in John 15:20 that “If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you also.”  And in John 16:33, He said that “In this world [we] will have trouble.”  And we see in our day that in some places the church faces serious persecution.  We do not face persecution of that severity, but it is not exactly that we enjoy the favor of all the people either.

That draws us to the last line of our passage.  We already heard that three thousand had come to Jesus and been baptized.  Now, as these believers meet together and worship, what happened next?

And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:47

The Lord added, not the apostles.  Earlier in our passage, Peter told the people that the promise of salvation was for all who the Lord had called.  God is doing this work.  We come alongside him.

Usually, when I pick songs each week, I ask my family if there are any songs they want to sing.  Sometimes I ask the worship team.  It is not infrequent that Elijah will chip in a song suggestion.  However, this week, I was comparatively late selecting songs.  Melissa had gone to the grocery store.  It was getting late, and I asked Elijah if he wanted to help me pick songs.  He agreed, and I think 5 of the songs we’re singing, he picked.  It was a joy for him to pick songs.  I gave him some hints and a little guidance, but it was Elijah picking the songs.  My analogy is imperfect.  Others came before me to create much of the song selection that we have.  But I hope you can see that I was delighted to have Elijah be an integral part of something I wanted to do.  I think that’s how God wants to work with us in growing His kingdom.  God is delighted to have us a part of that work that He is doing.  As we live according to His ways, we proclaim Christ. 

He is working through His Spirit in us and in others.  Max Lucado has a great word picture using the example of going sailing.  Imagine someone invites you to join them for a day of sailing.  You accept and you get on the boat.  You start to worry when they only raise the sail a few inches up the mast.  Then, you really are stunned when they stand behind the sail and start to blow on it themselves.  You ask them, “Why don’t you raise the sail?”  Gasping for breath, they reply, “Because I can’t blow on the whole thing.”  You offer, “Let the wind blow it.”  But they say, “Oh, I can’t do that.  I’m sailing this boat by myself.” 

“God is the One who saves His children.  There is only one name under heaven that has the power to save.”  Jesus Christ.  “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” (II Corinthians 9:15)  God gives us His Spirit to fill us with new life, to enable us to bear good fruit, to testify to the truth.  Amen.  Let’s pray.

Lord God help us see how to come alongside You and proclaim Jesus.  Send Your Holy Spirit to fill us with the joy of our salvation and with love for the lost.  Turn lost souls to You we pray in Jesus’ Name, Amen.