Reflecting on Acts
Acts 1 and 2, Elaine Rees
Elaine drew a number of lessons from this passage, and two struck me in particular.
Firstly, the discipline of waiting. Elaine said: “The disciples were told to wait until they received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t sit around twiddling their thumbs, they prayed, they appointed a new apostle, they were active in their waiting.”
As we begin a time of waiting on God, waiting for his envisioning and empowering, this example can inspire us. We are not to wait passively, but actively. We should commit ourselves to prayer, seeking God’s heart and mind, eagerly seeking and pursuing Him. We also need to be diligent in housekeeping, particularly looking after our community.
Secondly, chapter two concludes with a description of the community of the church. Elaine said: “The end of Acts 2 displays a unity of mind and purpose which should encourage us today. These people came from very diverse backgrounds, but they focussed on four key component parts: the apostles teaching; fellowship; the breaking of bread and prayer. And as they shared their lives together, the Lord did amazing things in their midst. There were miracles and wonders, everyone’s needs were met and they found favour with all people. But most importantly, the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
The teaching of the apostles was accompanied by miracles (v.43),[1] and it carried great authority because of their companionship with Jesus himself,[2] and because of their empowerment by the Holy Spirit for the task.[3] This teaching was written down and now resides in Scripture, and so to continue in devotion to the apostles teaching today is to be committed to the study of and submission to New Testament instruction.[4]
Fellowship means sharing,[5] pointing to a sharing both with God and one another.[6] Whilst it connotates the sharing of a common meal or religious experience,[7] it holds a broader understanding that those in the Christian community would actively and generously look to provide for one another’s needs (v.45).
The breaking of bread refers to eating a meal together, and points toward the sharing of communion which would have formed part of the meal.[8] This happened both formally in the temple courts, and informally in homes (v. 46), and both formal and informal gatherings can complement one another.[9]
Prayer would likely follow the Jewish pattern of observing set hours of corporate led prayers,[10] although these would be inspired by the new vision of unity in Christ.[11] Gatherings were both joyful and reverent (v.46), which resulted in awe of God, who was tangibly present among them.[12]
These four key areas suggest our gatherings should have both formal and informal elements, and should include study and obedience to Scripture, prayer, and communion. Forming such gathering around a meal may be most natural, and should provide opportunity for hearing and meeting one another’s needs.
Notes:
[1] John Stott, The Message of Acts, BST (Leicester: IVP, 1990), p.82
[2] I. Howard Marshall, Acts, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Leicester: IVP, 1980), p.83
[3] F.F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts, NICNT (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1988), p.73
[4] Stott, p.82
[5] Marshall, p.83
[6] Stott, p.83
[7] Marshall, p.83
[8] Bruce, p.73
[9] Stott, p.85
[10] Marshall, p.83
[11] Bruce, p.73
[12] Stott, p.86
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