David Bahn – Reflections

Acts 2:42-27

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day,attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The earliest description of the life of new believers paints an idyllic picture. The new believers’ lives are marked by peace, harmony, focus, generosity, dedication, faithfulness, and humility. There is a sense of awe as they see remarkable displays of God’s power mediated through the apostles. But Luke’s description here ends with a telling comment; God is not content with only their faithfulness, but desires that others experience his grace and the fellowship of the saved. He will continue to add to the fellowship of the saved day by day. That’s good for you and me…and for those yet to believe in Jesus.

The rest of the book of Acts is testimony to God’s desire for more and more people to embrace this Good News of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection, and the invitation into the family of God. Notice how the description Luke offers is not merely an idyllic picture of the best church ever, it is truly a picture of the best family gathering you can imagine. People sharing their possessions, breaking bread in their homes, enjoying food together: this sounds like a wonderful Thanksgiving gathering.

Luke will record how the disciples of Jesus are active with Paul and his missionary band in support and encouragement of God’s mission. But after the book of Acts is written, the word disciple is not found in the rest of the New Testament. What Luke describes here (an extended family) becomes the building blocks of the New Testament Church. Families gather – large and extended families, together with others who are now part of God’s family – and God keeps adding to the family.

There is only one way this can happen in our modern day world. That is for people to re-prioritize their lives to make room for the extended family members who are part of God’s family, and do life together. Building relationships with those who are part of the family of God, and seeking to live out those relationships day by day. This is a huge challenge! But the blessings of being part of God’s family and actually living that out are many. It is also literally the best seat in the house to watch God at work.