In the verses that precede our passage, we have Peter’s great speech which resulted in around 3000 people being brought into the Kingdom – what a day that must have been – and our passage tonight gives us an insight into the impact that this initial outpouring of the Holy Spirit had on those early believers and the way in which their lives were transformed. So what were the characteristics of their new life in Christ? Let us find out.

Verse 42, we read: ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.’
First, we learn that it was a learning church. It has been suggested by one Bible commentator that the day of Pentecost resulted in the opening of what you could describe as a kindergarten or a school – a school that consisted of just 12 teachers to begin with (that is the 12 apostles – remembering that Acts 1 tells us of Judas’s replacement with a man called Matthias) and about 3000 pupils – that’s roughly 1 teacher per 250 pupils (not the ideal ratio that we’d want to work with today.) Yet, we are told in verse 42 that these new believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching – other translations use phrases like ‘they gave themselves to’, ‘they were eager for’; ‘they were very desirous of’. All of these give us the same picture of people who were keen to learn and willing to apply themselves.

Today, if we want to train in any discipline, we know it will take work, hard work and application. If I had chosen, for example, not to apply myself in my Theological studies before taking up this curacy, it would have suggested that I wasn’t really serious about entering full-time Christian ministry and that my heart was elsewhere engaged.

Likewise, whilst learning about God will not, most probably, be the only discipline most people will engage in, it is still a discipline that we all need to take seriously, because it is only through applying ourselves that we can grow in our knowledge and experience of God. Now, unlike the early believers we are privileged to have this book - the Bible, which tells us all about what it means to be the people of God. But did you know that for centuries, this did not exist in a ready accessible form for the benefit of any individual who would wish to study it. Yet this inaccessibility has not stopped people down through the ages from wanting to learn all about and to experience God.
The question for us today is with this guide (the Bible), will we commit ourselves – will we be diligent in seeking to learn more and more about God’s Word so that we can grow into all fullness of spirit as our Lord and Saviour wants us to? Because, it is only with the help of the Holy Spirit that we can do this, only with the Spirit’s help can we develop a passion for learning and experiencing all that God has for us. Can I encourage you to seek to develop a passion for learning, so that together, we will make it a priority in life, rather than letting it get squeezed out by everything else. So the first basic to get right is to be a learning church.

Secondly, we are called to be a loving church. In verse 42 we read: ‘They devoted themselves [not only] to the apostles’ teaching, [but also] to the fellowship.’ The Greek word used here for fellowship is one of the few Greek words that is still in usage in many of today’s churches – does anyone know what it might be? (Ans: Koinonia). In fact, many Churches, Schools, Colleges, Bookshops, Businesses etc have used Koinonia either in their names or their mission statements to express in essence what they are about. When I put Koinonia + Christian into Google I got some 412,000 hits!!

Now in the case of Acts 2, Koinonia is used to describe two characteristics of the early church’s fellowship – first, it describes the wonderful fellowship that we as Christians enjoy with God – remembering of course that this is a ‘Trinitarian’ experience – our sharing in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And second, it expresses what we share in together – both in terms of what we give and what we receive. In this context, Luke the author continues to tell us, (from verse 44) that ‘All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.’

Over the centuries, these verses have proved to be extremely challenging in their practical application, especially when they have been interpreted as a complete ban on Christians owning anything, whether real estate or material possessions. It is true that God does call some people to a life of total, voluntary poverty (as he called his disciples; the rich young man; Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresa etc) – but what isn’t true is to treat it as a universal calling for all Christians. One indicator to this is verse 46, which tells us that they broke bread in their homes – so, we can be sure that many still had their homes.

What this passage does teach us is that as Christians we should be generous in the way we use what we have. When we see a need among us and know that we can help, we should act – because this is what loving our neighbour is all about – this is what being a loving church is all about. What is important to grasp is that God calls each one of us to give as we are able to give – in other words, our response will differ to others. And, when we are obedient to God’s leading, then we will see the lives of those around us transformed – living to love God – that’s what it’s all about.

If we look again at Acts 2:45 we know that there was need – and the loving response of the church was to give to meet those needs. What is so exciting, is that later on in Acts 4:34 we are told, that as a response of the generosity, there were no needy persons among them. Imagine that – a church that had managed to meet all their needs – wow, what a picture! This is what being a Spirit-filled Christian is all about – this is what being a loving Church is all about – this is what you and I are called to do too! As someone once said: Christian fellowship is Christian caring, and Christian caring is Christian sharing. Today, throughout the world, there are literally millions of Christians who live in poverty not by choice but because of where they happen to live. Let me ask you, has God laid their plight on your heart? If he has, what is your response? Will it be one of obedience, love and compassion? So, two basics so far: we are called to be a caring church and a loving church.

Thirdly, we are called to be a worshipping church. Verse 42 we read ‘They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to prayer…(v46) 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.’

Every day they continued to meet together. In the excitement of their newfound faith, these new believers desired to worship God together – they desired to praise His name and thank Him for all that He had done for them – and this they did by meeting together every day! Verse 46 tells us that they met in both the Temple Courts and in their homes, and this is significant for us to learn from. Here we have the early church model of larger corporate, more formalised gatherings (with which we often associate words like structure, liturgy and traditional with), and the smaller, more personal and informal gatherings (often described as less structured and more spontaneous) - two different kinds of gatherings, serving different purposes, meeting different needs, but both united in enabling people to worship God.

Now, it’s true to say that generally speaking, we don’t meet together every day (perhaps that’s a good thing, you might think – or perhaps you would like to?). The good news is that many churches, including CC offer people the opportunity to share in both kinds of gatherings, through Sunday services and mid-week small groups. Both help us to worship God and to grow in Him. So, can I encourage everyone here to join in these different opportunities – if you’re not in a small group at present, do speak to RH or myself and we can arrange it. There is no greater privilege than to be able to worship God – and my prayer for us all is that through our worship – through each service and encounter with our living Lord, we would grasp just how wide and long and high and deep is His love for us. Because when we do grasp God’s love for us, then we become an evangelistic church, and this is my fourth point.

You see, it wasn’t just the 3000 people who came to faith at Pentecost that God was interested in – it was the world! And through using the faithful witness of the apostles and the early church, God was able to reach out to all humanity, so that all who responded to Him – all who chose to receive His love would be brought into the Kingdom. Today, this is the prayer of the Christian Church around the world – that people would see and know God’s love, and so, it’s not uncommon to hear of evangelistic programmes or specific events to which people can invite their friends.

Now, God does indeed use such events to bring people to faith in Him – and these are important. However, did you notice verse 47? ‘And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.’ Here we have a picture of people being added daily – not monthly or whenever there was an evangelistic outreach or programme run – it was daily – as regular as you or I eating and brushing our teeth! In other words, being an evangelistic church is about being an outward looking church – and it starts with each of us as individuals.

Last week, we were reminded that at the heart of who we are as individuals and what this Church is, is who we are in God. Let me ask you, do you know who you are in God? Do you know what God has done for you? Can you articulate it? Because, if you don’t know who you are in God, then how can you even begin to enable others to become mature followers of Christ, and who experience and live out the love of God in their whole lives? (CC’s Mission Statement!) (Ephesians 1 is a great place to start!)

When we do know who we are in God and we live it, then I believe our churches will become more like the early church in Acts 2. We will be a learning church - a caring church - a worshipping church and an evangelistic church. This week, can I encourage you all to take both tonight’s verses from Acts 2 and Ephesians 1, and to pray that God would enable you to live them out, to His praise and glory, Amen.