Life among the believers
(click here for the video lesson)
The
Passage: Acts 2:40-47
Structure:
a. 2:40-41, Save yourself; 3000 added
b. 2:42, Life
of the community (breaking bread)
c. 2:43a,
Awe came upon every soul.
d. 2:43b,
Signs and wonders through the apostles
c. 2:44-45,
All who believed were together
b’. 2:46-47a,
Life of the community (breaking bread)
a’. 2:47b,
LORD added to the number those who were being saved
Historical
and geographical context:
We are going
from the sermon of St. Peter into the life of the “Pentecostal community”. Two
environments are mentioned here – homes of the believers and the Temple. We
don’t know how long this period takes place but, knowing that St. Luke pays
attention to liturgical features, we can contemplate two or three
possibilities. One 8:27b-28 states the Ethiopian Eunuch was coming back from
his pilgrimage to Jerusalem for worship. The feast of Pentecost should be celebrated
for a whole week. Therefore, the Acts 2 – 8 could happen within one week! Then,
the events would unfold really fast. There is a second reading – mentioning the
worship at Jerusalem St. Luke directs our attention to the NEXT major festive
period – the feast of Booths (7th month days 15 to 22). It also
required a pilgrimage for those who lived in the land, also pilgrimage was
encouraged for those who would live outside the land (diaspora). For sure,
there is a third possibility – we don’t now, which means it took very long – years
or decades… Honestly, IMHO – I don’t like this answer for two reasons: first,
St. Luke pays attention to the times (1:8). Second, this assumption is built on
the evolutionary notion – everything takes so much time to develop.
Theology:
Baptism and
church outreach. Note that both verbs “baptized” and “added” are in passive
voice. This is supported (explained) in v. 47. It is the LORD Who brings people
to unity with the church. As our confession says (AC V) the Holy Spirit is the
One Who works faith using the Word and the Sacraments. Here we see both –
Bible-based sermon of St. Peter and the rite of the Holy Baptism. Using these
two means the LORD added 3000 people to the communion of saints.
Unity among
the believers. Though the idea is portrayed through the communal effort to have
material possessions in common, it does not begin there. V. 43 says that “awe
came upon every soul”. This “awe” follows the regular/daily godly lifestyle of
the church: studying, fellowship, breaking of the bread (Holy Communion), and
prayers (v. 42). That’s what first and foremost unites the church.
Signs and
wonders. St. John in his Gospel begins to account for seven [miraculous] signs
of Jesus at Cana of Galilee (Jn. 2:1-11). When Jesus commissions the Eleven
(Mk. 16:15-18), He states that the signs will accompany their ministry. The
first time we see it in the Book of Acts is here – 2:43. Yet, we don’t need to
put the cart in front of the horse. Signs and wonders are not the basis for the
proper spiritual assessment of someone’s ministry. Satan is very proficient in
miraculous work (1 Cor. 1:22-24; 2 Cor. 12-15).
Other
themes: There are
“spiritual” groups that teach that Christians should sell everything they own
and bring the proceeds to the leadership of the church. They attempt to support
their theology with Acts 2:44-45. However tempting this idea is, this teaching
is not supported by the Scriptures. For at least two reasons. First, this is a
descriptive passage in the Bible, not a prescriptive one. Second, as it
could’ve been common practice for the fellowship in Jerusalem, the later
development of the church show the stable congregations in Mediterranean area
supporting themselves and the Jerusalem congregation by collecting their tights
(10% of income).
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