WEEK FOUR
FELLOWSHIPPING IN THE EARLY CHURCH
Acts 1:15-26; Acts 2:41-47; Acts 4: 32-37
Peter’s Speech on Pentecost Day
Peter stood up and addressed the crowd on the day of Pentecost. He said, Men of Judea and you who live in Jerusalem listen. These men are not drunk as you suppose. It is only the third hour of the day. But this is the fulfillment of the prophesy of Prophet Joel which states,
“And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days, I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. ….”
Then he said, Jesus of Nazareth was a man confirmed by God with mighty works, signs and wonders which God did through Him and which you all witnessed. But you delivered him up to be crucified and killed by lawless men even though it was predestined by God. God raised Him up loosing the pangs of death because it was impossible for Him to be held by death. This confirms what David said concerning Him.
‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. For thou wilt not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let thy Holy One see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou wilt make me full of gladness with thy presence.’
Many of you thought David was talking about himself but David died and his tomb, where he was buried, is there as a proof. He foresaw that one of his descendants whom God has set on the throne forever, who is Christ, would not be abandoned to rot in the grave nor His flesh see corruption. It is the same Jesus that was raised up and exalted at the right hand of God and since He has received the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured it out on us and this is what you are witnessing today.
David wouldn’t have spoken about himself when he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’ He talked about this same Jesus whom you crucified and God has made Him both Lord and Christ.
Communal Life in the Early Church
Election of the successor to Judas Iscariot – Acts 1:15-26
In Acts 1:15-26, Peter stood up among the other brethren, numbering about one hundred and twenty disciples and stated why Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus must be replaced in fulfilment of the scriptures. He stated that Judas has fallen headlong and his abode has become the Field of Blood (Akeldama). It was in fulfilment of the what Psalmist said when he said, ‘Let his habitation become desolate, and let there be no one to live in it’; and ‘His office let another take.’ So they nominated two men, Justus Barsabbas and Matthias, who had been with them all through the ministry of Jesus. They prayed and cast lots for them and the lot fell on Matthias. So he was enrolled with the eleven apostles.
Social and Religious life in the Early Church
After Peter’s speech, about three thousand people joined the apostles and they were baptized having received the word of God. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, they broke bread and prayed together.
They experienced a lot of miracles, signs and wonders through the apostles. They shared things in common. Many of them who had possessions, land houses and goods sold them and brought the proceed and laid it at the apostles’ feet to be used to meet needs of the people. In fact, in Acts 4:36-37, one Joseph whom the apostle surnamed Barnabas, which means Son of encouragement, a Levite and native of Cyprus sold a field which belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. They were attending the temple together and breaking breads and eating together with glad and generous hearts in their homes. They praised God together and had favour with all people. They also kept increasing in number.
Unprecedented 