That promise of His presence started in those early days in the new Christian Church, and with enthusiasm. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” —Acts 2:46,47
So, when Pentecost came, early believers thought that everything was fulfilled, they had received the Spirit and shared the gospel to the then known world, even though they had not left Jerusalem at this point. But was the mission of taking the gospel to the whole world completed? Obviously not!
The admonition still stands; “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” —Acts 1:8
To this day, humanity has not completed the task of taking the gospel to all the world – or we wouldn't be here. But we have the counsel of Christ Himself. “Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh.” —Matthew 24:44
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” —Acts 2:46,47
“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” —Matthew 24:36
“The Lord has wisely concealed His coming from us, that we may always be in a state of expectancy and preparation for the second appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven.
“We are to search the prophecies that point to the roll of fast fulfilling events, and which Christ has plainly told us will take place prior to the end of this earth's history. We are to watch and pray, wait patiently, and work faithfully to save perishing souls. Time is a most precious talent, and every moment is to be improved in doing our work wisely and well, so that if we are suddenly called to lay off the armor, we may be prepared to give up our account to God.” —Letter 28, 1897
We are still here, professing to be God's true church – the remnant; but are we as fervent in our day as the apostles were 2000 odd years ago? Perhaps God had a better equipped people to work with then than He does now!
Today with the media and publications and ease of travel, we have so many advantages, but what about the willingness, the will to go and share our message in our homes, in our neighbourhood, in our cities and nations? It's not so much the money and means that God needs, it men's and women's willing hearts!
If our hearts were right with God and with each other, we would see a repeat of Acts 2:46,47. “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
What happened next was the church's detachment from material goods. Sensing that the time was short, they sold all they had and devoted themselves to learning and to fellowship while continuing to witness about the resurrection of Jesus.
But at this early stage, they had only fulfilled first base of Acts 1:8, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Yes, they were still in Jerusalem, there was a huge work ahead of them, but they were fervent to fulfil all that verse – even to the uttermost part of the earth.
Teaching and Fellowship
After the miraculous experience of Pentecost, Luke focuses more on the inner experience of those involved. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” — Acts 2:42
Four main ingredients in this verse are; teaching and learning the doctrine, fellowship one with another, breaking of bread together, time in prayer.
With the magnificent display of the Holy Spirit's coming and His presence, it is obvious that it left a deep impression on all the beholders; but even more than that, it activated them to learn more and do something with it. With this learning and willingness to be possessed by the Holy Spirit, it was not without effect. “And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.” —Acts 2:43
They were individuals, and they had their struggles, but from their dedication and praying, they were all able to come together with one accord. All differences were put aside. Pride and independence were laid aside. In today's independent climate, it seems hard for us to comprehend that they could be with one another and get on with each other with no contention. Their belief and dedication were so strong, they focused on the one object of their experience, Jesus Christ, His life and death, His resurrection and His commission to them.
With the belief that the time was at hand, that this world was about to close off and Christ was coming again, material 'things' lost their significance, the spreading of the gospel became the focus and was paramount. They were prepared to sell off all they could and pooled the money to see the work go ahead. They had implicit trust in their brethren and this sharing allowed them to experience a deeper sense of unity together.
They all trusted God that He would supply their daily needs, they all felt there would not be a need for a future, as the end was nigh at hand and their resources went to where their passion was.
“After the descent of the Holy Spirit the disciples went forth to proclaim a risen Saviour, their one desire being the salvation of souls. They rejoiced in the sweetness of the communion with saints. They were tender, thoughtful, self-denying, willing to make any sacrifice for the truth's sake. In their daily association with one another they revealed the love that Christ had commanded them to reveal.
“By unselfish words and deeds they strove to kindle this love in other hearts...
They were to go forward in willing obedience to the new commandment: ‘As I have loved you, that ye also love one another.’ —John 13:34
“So closely were they to be united to Christ that they would be enabled to fulfill His requirements. The power of a Saviour who could justify them by His righteousness was to be magnified.” — Testimonies For The Church, Vol.8, p.241
The Healing of a Lame Man
“Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.” —Acts 3:1
In the hearts of even those early disciples, the Jewish religion was still very much a part of them, as it would have been instilled in their culture and thinking for all their lives prior to this huge culture change that Jesus brought. But while that may have been the case, there could well have been another reason for their attending the synagogue, and the result of this visit to the temple was exactly to share the present truth of Jesus and His resurrection.
The whole of Acts 3 is a record of what happened at that prayer service. Essentially, in Peter's sermon this time, there are five main points he powerfully proclaims.
Jesus was the expected Messiah (verse 18)
God resurrected Him (verse 15)
Jesus was exalted in heaven (verse 13)
He will come again (verse 20)
Repentance is necessary for the forgiveness of sin (verse 19)
In many ways, this is the same message we are to take to the world. The 'present truth' may have changed from the time of their teaching; but we are still to present 'present truth' for the time we are teaching. There was a significant shift in the thinking of the Jews and even the disciples from the traditional Jewish teachings and services. They were to grasp the change from the 'old' covenant to the 'new' – that was a huge transition!
So though the situation is now different, the message is essentially the same. Christ sacrificed His life for us, in that He died for those in the early church's sins as well as for ours. He was resurrected for them as well as for us. He will return for them, as well as for us. All mankind can find salvation in Him, for them and for us.
Present truth for their day did differ though. For the early disciples, the power in their message was Jesus had died, but His resurrection was hope for them in that Christ. It was 'current news'. For us, the power of the message is the coming of Christ – it is 'current news.'
But to a short overview of the diary of events, with a purpose as it progresses.
“...Peter and John, going up to the temple to worship, saw a distressed and poverty-stricken cripple, forty years of age, who had known no other life than one of pain and infirmity. This unfortunate man had long desired to go to Jesus and be healed, but he was almost helpless, and was far removed from the scene of the Great Physician's labors. Finally his earnest pleadings induced some kind persons to bear him to the gate of the temple. But upon arriving there he discovered that the Healer, upon whom his hopes were centered, had been put to a cruel death… .
“...As Peter and John passed, he begged charity from them... The poor man's countenance had fallen when Peter declared his own poverty, but grew bright with hope and faith as the disciple continued. ‘And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength’... “The Jews were astonished that the disciples could perform miracles similar to those of Jesus. He, they supposed, was dead, and they had expected all such wonderful manifestations to cease with Him. Yet here was this man who had been a helpless cripple for forty years, now rejoicing in the full use of his limbs, free from pain, and happy in believing on Jesus.”
“The apostles saw the amazement of the people, and questioned them why they should be astonished at the miracle which they had witnessed, and regard them with awe as though it were through their own power they had done this thing. Peter assured them it was done through the merits of Jesus of Nazareth, whom they had rejected and crucified, but whom God had raised from the dead the third day....” — Story of Redemption, p.248,249
The Rise of Opposition
“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them.” —Acts 4:1
Even as they spoke this message, it began to raise the ire of the leaders of the temple. The Jerusalem temple was run by the high priest and his associates, primarily Sadducees. The high priest was also the leader of the Sanhedrin council, which in those days was made up mostly of Sadducees and Pharisees. Because the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, they were greatly disturbed that Peter and John were teaching that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Arrested by the temple guards, the apostles were put in hold until the following day, where they were brought before council.
As the council assembled the following morning, the first question was asked; “By what power, or by what name, have ye done this?” —Acts 4:7 Peter and John could have easily retorted back and said, “Didn't you listen yesterday? Are you so clouded in your mind that you don't know what has happened over recent weeks?” But no, this just gave another opportunity to share the 'present truth'.
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel...” —Acts 4:8
The apostles knew the authority these men had, yet standing in their presence, they well knew they had still a higher power in their midst as well – One that the temple leaders needed to meet and know – personally. Also these leaders did not realise how accurate they themselves were fulfilling prophecy by their actions to the disciples.
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh unto you.” —Matthew 10:16-20
To add insult to injury for the Sanhedrin, the man who had just been healed was present. The miracle could not be denied. It became so intense that the leaders demanded the disciples to stop preaching. They feared the message as much as the force of the message and popularity of the movement now under way.
Rather than thinking it through for long term results, they could only think of the immediate effect, that they were losing control over the people and they would fight it tooth and nail to save their authority and power. Their response was self-preservation.
But Peter and John used some impacting words at the closure of his discourse. “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” —Acts 4:19,20
This conclusion was very similar to the words spoken by Gamaliel in Acts 5:38, “Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.”
This is part one of two on the subject of lessons for the early church. In the October edition, we will continue to look at other aspects of the early church. We will look at Ananias and Sapphira highlighting the dangers of offering a commitment to God, then withholding it.
Many of the happenings in those early days will again find light in our day. There surely are valuable lessons we can learn from those early workers in the proclamation of the gospel.
As mentioned at the beginning of this study, “And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying. All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
We haven’t got to the end of the world just yet, so that promise given so many years ago, still stands and will continue to stand. Bear up friends, let’s make it through together and endure to the end.
