Highlighted Text: Acts 2:42-47

Summary of the text:

A Sound Foundation: Acts 2:42 would make for a solid outline for a worship service, checklist for a congregation’s life together, or personal schedule for an afternoon. Most of what we are called to do as disciples could fit within this framework, of study, fellowship, (perhaps sacramental) shared meals, and prayer. When considering the snapshot of early church life in Acts 2:42-47, this sound foundation should always be kept in mind.

Word Study: proskarterountes: This participle appears twice in this passage, in verses 42 and 46. It consists of the prefix pros- added to the verb kartereō (to be steadfast), which derives from the familiar root kratos (strength, or power). Proskarterein, then, means “to persist or persevere (in something).” In our passage this gets translated (NRSV) as “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” in 2:42, and—more loosely in verse 46—“they spent much time together in the temple…”
Persevering in spiritual disciplines and persisting in corporate worship might seem quite distant from the core root of strength/power, but I find that this compound word and its New Testament usage accurately reflects the true power that is available to Christians, and can serve as a helpful corrective for an understanding of Christian strength that in some circles is corrupted by too great a sense of brute force. 

Signs & Wonders: Coming from a tradition that tends to see the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit as coming to an end after the apostolic age (and leaning in this cessationist direction myself), references to “wonders and signs” in the New Testament capture my attention and stoke my curiosity. Are these signs and wonders that elicit such a sense of awe in 2:43 in fact a model for us to strive for still today? Or are they one aspect of the early church’s ministry that was intended just for this period of establishing the church? It does strike me that all of the particular actions that are mentioned in the passage speak of more “ordinary” spiritual gifts—praising, praying, sharing, supporting one another (could these be the signs and wonders here?). Even if the “wonders and signs” here refer (as they typically do) to the Spirit’s extraordinary gifts, it is noteworthy that these wonders lead (merely) to awe (or perhaps fear). It is the ordinary gifts of the Spirit that seem to lead more directly here to “having the goodwill of all of the people” and to the Lord adding daily “to their number those who were being saved.”

Word study: phobos:Most modern translations render this word in verse 43 as “awe”—rather than as “fear”—and that is a valid translation of the word. The added note in verse 47 about “having the goodwill of all the people” supports taking phobos in this more positive sense. And yet I don’t know that we can completely dismiss the more basic sense of “fear,” especially since this is clearly the sense of the word in a related passage in Acts 5. In both Acts 5:5 and 5:11, a great phobos is said to have come over the people after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira when they violated the principles of community laid out in chapter 2. Is it possible that there could be more of an overlap of meaning in the “awe” of Acts 2 and the “fear” of Acts 5 than modern translations suggest?

Koina & Koinōnia:It’s easy in translation to miss the direct etymological link between this early church community’s “fellowship” (koinōnia) and their having all things “in common” (koina). And yet many congregants will have positive associations with “fellowship” while quietly (or not quietly) dismissing the concept of holding any possessions “in common” as a form of godless communism. While this particular community of believers doesn’t necessarily provide a blueprint that all other Christian communities must emulate, a preacher might highlight these paired terms in verses 42 and 43 to remind the congregation that fellowship runs deeper than a Styrofoam cup of coffee and that it has more to do with social justice than with one’s social calendar.

“As Any Had Need”: According to the poor laws in early modern England, the “worthy poor” were to be given assistance, while those who were “willfully idle” were punished for their laziness. Part of me appreciates a certain wisdom and justice in this distinction (as difficult as some cases would have been to discern and to legislate), and this ethic could be defended via scriptures like Proverbs 19:15 (“an idle person will suffer hunger”). And perhaps the opening depiction in Acts 2:42 of the community’s devotion is meant to suggest such a universal industry that no one among them would have been in need due simply to their sloth. But still, the distribution of proceeds is said to be for “all, as any had need”—without any qualifications besides need. Surely churches should be judicious in allocating limited resources, but at least as a default position this passage suggests that a person’s need should be right at the top of our criteria for helping others.

Public & Family Worship: Luke mentions the breaking of bread twice in this passage, first in 2:42 and suggesting a public worship context, and then again in 2:46, which is specifically said to be “at home.” Verse 46 itself contains references to both public, corporate worship (“they spent much time together in the temple”) and family worship (“they broke bread at home”). This little added detail of faith practices extending to the home expands our picture of the early church’s worship, revealing a consistent community devotion in which every aspect of the believers’ lives was shaped by their faith. Surely this consistency contributed to the growth they experienced. 

A Foreboding Cloud Looms: If Acts 2:42-47 were made into a movie would it be a sweet, family-friendly reflection on neighborliness and small-town values, or the first act of a horror movie? I’m not so sure myself. As much as I love the goodwill and generosity that mark this account, I can’t read it apart from the looming cloud of Acts 5, when Ananias and Sapphira pay with their lives for violating this spirit and then lying about it to the Spirit. Whether the preacher acknowledges this tension or not, surely some in the congregation who know what is around the corner will have a hard time embracing this depiction of early church life as an unambiguous good. And even if we have a hard time making sense of the harsh justice of Acts 5, it can at least be a reminder that there can be no utopian society of sinful people so long as we are in this fallen world.

Daily Growth: Still, in the midst of human brokenness and the early fault lines that emerge in this communal harmony, this early church community is blessed with daily growth, and their faithful discipleship bears fruit that extends beyond their original confines. I don’t know that this means that a church’s faithfulness necessarily expands its membership—or that a growing church is necessarily being faithful to its calling. But it can be one useful metric—that a loving community tends to be attractive to others. And it’s worth noting, as a final observation, that this growth is not said to be the result of having the right “church growth” strategy, but of the community seeking to love God and others.

Darren Pollock is Pastor of Panorama Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Church History at Fuller Seminary. A graduate of UC Davis (BA in classics), Princeton Seminary (MDiv), and Calvin Seminary (PhD in historical theology), he lives in Temple City, CA, with his wife Ashley, two young children Charlie and Carter, and step-cat Fanny.

Darren is the author of Early Stuart Polemical Hermeneutics: Andrew Willet’s 1611 Hexapla on Romans (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2017). He has also been published in Jonathan Edwards Studies, Anglican & Episcopal History, and Word & World, and he contributed multiple entries to The Jonathan Edwards Encyclopedia (Eerdmans, 2017).

After Christ and his family, Darren most loves crossword puzzles and Scrabble, Zion National Park, good coffee, passion fruit, and the ascendant Sacramento Kings.

Calls to Worship

Psalm 133 is probably the most logical basis for a Call to Worship to accompany this passage from Acts, since it is the “go-to Psalm” for church unity. An alternative would be bringing together elements from Psalms 65 and 68 to highlight the themes of awe, “daily” connection with God, and God’s provision.

Call to Worship (adapted from Psalm 133)

Leader: How good and pleasant it is when we live together in unity!

People: It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,

Leader: Running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.

People: It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion,

All: For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.

Leader: Let us worship the Lord together.

Call to Worship (adapted from Psalms 65 and 68)

Leader: Sing to God, sing praises to his name—his name is the Lord—be exultant before him.

People: When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, God forgives our transgressions.

Leader: Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by the Lord’s signs. He visits the earth and waters it, the river of God is full of water; he provides the people with grain, and crowns the year with his bounty.

All: Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation.

Prayer of Adoration

God of light and truth,

you are beyond our grasp or conceiving.

Before the brightness of your presence

the angels veil their faces.

With lowly reverence and adoring love

we acclaim your glory

and sing your praise,

for you have shown us your truth and love

in Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen

The Service for the Lord’s Day. The Worship of God: Supplemental Liturgical Resource 1. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), 1984

Prayer of Confession

Adapted from Psalm 10:1-7

Leader: Heavenly Father, I confess that I have sinned against you. I have delighted my soul in other things more than I have in you. Why, then, is it any surprise to me that you feel far off from me? I have driven you away!

All: In my arrogance, I have enjoyed the comforts of this world while I care too little that the poor cannot feed or care for themselves. Because of my greed, I boast of all that I have and all that I desire. 

Leader: In one moment, I believe that I’m invincible, able to withstand any problem or struggle. In the next moment, I believe that the evil all around me is out to get me. My mouth is full of cursing and deceit and oppression; under my tongue are mischief and iniquity.

All: O God, forgive me of my sin. Look on me with mercy, and give me grace to delight in you, rather than in my sin. Lift me out of this pit of sin, cleanse me of my unrighteousness, and fill me with your Holy Spirit so that I might walk in holiness and obey your commandments.

Submitted by Dustin Ray

Assurance of Pardon

Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn? Only Christ, and Christ died for us, Christ rose for us, Christ reigns in power for us, Christ prays for us. (Romans 8:34)

Leader: Friends, believe the good news of the gospel.

People: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven!

Benediction

Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ, our Savior, is alive!

The grave could not hold him. Christ is alive!

There is joy this morning!

Go into the world with joy.

Tell the world Christ lives.

Tell the world of God’s love.

Go, my sisters and brothers, go without fear; go without shame; go without apology.

Go in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Taken from Essential Lent.