What is church to you?
Over the centuries since Jesus ascended, there is evidence that “church” is basically a gathering of believers of Jesus seamlessly formed by God Holy Spirit’s leading while living in the lives of His followers. Jesus is the reason for the gathering. Jesus is the Head of His Church. Believers gather joyfully and expectantly to know God more as they worship God, study God’s Word, share communion to remember what God’s Son did for them, while enjoying sweet times of fellowship with each other over great meals.
God’s love dwells within their beings and inhabits the praises of His people. It doesn’t seem to be about one person or religious group commanding, forcing, or even compelling these gatherings. Everyone is welcome and no one is excluded. God’s gatherings are a result of the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit over people in ways they cannot ignore. Believers of Jesus, led by God’s Holy Spirit are drawn together for one purpose—to be reconciled to God through Jesus who is Savior and Lord of their new lives in Him.
Ask for God’s Spirit to lead us as we read, listen, and learn from the One who orchestrated the greatest church launch ever!
Acts 2, The Message
Peter Speaks Up
14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency: “Fellow Jews, all of you who are visiting Jerusalem, listen carefully and get this story straight. These people aren’t drunk as some of you suspect. They haven’t had time to get drunk—it’s only nine o’clock in the morning. This is what the prophet Joel announced would happen:
“In the Last Days,” God says,
“I will pour out my Spirit
on every kind of people:
Your sons will prophesy,
also your daughters;
Your young men will see visions,
your old men dream dreams.
When the time comes,
I’ll pour out my Spirit
On those who serve me, men and women both,
and they’ll prophesy.
I’ll set wonders in the sky above
and signs on the earth below,
Blood and fire and billowing smoke,
the sun turning black and the moon blood-red,
Before the Day of the Lord arrives,
the Day tremendous and marvelous;
And whoever calls out for help
to me, God, will be saved.”
22-28 “Fellow Israelites, listen carefully to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man thoroughly accredited by God to you—the miracles and wonders and signs that God did through him are common knowledge—this Jesus, following the deliberate and well-thought-out plan of God, was betrayed by men who took the law into their own hands, and was handed over to you. And you pinned him to a cross and killed him. But God untied the death ropes and raised him up. Death was no match for him. David said it all:
I saw God before me for all time.
Nothing can shake me; he’s right by my side.
I’m glad from the inside out, ecstatic;
I’ve pitched my tent in the land of hope.
I know you’ll never dump me in Hades;
I’ll never even smell the stench of death.
You’ve got my feet on the life-path,
with your face shining sun-joy all around.
29-36 “Dear friends, let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had solemnly sworn that a descendant of his would rule his kingdom, seeing far ahead, he talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is what you see and hear. For David himself did not ascend to heaven, but he did say,
God said to my Master, “Sit at my right hand
Until I make your enemies a stool for resting your feet.”
“All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.”
37 Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?”
40 He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”
41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
* * *
43-45 Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.
46-47 They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
The “church launch strategy:” They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, sharing communion and common meals, and the prayers.
Jesus not only rose from death to life to give us hope and a future; He appeared to his followers to verify the glory of God in Him. He showed them the scars and taught them what to do next in preparation for what God was going to next. Jesus told them to wait. Jesus’ command to His beloved was to wait for God’s Holy Spirit to come.
The Helper/Counselor did indeed come, on God’s timetable! God’s Holy Spirit filled their hearts, taking up residence within their beings. Then, like Jesus did, the Holy Spirit worked through the lives of those who followed Jesus and “moved into the neighborhood of humanity” making God’s Presence known. (John 1, MSG)
It is in this passage we read how God’s Spirit leads and enables Peter, the apostles and other disciples to carry on Jesus’ mission of telling the world to repent of sins and be saved for eternity because Jesus’s sacrifice made The Way for this to happen. This is the message: Jesus became sin, who knew no sin, to pay for our sins. The followers boldly “go and make disciples” just as Jesus commanded. (Matthew 28:20) Great things are about to happen!
“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” –Jesus, John 14:12-14, NIV
Jesus, our Advocate in Heaven for all who believe.
God’s Holy Spirit—our Advocate on earth who lives within all who believe.
God launched the church by first sending the power of His Holy Spirit, as promised by Jesus, to live within the hearts, minds, and souls of the devoted, committed, relentlessly focused followers who had “been with Jesus” and were witnesses to His appearances after Jesus rose from death to life. What occurred from waiting for and leading of God’s Holy Spirit was a powerful, spontaneous work of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit through ordinary men—the greatest church launch ever!
The Cornerstone was Jesus. Stone by living stone became His growing church from the inside out and outside in. Jesus built His church upon the solid Rock of Peter’s committed faith—just as Jesus said He would! “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. –Jesus to Peter, Matthew 16:18
The amazing beginnings of the church, foretold by the prophet Joel centuries before it happened and taught by Jesus while He was on earth to His followers, is now began in Simon who Jesus renamed Peter, the Rock—the rock upon whom Jesus would build His church. Peter boldly stood to tell the Truth powerfully and simply. God’s Holy Spirit gave him the words and prepared hearts to receive God’s message: “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”
The Church met at The Temple each day but would soon begin gathering underground with secret meeting times because of persecution by those against Jesus and his followers. Jesus’ enemies thought that by crucifying Him, all this “Messiah talk” would be put to rest. But it was not. Just the opposite happened.
“That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up.” –Greatest Church Launch ever!
Lord,
There is so much to learn here and more to come. Lead us as we learn from you in the coming days. I love how you work in the our lives!
In Jesus Name, Amen! I believe.
Daily Manna (Coffee with Jesus) 