The doctor Luke continues on to explain the life of the church after the these sales

Making use of Biblical Fellowship

At the time off Pentecost adopting the ascension of one’s Lord Jesus, some around three thousand souls was basically put in this new chapel as they paid attention to Peter proclaim God’s prophetic Word; in addition, this type of converts was in fact every Jewish; essentially the very early church is actually entirely Jewish. According to him from inside the Serves 2 –

They constantly loyal on their own towards apostles practise and you may tofellowship, with the cracking from bread in order to prayer. And you will everyonekeep impact a feeling of aw; and some magic and you will cues had been takingplace from apostles. And all those who got felt weretogether, along with everything in preferred; and additionally they first started selling theirproperty and you can property and you can was basically sharing them all of the, just like the someone mighthave you would like. And you can every day carried on with you to head about temple,and you will breaking bread away from house to house, these people were taking its mealstogether which have gladness and trustworthiness of heart, praising Jesus, and you can havingfavor aided by the somebody. And Lord is actually contributing to their numberday by day people who have been becoming conserved. (Acts 2:42-47)

The very first evidence Luke mentions of the Spirit’s presence in the church is that “it loyal themselves into apostles’ exercises.” The early disciples sat at the apostles’ feet, hungry to receive instruction, and they persevered in it (also see Acts ) — the life-giving content for the church is revealed truth. As John Stott says in his commentary on the book of Acts, “Anti-intellectualism and the fullness of the Spirit are incompatible, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth” (Stott, p. 82). A commitment to the apostles’ teaching is foundational to the growth and spiritual health of every believer. Peter wrote, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). And to the Romans Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). John MacArthur says in his commentary on Acts, “Scripture is food for the believer’s growth and power… there is no other” (MacArthur, p. 83). Such words should remind us what the Lord said to the prophet Hosea — “My personal individuals are forgotten having lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught… furthermore, believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. Despite the hate, ridicule and persecution the early disciples suffered, they remained faithful to the apostles’ teaching. It should be noted, contemporary devotion to the apostles’ teaching means submission to the authority of the New Testament.

Christian caring

Luke goes on to say that these early disciples also dedicated on their own to fellowship (knononia); Koinonia comes from the word koinos meaning “common.” As believers we share in common the “lifetime of Christ” — and as Christ was in this world, so we are elite singles giriÅŸ also to be His eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet in the world. Luke immediately goes on to describe the way in which these first Christians “mutual their assets” with one another as anyone had need (vv. 44-45). Many of the early Jewish Christians lost their livelihoods due to their profession of faith in Christ, and the rest of the fellowship stepped in to meet their needs. It is interesting to note that the Essene leaders of the Qumran Community (an ultra conservative, monastic, ascetic Jewish community near the Dead Sea), were committed to the common ownership of property; any candidate who was accepted into its membership was obliged to hand over all of his property to the community. The issue of “popular property” has been debated at various points throughout the history of the church as to whether or not this “injunction” is one that all believers should heed. It is important to note, however, that even in Jerusalem the sharing of property and possessions in the early church was “voluntary” — the fact that “they broke bread in their homes” clearly suggests that many believers had obviously not sold them. No where are we told that the church sold everything and pooled the proceeds into a common pot. Furthermore, such a principle for Christian living would have obviated the responsibility of each believer to give in response to the Spirit’s prompting (cf. 1 Cor 16:1-2). The message conveyed in Acts 2:45 is that people sold property while the anybody possess you prefer. Regarding the sin of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 — it was not one of greed or materialism, but one of deceit; they simply pretended to give everything they had so that others would revere them and think more highly of them. The “injunction” given to believers in Scripture is that of being generous toward the poor and the needy; essentially Christians are called to “generosity.” Thus Christian fellowship is and Christian sharing.