The use of Biblical Fellowship
On the day out of Pentecost pursuing the ascension of your Lord Goodness, certain three thousand souls was in fact put in the brand new chapel as they listened to Peter suppose God’s prophetic Phrase; incidentally, this type of converts were all Jewish; basically the very early chapel are totally Jewish. He says from inside the Acts dos –
It continually devoted on their own to the apostles knowledge and you may tofellowship, toward breaking away from bread and to prayer. And everyonekeep perception a feeling of aw; and some miracle and you may cues have been takingplace through the apostles. And all of people who had experienced weretogether, along with all things in prominent; in addition they began promoting theirproperty and you will property and you will were sharing her or him the, as the some one mighthave need. And you may every single day carried on with one to notice on temple,and cracking money regarding house to house, they were delivering the mealstogether which have gladness and you may honesty out of heart, praising Jesus, and you can havingfavor with the someone. Therefore the Lord try causing its numberday in the day time hours men and women who have been being stored. (Acts 2:42-47)
The very first evidence Luke mentions of the Spirit’s presence in the church is that “they devoted on their own to your apostles’ practise.” 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 people are destroyed 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 devoted themselves so you can fellowship (knononia); Koinonia comes from the word koinos meaning “common.” As believers we share in common the “longevity of Christ” – and as Christ daha fazla bul was in this world, so we are 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 “shared their possessions” 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 “preferred assets” 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 as some one possess you want. 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 “kindness.” Thus Christian fellowship is and Christian sharing.