Acts 2

The Holy Spirit was promised, and when it came, the language used was the language of “fulfillment”. These were literally the first words used in the second chapter of Acts. “When the day of Pentecost arrived,” or was fulfilled, the disciples were together in one place. They had not yet been dispersed by the Holy Spirit to go to the ends of the earth, rather, they were finishing their time in Jerusalem where they had been waiting for this day of fulfillment. 

Have you ever waited on an amazon package? 

That is a ridiculous question, of course you have. Unless you live in a cave, and even then, you probably have gotten a package or two. 

There is something exciting about waiting for that package to come. And now, with the advanced tracking technology that is available we can literally know where it is every step of the way. But it didn’t used to be like that. You would order something from a catalog, and you had very little understanding of when it might come. You lived in blissful ignorance, but you were incredibly excited that “today could be the day!” Waking up with that kind of anticipation is exhausting and exhilarating, to be sure. The disciples had been living this way for a while, and so when there came a “sound from heaven like that of a rushing wind,” it meant things were getting exciting!

One of the fascinating things about this time is that it happened when there was a diverse group of people that had gathered in Jerusalem. “Devout men from every nation under heaven” is the way it is mentioned in scripture. They were all amazed and astonished by what had happened. They all heard the messages of the disciples in their own language. This is such an incredible miracle of cultural consciousness and thoughtfulness on the part of the Holy Spirit.

And the words that were being translated were important. In fact, the whole message is put into the second chapter of Acts. I won’t reference it here, because you can go and take a look for yourselves, and I encourage you to do this often. It is an affirmation of Jesus as Lord, and it is a clear call to come into his presence and to not only repent, but to begin to live a new life that was heretofore inconceivable to those he was speaking to.

But the part of this chapter that I return to again and again, that I preach about and that I want to keep in the forefront of my mind and experience of community is Chapter 2:42-47. It is a model of how Christian community was growing, experiencing God, fellowship, evangelism, and of the patient ferment that was taking place in the first century Christian experience. They were together, first and foremost. But not just to study or pray, to live life together! To be in one another’s houses and hearts. To grow together in life, as well as spiritual understanding, worship and grace. 2000 years later it remains an incredible model of love, fellowship, joy, learning, worship, and understanding that we can seek in our communities as well.

1. Have you ever experienced a community of belonging like this? 
2. When and where? 
3. Can you capture that again in your life?