Acts 2: 38-47
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
May 19, 2019
It was a new day and Peter, the rock of the apostles, was preaching to the 120 followers and apostles gathered together. He spoke passionately about the costly grace of the cross. He spoke with conviction that it was our sin that crucified our Lord. And yet when God raised up Jesus, our Lord and Messiah, from the dead, it changed everything. The weight of God’s grace cut the people to the heart. And they asked Peter, “What should we do?” (Acts 2:22-28, 36-37).
Peter’s instructions are where we enter today’s text in Acts 2: 38-47.
Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Peter proclaimed the most faithful way to respond to the grace of God in Jesus Christ is to embrace a radical change of the mind and the heart. That is what “repent” means. In our tradition we recognize that because of the human condition of sin we cannot create a radical change all by ourselves. The Holy Spirit reorients our minds to the grace of Jesus Christ and then moves us in the direction of the heart’s true destination.
The water of Baptism is a sign that God has delivered us from sin by the costly grace of the cross. We share in Christ’s dying and, in his being raised to new life. The Holy Spirit seals us with the promise that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ. And by the grace of God we begin to live differently. As God’s grace reorients our minds, the Holy Spirit moves us in the direction of the heart’s true destination… destination is community. Baptism initiates us into the greater family of faith.
The marks of that family of faith in the first century faith are the basics of growing as God’s people: the devotion to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, worship, and prayer.
But this first picture of the early Christian community was not exclusively about sharing a common set of beliefs. My commentary says it was to display a profound regard for one another’s spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being as a community of friends [1].
The first century community was comprised of a diversity of backgrounds. As they communed together, they had the opportunity to really get to know one another, as they were growing in the gift of faith that connected them. A pastoral colleague shared a quote from Greg Lyons’ book, “The Next Christians,” says this about the acts of living into Christian community:
Despite what most people think, the “church” is more than just bricks and mortar. It’s always been, and always will be, a fellowship of people that goes far beyond the walls of any building, denomination, or meeting space. It’s a community of people who have found healthy patterns of human relating and new standards for how to treat one another, serve one another, and even forgive one another that run counter to the world [2].
This is poignant description of the early Christian community in our text today. And that new standard for patterns of relating to one another is the grace of Jesus Christ. The standard of grace empowers us to live differently with each other. God honors that kind of faithfulness to treat others with love and dignity, serving one another in compassion, and forgiving one another as we have already been forgiven.
In our text today God honored that kind of faithfulness by adding to the number of the first century community. Don’t get lost in the modern language of a small church membership growing leaps and bounds into a megachurch of three thousand. That is not Luke’s point. When the text says “God added,” the Greek verb actually means “gathered for a purpose.”
Those changed minds and hearts were gathered for the purpose of showing the world how awesome God is. That purpose was living the good news that we are more than the worst thing we have ever done. That purpose united the first century believers to saying “yes” to God’s invitation to join the Lord in transforming the world by God’s intentions.
And that purpose bound the believers in having the good will for all creation and humanity. We love with a good will for all because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).
The relevance of the first century community of faith is not lost on us. Here at Van Wyck Presbyterian, growing in relationship with God and one another is a priority. Holy Spirit has gathered us together as we have seen that God’s love still changes the world. Holy Spirit has reoriented our minds and hearts in some big or even small way.
And so, we gather like the first century believers to live differently in the world by practicing resurrection. Practicing resurrection is to live into the hope of new life.
The Lord was raised to new life on the first day of the week and so we gather on the Lord’s Day to say, “Thank you Jesus.” We bless the Lord and we trust our very lives to God’s saving grace, for nothing is impossible with God. Today we thank the apostles among us who lead our children, youth, and adults to grow in God’s Word through relationships. Thank you for inspiring us to live differently through Christ’s example.
We gather together to study, pray, and savior table hospitality. I am so grateful for the apostles among us who lead our ministries here. And I pray that the Lord will continue to nudge each of us to connect to the ministries here to grow in God’s grace.
As we gather to grow as followers of Jesus Christ, we are also united by God’s purposes to be sent out in the community and in the wider world. God has a purpose for each of us to practice resurrection.
Sometimes we do this in concerted efforts through Dimes for Hunger, Hope Food Pantry, Promise Neighborhood, and Back to School Bash. Your generosity of sharing your time, talents, and treasures in mission is so very moving. These ministries are joining God’s purposes to encourage others to live differently because hope shines upon the most vulnerable in our community.
But let me tell you something. This particular body of Christ has moved my faith in seeing how committed you are to the well-being of the community. Over the past four years I have seen many of you meeting the needs of your neighbors who are enduring hard times; those neighbors have been inspired by receiving the generosity of God’s grace. I am blessed knowing you are living differently by sharing the love of Christ in your everyday work.
To live differently by the gift of faith is to live into encouragement and accountability with God. This is the hallmark of why Christian community is so important. The gift of faith encourages us by the greatest commandment to love God and love neighbor as ourselves. But here is no accountability without community.
I pray that as we continue to walk the path of faith together that you leave here today with the assurance that you and I are gathered for a purpose – God’s purpose. Everything that we do or say has the potential to give glory to God. We cannot do God’s work all alone or in isolation; we need one another just as we need God’s grace.
May we be empowered today by the ACTS of the apostles to live differently. The grace of God is what unites us in the gift of faith. The grace of God encourages us to allow Holy Spirit to build us up so that we may be a blessing to others. And the grace of God is the standard of holding us accountable to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Wherever we go, I pray you and I will inspire someone else to live differently because of Jesus’ love.
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, “Acts, Volume IX” (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 54-57.
[2] Gabe Lyons, “The Next Christians: Seven Ways You Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World (Colorado Springs: Multnomah Books, 2010). p. 161.
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