Shared with the poor:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had.  With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.  There was no needy persons among them.  For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.  – ACTS 4:32-35

The early church was able to share possessions and property as a result of the unity brought by the Holy Spirit working in and through the believers’ lives. This way of living is different from communism because (1) the sharing was voluntary; (2) it didn’t involve all private property, but only as much as was needed; (3) it was not a membership requirement in order to be a part of the church.  The spiritual unity and generosity of these early believers attracted others to them.  This organisational structure is not a biblical command, but it offers vital principles for us to follow.

(Differences of opinion are inevitable among human personalities and can actually be helpful, if handled well. But spiritual unity is essential – loyalty, commitment, and love for God and his word.  Without spiritual unity, the church could not survive.  Paul wrote the letter of 1 Corinthians to urge the church in Corinth toward greater unity.)

(None of these Christians felt that what they had was their own, and so they were able to give and share, eliminating poverty among them. They would not let a brother or sister suffer when others had plenty.  How do you feel about your possessions?  We should adopt the attitude that everything we have comes from God, and we are only sharing what is already his.)

[Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement) – Acts 4:36 Barnabas (Joseph) was a respected leader of the church.  He was a Levite by birth, a member of the Jewish tribe that carried out temple duties.  But his family had moved to Cyprus, so Barnabas didn’t serve in the temple.  He travelled with Paul on Paul’s first missionary journey (13:1ff).  For more information on Barnabas, see his Profile in chapter 13.]

How miracles affected it:

Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed.  – ACTS 5:16

What did these miraculous healings do for the early church? (1) They attracted new believers.  (2) They confirmed the truth of the apostles’ teaching.  (3) They demonstrated that the power of the Messiah who had been crucified and risen was now with his followers.

[As a result, people brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by.  – Acts 5:15. People who passed within Peter’s shadow were healed, not by Peter’s shadow, but by God’s power working through Peter.]

[Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy.  – Acts 5:17. The religious leaders were jealous – Peter and the apostles were already commanding more respect than they had ever received.  The difference, however, was that the religious leaders demanded respect and reverence for themselves; the apostles’ goal was to bring respect and reverence to God.  The apostles were respected not because they demanded it, but because they deserved it.]

[The apostles experienced power to do miracles, great boldness in preaching, and God’s presence in their lives, yet they were not free from hatred and persecution. They were arrested, put in jail, beaten, and slandered by community leaders.  Faith in God does not make troubles disappear; it makes troubles appear less frightening because it puts them in the right perspective.  Don’t expect everyone to react favourably when you share something as dynamic as your faith in Christ.  Some will be jealous, afraid, or threatened.  Expect some negative reactions, and remember that you must be more concerned about serving God than about the reactions of people (see 5:29).]

Cultural problems in:

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.  –  ACTS 6:1ff

Another internal problem developed in the early church. The Hebraic Jews, native Jewish Christians, spoke Aramaic, a Semitic language.  The Grecian Jews, Greek-speaking Christians, were probably Jews from other lands who were converted at Pentecost.  The Greek-speaking Christians complained that their widows were being unfairly treated.  This favouritism was probably not intentional, but was more likely caused by the language barrier.  To correct the situation, the apostles put seven respected Greek-speaking men in charge of the food distribution scheme.  This solved the problem and allowed the apostles to keep their focus on teaching and preaching the Good News about Jesus.

(When we read the descriptions of the early church – the miracles, the sharing and generosity, the fellowship – we may wish we could have been a part of this “perfect” church. In reality, the early church had problems just as we do today.  No church has ever been or will ever be perfect until Christ and his followers are united at his second coming.  All churches have problems.  If your church shortcomings distress you, ask yourself: “Would a perfect church allow me to be a member?”  Then do what you can to make your church better.  A church does not have to be perfect to be faithful.)

[Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 5:42.  Home Bible studies are not new.  As the believers needed to grow in their new faith, home Bible studies met their needs, as well as serving as a means to introduce new people to the Christian faith.  During later times of persecution, meeting in homes became the primary method of passing on Bible knowledge.  Christians throughout the world still use this approach when under persecution and as a way to build up believers.]

Organised food distribution:

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.  We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.  – ACTS 6:2-4

As the early church increased in size, so did its needs. One great need was to organise the distribution of food to the poor.  The apostles needed to focus on preaching, so they chose others to administer the food scheme.  Each person has a vital part to play in the life of the church (see 1 Corinthians 12).  If you are in a position of leadership and find yourself overwhelmed by responsibilities, determine your God-given abilities and priorities and then find others to help.  If you are not in leadership, you have gifts that can be used by God in various areas of the church’s ministry.  Offer these gifts in service to him.

(6:2 – “The Twelve” are the 11 original disciples and Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1:26).)

(6:3 – This administrative task was not taken lightly. Notice the requirements for the men who were to handle the food scheme: full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom.  People who carry heavy responsibilities and work closely with others should have these qualities.  We must look for spiritually mature and wise men and women to lead our churches.)

(6:4 – The apostles’ priorities were correct. The ministry of the word should never be neglected because of administrative burdens.  Pastors should not try, or be expected to try, to do everything.  Instead, the work of the church should be spread out among its members.)

[They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and their hands on them. – Acts 6:6 Spiritual leadership is serious business and must not be taken lightly by the church or its leaders.  In the early church, the chosen men were ordained or commissioned (set apart by prayer and laying on of hands) by the apostles.  Laying hands on someone, an ancient Jewish practice, was a way to set a person apart for special service (see Numbers 27:23; Deuteronomy 34:9).]

Acceptance of Gentiles a turning point:

When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” – ACTS 11:18

The intellectual questions ended and the theological discussion stopped with the report that God had given the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles. This was a turning point for the early church.  They had to accept those whom God had chosen, even if they were Gentiles.  But joy over the conversation of Gentiles was not unanimous.  This continued to be a struggle for some Jewish Christians throughout the first century.

[Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19-21.  When the church accepted Peter’s testimony that the gospel was also for Gentiles, Christianity exploded into Gentile areas, and large numbers became believers.  The seeds of this missionary work had been sown after Stephen’s death when many believing Jews were persecuted and scattered, settling in faraway cities and spreading the gospel.]

[It was in Antioch that Christianity was launched on its worldwide mission and where the believers aggressively preached to the Gentiles (non-Jews who did not worship God). Philip had preached in Samaria, but the Samaritans were part Jewish (8:5); Peter preached to Cornelius, but he already worshipped God (10:2).  Believers who were scattered after the outbreak of persecution in Jerusalem spread the gospel to other Jews in the lands they fled to (11:19).  At this time, the believers began actively sharing the Good News with Gentiles.]

Role of elders in:

This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. –  ACTS 11:30

Elders were appointed to manage the affairs of the congregation. At this point, not much is known about their responsibilities, but it appears that their main role was to respond to the believers’ needs.

[One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)  The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. Acts 28:29. There were serious food shortages during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) because of a drought that had extended across much of the Roman empire for many years.  It is significant that the church in Antioch assisted the church in Jerusalem.  The daughter church had grown enough to be able to help the established church.]

[The people of Anioch were motivated to give generously because they cared about the needs of others. This is the “cheerful” giving that the Bible commends (2 Corinthians 9:7).  Reluctant giving reflects a lack of concern for people.  Focus your concern on the needy, and you will be motivated to give.]

Special work of Holy Spirit in:

..and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”  – Acts 19:2-4

John’s baptism was a sign of repentance from sin only, not a sign of new life in Christ. Like Apollos (18:24-26), these Ephesian believers needed further instruction on the message and ministry of Jesus Christ.  They believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but they did not understand the significance of his death and resurrection or the work of the Holy Spirit.  Becoming a Christian involves turning from sin (repentance) and turning to Christ (faith).  These “believers” were incomplete.

In the book of Acts, believers received the Holy Spirit in a variety of ways. Usually the Holy Spirit would fill a person as soon as he or she professed faith in Christ.  Here that filling happened later because these disciples’ knowledge was incomplete.  God was confirming to these believers, who did not initially know about the Holy Spirit, that they were a part of the church.  The Holy Spirit’s filling endorsed them as believers.

Pentecost was the formal outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church. The other outpourings in the book of Acts were God’s way of uniting new believers to the church.  The mark of the truth church is not merely right doctrine, but right actions, the true evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work.

[While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples – Acts 19:1. Ephesus was the capital and leading business centre of the Roman province of Asia (part of present-day Turkey).  A hub of sea and land transportation, it ranks with Antioch in Syria and Alexandria in Egypt as one of the great cities on the Mediterranean Sea.  Paul stayed in Ephesus for a little over two years.  There he wrote his first letter to the Corinthians to counter several problems the church in Corinth was facing.  Later, while imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote a letter to the Ephesian church (the book of Ephesians).]

[When Paul laid his hands on these disciples, they received the Holy Spirit, just as the disciples did at Pentecost, and there were outward, visible signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence. This also happened when the Holy Spirit came on Gentiles (non-Jews, see 10:45-47).]

©Kingsway International Church, Here.

[Acts 5:1ff In Acts 5:1-8:3 we see both internal and external problems facing the early church.  Inside, there was dishonesty (5:1-11) and administrative headaches (6:1-7).  Outside, the church was being pressured by persecution.  While church leaders were careful and sensitive in dealing with the internal problems, there was not much they could do to prevent the external pressures.  Through it all, the leaders kept their focus on what was most important – spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.]

[Acts 5:21 Suppose someone threatened to kill you if you didn’t stop talking about God.  You might be tempted to keep quiet.  But after being threatened by powerful leaders, arrested, jailed, and miraculously released, the apostles went back to preaching.  This was nothing less than God’s power working through them (4:13)!  When we are convinced of the truth of Christ’s resurrection and have experienced the presence and power of his Holy Spirit, we can have the confidence to speak out for Christ.]