The First "Church" Community
Acts 3-4
I’m currently working my way through a series on Acts. What I’m sharing are my reflections as I read through it. In most cases I did not seek out a commentary, if I did I’ll make sure to make note of it. I may share some things I learned in class as we reflected together on what we can glean from this rich document regarding the Early Church.
A Quick Recap
Last week we learned:
What a patron was.
Who the author of Acts (and Luke) was.
We also
Became Peter’s post-humous cheerleaders.
Saw the growth of what would become the first church.
A reminder, or if you’re new here, this is how my random thoughts appear in the post.
As I continued reading through Acts (we’re on chapter 3 btw) I noticed that Peter and John still adhered to the rhythms of their Jewish faith. In fact, they “were going up to the temple at three o’clock in the afternoon, the established prayer time” (3:1). This is where Peter, once again, becomes the first to do something resembling Jesus’ ministry.
As they’re entering the temple they noticed a man who was “lame from birth” (3:3) asking for help. The CEB uses the term “gifts.” The NIV uses the term “money.” You can choose whichever interpretation you’d like. It really doesn’t matter either way because he doesn’t end up getting it. Instead, Peter heals him. That’s right, Peter becomes the leader, gives the first sermon, and then is the first person recorded to heal someone after Jesus ascended.
Random Thought 1:
Isn’t it interesting that they didn’t stop their Jewish practices, but instead they simply added to them? Some would call this syncretism. “Syncretism” is a fancy word for the combination of different forms of belief or practices.1 Some may call it pluralism. Religious “pluralism” is a fancy word for different beliefs coexisting, each being considered equal. A big no, no in the Evangelical church.You may see either of these discussed in regards to sharing the Gospel. For example, “we’ll tell you about Jesus but we don’t want to learn about your beliefs.” It’s a very colonial mindset.2
I found it interesting that God is doing something new, but there was still room for some tradition. I stress some intentionally. Some traditional practices are good, and life giving. Some traditional practices are bad, and life draining. Those bad practices, the harmful ones that value rules over humanity, I strongly believe they need to go away.
The people were amazed at what happened to the lame man, and Peter took this opportunity to share his second sermon. He doesn’t mince words. He shares what happened to Jesus, tells the people to turn back to God, and that Jesus will return one day at “the restoration of all things” (3:21). Their small group of 3,000 people grew to 5,000 people after Peter’s second sermon.
It sounds like they’re expecting Jesus to return soon. I wonder how that works with the Book of Revelation? Something to ponder, I suppose.
Random Thought 2:
Hmmm… the restoration of “all” you say? The NIV says “restores everything.” Everything? Like, the whole creation will be restored? That’s not what I was taught.
Random Thought 3:
Once again, no mention of hell here in Peter’s sermon. He simply exhorts them to change their hearts and minds.
Anyway, through this second sermon, Peter draws some unwanted attention, and it lands him and John in jail. The next day they’re brought before the religious leaders (yep, the same ones Jesus met), and Peter basically says, “Yeah, you guys killed the Messiah. You builders rejected the stone, and now he’s become the cornerstone. You can’t experience salvation anywhere other than Jesus.” He was so confident, that it actually caught the council by surprise.
Now, there’s a lot to unpack here, but I’m going to focus on cornerstone, and salvation.
A cornerstone, in building terms (to take Peter’s metaphor) is “a stone forming a part of corner or angle in a wall.”3 It’s where two walls meet. I mean, there’s a ton to unpack there, but to make it even quicker let me ask you this - Could the two walls be one tradition meeting another? A cornerstone is also important because it forms the foundation of the building. Lastly, and you’ve likely heard this before, Peter is referring to Psalm 118:22. (Isaiah references it as well in 28:16.) This is interesting because remember, Peter was a fisherman, he would have been trained by his father to be a fisherman. Could he have amazing knowledge of the Scriptures (ie what we today call the Old Testament)? Certainly! But, ponder with me here… consider that Peter was now filled with the Spirit, who helped bring important memories to mind at the moment that he needed them.
Random Thought 4:
I’m putting on my spiritual director’s hat here. This is why it’s important to delve into memories, through imagination with the help of the Holy Spirit. There’s a reason the Spirit brings things up in sessions. It can typically help us understand both God, and ourselves a lot better. By stifling the Spirit, we stifle our own spiritual formation, and growth.
Salvation is an interesting word as well. In the Evangelical tradition it’s often related to being saved from hell, and it’s related to eternity so I can see why. But let’s tease it apart just a bit. The Greek word is sōtēria, and may mean saving, preservation, or deliverance, but often was used in relation to being in right relationship with God, and in some cases related to eternal life.4
I have no problems with this translation of salvation, but I often wonder, why is there such a focus on “getting people into heaven,” when eternal life as experienced in the Jewish tradition meant from the moment you repented (or changed). Consider the Parable of the Prodigal Son, or the Rich Young Ruler. Eternity wasn’t a someday thing, it was a right now experience. If we focus so much on what happens next, how we will ever embody the Kin*dom of God now?
“Kin*dom” is a term that I’ve come across in my research a few times. It removes that hierarchical structure, and instead brings all things into equal and right relationship with each other. Let’s take this one step further. Christ is the head of the Church - everyone else is equal. Creation is God’s Kingdom - everyone, and perhaps everything in it is equal. All of what God created was either “good” or “very good.”
At the moment, I really I like the idea of kin*dom. Will I change my mind? I have no idea. Part of growth is that you learn something new, and since I don’t know what I’ll learn in the future, how can I possibly know if I’ll change my mind? I can certainly see how some may find the word Kingdom more suitable. After all, Jesus used this term, and I’m trying my best to follow in his footsteps. This is where gracious tension comes in.
Back to Acts! The religious leaders didn’t know what to do with Peter and John, and because they were popular among the people they decided to release them telling them not to share their message anymore. Gee, I wonder how that worked out for them?
I wanted to make a special note about the prayer that’s shared in 4:24-31. I know we have the Lord’s Prayer as our standard example, but take a look at the prayer of these believers. I noted this general pattern:
Proclaim God’s power (4:24)
Rely on God’s promises (4:25-26, even quoting Ps. 2:1-2)
Reiterate what happened to Jesus, including the people involved (4:27-28)
Petition God for help, “enable your servants” (4:29-30)
How does God respond? The Holy Spirit fills them, and brings them confidence.
Random Thought 5:
The first time the Holy Spirit showed up, filling the followers, it was through sound, and the people could speak in different languages.
The second time the Holy Spirit showed up, filling the followers, it was through physical shaking, and the people were filled with confidence.There’s no pattern, no “right way,” no repetition in how the Spirit moved. It was different, unexpected, and new things happened both times.
At the end of Acts 4 we hear a message that has been taught over, and over. The people sold what they had, and gave to the community supporting each other.
This is where we first hear about Barnabas, and he becomes a pretty big deal in the early church. They shared meals, and lived happily ever after…
… Well, not quite. But we’ll continue on from here next week.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/syncretism
Check out Sacred Belonging by Kat Armas, and After Whiteness by Willie James Jennings for more information.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cornerstone