New Believer Follow Up

 Christian bookstores and blogs are full tips, hints and strategies for meaningful growth.  Some of them are outstanding.  Others, well, not so much.  

They all center on two basic ideas.  One, how do we get new people through the door?  Two, how do we insure we get new believers involved into the life of the church? 

We can learn much from the early church in their first week of existence.  They had what may be the best "New Believer Follow Up" program ever.  

It is simple.  It is effective.  And it breaks down into four things.

1. Teaching

2. Togetherness

3. Supper

4. Supplication

Authors and experts have spilled oceans of ink over the years on these verses.  One thought before we move forward.  We need to read Scripture and determine if each passage is either prescriptive or descriptive.  

In other words, does these verses command God's people to do something (prescriptive)?  Or do they simply tell us what was going on (descriptive)?  

I believe these verses do a little of both.  And some of the confusion and debate over Acts 2:42 centers on that issue.  And at times, it appears that God's Word may not be mandating certain activities, but giving us a good blueprint to follow.

Luke describes their basic flow and methodology in verse 42.  He gives us four activities to which the members of the infant church devoted themselves.  T

he Greek verb here is proskaptereo, found here as a present active participle.  It has a couple of shades of meaning.  

First, it indicates a persistence, devotion and perseverance to something.  Second, it means to closely attach oneself and be continually ready for something or someone.

These 3120-plus members of the first church were devoted.  They were persistent.  They didn't let a little bad weather or little league ball games get in the way of their new found faith.  

They reorganized their priorities and lives around what it meant to be followers of Jesus.  They closely associated themselves with this amazing new movement.  

And they were continually ready.  Ready to show the love of Jesus to their new brothers and sisters.  Ready to see what God was going to do next.

Are you devoted?  Or do you simply "go to church?"  Is your devotion to Christ and His church a day to day focus?  Or are you just a "weekend warrior?"

The first point of devotion was to the apostles' teaching.  This is NOT to say that these twelve men were simply making stuff up.  

In the first century, to be an apostles was a very serious duty.  An apostle is an official representative of someone who has granted them his full rights and responsibilities.  

When you interacted with one's apostle, it was as if you were interacting with the one who sent them.  So these twelve men were teaching what the One who sent them had instructed.  

They were fulfilling Jesus' command at the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20).  In other words, this wasn't some made up message.  

All they had was what we call the Old Testament and whatever Jesus taught about it.  They taught what Jesus taught.

Are we teaching people God's Word? 

The second point of their devotion was to fellowship.  Again, let's make sure we say what this is not.  This is not fried chicken and Jello salad on Wednesday nights.  This is a daily devotion to their newfound brothers and sisters.  

They sought each other out.  They spent time together.  They got to know each other.  Fellowship (koinonia) is essential because relationships are essential.  

God designed life to be lived in community.  The Trinity is a model of perfect self-giving community.  Even before the Fall in the midst of His perfect creation, God announced, "It is not good for man to be alone" (Gen 2:18).  We need each other.

Are you a Lone Ranger Christian or in encouraging relationships with other believers?

Third, the baby church was devoted "to the breaking of bread."  Some believe this is daily observance of the Lord's Supper.  

Honestly, I think this is getting together for meals.  Nothing deepens a friendship like eating together.  You really get to know someone when you share a meal.  

Look at the life of Jesus.  So much of the meaningful moments of His ministry revolved around meal time.  

Did these times include celebrating the Lord's Supper?  Undoubtedly.  But it was not limited to that.

Do you regularly hang out over a plate of food with other Christ followers?

The fourth and final point of devotion was to "the prayers."  Once you hear God's Word taught, once you really get to know other believers, once you open your home and eat meals together, you will naturally pray for one another.  

Are you praying with and for other Christ followers?

So, does this verse describe or prescribe?  I'll let you make that call yourself.  

At the very least, it's certainly a wonderful model to follow.  And it certainly seems to work.  

"The Lord added to their number day by day those being saved" (v47).  That's what I call New Believer Follow Up!

Are you devoted?

©2011

Jay Jennings

3,000...if You're Counting

 Peter has just preached the church’s first sermon.  He has deftly explained the coming of the Holy Spirit.  

He used the OT to tell how Jesus is both the divine Son of God and the long awaited Messiah.  And with the subtlety of a jackhammer, he accused his audience of murdering the Christ.

Scholars don’t hold up this message as an example of contextualization, but it really is.  Like Paul on Mars Hill, Pete knows and understands his listeners.  

They are Jewish.  They understand the Torah.  They know the OT Scriptures.  And he uses their cultural context and sacred literature to prove Jesus is Messiah and to preach the Gospel message.

I find it very interesting that Pete simply and bluntly ends his sermon by accusing them of crucifying Jesus.  No application.  Just a punch in the neck.  “Whom YOU crucified!”  

Not one hint of what to do with the information.  Was there a great silence?  Was there a gasp?  

We pick it up in verse 37 as the people are “cut to the heart.”  The Greek verb here is katanuasomai, which means to be cut, stabbed or pierced.  

Pete’s message had its intended effect.  He had stabbed them in the heart.  Today we might say he punched them in the gut.  

His sermon evoked an emotional response.  So much so, that they begged the apostles for what to do next.  “Brothers, what shall we do?”  

Rocky responds with the message of repentance.  “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v38).  

“Repent” is one of those wonderful words that has been hijacked over the years.  It’s a word associated with legalism, religion and fanaticism.  

But the idea of repentance is a beautiful word that drips with the grace of God.  It’s a word that we must reclaim with love and tenderness of the Lord.

A look at the original language is helpful.  The Greek metanoeo means to repent, to have a change of hear and mind.  Literally it means to think (noeo) after or again (meta).  

It is the idea of taking a second thought of our sin after we understand how God sees it.  It is a turning from and a turning to.  In order to turn from my sin and I must turn to God.  

It is that wonderful 180.  John MacArthur describes repentance as a radical turning from sin that inevitably became manifest in the fruit of righteousness (Lk 3:8). 

When I’m faced with the realization that something is terribly wrong, I immediately want to make it right.  Sometimes I know what to do.  Sometimes I don’t. 

When it comes to my own sin and sinful behavior, I know what to do.  Repent.  Confess my sin to God.  Agree with Him about my sin.  Turn from my sin.  Turn to Him.  

Repentance is not a one time act.  It is not something I did once in 1970 at the summer revival at First Baptist Church in Farmington.  It is certainly that.  

But repentance is so much more.  It is a lifestyle.  And it is a gift to be used regularly.  God has granted me the gift of repentance so that I can continually turn back to Him.

Peter commands the crowd to repent and be baptized.  There is forgiveness of our sins offered by Jesus.  

But there is so much more.  We also receive the Holy Spirit.  His powerful presence in our lives enables us to obey God’s commands when we otherwise are powerless to do so.  

Preacher Pete tells the Pentecost congregation that they can enjoy and experience the gift of God’s Spirit just as the 120 have.

He tells them, “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to Himself” (v39).  Once again, the Holy Spirit is referred to as the promise of God (Acts 1:4; 2:33).  

The Third Person of the Trinity is a vitally important part of the great benefit package of salvation.  And this salvation is available to EVERYONE!!!  You.  Your children.  All who are far off.  

Everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself.  Pete preaches a compelling Gospel.  If Jesus calls you, you are coming.  

And don’t miss the fact that Peter is apparently opening the door to Gentiles.  This very term “far off” is also used by Paul to describe non-Jews (Eph 2:11-13).  

This is a very important point of the Gospel of Jesus.  Previously, salvation was available only to and through the Jews.  

The other thing that makes this interesting is the fact that Peter continually struggles with the inclusion of Gentiles throughout the Book of Acts.

God’s offer of repentance, baptism, the Holy Spirit and salvation is made to ALL.  Every people group.  Every strata of society.  Every language.  Every nation.  Every person.  

And I have been granted the precious privilege of being His ambassador to carry this Gospel of grace to a lost and dying world (2Cor 5:20).  Lord Jesus, open my eyes and allow me to see others as You see them.

Peter continues teaching and explaining the Gospel (v40).  When he finished, there was a massive response.  Three thousand people were baptized and added to the 120 in the upper room.  

Not a bad first day of church.  And that was only the beginning.

©2011

Jay Jennings

A Dangerous Message

In Acts, Peter has just explained that the Holy Spirit is behind this fantastic display of foreign languages (Acts 2:14-21).  He goes on to tell the people just how active God was in the life and ministry of Jesus (Acts 2:22-24).  He even goes so far as to accuse his listeners of crucifying Him!

At this point, Pete makes the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of the long awaited Messiah.  And he does so by looking at the life of King David.  

First, he quotes Psalm 16:8-11.  He reassures us that David himself composed this psalm.  The king wrote, “For You will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let Your Holy One see corruption” (Ps 16:10; Acts 2:27).

Preacher Peter exposits and explains what David has written.  King David is dead (v29).  And he had been dead for almost 1,000 years.  As a matter of fact, they could still visit his tomb that very day.  

So there’s a problem here.  What David wrote in Psalm 16 could not be about David.  He was a great king, but let’s face facts, he died.

Pete reassures us that David was not only a king but a prophet as well (v30).  This explains the strong prophetic nature of the songs and poems he composed, especially those concerning the coming Messiah.  

Peter will quote three of them in this small stretch of his sermon (Ps 16; 132; 110). 

He goes on to remind his listeners of the phenomenal promise God made to King David, “Knowing that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set One of his descendants on his throne” (v30).  

Theologians call this the Davidic Covenant.  God promised David that someone in his direct lineage would be the King forever.  It’s found in 2 Samuel 7:11-16.  

There God tells David that he would indeed die and “lie down with your fathers” (2Sam 7:12).  Almighty God promises to “raise up your Offspring after you...and I will establish His kingdom forever” (2Sam 7:12-13).  

There is a very curious  reference in the midst of this amazing covenant.  “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son” (2Sam 7:14).  Clearly a hint at incredible Father/Son relationship between the heavenly Father and Jesus Messiah.  

The result is God’s oath to David that “your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before Me.  Your throne shall be established forever” (2Sam 7:16).

This is what I’ve heard Pete Brisco of Bent Tree talk about.  The Old Testament is the New Testament contained.  The New Testament is the Old Testament explained.  

In other words, the OT contains the message of God’s incredible grace and the coming of Jesus.  It just isn’t fully laid out.  The NT explains the main message of the OT (Jesus!) as well as many of the tricky and ticklish passages.  

Contained.  Explained.  I think that is a GREAT way of thinking about the Bible.  That is what is going on as Peter preaches.  Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Pete explains and interprets the life of David.

Peter goes on to make the amazing claim that David actually “foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was not abandoned to Hades, no did His flesh see corruption” (v31).  

This goes so much farther than a promise from God.  Simon states that the king actually had some sort of vision of this long awaited Son of David rising from the grave.  This, says Pete, is the entire basis for what the king wrote in Psalm 16 and the only explanation.

Rocky brings it home at this point.  David saw and wrote about the Messiah.  This Messiah is indeed the very same Jesus whom “God raised up, and of that we are all witnesses” (v32).  

But God didn’t stop there, He exalted His Son and gave Him the ultimate honor of being seated “at the right hand of God” (v33).  This is Jesus’ place of divine privilege all through Scripture (Lk 22:69; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1 are just three examples).  

The first thing He did once He sat at His Dad’s right hand was to receive the Holy Spirit and pour it out on His followers.  Luke has penned several wonderful passages involving the Trinity.  This is yet one more.  

Once again, Peter explains to his audience that this incredible explosion of languages is the result of the work of God’s Spirit.

Reminding his listeners that it wasn’t David who had ascended but Jesus, he then cites Psalm 110:1 (v34-35).  This is the very same psalm Jesus quoted to confound the Pharisees (Lk 20:41-44).  

Peter simply says that King David could not have written about himself since he did not rise from the grave and head to heaven on a cloud.  He had to be talking about Jesus Messiah.  

Then Peter lands the plane.  Here’s the Big Point.  He wants every Jew to understand what he is about to say.  

Here’s The Fact that changes EVERYTHING!  “God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (v36).

God’s ultimate active work is in anointing Jesus to His divine role.  He is first Lord.  This simply means that Jesus is God.  He is fully divine and sovereignly in control.  

He is also Christ.  This is the Greek word (Christos) which means “anointed one” and is equivalent to  the Hebrew Messiah.  Peter connects these two very important ideas.  

Jesus is God.  Jesus is Messiah.  He is BOTH.

But he doesn’t stop there.  Once again, Pete makes sure his listeners understand that they have divine blood on their hands.  “This Jesus whom you crucified” (emphasis added).  

God had made Jesus both Lord and Christ.  The Jews rejected and crucified their divine Messiah.  Certainly not the most seeker sensitive message ever preached.  

But then again, the philosophy of many churches is to provide “a safe place to hear a dangerous message.”  

A safe and accessible place was provided by the Holy Spirit through the gift of many languages.  Peter then preached a VERY dangerous message.

©2011

Jay Jennings

Not Lost in Translation

It was a wild scene in that upstairs banquet room (Acts 2:1-4).  That jet engine roar followed flames falling on each person.  The arrival of the Holy Spirit was nothing ever scene before.  

Those 120 people began talking in other languages.  This supernatural ability was clearly part of how Jesus' followers would take His message of grace to the entire world.

But the arrival of God's Spirit could not be contained to an upper room or even one house.  He would soon pour out into the streets of Jerusalem and the world would never be the same.

Luke sets the scene for what's going on in Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost (v5).  "Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven."  

The fact that Pentecost was only 50 days after Passover, many Jews simply stayed in town for both holy days.  

Historians and theologians tell us that the city would double and possibly triple at such times each year as Jewish pilgrims poured into town.  Let’s just say, Jerusalem was slammed with people.

But are these worshipers simply made up of pilgrims?  I think Dr. Luke is telling us something more.  He writes that these Jews "were dwelling in Jerusalem."  The Greek verb katoikeo carries the idea of settling somewhere, inhabiting or even colonizing.  

This has led Doug Bookman of Shepherds Seminary to believe that many of these were actually foreign born Jews returning from the Dispersion.  

This was a time of relative peace and prosperity for Rome in general and Israel in particular.  So many Jews were returning to the Promised Land.

So these devout men were most likely a mix of pilgrims and Jewish immigrants who have come home.  The good doctor gives us a demographic breakdown in a couple of verses (v9-11).

"And at this sound the multitude came together" (v6).  The passage is not specific about what "this sound" is.  Was it the roar of the Spirit's arrival?  Or Jesus' followers speaking in foreign languages?  

Honestly, it could be either one or both.  I lean toward the sound of the languages for a couple of reasons.  

First of all, Luke uses two different words for the "sound like a mighty rushing wind" (echos) and "this sound" (phone) in v6.  

Secondly, the last mention of any kind of noise was when they "began to speak in other tongues" (v4).  But it could be either or both that gathered the crowd.

These devout, foreign speaking Jews were freaked out by what they heard when they arrived at the house.  

They are described at various times as "bewildered" (v6) "amazed," "astonished" (v7), "amazed" and "perplexed" (v12).  They couldn't figure out what in the wide world of sports was going on.

They knew what was happening.  They just didn't know how.  These hicks from Galilee were actually speaking in international dialects (v6-7).  

Apparently Galileans had a distinct accent.  Earlier, someone identified as Peter as Galilean simply by how he talked (Mt 26:73).  

Luke gives us a demographic breakdown of these Jews (v9-11).  He starts in the east with the Parthians, Medes, Elamites and Mesopotamians.  

Then he moves west to list those from Judea.  Next he tells of those from what is modern day Turkey, folks from Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia.  

Following those, we see a list of north Africans, Jews from Egypt, Libya and Cyrene (remember Simon, who carried Jesus' cross?).  

He finishes with folks from across the Mediterranean, Romans (Jews and converts), Cretans and Arabs.  

That's a LOT of different languages!  But then again, there were 120 people translating in the power of the Spirit!

So just what were they using their newfound, Spirit-empowered linguistic ability to say?  They were proclaiming "the mighty works of God" (v11).  

In other words, they explained the miraculous events of Passover surrounding Jesus.  He IS Messiah.  He was crucified, dead and buried.  He IS alive!  

Most certainly they used OT Scriptures to explain how Jesus is the fulfillment of everything Moses and the prophets wrote about.

There is NOTHING lost in translation.

While this mind-bending mass translation blew everyone away (v12), there were plenty of naysayers (v13).  Some of them accused these followers of Jesus of hitting the sauce.  "They are filled with new wine."  

Hmm.  An interesting choice of terms.  Earlier Jesus had talked of putting new wine into new wineskins (Mt 9:17; Mk 2:22; Lk 5:37-38).  In mocking these Spirit-filled followers, they may have actually hit on EXACTLY what was going on.

God's Spirit had fallen.  Jesus' followers proclaimed the Gospel in every language.  Game on.  Nothing would be lost in translation.   

©2011

Jay Jennings   

Fill'er up!

Jesus' followers just experienced ten days like no others.  The Lord was back in heaven, catching a cloud back home from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:9).  

Yet the Holy Spirit had yet to make His grand entrance.  Jesus was gone.  The Spirit had yet to arrive.  Curious days indeed.

Luke tells us "the day of Pentecost arrived" (v1).  This is the feast commanded by God just 50 days after Passover (Lev 23:9-22).  

This celebration focused on God's provision of the first fruits of the harvest.  Don't miss the fact that these followers of Jesus crammed into an upstairs banquet room were His first fruits.

"They were all together in one place."  Jesus had told them not to leave Jerusalem and wait on the coming of God's Spirit (Acts 1:4-5; Lk 24:49).  

There is little doubt that this "one place" was the legendary upper room.  This most likely was the same room where Jesus celebrated the Passover seder with His disciples.  

The very same room they gathered after His death.  The very same room the risen Jesus miraculously appeared to them.  The very same room where they called the roll (Acts 1:13-14).  The very same room where they threw dice to name Matthias as Judas' replacement.

It's at this point that everything changes.  Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you the Third Person of the Trinity: THE HOLY SPIRIT!!!  

Luke's Gospel drips with repeated mention of God's Spirit.  A huge point made in his prequel is that Jesus is THE Spirit-filled Man.  

The Spirit of God plays an incredibly important role in the book of Luke, but He is selective.  Appearing and moving here and there (Jn 3:8).

While Jesus is front and center in the Gospels, His Holy Spirit takes the stage in Acts.  This books is called formally The Acts of the Apostles.  More accurately, we could call it The Acts of the Holy Spirit.  

And it's interesting that Luke's first book describes the incarnation of Jesus (His birth) in chapter 2.  And in his second book, the Spirit shows up in a big way in chapter 2.  

(Okay, I get it.  Dr. Luke didn't divide his books into the chapters we have today.  I just find it curious.  Work with me here, people.)

"Suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind" (v2).  It began in a moment.  In the blink of an eye.  

We don't know what they were doing, but they were all there.  Somehow they know this is "from heaven."  Maybe the roar came from above.  

Eyewitnesses tell Dr. Luke that it sounded "like a mighty rushing wind."  The ESV doesn't really do the original Greek text justice in this description.  The adjective biaios means violent, vehement or with tremendous force.  And this is only time this word appears in the Bible.  

I've had the opportunity to experience the thunderous roar of winds in the eye wall of a hurricane on a couple of occasions.  It is frightening.  Think of the blast from a jet engine.  

Throughout Scripture, God's Spirit is often compared to wind.  But this was not like a gentle summer breeze.

The roar of this violent wind is only described as a sound.  The author never writes of things blowing around.  Just the roar of this heavenly hurricane filling the entire home.  God's promised Spirit was making quite an entrance.

If things weren't wild enough already, "divided tongues of fire appeared to them and rested on each of them" (v3).  Like the sound of the violent wind, these appear to be fire.  

Chances are these flames weren't actually fire, but supernatural indicators of God's presence among them.  And like the association of wind with God's Spirit, fire is often part of the special effects package of the manifest presence of God in the OT.

These tongues of fire split apart and then rested on every head in the room.  The Greek verb here is kathizo, which actually means to sit down upon something.  

The Spirit's flame did not discriminate.  He took a seat on each and every person in the room.  He didn't just rest on the apostles.  Not just the men.  Everyone.  

This is a huge reminder that the Holy Spirit baptizes ALL believers.  Men.  Women.  Young.  Old.  All races.  Everyone.  God's Spirit does not discriminate.

"And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit" (v4).  Fill'er up!!  Jesus had promised this would happen "not many days from now" (Acts 1:5) and He was right on target.  

Just ten short days from when He spoke those words, His Spirit roared from heaven into the room.  

Let's be clear on the roles of the Three Persons of the Trinity in what's happening here.  Jesus has asked the Father to send the Spirit (Jn 14:16).  Jesus is the One who is actually baptizing them in the Spirit (Lk 3:16).  

The Spirit will not only remind them of everything Jesus did and said (Jn 14:26), but empower them for their worldwide Gospel mission (Acts 1:8; Jn 15:26).

They were not only baptized with the Holy Spirit but filled.  They are similar but distinctly different.  The Spirit baptizes only once when God saves us.  

The Spirit can fill us on more than one occasion.  We see that vividly just in the book of Acts (Acts 4:8, 31; 6:5; 7:55; 13:9; 13:52).  Paul even instructs us not to get filled with booze, but filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18).   

As if things weren't weird enough already, these followers of Jesus "began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance."  

(We won't go into a long and drawn out discussion of the sign gifts at this point.  My personal view is that such gifts of the Spirit are still active today.  I simply can't do the Scriptural gymnastics necessary to take a view of cessation.)

What we do know is that it did happen to these 120 Spirit-baptized believers at Pentecost.  We know that this ability to speak in other languages was a gift through the power of the Spirit.  It was a huge part of taking the Gospel of grace to the entire planet.  

God's long-awaited Messiah had baptized His followers in God's long-promised Spirit.  Things would never be the same.

We should all say to God’s Spirit, "Fill'er up!"   

©2011

Jay Jennings

Roll Call

Jesus has not only risen from the grave but taken the express back home to heaven.  Two angels told His followers that He most certainly will return.  It's hard to imagine the cocktail of emotions Christ's closest companions must have felt.

The first thing they did was to return to Jerusalem (v12).  It's easy to gloss over those words but they are important.  Luke is telling us that Jesus’ apostles were obedient to what He had commanded.  

Previously, the Lord ordered them to stay in the capital city (v4).  They weren't go anywhere until the Holy Spirit drenches and empowers them.  This is a reminder that in times of great emotion, we are to be obedient to Christ.  

The eleven apostles headed back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.  This mountain sits across the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem and the temple mount.  Olivet is actually 200 feet higher than the city.  

Dr. Luke writes that it is "a Sabbath's day's journey" from the city.  This possibly indicates that this occurred on a Saturday, the mandated Jewish day of corporate worship.  

In the coming weeks and months, that would change for those who followed Jesus.  They would shift their Sabbath to Sunday, the day of His resurrection.

"A Sabbath day's journey" is a half a mile, according to Exodus 16:29, the distance from the farthest tents on the perimeter to the tabernacle.  This limited to the distance a God-fearing Jew was to travel on Saturday.  

This distance would later impact Jewish life as culture became oriented around the local synagogue.  As a result, these synagogues became the central location for small towns in Israel.  

Taking a proper Sabbath has been a personal struggle for me.  God has certainly commanded it (Ex 20:8).  And Paul tells us that He clearly has determined that the specific day of the week doesn't matter (Rom 14:5).  

But do you take a full day of rest?  It should be part of the weekly rhythm of our lives.  

When they got back to the city, they headed for "the upper room, where they were staying" (v13).  This is no doubt the same upper room where they celebrated the Passover seder, where they hid after Jesus' crucifixion, and where the risen Lord appeared to them.  

Spoiler alert.  It would later be the very location where the Holy Spirit falls for the first time (Acts 2).

This is another great practical example from Scripture of the importance of community.  While quiet time alone with God is imperative, we need each other.  

God Himself said, "It is not good that the man should be alone" (Gen 2:18).  The very existence of the Trinity models perfect fellowship: Three Persons, One God!  

Just as the wolf preys on stray sheep, our enemy loves Lone Ranger Christians.  Are you in community?

At this point, Dr. Luke calls the roll of those in attendance in the upper room.  First, the surviving 11 apostles:  

-Peter

-John   

-James

-Andrew

-Philip

-Thomas

-Bartholomew

-Matthew

-James the son of Alphaeus

-Simon the Zealot

-Judas the son of James

It's interesting to note a couple of things.  Each time Jesus' closest followers are listed, the order is nearly the same each time.  

Peter is always first, indicating his status as first among equals.  Even though there might be slight variations in the order, they are divided into small groups that are always listed in the same order.

I do wonder if there is any significance to John now being placed after Peter in the list.  In Luke's list here in Acts 1, he jumps his older brother James.  Does this reflect his rising status among the apostles?  Maybe.

The good doctor tells his readers that the Eleven were united, both in mind and activity (v14).  And that activity was prayer.  What did they pray about?  

Most likely for "the promise of the Father" and their imminent baptism by the Holy Spirit (v5).  This is a great reminder to prepare our hearts as we call on God to fulfill His promises in Scripture.

Dr. Luke adds to the roster of those in the upper room at this point.  "The women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers."  "The women" were those same ladies listed in Luke 8:2-3 and later visited the empty tomb (Lk 23:55-24:11).  

We now read Mary's last mention in the NT.  She is to be revered and honored, but she is not divine.  Jesus' mother needed a Savior too.  And here in the upper room, she prayed to her risen and ascended Son.  

Jesus' brothers (and most likely His sisters) were there in that upstairs banquet room as well.  Earlier they didn't believe their oldest sibling was anything special (Jn 7:5).  

Here they worship Him as God.  The realization of His divinity and worship by His own mother and siblings may be one of the most dramatic proofs of who Jesus is!  I know that my family loves me, but there's no way they would worship me as divine!

Jesus' brothers would go on to have a MASSIVE impact on the early church.  In just a short span, they went from doubters to key leaders of the movement.  

James would become the leader of the church in Jerusalem as the apostles took Christ's Gospel of grace to the world.  Jude would write a tiny but power-packed epistle.

They assembled in an upper room in Jerusalem.  Dazed but NOT confused.  Jesus is ALIVE and He is God!

©2011

Jay Jennings