Eats with Sinners

Luke wrote to Christians to help them understand their place in Roman society and to help them defend their faith.[1] Luke anticipates the movement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to Rome. He longed for this throughout the Book. Mark Moore says, “…the book of Acts does provide a template for how to do church, not through individual versus but rather through themes and patterns that surface through Luke’s running narrative.”[2] Luke wrote history for people today to acknowledge the passion and fire that inhabited in people lives.

The book of Acts describes real events that happened throughout history. It communicates the effectiveness of the Holy Spirit and the early Church’s desire for people. There is excitement that runs through the pages with the expectancy of God’s glory to be revealed in a sinful world. Acts exposes radical Christianity. The early Church was the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. They were led and empowered by the Holy Spirit, and were ready to serve and give witness whenever God called them.

Acts opens with a statement from Jesus, which seems to set the tone for the entire book.[3] Jesus, throughout His ministry, promised the disciples that they would receive power in the form of the Holy Spirit. He then tells them that they will be His “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”[4] Being a witness for the Gospel is the theme that is carried throughout this work. Jesus Christ challenged a small band of disciples to reach the entire world with the Gospel by declaring:
There go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.[5]

Chapter two of Acts explains the exhilarating sermon preached by Peter. Those that heard his message accepted Jesus Christ and added to the number, totaling to 3,000.[6] The message of Christ was the establishment for fellowship among the community. Acts 2:44-45 states, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.”[7]

People often refer to this account to pinpoint the unity that existed in the first-century Church. Erwin Raphael McManus, an innovator and catalyst for church growth says, “that this alone is an extraordinary achievement by the early apostles”.[8] The picture that surrounds it is just as inspiring. It is the advancement of the first-century community. Acts 2:42 cites, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”[9] Then in the same chapter Luke writes, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”[10]

The Church was vibrant and shared a common goal: which was to reach lost people with the Gospel. There was unity that was agreed upon and was lived out through unselfishness and affection for the lost. Every single day the Church expanded in numbers. Their hearts beat with the heartbeat of God by valuing God’s standards.

The early Church was bold at proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. In chapter four, one reads of Peter and John proclaiming the bodily resurrection of Jesus and then being seized and shoved in jail. Yet Acts 4:4 says, “But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.”[11] Peter’s courage led many to a believing relationship with God for the first time. The Holy Spirit was active and sharp. Hard hearts in the city of Israel were melting by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Acts 4:31 says, “…and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”[12] Stephen A. Macchia believes that a healthy and dynamic Church actively seeks the Holy Spirit’s direction and empowerment for its daily life and ministry.[13]

The early Christians were convinced that people were lost without Christ. This was a big deal to God then, and is still is today. They did everything in their power to show this commitment daily by living out their faith rather than just claiming to be religious. The spiritual life of the Apostles was about personal survival. They did not know when they were going to face trials, but they did know that they were going to be confronted with them. They stayed true to the Great Commission that commanded them to share the good news about Jesus’ life, atoning death, and resurrection with the world.

[1] Mark Moore, Fanning the Flame: Probing the Issues in Acts (Joplin: College Press Publishing Company, 2003), 21.
[2] Moore, 10.
[3] Dennis Gaertner, Acts: The College Press NIV Commentary (Joplin: College Press Publishing Company, 1993), 17.
[4] Gaertner, 17.
[5] Matthew 28:19-20, NIV.
[6] Acts 2:38-40, NIV.
[7] Acts 2:44-46, NIV.
[8] Erwin Raphael McManus, An Unstoppable Force: Daring to Become the Church God Had in Mind (Orange: Group Publishing, 2001), 101.
[9] Acts 2:42, NIV.
[10] Acts 2:46, NIV.
[11] Acts 4:4, NIV.
[12] Acts 4:31, NIV.
[13] Stephen A. Macchia, Becoming a Healthy Church: 10 Characteristics (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1999), 27.