Acts 5:41 The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.
Perhaps it is better to share some more scriptures than to speak on a topic of which I have no meaningful experience.
John 15:20-21 [Jesus said,] Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me. NIV
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. NIV
2 Thessalonians 1:4-7 Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring. All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. NIV
1 Thessalonians 3:2-4 We sent Timothy, who is our brother and God's fellow worker in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. NIV
Hebrews 11:35 Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. NIV
James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. NIV
1 Peter 1:5-7 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. NIV
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
The Message of Life (Acts 5:20)
Acts 5:20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”
The apostles were in jail and an angel of the Lord busted them out and gave them this directive. The officials had told them to stop teaching in His name (v. 28), but the angel told them to do it anyway. You could break down the angel’s message like this:
1) Go
2) Go to a certain place
3) Tell the people
Ring any bells?
Matthew 28:19 [Jesus said,] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. NIV
1) Go
2) Go to the nations
3) Make disciples
Their response to God’s direction in their life was:
1) They went
2) They went where they were told to go
3) They taught the people
Sometimes our response seems less straightforward.
I also thought that the message that they were given was interesting: “tell the people all about this new life.”
This is what we are bringing people, is it not? Life! It’s not just a better life, but it is life the opposite of death. We are bringing the message of life!
The apostles were in jail and an angel of the Lord busted them out and gave them this directive. The officials had told them to stop teaching in His name (v. 28), but the angel told them to do it anyway. You could break down the angel’s message like this:
1) Go
2) Go to a certain place
3) Tell the people
Ring any bells?
Matthew 28:19 [Jesus said,] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. NIV
1) Go
2) Go to the nations
3) Make disciples
Their response to God’s direction in their life was:
1) They went
2) They went where they were told to go
3) They taught the people
Sometimes our response seems less straightforward.
I also thought that the message that they were given was interesting: “tell the people all about this new life.”
This is what we are bringing people, is it not? Life! It’s not just a better life, but it is life the opposite of death. We are bringing the message of life!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Testifying to the Resurrection (Acts 4:33)
Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.
The resurrection was the quintessential proof that Jesus (and His message) was from God.
John 2:18-21 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. NIV
(Also: Matthew 26:61; 27:40; 27:63, Mark 14:58; 15:29)
Matthew 12:39-40 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” NIV (Also: Matthew 16:4 and Luke 11:16,29-32)
Mark 8:31-32 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this… NIV
Mark 9:31 …He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” NIV
Although we may think of the message of forgiveness as the most important thing to communicate to others, it is only as important as it is true. The resurrection is what gives proof that the message of forgiveness is true. They testified, or gave witness, to what they had seen and experienced, and they did this with great power.
We must also be convinced of the truth of what we share. It is not enough that we like the message, find it comforting, or hope it is true. We must know its truth, and we should be able to communicate why we know it to be true.
The resurrection was the quintessential proof that Jesus (and His message) was from God.
John 2:18-21 Then the Jews demanded of him, “What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”
19Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
20The Jews replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” 21But the temple he had spoken of was his body. NIV
(Also: Matthew 26:61; 27:40; 27:63, Mark 14:58; 15:29)
Matthew 12:39-40 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” NIV (Also: Matthew 16:4 and Luke 11:16,29-32)
Mark 8:31-32 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this… NIV
Mark 9:31 …He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise.” NIV
Although we may think of the message of forgiveness as the most important thing to communicate to others, it is only as important as it is true. The resurrection is what gives proof that the message of forgiveness is true. They testified, or gave witness, to what they had seen and experienced, and they did this with great power.
We must also be convinced of the truth of what we share. It is not enough that we like the message, find it comforting, or hope it is true. We must know its truth, and we should be able to communicate why we know it to be true.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Spirit of Unity (Acts 4:32)
Acts 4:32 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.
Imagine a home with four children. One was a girl from the wife’s first marriage, and another was a boy from the husband’s first marriage. One boy was from the couple’s marriage, and another girl was adopted from another country.
Now come Christmas time, the mother’s mother piled all kinds of gifts on the little girl from the first marriage. She had twice as much as anyone else. The adopted girl was given a lot of hand-me-down clothes and toys from friends at the adoption group. The boy from the couple’s marriage tended to get a lot of stuff because he was the baby of the family. The dad’s first son was rough and tumble and tended to break a lot of his things. So the kids got a lot of stuff, but it was unequally, or perhaps unfairly, distributed.
However, in this family all the kids shared. They played together all the time, and no one complained about who had more or less. The one boy tended to break lots of toys, but no one complained. The girl with twice as many toys shared with the others because she knew how she would want to be treated if they switched places. The adopted girl shared her used things with the other kids and they shared their new things with her.
Okay, now, back to the real world. It doesn’t work like that does it? We are possessive. We are consumed with fairness. We feel like people should be in dire straits before we should give them anything, and we judge who we feel is worthy of help and who isn’t. We think that we are being generous when our giving isn’t even enough to impact our lifestyle. We think sharing is letting someone use something of ours as long as they return it quickly and in the same condition. We spend more on eating out than we give to the work of God or the needy. And we hardly think twice about any of it.
Here’s a good verse on this, with a couple of minor modernizations added.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who [live in the United States and have a standard of living well above 90% of all the people who have ever lived] not to be arrogant nor to [put a bunch of hope into how nice their cars and houses are, how full their savings accounts are, and just how comfortable they will be in their old age], which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. NIV
If we lived out 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 4:32 would not seem so shockingly strange to us. We don’t act like siblings united in one family under the headship of our Father. We act more like competitors on the Successful Life Reality Show. How sad that must make our Father.
Imagine a home with four children. One was a girl from the wife’s first marriage, and another was a boy from the husband’s first marriage. One boy was from the couple’s marriage, and another girl was adopted from another country.
Now come Christmas time, the mother’s mother piled all kinds of gifts on the little girl from the first marriage. She had twice as much as anyone else. The adopted girl was given a lot of hand-me-down clothes and toys from friends at the adoption group. The boy from the couple’s marriage tended to get a lot of stuff because he was the baby of the family. The dad’s first son was rough and tumble and tended to break a lot of his things. So the kids got a lot of stuff, but it was unequally, or perhaps unfairly, distributed.
However, in this family all the kids shared. They played together all the time, and no one complained about who had more or less. The one boy tended to break lots of toys, but no one complained. The girl with twice as many toys shared with the others because she knew how she would want to be treated if they switched places. The adopted girl shared her used things with the other kids and they shared their new things with her.
Okay, now, back to the real world. It doesn’t work like that does it? We are possessive. We are consumed with fairness. We feel like people should be in dire straits before we should give them anything, and we judge who we feel is worthy of help and who isn’t. We think that we are being generous when our giving isn’t even enough to impact our lifestyle. We think sharing is letting someone use something of ours as long as they return it quickly and in the same condition. We spend more on eating out than we give to the work of God or the needy. And we hardly think twice about any of it.
Here’s a good verse on this, with a couple of minor modernizations added.
1 Timothy 6:17-19 Command those who [live in the United States and have a standard of living well above 90% of all the people who have ever lived] not to be arrogant nor to [put a bunch of hope into how nice their cars and houses are, how full their savings accounts are, and just how comfortable they will be in their old age], which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. NIV
If we lived out 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Acts 4:32 would not seem so shockingly strange to us. We don’t act like siblings united in one family under the headship of our Father. We act more like competitors on the Successful Life Reality Show. How sad that must make our Father.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
The Believers’ Prayer (Acts 4:30)
Acts 4:30 “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
God did amazing things through the early church. Some people were healed when Peter’s shadow fell on them (Acts 5:15), paralytics and cripples were cured (Acts 8:7), Ananias and Sapphria were struck dead (Acts 5:10), and Tabitha and Eutychus were raised from the dead (Acts 9:40; 20:10)! It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.
In Acts 4:30 the believers prayed for these things. They prayed that God would set aside the laws of nature and do the supernatural in their midst. And God answered them.
“God, bless this food, help me have a good day, be with us, and yada yada yada…” Many of our prayers are this way. If we want to see God do big things, we need to be praying big things.
God did amazing things through the early church. Some people were healed when Peter’s shadow fell on them (Acts 5:15), paralytics and cripples were cured (Acts 8:7), Ananias and Sapphria were struck dead (Acts 5:10), and Tabitha and Eutychus were raised from the dead (Acts 9:40; 20:10)! It doesn’t get much more exciting than that.
In Acts 4:30 the believers prayed for these things. They prayed that God would set aside the laws of nature and do the supernatural in their midst. And God answered them.
“God, bless this food, help me have a good day, be with us, and yada yada yada…” Many of our prayers are this way. If we want to see God do big things, we need to be praying big things.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Being with Jesus (Acts 4:13)
Acts 4:13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Unschooled and ordinary. A couple of fishermen. These are the type of people God often choses to be His go-to guys. You should never feel like you don’t have the stuff necessary to be used by God.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. NIV
What was it that stood out about Peter and John? They had been with Jesus. Like teacher like student; like father like son; like Jesus like disciple.
I want to be a man whose life is marked by being with Jesus!
Unschooled and ordinary. A couple of fishermen. These are the type of people God often choses to be His go-to guys. You should never feel like you don’t have the stuff necessary to be used by God.
1 Corinthians 1:26-27 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. NIV
What was it that stood out about Peter and John? They had been with Jesus. Like teacher like student; like father like son; like Jesus like disciple.
I want to be a man whose life is marked by being with Jesus!
Monday, August 15, 2011
One Way (Acts 4:12)
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” NIV
Along with John 14:6, Acts 4:12 should be memorized by every believer, since it makes it crystal clear that Jesus is the only ticket to heaven.
When I was a kid growing up in the Bible belt I remember being exposed to some eastern thinking in grade school. The ideas of many roads leading to heaven and reincarnation were as intuitively off as the idea that you could carve your own idol and then bow down and worship it. Yet in the last 40 years many things have changed. Through news and entertainment alike, media has exposed us to a whole new world which is largely made up and controlled by the nonreligious and certainly non-Christian. This new world has some positive elements, but it also has an incredible ability to sell and persuade. Now, 40 years later, it is common for people to hold to the ideas of many roads leading to heaven. Even many Christians believe, and quite strongly so, that Jesus cannot possibly be the only way.
But Jesus makes it quite clear. He is the only way. There is no other.
John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” NIV
Along with John 14:6, Acts 4:12 should be memorized by every believer, since it makes it crystal clear that Jesus is the only ticket to heaven.
When I was a kid growing up in the Bible belt I remember being exposed to some eastern thinking in grade school. The ideas of many roads leading to heaven and reincarnation were as intuitively off as the idea that you could carve your own idol and then bow down and worship it. Yet in the last 40 years many things have changed. Through news and entertainment alike, media has exposed us to a whole new world which is largely made up and controlled by the nonreligious and certainly non-Christian. This new world has some positive elements, but it also has an incredible ability to sell and persuade. Now, 40 years later, it is common for people to hold to the ideas of many roads leading to heaven. Even many Christians believe, and quite strongly so, that Jesus cannot possibly be the only way.
But Jesus makes it quite clear. He is the only way. There is no other.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Repentance and the Early Ministry of Jesus (Acts 3:26)
Acts 3:26 “When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.”
This verse is helpful in interpreting Jesus’ early ministry. We know that His mission was to come and die on the cross for our sins. We also know that the miracles He performed gave proof that He was really sent from God. But why was so much of His ministry focused on teaching? Jesus was setting some things straight and showing us how to live.
Some people put undue emphasis on His teachings as ways to get right with God as if they are of equal or even greater significance than His death and resurrection. This is an improper balance and this verse helps us understand the purpose of His teachings. They help define correct living, but do not necessarily point us to the cross and eternal life.
It is also important to see that Jesus did not merely tell us to love each other. That was not his whole message. He also told us to repent or to turn from our ways.
This is consistent with the message of John the Baptist.
Mark 1:4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. NIV
It is clearly recorded as what Jesus taught.
Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” NIV
It is what the Twelve preached when Jesus sent them out.
Mark 6:12 They went out and preached that people should repent. NIV
Jesus also mentioned it as part of what would be preached in one version of the Great Commission.
Luke 24:47 “…and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” NIV
Turing from sins, or repentance, was clearly part of his message from beginning to end.
This verse is helpful in interpreting Jesus’ early ministry. We know that His mission was to come and die on the cross for our sins. We also know that the miracles He performed gave proof that He was really sent from God. But why was so much of His ministry focused on teaching? Jesus was setting some things straight and showing us how to live.
Some people put undue emphasis on His teachings as ways to get right with God as if they are of equal or even greater significance than His death and resurrection. This is an improper balance and this verse helps us understand the purpose of His teachings. They help define correct living, but do not necessarily point us to the cross and eternal life.
It is also important to see that Jesus did not merely tell us to love each other. That was not his whole message. He also told us to repent or to turn from our ways.
This is consistent with the message of John the Baptist.
Mark 1:4 And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. NIV
It is clearly recorded as what Jesus taught.
Mark 1:14-15 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” NIV
It is what the Twelve preached when Jesus sent them out.
Mark 6:12 They went out and preached that people should repent. NIV
Jesus also mentioned it as part of what would be preached in one version of the Great Commission.
Luke 24:47 “…and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” NIV
Turing from sins, or repentance, was clearly part of his message from beginning to end.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Listen to Jesus (Acts 3:23)
Acts 3:23 ‘Anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from among his people.’
This is a good reminder that listening to (and following) Jesus is not just one of several good options. It’s not like you can follow Muhammad or Buddha or Confucius. Jesus is the only true Savior.
This verse is part of an Old Testament prophecy from Deuteronomy 18. In it God says that he will raise up a prophet like Moses. If anyone does not listen to Him, God Himself promises to call him to account.
We live in a world that mocks Jesus, swears by the name of Jesus, and ignores Jesus. Two words for that: not good.
This is a good reminder that listening to (and following) Jesus is not just one of several good options. It’s not like you can follow Muhammad or Buddha or Confucius. Jesus is the only true Savior.
This verse is part of an Old Testament prophecy from Deuteronomy 18. In it God says that he will raise up a prophet like Moses. If anyone does not listen to Him, God Himself promises to call him to account.
We live in a world that mocks Jesus, swears by the name of Jesus, and ignores Jesus. Two words for that: not good.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Repentance and Forgiveness (Acts 3:19)
Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
First off, one must ask, is it repentance that wipes out sin, or faith? The 21st century mind likes to know such things. Such thinking would have been foreign to the early church. People with faith in God repent of their sins and turn to God. People who repent of their sins and turn to God have faith. Sometimes I think we try to separate the wetness from the water in our theological musings.
Not only is it important to understand that faith and repentance go hand-in-hand, but we should also feel the freedom to call someone to repentance, as did Peter in this passage. If someone is sleeping around, drinking heavily, and blaspheming God with his life, there would be nothing wrong with telling him that he needs to repent and turn to God. In fact, it may be somewhat ridiculous to tell him that he needs to believe in Jesus. That would be meaningless to him and would be likely to evoke a response of, “I already believe in Jesus.” We might say something like, “You believe that He exists, but you don’t truly believe.” This makes sense to us in our Christian thinking, but is not likely to get far with the person we are trying to reach. What we are thinking is that by this man’s lifestyle we can clearly see that he does not believe that God is watching him, that he does not like what he sees, and that someday God will judge him for his actions. This man does not have a changed life that results from true belief. In other words, he has not repented. Telling him to “repent and turn to God” seems like a pretty clear way to explain to him his need and the lack of Jesus in his life!
The promise attached to repentance is astonishing: “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” This “refreshing” is not that life will be easy and that God is going to pour material blessings into your lap. The believers in the early church knew and expected suffering. Such thinking was foreign to them. The refreshing spoken of here is utter and complete forgiveness. Sins would be wiped out, destroyed, demolished, and dealt with forever. True repentance requires an acceptance of the gravity of our sinfulness and when God brings us to this point of brokenness, then, at that point we can grasp the great value of a clean slate with God.
First off, one must ask, is it repentance that wipes out sin, or faith? The 21st century mind likes to know such things. Such thinking would have been foreign to the early church. People with faith in God repent of their sins and turn to God. People who repent of their sins and turn to God have faith. Sometimes I think we try to separate the wetness from the water in our theological musings.
Not only is it important to understand that faith and repentance go hand-in-hand, but we should also feel the freedom to call someone to repentance, as did Peter in this passage. If someone is sleeping around, drinking heavily, and blaspheming God with his life, there would be nothing wrong with telling him that he needs to repent and turn to God. In fact, it may be somewhat ridiculous to tell him that he needs to believe in Jesus. That would be meaningless to him and would be likely to evoke a response of, “I already believe in Jesus.” We might say something like, “You believe that He exists, but you don’t truly believe.” This makes sense to us in our Christian thinking, but is not likely to get far with the person we are trying to reach. What we are thinking is that by this man’s lifestyle we can clearly see that he does not believe that God is watching him, that he does not like what he sees, and that someday God will judge him for his actions. This man does not have a changed life that results from true belief. In other words, he has not repented. Telling him to “repent and turn to God” seems like a pretty clear way to explain to him his need and the lack of Jesus in his life!
The promise attached to repentance is astonishing: “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” This “refreshing” is not that life will be easy and that God is going to pour material blessings into your lap. The believers in the early church knew and expected suffering. Such thinking was foreign to them. The refreshing spoken of here is utter and complete forgiveness. Sins would be wiped out, destroyed, demolished, and dealt with forever. True repentance requires an acceptance of the gravity of our sinfulness and when God brings us to this point of brokenness, then, at that point we can grasp the great value of a clean slate with God.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
God’s Subculture (Acts 2:46-47)
Acts 2:46-47 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
It is so hard to stand against our world and to live differently. Everything in the world is different: clothing, cars, homes, lifestyles, speech, dress, and etc… As relational beings it is difficult to just go our on way in life. We desperately want to fit in and be accepted. Everything within us wants to be loved and embraced by others.
God does not merely ask us to give up the world, but He also calls us into a new world. We see in the Acts church a subculture. In this subculture people could be different—radically different. When they entered His kingdom, everything in their lives came under His kingship. There is a new sheriff in town, so to speak. In this kingdom there was love and acceptance, an exciting purpose, room to grow (as well as expectation to grow), and an expectation of suffering. As they separated from the world, they drew close to one another and together they desperately sought God in prayer.
In this passage we see that they met every day. Every day is a lot. In fact it is too much. To my American 21st century mind this is overkill. Yet when they came to Christ they gave it all. What was there to protect? Their schedule? Their time? Did they have better things to do? No, this was life. Meeting daily, eating together, and sharing their lives, this was their new culture. It was a new way of life.
It is so hard to stand against our world and to live differently. Everything in the world is different: clothing, cars, homes, lifestyles, speech, dress, and etc… As relational beings it is difficult to just go our on way in life. We desperately want to fit in and be accepted. Everything within us wants to be loved and embraced by others.
God does not merely ask us to give up the world, but He also calls us into a new world. We see in the Acts church a subculture. In this subculture people could be different—radically different. When they entered His kingdom, everything in their lives came under His kingship. There is a new sheriff in town, so to speak. In this kingdom there was love and acceptance, an exciting purpose, room to grow (as well as expectation to grow), and an expectation of suffering. As they separated from the world, they drew close to one another and together they desperately sought God in prayer.
In this passage we see that they met every day. Every day is a lot. In fact it is too much. To my American 21st century mind this is overkill. Yet when they came to Christ they gave it all. What was there to protect? Their schedule? Their time? Did they have better things to do? No, this was life. Meeting daily, eating together, and sharing their lives, this was their new culture. It was a new way of life.
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