The story in Acts 2 of the beginning of the church is powerful and dynamic. The day of Pentecost begins with the sound of a strong, powerful wind filling the room where the 12 apostles were located. This extraordinary event was then followed by Peter’s preaching. Three thousand people responded to his message and were baptized.
This new life among believers was demonstrated in several ways. In Acts 2:43 Luke records that fear, reverence and awe came upon every person who witnessed the events: “And awe came upon every person.”
We today stand in awe of the church, the visible sign of God’s working in individuals’ lives. The Lord works in the hearts and lives of people, while at the same time adding them to the church when they gladly receive the word, repent of sins, and are baptized.
The Lord adds to the number of the saved. By his divine initiative the church grows, and he claims his own. The church is the result of God’s work.
This may seem elementary, but it is too easy to forget the divine nature of the church and that it all begins with God. The Holy Spirit ushered in the most unusual Pentecost Day that the Diaspora Jews had ever witnessed. Additionally, the Holy Spirit ushered in a new group of people who were awe-struck at the work of God, and responded by “gladly receiving the word and being baptized”( Acts 2:41).
The amazing thing about this initial expression of the church is that God was adding to its number daily. The historical setting, timing and power of the word proclaimed, accompanied by the manifestations of the Holy Spirit resulted in daily additions to the body of Christ. I cannot imagine what it must have been like to be in Jerusalem at that time!
The important thing that I want to leave with us in this article is that the Lord adds to his church those who are being saved. Being saved calls one out of the world of darkness, or as Peter plainly pleaded in his message: “Allow yourselves to be saved by God from this crooked generation.” The church is a sub-culture of faith made possible by God. It stands in stark contrast to the culture and the present generation that has other values. The Lord expects his church to be a witness to and against this sinful world.
In Christian love, Curtis
