Acts 2:43-47 - Filled with awe

2:43

There were also signs and wonders carried out by the apostles. We are not given any details here, though we do get mention of various examples in later chapters. There are two things we should note about “signs and wonders”.  One is that the bulk of them were performed by the apostles, though not exclusively so.  The second is that there is no scriptural warrant for saying these things will not happen beyond the early church. The argument for this latter claim seems to be that the signs and wonders were to vindicate the apostles, and so are no longer needed. Well, they did validate the apostles, but that was not the only reason for their presence. Elsewhere in Scripture, especially in 1 Corinthians, we are told about gifts of healing and miraculous powers (1 Cor 12:9,10). We need a balanced view. It is clear from the New Testament that the church is not built on the basis of their being a miracle every two minutes, but on what we might call the bread and butter issues of Christianity (see 2:42). However, God has not stopped doing miracles.

2:44,45

This is not an argument for communism! Indeed verse 45 makes the meaning clearer. They sold possessions as someone else had a need, so we see here the difference between what was happening and communism. In a human system, such as communism, the state forces everyone to comply. It does nothing to change the human heart, and we saw the terrible results in the Soviet Union and China, with millions of deaths. Here, the individuals still owned their stuff, but when a need arose they freely chose to give. Why? Because their hearts were changed.

2:46.47

The early disciples met both in the temple and in each others homes. In the temple they would take part in the normal Jewish worship. In each others homes they shared the Lord’s supper. They did this with glad and generous hearts. This is a sign of true religion, having a glad and generous heart. False religion never engenders this effect.  They also praised God and had favour with all the people. This latter aspect is worth noting. Later we will see many instances of the church being persecuted. Again, we need balance here. Sometimes the church will have favour, at other times it will be the victim of persecution. There is a time for this, and a time for that. “And the Lord added to their number”. Note the continual emphasis that evangelism is the work of the Lord. This is something that we tend to forget, putting all the focus on what we do. We do have to act, but the growth of the church is primarily the work of God.