Part 1, The First Church Launch.
God the Son fulfilled his mission to redeem humankind. He lived a sinless life, died a sinless death, and rose from the dead for our justification, thereby accomplishing the healing, teaching, and gathering of a “church” — ekklesia, “an assembly of people gathered together.”
“In my former book [The Gospel of Luke], Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:1-5 NIV).
The disciples had expected a Conquering Hero who would restore the heydays of Israel by eradicating Rome’s oppression. They didn’t recognize that they needed a Suffering Savior instead. We almost never do. We want freeing, not saving. They asked:
“‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?‘
“He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.’” (Acts 1:6b-7 ESV).
They wanted to know. We want to know. We want the timeline revealed, all spread out before us, but the answer has always been this:
The Father knows the times and dates. “It is not for you to know.“
Before he ascended, the Lord Jesus prepared them for what came next, informing them how the Holy Spirit would spread the Gospel across the known ancient world:
“You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth“ (Acts 1:5, 8 ESV).
“After Jesus said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'” (Acts 1:9-11 NIV).
What would they have felt? Would they have already longed for him? Would they have been pondering his words? What do you think?
The new church had just been commissioned and launched:
“Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty)” (Acts 1:13b-15 NIV). This was the entire church, including Matthias, who had been selected to take Judas’ place.
To obtain his church, Jesus died a righteous death, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven. The forensic evidence:
“For I delivered to you of first importance . . . that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas [Peter], then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me” (1 Corinthians 15:3b-8 ESV).
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. He was buried. He was raised on the third day. He appeared to Peter, to the twelve, and then to more than five hundred at one time, most still living. #Faith Click To TweetThat’s an abundance of eyewitnesses, particularly the 500 at one time, most still alive when this letter was written and able to vouch for what they had seen. Imagine having that many witnesses if you needed to prove something. This is why so many believed, all across the Roman Empire.
The spread of the Gospel to the world began here:
Greek-speaking Jews from the Diaspora — Hellenistic Jews — had long-ago been dispersed outside of Palestine following the Babylonian Captivity that ended in 538 B.C./BCE. These travelled yearly to Jerusalem for the feasts of the Passover and of Shavuoth/Pentecost. They were part of the crowd present for Jesus’ final days, his crucifixion, and the resurrection.
When the Holy Spirit filled the 120-member church at Pentecost, the disciples were miraculously given speech in the native tongues of the locations where all of these dispersed Hellenistic Jews resided.
“And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” (Acts 2:7-11 ESV).
With the power of this one act, the Holy Spirit boosted the spread of the Gospel immediately, for eventually, these Hellenistic Jews returned home to tell others about these miraculous events.
The Holy Spirit boosted the spread of the Gospel immediately by giving speech in the languages of the Hellenistic Jews present for Jesus' death, burial, and #resurrection. These returned home to tell others. Click To TweetAfter this outpouring of the Spirit, Peter preached the Gospel with power. Part of the sermon included these bold and convicting words:
“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to YOU by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and YOU, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.
“BUT GOD raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him: ‘I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest in hope, because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, you will not let your holy one see decay. You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’
“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”‘ Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom YOU crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’”
“Peter replied, ‘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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off —for all whom the Lord our God will call.’ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day” (Acts 2:22-41 NIV).
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching about Jesus, to fellowship, to breaking of bread, and to prayer, meeting in the Temple’s Court of the Gentiles. Day by day, more were added, including a great many priests. The lower ranks of the priesthood numbered in the thousands.
One of these was Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, nicknamed “Barnabas” by the apostles, meaning “son of encouragement. He sold a field and gave all the money to the apostles (Acts 4:36-37). Barnabas’ sacrificial gift prompted the sinful lie committed by Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), who merely wanted fame and attention.
The corrupt religious leaders who had killed Jesus Messiah were watching. The miracle of healing a crippled man in the name of Jesus met with rebukes. Peter and John were arrested and beaten, but then continued proclaiming that in Jesus was the resurrection of the dead. They preached the Good News to the Sanhedrin, obeying God rather than these men.
Next the Sanhedrin arrested all the apostles and put them in the city jail. At this point a Pharisee named Gamaliel (who was educating Saul) advised:
“Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God” (Acts 5:38b-39 NIV).
The apostles were then beaten and commanded not to speak in Jesus’ name. They left undeterred, rejoicing that they were worthy to suffer dishonor for Jesus’ name.
Miracles and conflicts, persecution and power, all of these were intertwined in the beginnings of the fledgling church. This series continues next week.
In what ways do you think God prepared his Jewish church to go out into the wider world?
How did the Holy Spirit act to both plant and to preserve his church?
This is a great and comprehensive introduction to the first church and spread of the gospel. I’m marveling right now because I just started my read of the Acts and read Acts 2 this morning so all of this is fresh in my mind. Jesus said we would accomplish more after He left earth with the help of the Holy Spirit, and the early church sure did. I hope we today can continue that same fervor and reliance on the Holy Spirit to introduce Jesus to more people and to disciple them into similar life-giving ministry.
I’m so glad you’re in Acts, Stephen! It’s such a great encouragement in our own evangelistic efforts, for the model stated here provides us with inspiration and with courage as we see the evangelistic efforts of Paul and Barnabas. This is the beginning of a series on this topic, and as I’m writing my way through the story of the spread of the Gospel toward the west, I am greatly encouraged by every example and model set before us. God bless you, brother, in your own studies.
Melinda, what an in-depth explanation of how the early church began. As I read about how the disciples and the Jews in their time wanted a conquering Messiah, I’m reminded that, because we can be misguided, we still want Jesus to do things He’s never really promised to do. I’m thankful He works in His ways and in His timing.
Jeanne, thank you for adding your voice to the discussion. Recognizing ourselves in the responses of the earliest ones to hear the Gospel, your point in very insightful. We DO often want Jesus to do and to be things that he has not promised to do and to be, rather than accepting him and seeing him as he actually is. Our brokenness extends to even the way we view our Savior. This requires pondering.
I am thankful for God’s promises. Reading these Scriptures reminds me how there were divisions in the church back then and there are divisions today. I pray we all come together and share His love and glory.
It’s astonishing to me that the Lord orchestrated these events through his Holy Spirit coming to each people group gathered together for Pentecost and used that to eventually reach the regions from which they came, thus bringing all together in the Body of Christ. What an incredible act of God the Holy Spirit to use Pentecost to reach all the nations whose citizens were present in Jerusalem!
Great post which explains in detail about the beginning of the church. I pray for the same Holy Spirit to ignite His church to the same type of teaching and miracles in our world today.
Amen to that, Yvonne! The Holy Spirit gave birth to the worldwide church with this initial action, and he can revive and ignite the church today to be renewed through repentance and the faith and trust necessary for walking and abiding in the Spirit. He is the Convicter and Sustainer of our spiritual lives, thus impacting the physical and all we do. We need a revival!
Perhaps it’s that God prepared the Jewish church through persecution. That makes it even more important to embrace the reminder that God knows the times. We do not. We are to be faithful.
The Jews were an “approved” group within the Roman Empire, so were mostly left alone. So persecution from that sector would have been negligible. However, persecution from their own Sanhedrin would be new, other than the previous arrogance and lording it over the common people. Now the persecution turned violent as Jesus’ treatment had been violent. We see them here rejoicing that they could suffer like the Savior. More persecution awaited the early church, we know. I agree, Nancy.
Melinda, what an informative look at the first church launch. And the graphics add so much to the content. So well done, it gave me chills just thinking about the early church and their strong commitment to each other and devotion to God and the gospel. I’ll never forget Josh McDowell’s words on 1 Corinthians 15: 3-8. As a lawyer, he knows 500 witnesses are enough to blow any opposition out of the water! Thankful to be on God’s team and not fighting against Him!
So true about Josh McDowell! It’s wonderful to be on God’s team! The set up of Pentecost for the explosion of the Gospel witness throughout the ancient world is incredible! God the Spirit is doing all of the heavy lifting in these opening chapters of Acts. This gives us great confidence in his work in the church today!
So good, Melinda! I am always amazed to remember how (like a match in the forest) the church as it is today started by the fire of the Holy Spirit alighting upon a group of Jesus-followers in a church.
That’s a great word picture, Jessica! The match was struck, and the fire ignited. The Holy Spirit empowered speech in the languages of the homelands of the Hellenistic Jews, spreading the message of Christ’s resurrection and externality far and wide. Like an explosion, it reverberated all across the ancient world.
Once again, Melinda, you’ve taken a comprehensive passage of Scripture and explained it in relatable terms without oversimplifying the message. Grateful for your gift of expository teaching and that your messages are always based on exegesis, not eisegesis!
The studying and digging and prepping and explaining is the fun part! It’s so glorious to be able to play a part in the retelling of the best of all news—Christ has risen, and salvation is available to all peoples, even us! Thank you for your kind words, Ava!