The Behavior of the Believer

“All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.” Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?” Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.” He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!” That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met. They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (Acts 2:36-47 MSG)

Acts 2 is the scripture where we see a miraculous manifestation of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit comes into the presence of the gathered apostles with a sound like the blowing of a violent wind and the apostles saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and proceeded to rest on each of them. They began to speak in “other tongues” as the Spirit enabled them. WOW!

Others who had come to Jerusalem for the Jewish celebration of Pentecost began crowding around and were astounded by what they were seeing. The scripture tells us that some were amazed and perplexed and wondered what the meaning was. Others, however, made fun of them and said “They have had too much wine.” (vs. 13)

So Peter addresses the crowd and delivers one of the most compelling sermons (in my opinion) that a minister could possibly deliver. And as a result, approximately 3,000 people became believers!

Here is what I’d like to focus on today: the behavior of the believer.

Starting around verse 41 we see that the 3,000 people repented and were baptized. Then we learn that these new believers were devoted to the teaching of the truth, that they valued fellowship with one another and prayer, they were in awe of God’s work, they were relational, they were generous and glad, they were sincere, they praised God, they enjoyed the favor of one another, and they shared the truth with others.

A little later on, in chapter 3 of Act, we see yet another teaching by Peter (with John this time) and we learn that many who heard their message believed so “the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand”. (4:4) At the end of chapter 4 we read: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”

Wow! Are today’s believers behaving in this way? - Boldly teaching? Caring for one another? Making sure no one is in need? Fellowshipping together? Enjoying life with one another? I believe many are. I also believe some of us fall short of the generosity and fellowship that we see from these 1^st century believers. I want to encourage us, especially those of us who are in leadership positions within the body of believers, to encourage and demonstrate the behavior we see here. Love like this will go a long way.

This is how we’ve come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us. This is why we ought to live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves. If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to God’s love? It disappears. And you made it disappear.  My dear children, let’s not just talk about love; let’s practice real love. This is the only way we’ll know we’re living truly, living in God’s reality. It’s also the way to shut down debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves. (1 John 3:16-20 MSG)