EMPOWERED: Empowered Unity

The Book of Acts takes us on a whirlwind journey of how the Spirit infiltrated the world via an unlikely band of disciples. And this is still His mission. By indwelling people like you and me, the Spirit of Jesus will use each of us to reach the world with His love. The advent of the Spirit for individuals is the turning point of God’s great plan.

Some would argue that the book of Acts is primarily about the Church - its formation, persecution, and growth. But, the Bible tells us that there is a Force that undergirds the formation of the Church and all of her activity, a Power that is thrilling and indispensable. This non-negotiable element is the Spirit of God. The Eternal Spirit empowers both then and now and helps Christians live out our purpose, as individuals, as a church, and as the Church until Jesus Christ comes again.

How to Use This Guide 

Thank you for taking the time to do this Bible study. When we dig deeper into God’s word, He promises to bless us. We follow in the footsteps of King David, who wrote in Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

This guide will provide a weekly framework for spiritual conversations with friends or family. We encourage you to reach out to a friend or two, pick a time to get together each week and work through this guide together. This Bible study can also be a good tool for families, perhaps coordinated with mealtimes. 

What does the Bible say?

Last week in Acts 2:14-41, we took in Peter’s first sermon after being filled with the Holy Spirit. We observed the difference the indwelling Holy Spirit can make in a person who submits themselves to Him. For Peter and us today, the Spirit can empower our words and make them effective for His purposes. This is crucial for all Christians as we share the good news about Jesus with others.

In our study this week in Acts 2:42-47, we’ll look at the factors that pointed to the unity enjoyed by the early Jesus-communities. As the Holy Spirit pulled the hearts of the Christ-followers toward God and one another, the resulting community began to reflect the way Jesus lived His life. Fully cooperating with the powerful love of God, they held nothing back in sharing this love with others.

When a group of believers can agree on their priorities, they can withstand anything. We know that the establishment of the main tenets in this passage gave this group the strength and confidence to expand with the Gospel into Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. We must respect and believe in the power we have when we come together and understand how this power goes with us when we are not meeting in the church building. The power is the Spirit, the only Force that can make us one even when we are different. 

February is Black History Month here in the U.S. In the book of Acts, we see that the Holy Spirit empowers His people toward unity, no matter their color (i.e., Acts 2:9-11; 8:26-39; cf. Revelation 7:9-9-10). Who are the Black people in your life? Would you reach out today and let them know you are grateful for their perseverance and Christian witness amidst hardship? Pray for Black people throughout this month and ask God how you can be an agent of love and care. For inspiration, read the stories of 20 leaders, activists, ministers, and artists who changed the church and the world in this article from Christianity Today. 

Read Acts 2:42-47.

These verses provide a snapshot into a Spirit-led community. Since the Spirit will always lead people to Jesus, let’s investigate how the four priorities from Acts 2:42 reflect the successful continuance of Jesus’ ministry.  

Read Acts 2:42 with 2:43.

The early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). 

This priority extends Jesus’ ministry through the experiences of the people who knew and listened to Him teach. Jesus had made it clear that He expected His followers to share the principles that He taught with others. Primarily, Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God and used the Hebrew Scriptures to support His positions. So, it isn’t surprising to see that the early Christians prioritized teaching and that this teaching was based upon the Word of God. 

How did God affirm the apostles’ teaching in Acts 2:43? These echo the miraculous signs and wonders that Jesus performed, confirming His Messiahship. Throughout the Bible, God showed His mighty power and authority over all He had made with incredible signs and wonders on behalf of His people. Jesus continued with signs and wonders as He healed those sick and lame and set free those held captive and oppressed by darkness. These miraculous signs brought attention and glory to God and affirmed that the one doing them was sent from God. When Jesus began to expand His ministry, He called His 12 disciples together (see Matthew 10) and then sent them out as apostles. In Luke’s account of this same event (see Luke 10), there were seventy sent out by Jesus with the same authority. These people were thus dispatched on behalf of Jesus, armed with authority over impure spirits and able to cure every disease and sickness. 

So, what is the difference between a disciple and an apostle? Disciples are people who follow Jesus Christ as Lord of their life. An apostle is a disciple who is sent forth with authority by Jesus. People like Peter, James, John, Jesus’ brother James, Paul, and his female co-worker, Junia (see Romans 16:16:7) were apostles sent forth with a divine mission. 

The apostle Paul does not use the word “disciple” in his writings, but he does shed light on what it means to be an apostle sent forth on a mission from God. He considered himself called by Jesus to a special mission to spread the gospel to gentiles (see Acts 9). Paul begins his letters by affirming his apostleship and to assert the authority of what he wrote (see Romans 1:1, 11:13; 1 Corinthians 1:1, 9:1; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Colossians 1:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2 Timothy 1:1; Titus 1:1). He performed signs, wonders, and miracles (2 Corinthians 12:12) as expected. Paul also teaches that the church was built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). He expected apostles to be the main authority in the churches he wrote to. However, we do not know if Paul thought there would be an apostolic office with the same kind of authority in the churches after that. Since Paul believed Jesus’ return was imminent, we do not have a structure of authority from him that would have applied for all time. 

The believers in the early church did not have Bibles like we do today. They had access to the Hebrew Scriptures and perhaps also the Septuagint, which contained the Greek translations of these Hebrew texts. Today, Christians have the Bible, not only the Old Testament but also the New Testament. This grouping of writings can be divided into four categories. We have the four Gospels, which contain the accepted teachings of Jesus as written down by His followers, the book of Acts, which includes the birth of the Church upon the advent of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s letters to various churches (Romans - 2 Timothy), and other writings written to wider audiences (Hebrews - Revelation). This canon of texts is complete and contains the instruction we need to carry on with Jesus’ kingdom work. But, we cannot understand and apply God’s word accurately or effectively without the Holy Spirit, who leads us into all truth and applies this truth to our lives and contemporary situations. 

Do you read and study the Bible regularly? Working through this Bible study is a good start. There are many opportunities for Bible study on Northland’s calendar of events! 

Read Acts 2:42 with 2:44.

The early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42). 

Unity was a priority for Jesus and evidenced in the way He lived His life. It only makes sense that unity would also be a hallmark of the early church. For example, John records Jesus’ prayer in John 17. The timing of this prayer speaks to the importance Jesus placed upon unity. Take a few moments and read it. We can see that the fellowship we read about in Acts 2:42 is an answer to Jesus’ prayer. It is important to note that the fulfillment of Jesus’ prayer for unity was not possible without the coming of the Holy Spirit. But, when the Spirit arrived, one of the priorities was that the Christ-followers would devote themselves to fellowship. 

What are three aspects of fellowship that the early believers enjoyed, according to Acts 2:44-46a? Which of these do you think would be the hardest to find in churches today?

Is enjoying fellowship with other Christians a priority for you? How is the Spirit moving in your heart toward this goal? Northland has many opportunities for you to meet and get to know other believers. What is holding you back? Lean into the Spirit and join in. If you are in fellowship with other believers, what do you enjoy the most about it? 

Read Acts 2:42 with 2:46b.

The early Christians devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. 

Jesus recognized that human beings need nourishment to live and thrive. Many of the stories in the gospels happened over a meal, and Jesus used the principles of agriculture in many of His parables designed to teach lessons about God’s kingdom. This shows how basic physical nourishment is for us and points to its potential to get our attention. Sharing meals with others can be a place where we talk about God and His plans for the world as well as our place in it. 

Most believe that Acts 2:42 refers to the Lord’s Supper, a commemoration of the last meal Jesus had with His disciples (Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-2; Luke 22:7-39; John 13:1-17:26). This same construction, “the breaking of bread,” occurs elsewhere only in Luke’s gospel (Luke 24:13-35). It only makes sense that the people who had walked with Jesus during His time on earth would want to gather and remember Him, perhaps over a meal like the last one they had had with Him. 

We also gather in churches today for “the breaking of the bread,” but to what purpose? The early Christ-followers made it a priority, but do we? Different churches celebrate the Lord’s Supper in different ways and within different timelines. This commemoration might be called Communion or Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, or the Eucharist, depending on the denominational affiliation. Northland celebrates holy communion once a month, usually on the first Saturday/Sunday of the month. Since we are not affiliated with any denomination and have leaders from many church backgrounds, you can expect a variety of approaches that follow the apostle Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. We typically use this time in our services to reflect on our commitment to Christ, confess our sins, partake of the bread and cup, and remember Jesus’ life and death on our behalf. It is a meaningful time. However, it is probable that the early Christ-followers of the first century would not have had such a formal experience. Theirs was a meal, and they took this meal together. They remembered Jesus and were thankful. 

What tradition(s) has shaped your understanding about the Lord’s Supper? If you are studying in a group, maybe a few of you could talk about your experiences. The next time you celebrate Holy Communion, try and imagine yourself in Jerusalem with the disciples who had known and walked with Jesus. What questions would you ask them? 

Read Acts 2:42 and 2:47.

The early Christians devoted themselves to prayer.

This priority is certainly not a surprise. Jesus’s followers observed Him setting a precedent about the importance and imperative of prayer for ministry. He took time for it. His life showed that He found prayer essential for everything He did. So, we shouldn’t be surprised to see His followers carrying on without His physical presence and mindful that their activities would be undergirded with prayer. 

Prayer involves many things, but it begins by focusing on God. This is the vertical aspect where we praise and adore God for Who He is and for what He has done, as at the beginning of Acts 2:47. But, there is also a person-to-person benefit that comes from prayer. What did the Christ-followers enjoy in verse 27 as a result of their posture of praise toward God in prayer? Who was behind the growth of the early church? 

Perhaps your church has seen a drop in attendance lately. Why do you think this is? Ask the Spirit to give you wisdom and lead you in how you can pray for your church’s health and wellbeing.

Prayer

Studying the book of Acts means encountering the Holy Spirit in new ways. If you are a believer in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit lives in you. This means that you can be His messenger and an envoy for His purposes. 

Would you take a few moments and ask God to make your church like the community described in Acts 2:42-47? If you are studying with others, let different people pray over each verse. 

Is there something hindering your church from fully submitting to the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to pray and then share the burden you have with the leaders of your church and trust God to work?

*All Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.