The Lord Added To Them

Scripture: Acts 2:41-42, 47; 4:1-4

2:41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 47…And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. 4:1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, they were confronted by the priests, the captain of the Temple guard, and some of the Sadducees. 2 These leaders were very disturbed that Peter and John were teaching the people that through Jesus there is a resurrection of the dead. 3 They arrested them and, since it was already evening, put them in jail until morning. 4 But many of the people who heard their message believed it, so the number of men who believed now totaled about 5,000 men, not counting women and children. (Acts 2:41-42, 47 NLT) (Acts 4:1-4 NLT)

God had poured out his Holy Spirit on the Jesus followers just as Jesus had promised. Wonderful things had happened! A new community was born in which the followers of Jesus were worshipping and praying and sharing life and everything they owned with each other! The group grew in one day, the day the Holy Spirit came, to over 3000 people! More were being added every day as new believers were baptized and added to the fellowship. Peter and John had healed a man at the Temple who was born crippled and instantly healed in Jesus’ name. Peter preached the Good News of Jesus to the crowd that quickly gathered, and many more people believed the Gospel and its power. Now the fellowship had grown to 5000 men plus women and children.

These crowds included people who had welcomed Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey a few weeks earlier. Many of them had been in the crowd that lined the streets as Jesus, battered and bleeding, was led through the streets to Golgotha to be crucified. They had seen him die on the cross. They had heard the stories of the resurrection. Now they saw the transformed Jesus followers living the life Jesus had taught and doing the powerful miracles Jesus had done! And they believed and were saved!

The transformed Peter preached the transforming good news and people believed the message and were themselves transformed by the mercy of God, their repentant hearts and minds, and the power of God’s Holy Spirit! Those who stepped across the line of faith were immediately received into the community of the transformed!

Prayer:

Father, Please do it again! Transform us by your grace and your Holy Spirit and make us a vibrant community of caring, sharing, and including followers of Jesus!