Upon the heels of Peter delivering his great Pentecost day sermon, the people who listened and were touched by God's Spirit responded. Luke tells us that about 3k people were added to their number that day, as they heard of God's care and forgiveness to them through Jesus. And then, even as those were added, we see something else happening, as well.
These people become devoted to this new calling in their lives. That's the word that the ESV uses in verse 42. They devoted themselves. And before we move much further, think about what it means to be devoted to something. I would say that we often water down this word among ourselves. We think about daily devotions, something that is a good thing to start the day or end the day, or fall somewhere in between. Yet, these are often a few moments, and then we are on to the next thing. Again, a good thing for us to be including in our lives, and a sign of our faith. But in many ways, that seems to be how we come to consider our new life in Jesus.
They were devoted. This was something that filled them and their days. God's Spirit filled them, and they devoted themselves to this new endeavor. So, we should look at what they then devoted themselves to. The apostles' teaching. When Jesus told those original apostles to go and make disciples, He also told them to teach everything that He had commanded to them. So, as God's Spirit brought people into belief, they were devoted to learning more about what Jesus taught, and what that meant for their newly created lives in Jesus.
That's not the only thing to which they were devoted, either. They also devoted themselves to the fellowship. They were devoted to the others who believed as they did, who had received the same Spirit and same gifts as they had. They weren't devoted simply to a church, or a particular place of gathering, but to all the people whom God had called in Jesus through His Spirit, as we see in the verses that follow.
Being devoted to the teachings and to the fellowship. In our day and age of church hopping, and of looking for a church that fills "my needs", this kind of thought is rather provoking. That God might call us into a fellowship, and then have us show such devotion, no matter what may happen, even to the point of selling our things to support our brothers and sisters in Jesus, is truly a radical thought for many.
And yet, isn't that the devotion of our God toward us? He who would give all good things for His people, who is so devoted that He not only sent His Son, but who gives them their daily bread, who daily renews them in their baptism, and who promises them a new, renewed life with Him that will never end. Why wouldn't He look to see that same kind of devotion from His people, especially toward one another?
So, how would that look in your life? Are there ways in which this kind of devotion could be played out in your life even more? Perhaps it's the first time you have considered this kind of devotion. Perhaps it seems kind of intimidating, and even impossible. And yet, it's all created by the one who sent a messenger to a young virgin about to have a child through the Holy Spirit, with that simple message being, with God, nothing is impossible.
These people become devoted to this new calling in their lives. That's the word that the ESV uses in verse 42. They devoted themselves. And before we move much further, think about what it means to be devoted to something. I would say that we often water down this word among ourselves. We think about daily devotions, something that is a good thing to start the day or end the day, or fall somewhere in between. Yet, these are often a few moments, and then we are on to the next thing. Again, a good thing for us to be including in our lives, and a sign of our faith. But in many ways, that seems to be how we come to consider our new life in Jesus.
They were devoted. This was something that filled them and their days. God's Spirit filled them, and they devoted themselves to this new endeavor. So, we should look at what they then devoted themselves to. The apostles' teaching. When Jesus told those original apostles to go and make disciples, He also told them to teach everything that He had commanded to them. So, as God's Spirit brought people into belief, they were devoted to learning more about what Jesus taught, and what that meant for their newly created lives in Jesus.
That's not the only thing to which they were devoted, either. They also devoted themselves to the fellowship. They were devoted to the others who believed as they did, who had received the same Spirit and same gifts as they had. They weren't devoted simply to a church, or a particular place of gathering, but to all the people whom God had called in Jesus through His Spirit, as we see in the verses that follow.
Being devoted to the teachings and to the fellowship. In our day and age of church hopping, and of looking for a church that fills "my needs", this kind of thought is rather provoking. That God might call us into a fellowship, and then have us show such devotion, no matter what may happen, even to the point of selling our things to support our brothers and sisters in Jesus, is truly a radical thought for many.
And yet, isn't that the devotion of our God toward us? He who would give all good things for His people, who is so devoted that He not only sent His Son, but who gives them their daily bread, who daily renews them in their baptism, and who promises them a new, renewed life with Him that will never end. Why wouldn't He look to see that same kind of devotion from His people, especially toward one another?
So, how would that look in your life? Are there ways in which this kind of devotion could be played out in your life even more? Perhaps it's the first time you have considered this kind of devotion. Perhaps it seems kind of intimidating, and even impossible. And yet, it's all created by the one who sent a messenger to a young virgin about to have a child through the Holy Spirit, with that simple message being, with God, nothing is impossible.
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