What is Abide? | Listen to this Episode
This week’s Abide episode comes from the passage in the Our Daily Bread devotional from Monday the 2nd of September, which is Acts 2:42-47.
These verses give us a pretty great snapshot of what life was like for the early believers. For context, this is after Jesus has ascended into heaven, and also after the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’s followers and, with tongues of fire above their heads, they began to preach the gospel in languages they had never spoken before.
The Believers, as Luke the author of Acts takes to calling them, are energised. They’ve seen Jesus resurrected, seen Him ascend to heaven, and have had the Holy Spirit come upon them. They’re bold, confident, and as they go out and preach the good news, they see more and more being added to their number each day.
This passage also gives us a great glimpse into the fellowship that comes with community, so I want us to spend some time pondering this today, as we let loose our imaginations and try and picture what it must have been like for those members of the early church.
You might like to make yourself a little more comfy wherever you are, or even close your eyes, but try and imagine yourself as one of these believers while I read through the passage:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles…” Acts 2:42-43
As you imagine yourself there, try and grasp that feeling of awe and wonder at what you would be seeing. There are days where thousands are being saved. You’re meeting with your fellow believers each day, to break bread and pray together, and you’re seeing the fruits of doing the Lord’s work. Imagine the joy amongst you — it must have been palpable.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need…” Acts 2:44-45
This is perhaps where the reality of the situation might snap us out of our imagination for a moment. The believers didn’t just sell possessions so that others might be provided for, but they even sold property. Try and imagine that feeling–probably of disbelief–if you were one of the new believers who came from the poor side of town, sitting down at the table to share a meal with the others. There are probably some believers sitting nearby who come from a different background from you – and you can see it. They’re dressed nicer, and they smell a bit better because they can afford perfumed oils. These believers turn to you, and share what they have; giving you food, clothes, a home. How might that make you feel?
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people…” Acts 2:46-47
These weren’t just one-off dinner parties; these were your friends, your companions, and each day you got together. You met in the temple courts, fired up to share this wonderful, incredible news of what Jesus has done for everyone – and when you’ve spoken to every person you can, the party goes back to someone’s house and you continue spending the rest of your day together, sharing food, and praising God for all that He is doing. Imagine that being all you filled your day with: being encouraged by fellow believers, sharing life with them, and spreading the Good News.
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved…” Acts 2:47
Imagine each day when you go to share meals together, having to find new houses, venues, and break into more groups, because so many people are being brought into your community each day that you don’t fit into the spaces you used to occupy. Imagine the joy of being able to give and share with new believers the way your fellow believers sold what they had to share with you. How incredible that must have been.
As we come back to think about what life is like today, it can seem an incredible – but very distant – picture of living life in such a way. We all have responsibilities we can’t neglect, things that need to get done, expectations that need to be met. We can’t just give up everything, give away everything we have, and live together with our fellow believers.
But this week, I want to offer a bit of a challenge to you. Find some time when it’s convenient to actually sit, close your eyes, and imagine yourself in this passage. Try and capture the feelings that are listed here — awe, wonder, devotion, gladness, sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying favour. What would it look like to try and recreate that kind of fellowship in your communities – whatever shape that takes – this week?
It might be as simple as going back to the image we started with – sharing a meal with some of your fellow believers, enjoying time and fellowship together. It might be looking at who has needs around you, and how you might be able to meet those needs. But whatever steps you take to try and emulate this kind of fellowship, let it be with the same goal and intention as those first believers had: to praise God, to spread the gospel, and to see new people being welcomed into the Kingdom of God.
