Don't get freaked out by astounding grace.

“Immanuel Spirit” – Part 9

(Acts 2:43-47, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, February 20, 2011)

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.

Awe came upon every soul... (43)

“Awe” or fear of God is the appropriate response of the creature to our great and Almighty Creator. We can and will have that kind of awe in heaven. See Revelation 4 and 5. Without the fear of God, there is no real wisdom. Yet Jesus calls us “friends,” we are “sons of God” through Him, and perfect love has cast out all our fear of eternal torment for those who know the love of God. But “awe” of God is only right. When we devote ourselves to His Word and Sacrament, when we let our lives and our prayers be formed by the Spirit of God at work within us, we cannot help but bow before the Lord, our Maker, our Defender, and our Redeemer!

This awe of God comes upon people who know that God is speaking to them, addressing them, leading them, and loving them. Three thousand plus people heard with grace the call of God in Peter's message, and awe came upon every soul among them. This is not bad, but very good. The impulse to humble yourself in the presence of the Almighty may be a sign that the Immanuel Spirit of Jesus Christ is actually with us, even now.

That experience of awe was not only a result of the wonder of the day of Pentecost, the hearing of home dialects, the powerful preaching of Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and the response of thousands who believed and were baptized. There were ongoing wonders and signs of the presence of God with His church through the hands of the apostles. These unlearned men who were the new teachers and preachers of the founding society of Christian faith and life were not only bringing words to ears of thousands, they were used by God to perform mighty miracles. See the healing of a man who was lame from birth in Acts 3. God was doing many such great works through the apostles. This had to be from the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.

This nearness of God by His Spirit is essential for the progress of the Lord's kingdom. We need to know that God is here. There is something that is too small about a church where everything that happens in the lives of even thousands who are involved can be easily explained by their own plans and their own power. Where is God in that project? Wonders and signs from God do not convert people, but they do wake the elect up to the presence of the Lord in a gathering of His beloved church. Awe comes upon every redeemed soul. There is an expectation that God is with us, and has chosen us for His service. This is particularly helpful to believers that are facing or will soon face severe opposition from strong men and nations.

All who believed were together... (44-45)

Beyond these amazing wonders and signs, it will be through the Immanuel Spirit of Jesus Christ that the teaching and ceremonies of Christian worship will overflow in sacrificial and generous living. God must lead His people into Christ-likeness by His Spirit. We cannot go into that promised land unless Jesus leads the way.

The church in Jerusalem after the day of Pentecost had evidence of the presence of God that could not be denied. The people who believed were part of something that came out of heaven and was spreading out over all the earth. They were together in this new society of Jesus. While they still held title to their own property and had the right to sell it (see Acts 4 and 5), they were using their ownership for the benefit of the common body of believers.

This was a deeply unrealistic thing to do. Many of these individuals came to Jerusalem from far-off places in order to participate in Passover and Pentecost. What happened to their former lives? What are they doing staying in Jerusalem? Will they ever go back and resume their previous activities? Did they have new jobs now, and temporary quarters in Jerusalem? We have many questions, but no answers from the Bible. What we do know is that, not just a few, but many, “were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” As Jesus had said would be the case, by their fruits the people of God became known.

Day by day... (46-47)

There was a sincere and frighteningly dramatic change of life for a growing community of thousands of people who believed that Jesus was Lord, that He was with them, and that He was leading them in lives of uncommon generosity and joy. What He led them to do, He led them to do daily. Every day they were going to the temple for large group instruction by the apostles, and every day they were gathering in their homes eating, worshiping, and caring for each other.

We know that they were devoted to the apostles' teaching, the fellowship of shared lives, the breaking of the bread, the prayers of the people of God. But these activities were enlivened by the evident presence of the Spirit of the Lord. They were bringing about the best prophesies of the Old Testament. See our Old Testament passage for today, Ezekiel 36:16-38. They were living the heavenly life on earth. They were praising God, extending grace to people, and receiving the approval of one another in the joy of the cross and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. They were living a life of no regrets, allowing Christ to be King, knowing the fear of the Lord, and knowing that they were accepted forever by God through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

How are we to reply to this example so many centuries later? Will we respond with the wrong kind of fear, that worry and unbelief that turns us away from God leading us to self-justifying reasons why living the Acts 2 life is bad or impossible? We will use the hearing of this Word as an occasion to think, feel, and obey just a little bit less toward Jesus? That is not the song you want to sing. This Jesus who died for our sins is both Lord and Christ. Sanity comes in the right song of heaven. In eternity, when multitudes see Jesus through sinless eyes, we will be captivated with wonder and love for Him. We will cast our crowns before Him, and say with thousands upon thousands of angels and every living creature in heaven and on earth, “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing, honor, glory, and might forever and ever!”

If that is the way of final sanity, the way of the grace of the Holy Spirit leading to that end for all of us today is to take just the next step of yielded obedience that our Lord and Christ has for us this week. Next week there may be more, but you only get to live one day at a time. Do not be overwhelmed or discouraged by the church in Jerusalem described in Acts 2. That's what happens when God's grace gets inside people. That's what it looks like when heaven comes to earth. Just imagine if each of us took some step, small or large, toward that end today...

1. What is awe? Is it good for us?

2. Why did awe come upon every soul?

3. What were the evidences of true spiritual life in the church?

4. How did the daily life of people who became part of the church change?