AFTER THE PENTECOST, WHAT NEXT? (1)

“Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. ⁴²And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. ⁴³Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles” (Acts 2:41-43 NKJV).

One of the obvious and outstanding miracles subsequent to the out pouring of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost day was the immediacy that attended the formation of the believers into a community. Getting three thousand people to begin to zealously attend to the apostles’ doctrine, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayers was nothing short of a miraculous intervention of God. The Holy Spirit had worked in their hearts both to will and to do according to His pleasure. I believe that their example should guide us in determining what should be the appropriate response to the powerful ways the Holy Spirit ministered to us during the Holy Ghost Power Explosion. What can we learn from them?

After the first Pentecost, the believers were said to have gladly received the word of God. They carefully attended to the preaching and teaching of the word of God and were determined to apply the principles they learned in their lives. They were not merely hearers of the word but doers of it also. They were enthralled with the revelation of the word of God concerning the adequacy of the sacrifice of Christ for their eternal redemption. The gospel was indeed to them the power of God unto salvation. They embraced the word and became beneficiaries of the salvation it promised. They boldly presented themselves for baptism, making public confession of their commitment to their new found Lord and Saviour. It is obvious that the baptism they had encompassed water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They were fired by the Holy Spirit to stir up their spiritual gifts for witnessing life.

Having tasted the sweetness of the word of God, they hungered for more. Hence, “they continued in the apostles’ doctrines.”  They were unrelenting in their commitment to the mysteries of the Christian faith as expounded by the apostles. They were all regular and punctual in their attendance to the apostles’ scheduled teachings and their extempore exhortations during the course of their daily routines. They did not only embrace the word of God but also the God the word spoke to them about.  Their lives therefore became a living commentary to the scripture –“The people who know their God shall be strong, and shall carry out great exploits” (Daniel 11:32 NKJV). They were strong indeed for God.

 The believers also “continued in fellowship.” They met together often and learned to be comfortable in the company of one another. They intentionally pursued being together and enjoyed cooperating with one another in many practical ways that were mutually benefiting. Togetherness, friendliness and community were highly rated values among them. They sought for ways to encourage one another to remain focused on the ideals of Christ and in pleasing God at whatever personal cost. Their love for one another was practical and sacrificial. They provoked one another unto love.

The apostles quickly taught the new believers the mystery of the Lord’s Supper which they received with joy and consuming passion.  It became to them a practical means of refocusing on the person of Christ and on the redemption He purchased for all people through His sacrifice on the Cross. The Lord had exhorted them to break bread in the remembrance of Him –“For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.” This practice helped them to keep their eyes on the Cross –the fulcrum of their faith. They set their minds on heavenly realities.

                Prayer was the life wire of the early believers. They prayed for the continued outpouring of God’s grace in their lives to keep strong in faith and for the effectiveness of their witnessing. Through prayer, they were brought daily into life transforming and empowering encounters with the living Christ, which experience they desperately needed to overcome the storms of the enemy. They prayed in support of the apostles and for the blessing of their enemies. They prayed for the kingdom of God to come and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. The power that followed their lives and ministries was an evident proof that God answered their prayers.