Acts 2: Birth of the Church

Acts 2 is one of the most exciting chapters of the New Testament for Christians. Why? It marks the birth of the church, our spiritual family.

It begins with prayer, continues with a miracle and a message, and concludes with the conversion and baptism of over 3,000 new people into the Christian movement. The man who denied Jesus three times the night of Christ’s arrest stood courageously in the center of Jerusalem and told all who would listen that Jesus was alive.

The concluding verses then share a glimpse of what the original church was like. It focused on the teaching of the apostles, time together, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. This was not only a celebration; it was the beginning of a new way of life. Verses 42-47 read:

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ 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, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Ever since, the church has sought to find itself again as a network of diverse people who center their lives on Christ and these simple principles that empowered the first believers. Let it begin in each of us today, as we meditate on Scripture, connect with our spiritual family, worship, and pray. To reflect the joy of the first church, we must first let it begin in our own hearts.

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Dillon Burroughs is the author or co-author of numerous books and is handwriting a copy of the New Testament in 2011 at HolyWritProject.com. Find out more about Dillon at Facebook.com/readdB or readdB.com.