Acts and Community


Outline:

Recap:

Acts of the Apostles:
  • Could also call this "Luke Part 2"
  • Also written to Theophilus
  • Where Luke focused on Jesus' ministry, Acts focuses on what immediately followed
  • Focus is on Jesus' followers as they start ministry without Him
  • Begins with the arrival of the Holy Spirit
4 Features of Community (Acts 2:42-47):
  1. Common Goods (Acts 2:44-45)
    • κοινά (common) is related to κοινωνία (community)
    • Other moments we see this in Acts
      • Acts 4:32-35
        • Another instance of sharing goods in common
        • told were "one heart and soul"
      • Acts 6:1-7
        • Hellenists complain that Hebrew believers aren't helping their widows and orphans
          • Hellenist- Jewish Christians who spoke only Greek
        • Apostles appoint people to distribute to Hellenist
        • Passage used for Deacon ordinations
    • Moments we see Paul collecting for the poor in Jerusalem
    • Scholars unsure if this sharing things in common actually happened
      • At the very least, it is an ideal the early church aspired to
  2. Prayers (Acts 2:46)
    • Specifically the prayers in Temple
    • Equivalent could be our Sunday worship
  3. Breaking of the Bread (Acts 2:46)
    • Unclear if this is Eucharist as we understand it
    • Appears to be more of a private practice in the home
    • Likely that they maintained their Jewish practices of worship while taking on new practices from accepting Christ Jesus as Lord
    • Equivalent could be our own private prayer practices, with others or alone
  4. Teaching of the Apostles (Acts 2:43)
    • Note: laying of hands on the Bishop in Ordination
      • Not about transferring power/authority
      • About continuing the line of the Apostles' teaching to the modern day
      • In The Episcopal Church- trace this back through Church of England, formed before the Roman Church arrived in Britain.
Unity:
  • Important to the early Christians to maintain unity
    • Why the issue in Acts 6 was resolved the way it was
    • Focus was on belief over practice
  • 1st Council of the Church (Acts 15:1-35)
    • Issue was maintaining unity
    • Do Gentiles have to become Jewish, or are they accepted as are?
    • Note that Gentiles are asked to follow certain rules, though not circumcision
What is Community?:
  • Maintained Jewish Practices, at first
  • Didn't form a separate nation
  • Were a group of people who belonged to Christ Jesus
    • Looked after each other


Bibliography:
  • Brown, Raymond E. Brown. An Introduction to the New Testament. Yale University Press: New Haven, 1997.