Acts 1-4 - Learning From the Early Church
What Your Bible Says About You
Well, hey. Welcome to The Well. I’m so glad you’re joining us here this week. To any guests who might be with us, this is not our typical teaching location, and this is not our typical teaching style. We’re entering into a season here for the next several weeks that is unique in and of itself. We’re going to pause our series in Matthew and launch into a couple of weeks on what we call Serve Fresno, which I’ll tell you more about in just a minute.
If you have your Bibles, open to Acts chapter 1. While you’re turning there, let me sort of set this up. They say you can tell a lot about someone by the notes and highlights they have in their Bible. If you’ve ever seen someone else’s Bible, you see what they mark, what they write, what they highlight, and the pages that are sort of tattered.
I had an experience years ago, before I was even dating my wife. There was some chemistry and we were kind of flirting a little bit. We were running a coffee shop in our college ministry, and she walked out of the room, leaving her Bible sitting there on the table. I had one of those spy moments where I thought, I wonder what she’s marking in her Bible.
So I flipped open her Bible. I felt terrible about it, but as I was flipping through, her Bible was tattered, marked, and highlighted. I thought, Man, this girl is committed to the Word of God. Then I thought, I wonder what she thinks about Proverbs 31. You know anything about Proverbs 31? It’s like the gold standard for a woman—this high bar of what a godly woman looks like. I opened it up, and the pages were literally about to fall out of her Bible. I closed it in reverence, slid it back across the table, and thought, I need to get this thing done, because that Bible said a lot about her.
As a church, I hope that we are a faith community of students of the Scriptures. If we searched through our Bibles together, I would hope that when you get to the book of Acts, those pages might be pretty tattered, marked up, and highlighted. The book of Acts begins to explain to us what’s called ecclesiology.
The word ekklesia in the Greek text means a gathering, an assembly, or a congregation—primarily translated in our New Testament as the word “church.” Ecclesiology is simply the study of the church. I hope in some ways we’re a bit obsessed with the study of the church, because when you talk about ecclesiology, the question is really not what is a church, but who is the church? And then, what is the purpose of the church?
The Church Under Construction
Let’s take a quick look at ecclesiology under construction in Acts chapter 1. Really, the book of Acts is part two of a two-part series written by Luke. The first is the Gospel of Luke, and the second is the book of Acts. It is written by Luke to a man named Theophilus. Theophilus literally means “lover or friend of God”—Theos and philos.
In Acts chapter 1, verse 1, Luke writes:
Acts 1:1-3 (NASB)
The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up [to heaven], after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over [a period of] forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.
There is your Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke was an investigative report. Luke tells us he researched everything carefully, put it in consecutive order, and wrote down the exact truth. Then, in verse 4, he gets into the rest of the story. Gathering them together, Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Acts 1:4-5 (NASB)
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ [He said], ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’
Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit of God to be given. He told them that once the Spirit came upon them, they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.
Acts 1:8 (NASB)
but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’
As the church begins in chapter 1, these early followers of Jesus assemble together in Jerusalem, waiting for the Holy Spirit. Then, in Acts chapter 2, the Spirit of God comes upon them. They hear a sound like a rushing wind and see tongues of fire coming upon them—a miraculous scene unlike anything they had ever witnessed.
Acts 2:5-6 (NASB)
Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
A crowd gathered from every nation under heaven, bewildered because each one heard them speaking in their own language. If you look at verses 9 through 11, you see this incredible melting pot: Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Rome, Cretans, and Arabs. People from all over the known world were present, and they were hearing the mighty deeds of God proclaimed in their own languages.
Proclaiming the Mighty Deeds of God
What are these “mighty deeds of God”? Thankfully, Luke records them for us. In Acts 2:22, Peter stands up and gives his sermon:
Acts 2:22-24 (NASB)
’Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know– this [Man], delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put [Him] to death. ’But God raised Him up again, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power.
What you see in the proclamation of the mighty deeds of God is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. These mighty deeds of God are the gospel of Christ.
God, in His grace, created the world, shaped it, spoke it into existence, and hand-made mankind in His image. But God gave mankind free will, and unfortunately, humanity chose to rebel against God. We rejected the image of God and pursued life on our own terms, plunging humanity into sin. Sin is not just the bad deeds we commit; sin is the very fallen nature we possess.
Yet God demonstrated His ultimate love for us in that while we were still dead in our transgressions and sins, Christ died for us and made us alive together with Him. To as many as received Him, He gave the right to become children of God. That is the gospel—the mighty deeds of God spoken in the first century, and still the power of God for salvation today.
Acts 2:40 (NASB)
And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, ‘Be saved from this perverse generation!’
Peter called them out of their sin and into faith in Christ alone, gathering them together as the ekklesia of God.
The Church in Action
What did this early church actually do? Luke paints a stunning picture in Acts chapter 2:
Acts 2:41-47 (NASB)
So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they [began] selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
This is Ecclesiology 101. They broke bread together. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They experienced deep fellowship and prayed together. There was radical generosity, corporate celebration, and intimate community in homes. They had favor with all people, and the Lord added to their number daily.
This dynamic reminds me of Matthew 17, the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on the mountain. Moses and Elijah appear, and Peter—you’ve got to love Peter—says, “Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let’s build three tabernacles and just stay here.”
While Peter is still speaking, a cloud overshadows them, and God’s voice says, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”
Matthew 17:5 (NASB)
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’
It’s as if God was saying, “Peter, the point is not for you to isolate on the mountaintop with Jesus.” Because right at the bottom of that hill was a demon-possessed boy in desperate need. Jesus’ mission was never to gather a holy huddle and hide from the needs of the community. God says, “Listen to Jesus,” and Jesus immediately leads them down the mountain into the brokenness of the world.
In Acts chapters 3 and 4, the disciples do exactly that. They move out into the city. They proclaim with boldness:
Acts 4:12 (NASB)
‘And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.’
They lived the gospel with courage. They put the gospel on display, which is the core calling of the local church.
Acts 4:32-35 (NASB)
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.
They didn’t stay on the mountain. They didn’t neglect the needs of their city. They took an active interest in bringing the solution of the gospel into their culture through their time, talents, and treasures.
Putting the Gospel on Display in Fresno
For many of you, this is not a new idea. Serving our city has been part of the fabric of The Well from the very beginning—helping people connect to God and to each other in every neighborhood. That is who we have always been, and by God’s grace, that is who we will always be.
Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:
2 Peter 1:12-13 (NASB)
Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you [already] know [them], and have been established in the truth which is present with [you]. I consider it right, as long as I am in this [earthly] dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
For some of you, this is a reminder because you’ve participated in Serve Fresno for years. But for others, this is brand new. We want to invite you to consider: what does it look like for us to put the gospel on display together as a community?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:
Matthew 5:16 (NASB)
’Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
The light of the gospel is not meant to be hidden under a basket, tucked away from the world. It is meant to shine in dark places. That is the beauty of biblical ecclesiology: the gospel transforms us, and then through us, it shines into the surrounding community.
We live in a tremendous city with a rich heritage and a bright future. For the Hamilton fans out there, remember the lyric: “Look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now! History is happening in Manhattan and we just happen to be in the greatest city in the world.”
Well, this may not be Manhattan, but look around. History is happening right here in Fresno, and we get to be part of it. When the story of our community’s spiritual renewal is told years from now, people will look back at this critical time. The church has a unique role to play in shaping the future of our city with the gospel.
Back in the fall, we launched the Cultivate initiative with three primary goals: strategically reinvesting resources into gospel-centered initiatives in our city, renovating the Fig Garden campus, and relocating the North Campus. If you look at what our church is already involved in, it is breathtaking.
Remember, the church is not the what—it is the who. People from our church are actively serving across this Valley through organizations like Safe Families for Children, City Without Orphans, Central Valley Christian Alliance for Orphans, Made for Them, Breaking the Chains, Central Valley Justice Coalition, Every Neighborhood Partnership, Martin Park, Pregnancy Care Center, Hume Lake Christian Camps, Fresno Rescue Mission, Youth for Christ, ESA Love INC, Fresno Christian Schools, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Rescue the Children, Off the Front, Live Again Fresno, Break the Barriers, Habitat for Humanity, FIRM (Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries), Link Care, Family Healing Center, World Impact, Fresno Street Saints, and Serve Fresno.
Why Not Here?
I want to focus on Serve Fresno. We are creating a focused season of emphasis on serving our city. While we hope everyone is serving year-round, an intentional season helps catalyze our efforts. We want to put the gospel on display and invite other churches across the region to join us.
Fresno is a wonderful city, but it is also a city with profound needs: concentrated poverty, food insecurity, homelessness, gangs, human trafficking, and blighted neighborhoods. These are real broken places that the light of the gospel can speak into. When the people of God are stirred to action, we become part of God’s redemptive work.
This week at every campus, you’ll find teams at the iHub ready to help you find a project. You can also visit servefresno.org to see a curated, vetted list of projects sorted by location, organization, ability, and interest. You can even submit your own project. At the end of the day, our heart is simply to get people involved.
In the early church, putting the gospel on display was not optional; it was the natural overflow of being transformed by Christ. It is easy to stay up on the mountain where it feels safe and say, “Lord, it is good for us to be here.” But the gospel isn’t about staying safe—it is about being on mission. It is about taking the light of Christ into our neighborhoods.
Throughout history, gospel transformation happened through local churches rooted in specific cities: Jerusalem, Antioch, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Ephesus, and Colossae.
If God moved in power in those cities, why not here in Fresno? The opportunity is right in front of us. The only question left is: are we willing to come together and put the gospel on display in our great city?
Let’s pray together.
Father, as we introduce Serve Fresno, we ask for Your grace. Move us by Your Holy Spirit to put the gospel on display. Stir the affections of every person in our church family so deeply that we are compelled to action with our hands. May everything we do bring glory and renown to the name of Jesus. Do not let the brokenness of our city go uninfluenced by Your grace, but use us to bring hope, light, and redemption wherever You send us. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray, Amen.