Facebook was created to bring people together, but over time it turned out that you can have hundreds of friends, look at their photos every day, and know where they went on vacation, and yet have no one to call when you’re going through a tough time. Something meant to bring people closer can actually drive them apart, and the same thing can happen to the church. The sermon returns to the description of the first community, which devoted itself to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer, and shared what it had with one another according to each one’s need (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit did not rest on a building at that time, but on people; that is why God’s presence is always seen in our relationships with others. Listen, if you want to see if there is room and time in your daily life for the people God has placed beside you.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Right after the Holy Spirit comes, Luke describes the community's daily life in Acts 2:42-47. According to the sermon, why is this changed life, rather than miracles alone, the evidence of God's presence?
- What did it mean to Jewish people that fire, a sign of God's presence, rested on people rather than over a mountain or the tent of meeting, and how does that change our understanding of the temple?
- The first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread and to prayer. Which of these four is hardest for you, and why?
- The speaker stressed that faith was never a private matter. Who in your life can ask you where your heart really is, and what helps you answer honestly?
- How does being aware of the grace you have received from God change the way you see people who have fallen or who cannot give anything back?
- Who near you could you show practical care to this week, for example by shopping for them, sharing coffee or a meal, or giving them your time?
