May 7 – 4 Easter
Acts 2:42-47
The First Converts
Life among the Believers

Background: The Acts of the Apostles is the second portion of Luke’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry and details the formation and growth of Christianity. This account begins immediately following Jesus’ resurrection and ends with Paul’s demise in Rome. The beginning portion of this book delineates the growth of the Christian cult from Judaism. Most specifically, this passage helps define the life of the growing cult and orthopraxis.

Theme: This week’s passage is the follow up to the conversions after Peter’s first sermon. Peter is describing the daily life of the believers. Some portions of this passage may be descriptive – how the community operated in that time and place; others may be proscriptive – how the community is expected to operate at all times and in all places.

Questions to Ponder:
* Please read Acts 2:42-47.
* Briefly describe the setting of this passage. What has happened leading up to this passage? Where does this passage take place?
* In verse 42 the writer lists actions “they” were doing in response to Peter’s sermon (ending in verse 41). What do you think it meant to be “devoted to the apostles’ teaching”? Do you think this was a code identified in some other place? The meat of Peter’s sermon? Or something else?
* What do you think the significance of the list of four items is; teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers? What do you think each of those items meant to the 1st century converts?
* What did it mean that the converts “sold their possessions and goods”? What do you think the difference is between possessions and goods might be?
* Do you think selling everything is the standard for believers? Is absolutely shared wealth and no personal possessions? What might the intent of this statement be?
* Where might the standard of sharing wealth with the poor be found in scripture?
* Repetition has meaning in scripture; what do you think is meant or implied by saying “day by day they spent much time in the temple…” and “day by day the Lord added…”?
* What is unique about the suggested affection between early Christians and Jews in this passage?
* What is the challenge to the believers defined in this passage, especially for new converts?
* Describe the relative placement of the actions of the disciples: community actions and practice then financial statements?
* In early Christian tradition, do you think relationship was more important than wealth? Why or why not?
* What is odd about the enumeration of the growth of the disciples in this passage? Previously there were finite numbers of growth and here there is a simple “the numbers grew” – why might that be?
* When it comes to discipleship, do you think more is better? Is it better to create 100 or 3,000 disciples? Why or why not?
* What is the challenge of translating this passage to our context in 21st century Suffolk?