I am up to Acts in the New Testament in my daily Bible reading plan (I use You Version, if you want to know). I have always been fascinated by the post-resurrection narratives and the astonishing change in those first disciples, who became apostles of the early church. From here the early church began to form and flourish. So, I was reading in Acts 4 last night (a passage I have read many times over) and something new and fresh struck me. I just have to tell you about it.
Acts 2:42-44 (NLT)
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.”
This is a beautiful picture of the early church doing life and growing in faith together. As is my custom I read for a bit then, when I sense Holy Spirit wanting to teach me something, I stop at that very place in the text and prayerfully listen and meditate. And wait. I stopped right here, in Acts 2:42-44, and began to think and imagine this first group of believers. Then this gentle revelation came to me. Here they all are doing life together, starting out on their discipleship journey. It was a joyous participation in the fellowship (the koinonia). There was a certain delight and excitement about it. Their developing way of life, this new life in Christ they were learning, was an unforced, joyous devotion - and all of it was accompanied by this amazing sense of awe that came over them. God’s presence was very real. The atmosphere must have been so rich and beautiful.
But, that’s not the revelation.
The more I meditated and enjoyed what Holy Spirit was showing me the more I longed for what these first believers were experiencing. There was opposition to the apostles brewing. Everyone knew it. Days before on the day of Pentecost many had believed the apostles’ message and had come to faith – 3000, or so. Amazing! But not all did. Many mocked and ridiculed. Many of those first 3000 had come from families who would not accept their new faith and, perhaps, they were ostracised in their communities, and so the fellowship was vital to them. Yet the early church began to flourish, and the presence of God could be felt.
But that’s not the revelation.
Those early believers – most coming out of Judaism, a strict, legalistic religious system – did not swap Judaism for a new set of rules and “spiritual disciplines” to perform. No, this was different. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. The key word here is “devoted”. This is a different word than, say, discipline. Or, even commitment. Devotion is richer, deeper and more willing and capable. Devotion is an unforced thing. It is born of love and passion for Jesus. It is not about rules and rituals in the first instance. Not at all. These new believers had left the rules and rituals approach to pursuing God behind. This new life in Christ to which they were devoted to embracing was about a life rhythm. Something very different.
That’s the revelation – it’s about rhythm, not rules and rituals.
If the Christian life consists of rules and rituals (and spiritual disciplines) then very quickly we’re going to break them and experience a certain sense of failure. That’s inevitable. But these early believers were discovering a new life rhythm. In music, for example, rhythm is the arrangement of notes and rests of different lengths (long and short sounds) over one steady underlying beat. The difference between rhythm and beat is that beat is the steady, unchanging pulse (like a metronome gives you), while rhythm is the varied pattern played on top of that pulse. In nature the life rhythm refers to regular, cyclical movements, such as breathing, walking, heartbeat, or the changing seasons, that sort of thing. The early believers were discovering a new rhythm on top of the regular beat of the pulse of God’s Spirit within them. Everyone had the same beat within, but each was unique in rhythm, and together they became the new people of God. A new community. Later the apostle Paul would make this same observation about rhythm and beat …
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NLT)
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.”
The koinonia was rich and beautiful as this new life rhythm was growing. It was not a religious regimen as Judaism had become. This is not to say that rules are unimportant. They are. But it is how we use them, and why, that is the issue. These believers had a rhythm – a musical arrangement, if you like – with four elements they held in common. They continued to repeat the rhythm with unforced willingness, and Holy Spirit orchestrated it all until the music of koinonia was shaped and formed – and God’s presence was felt with reverent awe and huge faith expectation. Because of their passion for Jesus, their Redeemer and Lord, these believers gave themselves to this rhythm. Holy Spirit had been poured out on them … and all they wanted to do was stay close to the fire.
That’s devotion. And devotion is its own rhythm.
Acts 2:46-47 (NLT)
“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
It’s about rhythm, friends, not rules and regulations we try hard to conform to.
How is your rhythm?
Ps Milton