Living changed lives

The property that had come to be known as the House of the Holy Spirit wasn’t the only place that the growing Jesus community gathered. “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple ... praising God and having the goodwill of the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:46-47).

Many of the people who had been drawn by the apostles’ teaching and were developing a relationship with the crucified and risen Jesus weren’t keeping the good news to themselves. As the apostles taught the parables of Jesus, many gained a more loving and intimate perspective on who God is and what God’s kingdom is all about. They shared that perspective with others. As the apostles lived out the power and compassion of Jesus through their ministry, many were healed and changed. They shared their changed lives with others. And they became the active witnesses the Jesus community sent out to tell about Jesus.

Three things in particular distinguished the public ministry of this rapidly forming Jesus community.

First, they weren’t afraid to praise. The members of this community not only got together on their own to praise Jesus as the promised Messiah, but also continued to join in the worship of the wider Jewish community to praise the God who kept the promise of sending the Messiah.