Today we begin worship with:
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Let’s recall when these days were. Acts 2 happens just a short 50 days after the horrific events of the Passion of Christ. Mobs, shouting, soldiers, fear. During the days immediately following the Resurrection the disciples regularly locked themselves in a room out fear of the Jews (John 20).
What changed? What took them from fear to favor?
Did they remain quiet so no one would be offended? No.
But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
Was what they said pleasant and seeker-friendly? No.
this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
So what was it that brought them favor with all the people? It was a change of heart. They now had a “glad and generous” heart.
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.
Let us indeed walk in gratitude for what we have been given and seek daily how to be generous with it, for that is the rule we must follow.
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