Begin with 2 minutes of silence and stillness before God.

Acts 2 might be one of the most important chapters in the entire Bible. God fulfills His promise to send His Holy Spirit as an advocate and helper to dwell within His followers. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Apostles preach the Good News of the resurrection of Jesus, and in a single moment, the Gospel spreads to every language and nation. The New Testament church explodes onto the pages of history as 12 becomes 3,000 in the blink of an eye.

As you read through this account of the birth of the Church, did you pick up on the theme of unity? It’s littered all throughout this chapter from beginning to end.

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they (the Apostles) were all TOGETHER in one place.” Acts 2:1

They had just lost their leader. Everything they had lived for over the last 3 years had just disappeared. What were they supposed to do now? What would you have done? Honestly, I think it would have been hard for me to not go back to the life that I had known, pick back up my fishing nets, and try to rebuild an income. Maybe go sulk in a corner somewhere and complain about everything I thought I missed out on.

But the Apostles stayed together. No one left. No one got kicked out. They had each other and they had hope. That was enough to keep them going when everything else seemed to be falling apart.

“And at this sound, the multitude came TOGETHER, and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.” Acts 2:6

When the Holy Spirit fell on the Apostles, nations were brought together because the Gospel was proclaimed. No language or nationality could stand in the way of God’s Good News.

“And all who believed were TOGETHER and had all things in common.” Acts 2:44

Literally, thousands of people began following Jesus, and the church was born in this moment. That amount of people can be overwhelming to any system. It is crushing to a movement that hasn’t even had time to take form yet, but the sheer mass could not stop the unifying power of the name of Jesus.

Here is the bottom line, and you have probably heard it said before: We are better together.

When circumstances push you into isolation, fight for community and fight for connection. We were never made to do life alone.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflections:

• It is never too late to find community in House Church. If you are not a part of House Church visit venturechurch.org/housechurch to find community near you.
• If you are a part of House Church, seek a deeper connection this week. Schedule a meal or coffee to spend time with someone and continue to build that relationship.

Family Devos: Acts 2

By: Carrie Hobson

So, what is Pentecost? Pentecost was a super exciting time in the life of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus had promised that the Holy Spirit would pour out on them after He ascended into Heaven. They experienced some pretty amazing things when this happened. There was a rushing wind from Heaven that filled the house they were in and the Holy Spirit even made them speak in other languages! A large crowd came together from every nation, and they were so confused because they could understand what the disciples were saying in their own languages. God gave the disciples words of wisdom to explain to the crowd what was happening. Peter, one of the disciples, explained to the crowd that God has promised in His Word that all of these things would happen. This was the beginning of the growth of the early church. The believers devoted themselves to what the disciples were teaching. They spread the gospel everywhere they went and many people came to know Jesus! People were in awe. God used the disciples to perform signs and wonders, too! How cool that God used His people to show others His glory!

• Did you know you can spread the gospel of Jesus everywhere you go? As a family, discuss ways you can share Jesus with your friends and family who may not know Him.
• Make an effort to share Jesus with someone this week.
• Pray: God, thank You for who You are. Thank You for Your Word and for giving it to us to help show others who You are. We love You! Amen.