Luke's Second Progress Report

May 28, 2023
Luke provided his 2nd high-level overview of the progress of the Church in Jerusalem.  Luke’s report was awesome.  Numerically, the church had grown rapidly, from ~1,000 people after Jesus’ resurrection to ~10,000 people.  Spiritually, the Christians in Jerusalem were united in placing more value on people and less value on their possessions.  They generously provided for the financial needs of others, and some people from time to time even sold houses or land and gave the money to the needy, to the extent that “there was not a needy person among them”.  This was impressive, especially given that many of the new believers were visitors to Jerusalem who had come to celebrate Passover, got saved, decided to stay, and needed extra help.  At the same time, the Apostles preached the Gospel boldly through the power of the Holy Spirit, despite opposition from the Jewish leaders.  Finally, Luke introduced Barnabas, and shared the real-life example of his generosity.
Acts 4:32-37