Acts 2:42-47. The Fellowship of the Believers.

"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47

The same Holy Spirit who was at work in the early church is at work in us today.

The first thing we see is that the Holy Spirit is not passive. He is active, powerful, and effective. People are being added to the family of God daily. This isn’t just a story from Acts – it’s a reality we’re beginning to see again in our time.

We read that the believers sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to anyone in need. To modern ears, this might sound like a hippie commune or even a kibbutz. But in many parts of the world, this kind of mutual care is deeply familiar.

When I was in Pakistan, extended families shared everything. If a child was sick, aunties and cousins stepped in. If someone fell into debt, the family rallied to help. This isn’t just cultural – it’s biblical. In the Middle East, and indeed across much of the world for millennia, this has been the norm. What’s unusual is the Western model of isolated, nuclear families, where the boundaries are tightly drawn: “This is my family; we look after ourselves.”

Even in places like China, there’s a clear distinction between the “in-group” and the “out-group.” Those in the group share resources and care for one another. Those outside are often treated with indifference – or worse.

But the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit, redefines the boundaries of family. The people of God become one family. If someone is in prison, the whole church feels it. If a family is struggling after a failed harvest, others step in to help. This is the Spirit at work – because Jesus said, “By your love for one another, all will know you are my disciples.” John 13:35

What we are called to is deeper than just financial sharing – we are called to be family. I remember Sam, a pastor from a church in Vauxhall we partner with, telling me about visiting people during the pandemic. One woman answered the door, shivering, and asked for prayer because her only heater had broken. Sam reached out to the church, and within hours, there were offers of thirteen heaters. That’s the family of God in action.

And does God's family grow? Not by the work of talented evangelists! It is by his spirit, working in us.

People were drawn to the message Peter, James and John were sharing – not because of clever persuasion, but because the Spirit was moving. It’s tempting to think that if we were just more persuasive, more eloquent, more strategic, then people would come. But Scripture reminds us: it is the Lord who adds to the number.

Our role is to go out, to speak the good news, to mobilise the church. But it is God who brings the harvest. We don’t manipulate or promise an easy life. Following Jesus often means taking up a cross. But we proclaim the truth: Jesus heals the brokenhearted, and He brings life.

Even if we don’t see the fruit immediately, we trust that God’s word does not return void. Like Abraham, we may wait – but the promise is sure. The Spirit is at work. The family of God is growing. And the Lord will add to our number.

So let’s trust that the Lord is building His church across London.

So perhaps you can ask yourself this week.

• Where do you see the Holy Spirit currently at work in ministries your involved in?
• Do you find it easy or hard to trust that God is building His church?
• Who is the Spirit prompting you to share Jesus with this week?