Community: Awe

Acts 2 gives a picture of a church where “community good, isolation bad” is not just a cute summary, but a lived reality. Luke says that awe came upon every soul, and that little word matters. Awe is not just saying a Spider Man movie was awesome or remembering a once in a lifetime trip to the US Open. In Scripture, awe is tied to the fear of the Lord, that holy mixture of wonder, trembling, reverence, and being undone before the living God.

God’s presence in Acts 2 was not small, manageable, or easy to explain. The same Jesus who did mighty works, wonders, and signs in his earthly ministry continued his work through the Spirit empowered apostles. Luke uses the same language for Jesus’ ministry and the apostles’ ministry so that the church would see that the risen Christ was still moving. The miracles were not mainly spectacular experiences for Christians to enjoy, though joy surely came with healing and deliverance. The signs pointed to Jesus, authenticated the apostolic witness, and showed that God himself was powerfully present among his people.

The question beneath Acts 2 is whether that kind of life was only for then or whether it should stir holy longing now. The text shows a people so captured by the work of God that they shared their lives, their homes, their meals, and even their stuff. They were not forced into generosity. They were compelled. Needs came before them, and they started asking how to step up, even when it cost something.

Acts 2 does not describe a community built by good organization, a gifted communicator, or perfect timing. That kind of life happens because God moves. The people gathered day by day in the temple, broke bread in homes, received food with glad and generous hearts, praised God, and had favor with all the people. Their life together was both public worship and kitchen table fellowship. It was both the gathered people of God and the scattered homes of God’s people.

The call, then, is simple and uncomfortable: take a step. A person who already has biblical community can set out one more chair because someone else wants what that person has. A person who longs for it can scan the QR code, join a group, and risk being known. If Darth Vader can fill out a connection card, then fear and awkwardness do not get the final word. Acts 2 invites the church to pray that what happened there would happen here.

##

Key Takeaways

• 1. Awe begins where control ends Awe in Scripture is not a mild feeling or a religious mood. Awe comes when God works in such a way that a person is undone, without neat words or easy categories. The fear of the Lord is not panic before a cruel God, but reverent trembling before the One whose power, holiness, and mercy are far bigger than the soul can manage. [42:00]
• 2. Miracles point beyond the miracle Signs and wonders brought real joy to real sufferers, but Luke does not present them as spiritual entertainment. The works of God pointed to the risen Jesus and confirmed the word being proclaimed through the apostles. A healed body, a delivered soul, or an inexplicable mercy becomes a signpost saying, “God was at work.” [46:52]
• 3. Generosity is compelled, not forced Acts 2 does not describe people being pressured into some lifeless system. The people saw needs and were stirred to ask what could be sold, changed, or surrendered for the good of another. True generosity often starts in the uncomfortable place where a person realizes that “my stuff” may be available to God for someone else’s need. [57:13]
• 4. Community needs another chair Biblical community is more than having people to hang out with. It asks real questions, prays real prayers, opens the Word, stays through thick and thin, and makes room for someone who is still outside the circle. Setting out one more chair may cost comfort, but it may also become the doorway through which another person experiences the life-giving grace of being known. [67:07]
• 5. One step can become obedience The invitation is not to figure out every detail at once. The call is to take a step toward the kind of life Acts 2 displays, whether that means joining a group, opening a home, praying with someone, or risking awkwardness. Even small obedience matters when it moves a person from isolation toward the shared life God uses to form his people.
  
  ## [71:54]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:25] - Prayer for Formation and Change
• [30:14] - Community Good, Isolation Bad
• [32:23] - Awe Came Upon Every Soul
• [33:15] - What Does Awesome Mean?
• [38:44] - Awe and the Fear of the Lord
• [42:26] - Signs and Wonders in Acts
• [44:12] - Jesus, Miracles, and the Apostles
• [48:27] - Does God Still Move Like This?
• [51:51] - A Community That Shares Everything
• [57:36] - Generosity That Costs Something
• [61:17] - Temple Worship and Home Fellowship
• [64:03] - Prescriptive or Descriptive?
• [65:37] - Take One Step Toward Community
• [72:16] - Praying Acts 2 Into Reality

1. In Acts 2:43-47, what are the specific things this church does together day by day, both in public and in their homes? [01:01:17]
2. What words and actions in Acts 2:43-45 show that this community was marked by both awe and generosity?
3. According to Acts 2:22-24 and Acts 2:43, what similar language is used for the works of Jesus and the works happening through the apostles? [45:17]
4. In Acts 4:29-30, what are the believers asking God to do, and how are bold preaching and healing connected in that prayer? [48:05]

1. If awe in Scripture is tied to the fear of the Lord, what does that suggest about the kind of experience Acts 2 is describing? How is that different from calling something “awesome” in everyday life? [38:44]
2. If signs and wonders are meant to point to Jesus and confirm the apostolic witness, how should miracles be understood in the life of the church? What keeps them from becoming spiritual entertainment? [46:52]
3. The believers were not forced to give, but they were compelled. What does that reveal about the kind of heart change God was producing in them? [57:13]
4. Acts 2 shows believers gathering in the temple and also breaking bread in homes. What does that suggest about the relationship between corporate worship and smaller, personal community? [01:03:17]

1. When was the last time awe came upon the soul because of the work of God? What happened, and has there been room lately to notice God’s greatness with that kind of reverence? [42:03]
2. When a real need comes into view, is the first instinct usually to protect comfort or to ask how to help? What might generosity that “costs something” look like in this season of life? [57:36]
3. Is there anything being held onto too tightly right now—money, time, space, convenience, or possessions—that may actually be available for God to use for someone else’s good? [53:31]
4. Which side needs the next step right now: making room for one more person, or stepping into community instead of staying isolated? What would that step actually be this week? [01:05:37]
5. If community needs another chair, who might need an invitation to a table, a living room, a meal, or an honest conversation? What makes that feel costly or awkward? [01:07:07]
6. Is life with other believers mostly limited to Sunday gatherings, or is there also space for shared meals, prayer, encouragement, and being known during the week? What feels most absent right now? [01:02:17]
7. Fear and awkwardness do not get the final word. What usually keeps a person from taking a step toward being known, and what would it look like to move through that hesitation instead of obeying it? [01:11:51]