Duncan Christian Reformed Church

The Apostles' Teaching

How can you tell if you're in a church? What do you look for to find one that is suitable? Spurred by the Spirit, the early church discovered four corners to their church. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer (Acts 2:42). In this article we will look into the first corner, �the apostles' teaching.�

On that day there were people from every nation under heaven. It was nine in the morning, probably the time when the sacred assembly would have begun celebrating the goodness of the LORD for the harvest he'd given. It was a “day off,” a holy day when no regular work was done (Lev. 23:21). They had arrived at the temple when they heard the sound of a rushing wind, and they saw fire dispersed upon the heads of the believers. (David, in Psalm 51 cries out to God, to not take his “Holy Spirit” [which could also be translated “Holy Wind”] from him). It was an incredible sight, with astonishing sounds that attracted the estimated one million people who had come for the feast.

Some puzzling things had taken place in the temple in recent days. Strange. Unexplainable. Some 53 days previous to the day of Pentecost, at 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, the curtain in the temple had been torn in two from top to bottom (Luke 23:45; Matt 27:51). Who would have dared to do such a thing? It was the curtain that kept God hidden from sight, so it was believed. It was a curtain that kept him in the dark, where it was said he was enthroned between the cherubim that overshadowed the ark of the covenant. We might understand that if the curtain had been from bottom to top, that it had been done by human hands. But this could not be explained by human intervention. This was something supernatural. I wonder: did perhaps they repair the torn curtain by this time? It would have been an awkward thing to accomplish, but certainly something of a priority for those who worked in the temple!

On that day tradition dictated that two Scriptures would have been read. The first was Exodus 19, the story of the coming down from heaven of the LORD himself, the living God, who gave his people a most precious gift, the Ten Commandments. The second was from Ezekiel 1 & 2, the description of the likeness of the glory of God as the Presence was leaving the temple because of the sin of the people. These two passages were arranged well in advance by God. For what happened on the day of Pentecost is in shadow in those passages. For example, it is written: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire” (Exodus 19:18). On the day of Pentecost we're told of fire that was distributed on the heads of the believers, given them power to bring the message to every nation under heaven. When the first temple was built, we're told that the likeness of the glory of God had filled it, and the presence of God was so overwhelming that the priests could not minister there (1 Kings 8:10-11). Now the glory of God – his immediate presence – had returned to the temple.

Only this time the temple had changed location. It was no longer a building in Jerusalem. It was God's own people, who now are known as the temple of God where God dwells (Eph 2:21-22). The torn curtain was no longer keeping God in the dark. It was no longer a barrier for people to know God. Now people can come to God at any time, enter into the very presence of God. Now we have access always – at midnight, some time in the morning, at 9:00 in the morning and 3:00 after noon – and we can approach God then. Now we have God filling us to the brim as we seek his face always. Now we have the law of God written on our hearts. Now we have the presence of God to give us the words of God to people in our homes, our neighborhood, our schools, and to the ends of the earth (wherever God leads us).

Pastor Walt Vanderwerf