Introduction: Peter planted the Portico Church on Pentecost.
It was really remarkable, wasn't it? Shortly after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended back to heaven the Holy Spirit paid his 120 disciples an unforgettable visit.
Instantly, a church was planted right in downtown Jerusalem. People from all parts of the world heard the gospel preached by a man who had looked like a washout and a failure just weeks earlier.
One of the most remarkable transformations that has ever taken place occurred in the life of the apostle Peter in the early days the church. Out of his sermon a community of Jewish people who loved and cared for each other developed.
The Holy Spirit visited Jesus’s disciples in a place called "the upper room ". But after the church experienced, it's tumultuous explosive beginning on the day of Pentecost, that little room was totally insufficient for the congregation. After that they often met in the porch or portico of the temple. So we’ll call the church The Portico Church.
We are told that the people of that church, about 5000 of them, were of “one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32). They had a closeness and a love for each other that would be great for us, 2,000 years later, to imitate, to imitate. It says there in Acts that they shared their things with one another. They didn't look at their possessions as theirs in the same way as they had before. If I was one of their members I’d have said, “My iPhone isn’t really mine all? It's your if you need it.” According to Acts 4:34 their sharing was very, very sacrificial.
Sometimes, they helped people by acting as a channel for help directly from heaven. In Acts 3 a crippled man had approached Peter and John who were on the way to the temple to pray. It was around 3 PM in the afternoon. He wanted them to give him money to meet his needs. Instead (Acts 6:6-7) Peter said to him, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. Clearly, Peter's wallet was empty. He couldn't help the many poor people who needed financial assistance. So, he gave needy people, like this crippled man, was actually miraculous supernatural assistance. He healed him.
But mostly the assistance given by the members to each other came out of their own earthly resources. As a result we are told (Acts 4:34) that in the Portico church, consisting as I said about 5000 people, there were no needs. How could that be? Here was where the intense unity and oneness of the church kicked in. It seems that in the church there were people who had property and houses. We are told that from time to time they sold their land and sometimes even their houses (Acts 4:34). Then they would take the money from the sale and bring it to the portico of the temple, where the apostles hung out and place it at the feet of the apostles. This was their way of formally transferring the funds to the church.
Here's one example of how this worked (Acts 4:36-37). Luke wrote,
“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), ****sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.”
The man in question was named Joseph or Barnabas. He came from an island called Cypress some 400 km out in the Mediterranean Sea. Barnabas was a Levite, which means that he had responsibility for looking after the affairs of the temple. In the years that followed, Barnabas became a missionary. He was the first person who went out with the apostle Paul to plant churches in what is today known as Turkey.
Anyway, Barnabas wanted to help and so he organized the sale of some of his property. We're not told if he went there to do it or he had people who could do it for him, but eventually, the money was put into his hands. He took the funds and went down to the temple area where he found the apostles and laid the proceeds of the sale of his land at their feet. His actions illustrates how very very different life in the Christian community was carried out from life among the people around him.
It is possible, although we are not told this, that when Barnabas came and gave his funds to the church there were people there who were so overjoyed by his action that they applaud boisterously. The hand clapping was likely loudest from those who were needy and who knew that their plight would soon be alleviated. It's even possible that there were those in the crowd who had instruments with them which they played them loudly in in applause after they saw Barnabas’ generous action.
In this applause, however, they lay a potential serious problem. We know from that in that day, it was quite common for people, even as it is today to love the applause of men. Jesus severely criticized the religious leaders in Matthew 23:5-7 for their love of applause.
“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; they love the place of honour at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”