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With many other words [Peter] warned them; and he pleaded with them, \u201cSave yourselves from this corrupt generation.\u201d Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 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. (Acts 2:40-44)

It\u2019s an incredible story. The Spirit comes on the apostles. The Spirit gathers a crowd from \u201cevery nation under heaven.\u201d The Spirit equips Peter to witness of Jesus to this crowd and enables that message to be heard by that crowd across all their different languages. And then by the end, the Spirit has opened the hearts of 3,000 people to receive the message, be baptized, and take their place in the fellowship of believers.

And what a fellowship it was! They all were together and had everything in common. Devoting themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. How we wish our churches looked like that, especially right now in these days when we\u2019re no longer able to gather.

But I think Luke left something out of the story. A pretty important detail, actually. This large crowd that had gathered from every nation under heaven in Jerusalem that day\u2014were all from out of town. They didn\u2019t live in Jerusalem. They lived elsewhere\u2014in all those other nations under heaven. They had only come to Jerusalem for the Jewish feast of Pentecost.

Which meant that even though the believers may have been all together in those first few days\u2014they didn\u2019t stay that way for long. Like at the end of a church service\u2014soon they would all go home. So while we think of this idea of the early church being \u201call together\u201d sharing \u201ceverything in common,\u201d that\u2019s not quite the whole story. It was probably only just a taste\u2014a glimmer of what true Christian fellowship could be. Then, it was time to go home.

Those early travelers would bring to their homes a taste of something good indeed though. A taste of the Kingdom of God breaking out on Earth through the power of the Spirit\u2014Jesus reconciling a church to Himself from every nation under heaven where all are truly and justly: together. Filled with the Spirit they too would go and tell as witnesses of what they had seen, heard, and experienced of Jesus and His Spirit filled community.

As yeast through the dough, the Kingdom of God would spread. And with it, this taste of a church without borders or barriers of race, culture, wealth, or language. Sure, the church wouldn\u2019t and hasn\u2019t always\u2014or even often\u2014looked like that. But a community like that is the longing placed in our hearts by the reconciling power of Jesus through the Spirit. And so we pray: come, Lord Jesus.

Where is a taste of Jesus\u2019 kingdom needed in your life or community? How might the Spirit be equipping you to witness to it?

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