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J. Vernon McGee · Citado em PreceptAustin
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McGee says "It sounded like a tornado, and I believe that all of Jerusalem could hear it." Since it was described as a noise and as violent, it is possible that it was heard outside of the room they were in and this accounts for the crowd that heard them speaking in other languages as described in the following passages. Kistemaker - One important aspect of the coming of the Holy Spirit is the suddenness of his appearance. Although, as they were instructed, the disciples stay in Jerusalem to wait for the outpouring of the Spirit, nonetheless his sudden arrival is surprising. Christ’s followers will experience a similar situation when Jesus suddenly returns. Despite the signs of the times Jesus reveals to his people, his return will be surprising and unexpected. (Baker NT Commentary: Acts) Wind often was used as a symbol of God’s presence (2 Sa 5:24; Ps. 104:3, etc.) and here signifies not only His presence but His power. Boice on the description in Acts 2:2 - That sounds very much like the story of the Spirit of God hovering over the waters of the earth at creation (Ge 1:1-2). So the suggestion is that here, in Acts, we have a new creation—as important (more important in many ways) as the original creation of the heavens and the earth. That heaven and earth are destined to pass away, but what is done by the Spirit at Pentecost is eternal. Again, the account in Acts sounds like Genesis 2:7, where God breathes life into man. Pentecost is a life-breathing experience. The account is also like John 3:7-8, where Jesus told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Obviously the coming of the Holy Spirit as a violent wind was meant to symbolize the coming of the creative power of God to inaugurate a new era in which men and women should be brought to spiritual life. (Ibid) Jewish pastor Steve Kreloff explains the noise "First of all, this is obviously the fulfillment of Christ's promise to the disciples that they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit and at the same time indwelt and empowered by Him....the disciples couldn't miss this is the promised arrival of the Holy Spirit...what they are waiting for...and they would have understood this especially since both the Hebrew and Greek words for "spirit" and "wind" are the same words (Hebrew = ruach; Greek = pneuma - see definition #5, cf Jn 3:8)! There is no way they would have missed the significance of this (noise like wind). The Holy Spirit had arrived in the form of a mighty sounding noise like wind echoing throughout the whole house. This is the One they had been waiting for and now He had arrived. He had arrived in the symbolic form of powerful sounding violent wind, indicating the empowering of the Spirit of God in their lives (THAT IS A REASONABLE ASSUMPTION BUT IS NOT CLEARLY STATED). Notice what Luke tells us, because contrary to what one might initially think, Luke is NOT saying the disciples FELT a violent, storm-like wind...but only that they heard a noise like a violent rushing wind (like winds from a hurricane except there was no hurricane winds but just noise)....What happened to the disciples, happened suddenly which is significant...In telling us this, we see the disciples were obviously surprised by the Spirit's arrival. You may wonder how could they have caught by surprise? They knew He was coming but they did not know exactly when and they did not know "HOW" He was coming, in such a dramatic fashion." Adrian Rogers said it well... Being baptized with the Holy Spirit — means He is now Resident in your heart. Being filled with the Holy Spirit — means He is now President there. The Holy Spirit never leaves a surrendered vessel unfilled or unused. W. H. Griffith Thomas - I believe baptism in the Holy Ghost is exactly on the same plane as baptism in water—we never need to repeat it. Noise (blast, roaring)(2279)(echos gives us English "echo") which A T
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Vernon McGee - “A friend of my daughter lives in Kansas and went through the experience of a tornado. It did not destroy their home but came within two blocks of it. When she wrote about it to my daughter, she said, ‘The first thing we noticed was a sound like a thousand freight trains coming into town.’ Friend, that was a rushing, mighty wind, and that was the sound. It was that kind of sound that they heard on the Day of Pentecost." (Thru the Bible) MacArthur suggests that "It is the very blast of God’s breath. It reaches the earth all the way from heaven. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit that Jesus said would happen in a few days. The sound was heard all over. The sound surely gathered the massive crowd that shows up to which Peter preached. But the presence of the breath of God filled only the house. The sound from heaven is like a hurricane, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. They were completely engulfed, completely immersed, completely baptized. That’s what that word is intended to convey. You can actually translate it the immersing with the Holy Spirit. Literally being engulfed with the Holy Spirit. This is the coming of the breath of God. Wind (4157)(pnoe from pneo = to breathe, blow) is used only twice in the NT, meaning wind (Acts 2.2) and breath in (Acts 17.25). Liddell-Scott says pnoe means a blowing, blast, breeze ("swift as blasts of wind", "the blast of bellows"). Of animals, a breathing hard, of horses Gilbrant - In the Septuagint pnoē most often translates nᵉshāmāh, “breath,” though a few times it translates rûach, “breath, wind, spirit.” At least once pnoē translates rûach when the latter means “spirit” (Pr 11:13, one who is “faithful in spirit”). When pnoē has nᵉshāmāh behind it, the term refers to the breath or wind that comes from God, or simply to the breath that is in man, i.e., the life-giving force (Genesis 2:7). Often the breath in mankind is recognized as the breath of God (cf. Job 32:8; 33:4), or at least the breath that comes from Him. In this way pnoē is synonymous with pneuma, though far less frequently found in the Septuagint. (Complete Biblical Library - Incredible Resource) Pnoe - 26x in 26v in the Septuagint - Gen. 2:7 = "breath of life"; Gen. 7:22; 2 Sam. 22:16 = "blast of breath of His nostrils"; 1 Ki. 15:29; Neh. 6:1; Job 26:4; Job 27:3; Job 32:8 = "the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding"; Job 33:4 = "“The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life."; Job 37:10; Ps. 150:6 = "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD"; Prov. 1:23; Prov. 11:13; Prov. 20:27; Prov. 24:12; Isa. 38:16; Isa. 42:5; Isa. 57:16; Ezek. 13:13; Dan. 5:23; Dan. 10:17 And it filled the whole house where they were sitting - Like wind would fill the house the noise filled the house. But it was not a wind, so this would have signified to these 120 that it was a supernatural phenomenon. While Jesus did not say the Spirit's coming would be accompanied by this sign, surely the believers must have been thinking that this is that which Jesus had promised. Indeed, this was the auditory sign of the Spirit's arrival, the next verse describing the visual sign of the Spirit's arrival. Together, these two signs constitute the fulfillment of Jesus' promise that the disciples would be baptized with the Spirit (Acts 1:5+). Notice the word "baptized" does not occur in Acts 2, but the only the description of the baptism. Baptized is the Greek verb baptizo which means literally to submerge or immerse into something. Figuratively, baptizo means to be identified with. In this case the believers were (so to speak) immersed in Body of Christ by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:13, cf Gal 3:2-5+), Who in turn took up residence in the body of each and every believer, and in so doing identified each believer with the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, and forming the spiritual Body of Christ on earth (1 Cor 12:12-14). When the believers were identified with the Spirit, there was a change in their basic nature because the verb "baptizo" was used in secular Greek to indicate a change of identity associated with the "immersing" (eg it was used of a cucumber dipped into vinegar changing its identity to a pickle). Their new individual identity is as temples of the indwelling Spirit (1 Cor 6:19+) and their new corporate identity is the Body of Christ, the Church. Warren
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McGee - So on that Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came to the church, baptizing them into the body of Christ, there was an appeal to the ear and an appeal to the eye. This is not to be confused with the baptism of fire. The baptism of fire is judgment which is yet to come. In the Book of Revelation we see the wrath of God revealed from heaven, fire from heaven. That is a baptism of fire (Lk 3:16b+). If men will not have the baptism of the Holy Spirit, then they must have the baptism of fire—judgment (eg, Rev 16:8+, Rev 20:9-10+). The baptism of fire is for those who have rejected Jesus Christ. I used to go to a prayer meeting which a wonderful preacher attended. I loved that dear brother, although his theology differed from mine in some points. He would always pray that fire would fall on us. And I always canceled out that prayer and said, “Lord, for goodness sake, don’t let fire fall on us.” Fire, you see, is judgment. Fire burns. That is yet to come. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, they saw something that in appearance looked like fire. (Thru the Bible) Some have linked this description with the prophecy by John the Baptist that Jesus "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Mt 3:11+, Lk 3:16+, cf Jn 1:33, Acts 1:5+). Notice that Jesus' prediction in Acts 1:5 He said "you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." So while the first part of Matthew 3:11+ appears to be fulfilled in the baptism of the Spirit in Acts 2:1-4, Jesus does not mention a baptism of fire in Acts 1:5. While not everyone agrees many commentators take the fire in Mt 3:11 (See notes on Lk 3:16) to refer to the fire of future judgment and this is supported by Jesus' words in Mt 3:12+ (and Lk 3:17) which clearly depict judgment. If this interpretation is correct, then the prophecy in Mt 3:11 is separated by a gap of thousands of years which span from the fulfillment in Pentecost in Acts 2:1 to the future fulfillment when Messiah judges the world in righteousness (cf Rev 20:11-15+). Why would God use what looked like fire? Fire was frequently used in the OT as a symbol of God's presence - (1) "behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces." (Ge 15:17+), (2) the burning bush that did not burn (Ex 3:2–5), (3) "The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night." (Ex 13:21), (4) "the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top" of Mt Sinai (Ex 24:17), (5) "the (Shekinah) cloud of the LORD was on the tabernacle by day, and there was fire in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel." (Ex 40:38). So fire here in the form of tongues in Acts 2:3 is a manifestation of the Spirit's presence and suggests that He would manifest Himself in their speech.
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McGee - The filling of the Spirit was for service (ED: I WOULD ADD FOR WORSHIP - see first "fruit" of filling in Eph 5:19+). The experience of the Day of Pentecost came from the filling of the Holy Spirit (not the baptism of the Holy Spirit). It is still the same today. The filling of the Holy Spirit is for service. This is the only work of the Holy Spirit that we are to do anything about—we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit...The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a command given to us. It is not an experience. It is an act of God whereby the believer in Jesus Christ is indwelt by the Spirit of God, sealed unto the day of redemption, and placed into the church, the body of Christ, by the baptism of the Spirit. The filling of the Spirit of God is the enablement for service. We are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. (Thru the Bible)
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Vernon McGee quips - This is the first sermon ever preached in the church age. This is the beginning. This is the Day of Pentecost. What is his theme? It is not the prophecy of Joel, my friend. It is the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s not try to change his subject! Peter has spent one verse on Jesus' life/incarnation (Acts 2:22) and one verse on His death/crucifixion (Acts 2:23), but now proceeds to spend 9 verses on His resurrection. In fact the resurrection of Christ could well be called the main theme of the apostolic preaching in Acts. In fact notice the repeated emphasis on the Resurrection of Christ throughout the book of Acts. How can we do any less today in our preaching and teaching! Do you frequently mention the resurrection of Christ from the dead? If not, you should! The pivotal point in Peter's sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2:24, 31-32), Peter's second sermon (Acts 3:15), Peter's defense before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:2, 10). The apostles' preaching (Acts 4:33). Peter's defense in his second arraignment (Acts 5:30). A vision of the risen Christ converted Paul (Acts 9:3-6). Peter preached the resurrection to Cornelius (Acts 10:40). Paul preached the resurrection in Antioch (Acts 13:30-37), Paul preached the resurrection in Thessalonica (Acts 17:3), Paul preached the resurrection in Athens (Acts 17:18, 31), Paul preached the resurrection in Jerusalem (Acts 22:6-11), Paul preached the resurrection in to Felix (Acts 24:15, 21), Paul preached the resurrection in to Festus and Agrippa (Acts 26:8, 23).
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Vernon McGee adds this note on continually devoting - It says they “continued steadfastly" (KJV) in these things is a tremendous expression. It means that they “persisted obstinately” in these things – that they “adhered firmly” to them. Therefore they were staunch and strong relative to the apostles’ doctrine, relative to fellowship, relative to the breaking of bread, and relative to prayer. These stones of the foundation were of tremendous significance to the early church. Beloved, they had a conviction concerning them. The word “conviction” is an interesting word. We get the word “convict” from it, and a convict is one who is in a penitentiary because he was convicted of something. Today, we need “convicts” in the church because they are convicted of something – convicted of these four marks of the visible church! (Spiritual Fingerprints of the Visible Church) Note the infant church interacted daily, not weekly and intimately, not superficially. A LEARNING CHURCH Continually devoting (4342)(proskartereo from prós = implies motion, direction toward + karteréo = be strong, steadfast, firm, endure) means to be earnest towards, to persevere. It describes a steadfast single-minded fidelity to a certain course of action. It means to persist obstinately in a task, to keep on with devotion, to continue to do something with intense effort, to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing, to continue all the time in a place, to persevere and not to faint, to be constantly diligent, to attend assiduously all the exercises, to adhere closely to, to attend continually! What a picture of the early church! What would happen to the church in America if the genuine believers "were continually devoting themselves" to the teaching of the Word of Truth? Beloved, I will tell you what would happen -- you would have a church aflame with the Holy Spirit's empowering presence, a church zealous to exalt the Name of Jesus and the glorious truth of His Gospel. I say that because when you get filled with the Word (Col 3:16+), you get filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18+). Proskartereo - describes the disciples in Acts 1:14 who were "all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." And again in Acts 2:46 Luke describes the believers "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart." I love old J Vernon McGee's "crusty comment" - Now the question arises, how can you tell a true church from a false church? How can you tell the genuine from the counterfeit? Is it by the name that is out front, by the sound of the bell, by the fact that it has a pulpit and that a minister stands back of the pulpit, that there is a robed choir, that there are ushers, and the service opens by singing the doxology and closes with the benediction? The mark of a church is not the height of the steeple nor the sound of the bell. It is not whether the pulpit is stationed in the middle or the chancel is divided. The important issue is whether or not they hold to the apostles’ doctrine. Correct doctrine was one of the fingerprints of the visible church. To the apostles' teaching - They needed to be taught to think Biblically. Today we no longer have apostles in the NT sense, but we have Spirit empowered, gifted teachers and we should seek to sit under their tutelage. Are you in a "serious" Bible study led by a gifted teacher? If not you are missing out on the growth in grace and godliness such teaching enables. And I am not speaking of Bible studies where you focus on what you think the passage means to you, how it makes you feel, etc. Serious Bible study that God's Spirit blesses seeks to read the text in order to glean "what saith the Lord?" While there are other ways to study the Bible, one of the most fruitful ways is to study inductively. As John Phillips rightly says "Experience must always be tested by doctrine, not doctrine by experience." (Exploring Acts) John Stott observes that the “new converts were not enjoying a mystical experience which led them to despise their mind or disdain theology.… Anti-intellectualism and the fullness of the Spirit are mutually incompatible, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth.” (Borrow The message of Acts : the Spirit, the church & the world) Steve Lawson says that "Doing God’s work God’s way requires an unwavering commitment to the primacy of biblical preaching and teaching....The early church experienced spiritual vitality, not because of gimmicky techniques, but because it focused on the priority of biblical teaching. Along....The Holy Spirit worked powerfully in this first church by leading the apostles to be prolific in their teaching ministry. Sound doctrine enriched every aspect of this church’s life. Everything flowed from the pure fountain of biblical truth....The apostles’ ministry of preaching and teaching is mentioned more often than any other activity in which they were engaged (Acts 2:42; 3:11–26; 4:1–2, 8–12, 19–20, 31, 33; 5:20–21, 29–32, 42; 6:2, 4, 7, 11, 13–14; 7:1–53). So overwhelming is this evidence that it can be argued that Acts is primarily a record of apostolic preaching and teaching....No matter where they were, these apostles were preaching. Whether in Solomon’s Portico (Acts 3:11–26; 5:20, 42), in public gatherings (Acts 4:2, 33), before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8–12; 5:28–32), or from house to house (Acts 5:42), they boldly taught in the name of Christ. Even in the face of life-threatening dangers, the apostles refused to be silenced, declaring, “We cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). When the demands of ministry grew complex, they would not be diverted from their central task of teaching. They said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the Word of God” (Acts 6:2). Most notably, when the successful expansion of their ministry was described, it was measured in terms of the spreading of “the word of God” (Acts 6:7). Similarly, when those under their teaching—men such as Stephen and Philip—were thrust into ministry, they in turn taught the “word” with extraordinary effectiveness (Acts 7:2–50; 8:5, 25, 35, 40). In fact the first disciples filled all Jerusalem with their teaching (Acts 5:28). Unmistakably the apostles’ teaching was most important in the early church.....Biblical preaching must always occupy the leading place of influence in the life of the church. At the core of any healthy congregation is a vibrant exposition of God’s Word. Unfortunately though, many pastors are turning away from the central role of expository preaching and doctrinal teaching. But in so doing, they fail to realize that new converts, first and foremost, need to be taught God’s truth. As a result many other things are competing with—and even replacing—the primary role of biblical preaching in the church. Christian concerts, drama, pageants, festivals, musicals, talk shows, and movies are establishing an increasing foothold in the life of the contemporary church. If done properly, these activities may have a place in the church, but they must never overshadow the Spirit-energized proclamation of God’s Word. In diagnosing the ills of emphasis on these auxiliary methods, Lloyd-Jones lamented, “All this at best is secondary, very often, not even secondary, often not worthy of a place at all, but at best, secondary. The primary task of the Church and of the Christian minister is the preaching of the Word of God.” Evangelical churches desperately need to return to the primacy of the apostles’ teaching....But is this what we hear in pulpits today? Tragically most of what passes for biblical preaching today falls woefully short of apostolic standards. Many pastors seem content to dole out pabulum to spiritual babies, instead of teaching the full counsel of God. Many evangelicals have succumbed to delivering secular-sounding, motivational pep talks aimed at soothing the felt needs of restless church shoppers or, worse, salving the guilty consciences of unregenerate church members. Rather than expounding the depths of God’s Word, many Bible-believing ministers have chosen the path of least resistance, content to scratch the surface of shallow souls, and tickle the ears of languid listeners. If people are to be brought to saving faith in Christ and are to mature spiritually, pastors must teach a comprehensive biblical message that is rooted in the Old Testament, focused on Christ, and full of doctrinal instruction." (The Priority of Biblical Preaching: An Expository Study of Acts 2:42-47 - Bib Sac 158: Page 198 - this article is worth reading dear pastor!) Paul emphasizes to Titus how critically important teaching is writing "But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound (hygiaino - Eng - hygiienic = "health giving" [spiritually speaking]) doctrine." (Titus 2:1+) Related Resources: The Power of God's Word The Word of God - Quotations and Illustrations Inductive Bible study observation - What do I see? context - What are the surrounding passages and how do they affect the interpretation? interrogate with the 5W/H questions - Training yourself to read "actively" rather than "passively" Interpretation - What does the text mean in context? Observe With a Purpose Keep Context King Read Literally Compare Scripture with Scripture Consult Conservative Commentaries Application - How should I respond to this passage? Recall that the Apostles (except Matthias) been with the resurrected Jesus "over a period of forty days (as He was ) speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God." (Acts 1:3) Luke also records the Lord Jesus teaching them "Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (EXACTLY WHAT PETER HAD DONE IN ACTS 2). 48 “You are witnesses of these things. (Lk 24:44-48+) And so the 3000+ born again Jewish men and women were newborn babes ready to feed on the teaching from the apostles, who would explain the things they knew about Jesus and the mission He had left for them to complete. In short the apostles were obeying Jesus' command to make disciples, the so-called "Great Commission" - “Go therefore and make disciples (matheteuo - aorist imperative) of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”(Mt 28:19-20). And so now the apostles were "teaching them." It is fascinating that the most common designation for believers in Acts is not believers but disciples. Saints are born again in a moment. Disciples are trained up over a lifetime. Dear older mature believer, are you making disciples? Are you teaching them to observe Jesus' commands? Are you explaining to them that they must daily learn to die to self and surrender to the Spirit of Jesus in order to experience His supernatural power to bear fruit that endures eternally? Related Resources: Make Disciples 1 Make Disciples 2 - Study of Five Most Important Passages for Believers Make Disciples 3 - Comparing Filled with the Spirit and filled with the Word Make Disciples 4 Make Disciples 5 Make Disciples 6 Make Disciples 7 Make Disciples 8 Apostle (652)(apostolos) refers to one sent with a commission. In its broadest sense, apostle can refer to all believers, because every believer is sent into the world as a witness for Christ. But the term is primarily used as a specific and unique title for the thirteen men (the Twelve, with Matthias replacing Judas, and Paul) whom Christ personally chose and commissioned to authoritatively proclaim the gospel and lead the early church. The thirteen apostles not only were all called directly by Jesus but all were witnesses of His resurrection, Paul having encountered Him on the Damascus Road after His ascension (Acts 9:3-6). Those thirteen apostles were given direct revelation of God’s Word to proclaim authoritatively, the gift of healing, and the power to cast out demons (Mt 10:1). By these signs their teaching authority was verified (cf. 2 Co 12:12). Their teachings became the foundation of the church (Ep 2:20+), and their authority extended beyond local bodies of believers to the entire believing world. In the present context Peter uses apostle in its more common specialized or restricted meaning. While we do not today have apostles in the sense of these first 13 apostles, we do have access to their teaching - 27 books in the New Testament! Be careful not to substitute other "good" writings (devotionals, Christian books, etc) for the pure milk of the Word of teaching from the apostles. Teaching with substitutes will not make disciples, but instead will produce weak believers whose faith wavers because it is not founded on the firm foundation of God's Word (cf association of faith and word in Ro 10:17+). Teaching (instruction) (1322)(didache from didasko = to give instruction in a formal or informal setting with the highest possible development of the pupil as the goal; English = didactic = instructive, intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive) is a noun which describes the activity of teaching (instruction). Teaching in the active sense describes the activity itself, and in the passive sense describes what is taught. The related word is didaskalia which means doctrine. Sadly, many folks say doctrine is to dry, but the early church understood that doctrine is the foundation of everything else. And as an aside, if you are teaching doctrine and it is dry, shame on you! This is the living and active Word of God which will never pass away. The teaching of the apostles was orthodox, and any teaching that departs from their orthodox position is heterodox. It is interesting that didache is the name of an early Christian teaching, but that of course is not what didache refers to in this context. RELATED RESOURCES: Baker Evangelical Dictionary Doctrine Holman Bible Dictionary Doctrine Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Doctrine Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Doctrine International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Doctrine What is doctrine? Why is sound doctrine so important? Why is Christian doctrine so divisive? What is orthopraxy/orthopraxis? Luke's uses of didache - Lk. 4:32; Jn. 7:16; Jn. 7:17; Jn. 18:19; Acts 2:42; Acts 5:28; Acts 13:12; Acts 17:19 Gilbrant observes that "Their acceptance of Christ and the gift of the Spirit opened up to them a whole new understanding of God's plan and purpose. With joy, they became hungry to learn more. (The Complete Biblical Library – Acts) A LOVING CHURCH They were continually devoting themselves...to fellowship - The fellowship was far more than just "getting together." Sadly the word fellowship has degenerated into a time when believers come together to socialize, but that is not that the word originally meant! Small group ministry is a wonderful thought, but how many times does it end up being more a time of socializing and perhaps sharing a few prayer requests? How many times is it centered about the "apostles' teaching" (study of the New Testament) which is led by men of the Book who are gifted to teach and mature in their faith? Sadly, I fear not often enough! Adrian Rogers - Fellowship is not coffee and donuts. Fellowship is not as some people cutely say two people, two fellows in the same ship. John