Acts2?
As a leader of our campus ministry, Acts2 at Duke, I’m sometimes asked if we’re a theatrical group: “What type of acting do you do?” It’s kinda funny… though I realize that “Acts2” is kind of a funny name. It’s exciting too, because the question reflects the wide range of backgrounds our students hail from. And in fact, we are a funny group – different, a bit. But no, we’re not actors. Our goal is to find practical ways to care about each other, and to witness to the source of this desire to show love as coming from Jesus. We believe this will combat loneliness and give students a sense of belonging. A family.
So why “Acts2 at Duke”? As many will recognize, Acts 2 is a chapter in the New Testament of the Bible. Many folks, of course, will not have known this. Among them, a number of participants in our ministry. No worries, we delight in a wide array of cultural and religious, or non-religious, backgrounds. And we believe that one of the best ways to show and witness to the love of Jesus is in community and in fellowship with one another. For that, Acts 2 is a guide and an inspiration.
Acts, or “The Acts of the Apostles” is one of the most inspiring books of the New Testament for me. This is mainly because it describes the establishment and spread of the first church of believers in Jesus. There are many important aspects and themes in the book of Acts which I’m still learning about, and which I’ll leave aside for now in order to focus briefly on one thing: The Way, which is how early followers of Jesus referred to themselves (long before they were labeled “Christians”).[Web 1] The Way was a major departure from the status quo; a remarkably different lifestyle, requiring a complete realignment of priorities. It was an amazing new lifestyle. Exciting, fulfilling, freeing! Yet it required a complete turning upside down of social, economic, political, and religious norms. It was no longer possible to look out for #1 first, but it became a joyful renunciation of self for the good of others. How was this possible? Jesus said this would bring freedom and eternal life![Matthew 5:3-12] The result? A whole new society built on love, care, and mutual respect. Where, “there was not a needy person among them”.[Acts 4:34]
In Acts 2, we find the birth of this new Way, and we find several significant statements. One is from Peter, the Apostle: “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”[Acts 2:40] And we find the effect:
“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”[Acts2:44-47]
Perhaps we need the same awakening today. The same breaking from the status quo. The same challenge to examine our lives and turn away from ourselves. Whatever we need, we know we can’t just complain about the current state of affairs, as much as we want to. But what can anyone do? We’re certainly not the greatest examples, but in our Acts2 ministry we want to simply encourage one another to ponder these questions and to facilitate this by showing that we care.
We want our lifestyle to reflect as closely as we can The Way of the first Christians, inspired by the second chapter in the book of Acts. That’s why we personally live in intentional Christian community with others here in Durham. We know that students benefit from this sense of family and community. And, like those first Christians, we want to show all people that we love and care for them.
No, we are not a theatrical group. Sorry, no acting. Except maybe at game night, or after Saturday dinner (a now distant memory, sad to say). But we are excited about the future! Someday we’ll be able to gather again, share a meal, and sing around the fire.
Having said that, there’s always an opportunity to try something new to build community, even while staying apart. Coming up, my wife and I have decided to host a Live Zoom Cooking session! If we can’t eat together with students, perhaps we can at least cook together. Many of you have asked for instructions on creating certain dishes we’ve enjoyed – here’s your chance! We’ll hold the sessions every other Saturday. Anyone can join. We’ll post the recipe and ingredients. You can either cook along or watch. Questions are welcome, as are suggestions for the next session. The future is bright! Let’s share time together (if not space), learn from each other, and show how much we care.