Paul has just given a sermon, the main points of which were; Jesus is the Promised One, He was raised from the dead, and forgiveness is now available. Here is the reaction to that sermon:
Acts 13:42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
"'I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'"
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; a all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. 50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
en·thu·si·asm n.
1. Great excitement for or interest in a subject or cause.
2. A source or cause of great excitement or interest.
3. Archaic.
A. Ecstasy arising from supposed possession by a god.
B. Religious fanaticism.
[Late Latin enthsiasmus, from Greek enthousiasmos, from enthousiazein, to be inspired by a god, from entheos, possessed : en-, in; see en-2 + theos, god; see dhs- in Indo-European Roots.]
Word History: "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,"” said the very quotable Ralph Waldo Emerson, who also said, "Everywhere the history of religion betrays a tendency to enthusiasm."” These two uses of the word enthusiasm, one positive and one negative both derive from its source in Greek. Enthusiasm first appeared in English in 1603 with the meaning Â"possession by a god." The source of the word is the Greek enthousiasmos, which ultimately comes from the adjective entheos, "“having the god within," formed from en, "“in, within,"” and theos, "god."” (dictionary.com)
The greatness at the beginning of the Acts Church Movement was not just having guys like Peter and Paul leading. I would argue the Holy Spirit played a much larger role than they did. But also we cannot ignore the response of the hearers. They showed an enthusiasm that proved explosive. From their insistence to hear more of what Paul and Barnabbas had to say, to their apparent commitment to continue in the grace of God, to their gladness, their eagerness to invite others (I assume that is how the crowds grew), to their honoring of God's word (let what that means sink in sink in), and their joy even after Paul and Barnabbas got run out of town (walk away from them?) can be attributed to what were told in verse 52. They were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit in them. En Theos. Enthusiasm.
For us to capture the explosive power of the Church in those days, we need to find space for him within us. More than strategies, skills, money, or staffing, we need You, Lord. Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus!
