Page 55 - acts_study_book1
P. 55
ONE HEART
Act 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither
said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all
things common.
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart (love) and of one soul (purpose):
neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had
all things common.
Not Only Is This a Review of Acts 2:45, but also an introduction to Acts 5. Although all are said
to be of one love and purpose toward each other and God, and exception will soon be found
and Ananias and Sapphira.
Act 4:33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:
and great grace was upon them all.
And with great power (dunamis: inherent power) gave the apostles witness of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus: and great grace (favor) was upon them all.
The power referred to is miracle power (1 Corinthians 12:10). The miracle received is semeion,
which was found in verse 16. A miracle performed is dunamis, found in this verse. This verse
also notes that miracles and signs are all witnessing (1:8). Each miracle proclaims that the
primary reason Jesus was raised from the dead was to be our personal Savior. One of the
benefits following a life of power and holiness is great grace or favor (2:47), which the disciples
walked in.
,, 4:33 power, dunamis (doo-nam-is); One of four great power words. The others are
exousai, delegated authority; ischuros, great strength (especially physical); and kratos
dominion authority. Dunamis means energy, power, might, great force, great ability,
strength. It is sometimes used to describe the powers of the world to come at work up
on the Earth and divine power overcoming all resistance. (Compare “dynamic,”
“dynamite,” and “dynamometer.”) The dunamis in Jesus resulted in dramatic
transformations. This is the norm for the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church.
4:32-33 One Heart and One Soul, POWER OF UNITY. The early church grew rapidly as
“the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). In 4:32-
33, it is reported that the growing multitude of believers were experiencing a profound
dimension of spiritual unity. First, they were “of one heart,” which is a description in the
original Greek, meaning “in tune” or “in sync” with one another. To put it another way,
they were all going the same way, spiritually together. Second, they were of “one soul”
(sometimes translated as “one mind”). This has a wonderfully deep meaning in the
original Greek. It literally means “to breathe” or “to breathe spiritually together.” The
results of this quality of spiritual unity were both powerful and practical: “they had all

