Families in the Book of Acts

I have studied the book of Acts for years, but recently I took a fresh look at this pivotal part of the New Testament with a different goal in mind: I wanted to see what Luke's history of the early church says about families. While family life isn't its main theme, the book of Acts sheds important light on the role of families in the Lord's church.

For example, it tells about a married couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who served side by side in the Lord's work (18:1-3; 21-28). It describes a church whose leaders cared about widows and acknowledged the contributions of Philip's four single daughters (6:1-7; 21:8, 9).

On the Day of Pentecost, Peter announced that the promise of salvation "is for you and your children and for all who are far off" (2:39). How exciting it must have been to see that promise embraced by one family after another! Whole households came to faith in the homes of Cornelius, Lydia, the Philippian jailer, and Crispus, the synagogue ruler. The account of the jailer is especially interesting, for the Bible says that after he and his family were baptized, "he was filled with joy, because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family" (16:34).

What was it like for the young boys and girls when "all the disciples and their wives and children" accompanied Paul out to the beach and knelt together to pray as they gave the beloved apostle a tearful good-bye (21:5, 6)? What would go through the mind of a child when he saw all those adults praying with sand on their knees? What did the children think when they saw 3,000 people baptized? What lessons did they learn about stewardship when they saw Christians sell property and give the proceeds to help the poor? What did parents say to their children after Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to the Lord? How did it affect the little ones when Saul of Tarsus dragged their moms and dads off to prison? How amazed these same boys and girls must have been later when they learned that Saul had become a Christian himself!

Were children present when the disciples gathered at the home of Mark's mother to pray while Peter was in prison? Did they laugh with amusement when the servant girl Rhoda answered the knock that night and left Peter standing at the door?

Did families in Antioch have long discussions around the dinner table about their newfound Christian faith? Did the children include their missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, in their bedtime prayers, and listen with delight when the apostles returned with stories about their adventures in far-flung corners of the earth? Later, when Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement and parted ways, how did Christian parents explain their leaders' conflict to their curious sons and daughters?

What was it like for Lydia's children when Paul and Silas stayed overnight at their house? Did they stay up late listening to the apostles teach by candlelight? What did the children think when the church broke bread in remembrance of Jesus? How did they react when Eutychus fell asleep during Paul's sermon and fell out a third-story window?

The book of Acts describes the church in all its ups and downs, its victories and struggles. It pictures the church as God meant it to be—his family, where young and old learn, grow, serve, and suffer together.

Let's do our best to ensure that our own families don't miss out on the adventure.