Bible Reading: Joshua 22; Acts 2; Jeremiah 11; Mathew 25
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The book of Acts tells us of the early church after Jesus had ascended to the Father in heaven and he poured out the Holy Ghost on his followers. There were about three thousand Israelites saved on the day of Pentecost at the preaching of the 120 and of Peter. Then with this little verse, the Bible teaches us the practice of those early followers of Jesus. This is such an important verse because it helps us to understand what these new believers did. They were born again through faith in Jesus Christ and that faith continued into a life of discipleship.
The phrase 'they continued steadfastly' means that they were earnest toward these practices. It means that they persevered in these practices and continued diligently in them. They did not start out with diligence only to allow their spiritual fervor to fade later on. Many believers in our day have been side-tracked by other things that draw them away from the important things. Here we see four practices that were diligent about and did not quit on.
The apostle's doctrine – this is the teaching that the apostles gave to them. You and I have today the apostle's doctrine recorded in the Bible. Since they did not have a completed New Testament, the apostle's taught the truth of Jesus and his church to them. For us to continue steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine means to be diligent to study the Bible. Are you diligent about studying the Bible?
- Fellowship – this is the shared life of the followers of Christ. The early church was serious about the fact that they were now brothers and sisters in Christ. They regularly met together and grew in their new life as a family. Are you growing in a community of Christ-followers – the church?
- Breaking of bread – very simply those early Christians ate together regularly. One of the best times you can share with anyone else is to share a meal together. They practiced hospitality. This breaking bread surely included their sharing in the Lord's Supper as a church but it was more. They broke bread from house to house (Acts 2:46). Over a meal is a great time to talk about Jesus.
- Prayers – these Christians knew where their connection to the Lord was. They knew that had access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) and they regularly prayed for God's grace and mercy in their lives and the lives of the people they came into contact with.
As a result of this perseverance in seeking God together the Bible says:
Acts 2:47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
The life of Jesus flowed out of these believers in such a way that they talked of Jesus everywhere they went (which is to continue steadfastly in evangelism) and every day people were saved. Are you continuing steadfastly?
In Christ,
Rody
