The fellowship of the believers (the beginning of the church life) (Acts 2:42-47) By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

The fellowship of the believers (the beginning of the church life) (Acts 2:42-47)

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce   

Christian Arts Ministries: Bilical precepts & Gospel music

Scriptures reading Acts 2: 42-47

 

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Verse 42 The first group of believers produced through the apostles preaching and ministering of Christ on the day of Pentecost continued steadfastly in four things: teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers.

 1) Teaching is the unveiling of God’s New Testament economy concerning Christ and the church.

2) Fellowship is the communion and communication between the believers in their communion and communication with God the Father and Christ the Son.

3) Breaking of bread is the remembrance of the Lord in His accomplishing of God’s full redemption; and

4) Prayer is cooperation with the Lord in heaven for the carrying out of God’s New Testament economy on earth.

The first two, teaching and fellowship, conjoined by and to be one group, are of the apostles, but breaking of bread and prayers are not, indicating that besides the teaching and fellowship of the apostles, the believers in Christ should not have any other teaching and fellowship in God’s New Testament economy there is only one category of teaching revealed and recognized by God –the teaching of the apostles and only one category of fellowship that is of God and is acceptable to Him-- the fellowship of the apostles which is with the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ (1 John1:3) and which is the unique fellowship of the unique church, the Body of Christ.

The last two, the breaking of bread and prayer, also conjoined by an to be another group, are practices of the believers in their Christian life and are not related directly to God’s economy for the keeping of the oneness of the church, the Body of Christ. Hence, they are not of the apostles, who brought in God’s New Testament revelation and His fellowship among all the belieers in Christ.  

Verse 43 Wonders and signs are not part of God’s central testimony, which is the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ; neither are they part of His full salvation. They are only evidence that what the apostles preached and ministered and the way they acted were absolutely of God not of man (Heb.2:3-4)

           Verse 44 Also in 4:32 Having all things common was not a sign of love but of Christ’s dynamic salvation, which saved the believers from greediness and selfishness. It was practiced for only a short time at the initiation of God’s New Testament economy; it did not continue for the long run as a practice of legality in the church life during Paul’s ministry, as proved by his words in 2 Cor.9 and other places.

Verse 45 This too was an evidence of the Lord’s dynamic salvation, which caused the believers to overcome earthly possession, which occupy, possess, and usurp all fallen mankind (Matt.19:21-24;Luke12:13-19,33,34;14:33;16:13-14;1Tim.6:17)

Verse 46 In the initiation of God’s New Testament economy, the early believers and even the first group of apostles were not clear that God had forsaken Judaism with its practices and facilities, including the temple (Matt.23:38---“your home”, referring to the God-forsaken temple). Hence, according to their tradition and habit, they still went to the temple for their New Testament meeting. The early believers remembered the Lord by breaking bread daily in their houses; this showed their love and enthusiasm toward the Lord. Or at home; in contrast to in the temple. Meeting in home as the Christian way of meeting together is fitting to God’s New Testament economy. This way differs from the Judaic way of meeting in the synagogues (6:9). It became a continual and general practice in the churches (Rom.16:5; 1Cor.16:19; Col4:15; Philem 2).

Verse 47 Simplicity of heart or singleness; describing the heart’s being simple, single, and plain, having one love and desire and one goal in seeking after the Lord.  They lived a life that expressed God’s attributes in human virtues, as Jesus, the Man-Savior, did (Luke 2:52) together This indicates that from the very beginning of their Christian life the early believers were brought into the corporate church life; they did not live individualistically as Christians separated from one another. 

 

Bibliography,

Lee, Witness. The New Testament (R.V.) Anaheim, CA: Living Stream Ministry, 1985.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie Study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986.