7  The First  Christian  Fellowship (2:42-47)

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (2:42–47)

The epistles of the New Testament shape the doctrine for the life of the church. Acts traces the application of that doctrine in the history of the early church. This passage describes the historical outworking of God’s ideal in the first local church. It describes the new-born church in its prime, when it possessed a purity of devotion to the risen Lord unmatched in succeeding generations.

In this brief cameo of life in the early church, three distinguishing dimensions emerge that reveal this to be a remarkable assembly. They manifested spiritual duties and spiritual attitudes, and the result was spiritual impact.

SPIRITUAL DUTIES

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (2:42)

This was really a church, nothing more and nothing less. Its life was completely defined by the devotion to those spiritual duties which make up the unique identity of the church. Nothing outside the living Lord, the Spirit, and the Word define life for the church. This church, though not having any cultural elements of success, no worldly strategies, was still endowed with every necessary component for accomplishing the purposes of its Lord. The church will still be effective in bringing sinners to Christ when it manifests the same key elements of spiritual duty that marked this first fellowship.

IT WAS A SAVED CHURCH

they were continually devoting themselves (2:42a)

The three thousand who confessed faith in Christ and were baptized in verse 41 are the they who showed the genuineness of their faith by continuing. Despite the hate, ridicule, and persecution they suffered, they remained faithful. That is a mark of genuine salvation. Jesus said in John 8:31, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” The true branch will abide in the vine (John 15:1–4). The good seed will not wither and die under persecution (Matt. 13:3–9, 21). In contrast, the apostle John writes of false believers, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).

That the church should be composed of saved individuals seems axiomatic. Sadly, however, many churches today are made up largely of unsaved individuals. Amazingly, some even try to design a church where non-Christians can feel comfortable. This can’t be the goal in a church that is devoted to holiness and righteousness in all areas of life. Such a church will be unpopular with sinners. In this first fellowship, all the professors were possessors.

That is not to say that unbelievers are not welcome to attend the preaching of the truth and the worship. They are welcome to hear the gospel preached and the Word of God expounded. They are welcome to hear the prayers of confession, the anthems of praise, and the calls to holiness. They are welcome to witness the corporate love and devotion of the church to Jesus Christ and the eternal God. All of that should make them uncomfortable with their spiritual condition. Membership and service in the church, however, are restricted to believers. God’s people and Satan’s people cannot work together to achieve God’s goals. “Do not be bound together with unbelievers,” Paul warned the Corinthians, “for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14–15).

Paul commended the Thessalonians in terms that leave no doubt that they were saved:

In that passage, Paul described the people in the Thessalonian church as in the Father, Christ (v. 1), and the Holy Spirit (v. 5). He noted that they possessed the great triad of Christian virtues, faith, hope, and love (v. 3). He was confident of God’s choice of them for salvation (v. 4). They were imitators of Paul and Christ (v. 6), so much so that they were an example to the other believers in their region (vv. 7–9). Clearly it was a congregation of saved people.

Conversely, the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the church at Pergamum for allowing itself to be infiltrated by unbelievers, thus being influenced by Satan:

They had those who compromised with the world, as Balaam and Balak caused Israel to intermingle with Moab. The error of the Nicolaitans apparently involved sexual immorality. Christ’s stern rebuke of them shows His concern for the purity of the church.

To fail to exclude unbelievers from the fellowship of the church is a grave error. Only disunity and dissension can result when those who serve Christ try to work in harmony with those who serve Satan. Additionally, to design the activities of the church to appeal to unbelievers, or to allow them to play a major role in the life of the church, is to give them a false sense of security. The result for them may be eternal tragedy. The church must reach out in love to those who do not know Christ. It must never, however, let them feel that they are a part of the fellowship until they come to faith in Christ. And no evangelistic purpose should ever be undertaken that alters what the church is by divine design—an assembly of saved worshipers pursuing holiness and spiritual service.

The first fellowship passed the initial test of spiritual duty; it encompassed only those who knew and loved Jesus Christ. Luke later points out that while many were drawn by the Lord to salvation, unbelievers were actually afraid to go near the church in Jerusalem because sin was being dealt with so severely (Acts 5:13–14).

IT WAS A SCRIPTURAL CHURCH

to the apostles’ teaching (2.42b)

The content for the church is clearly to be revealed truth. God designed the church to be a place where His Word is proclaimed and explained. Paul mandates such a priority all through the Pastoral Epistles, where he described the ongoing process to Timothy when he wrote, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

A commitment to the apostles’ teaching is foundational to the growth and spiritual health of every church. Peter wrote, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). To the Romans Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

Paul’s letters to his protégés Timothy and Titus also reflect the priority of preaching the Word. “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Tim. 4:6). “Prescribe and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:1–2). An elder must be one who holds “fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

A believer should count it a wasted day when he does not learn something new from, or is not more deeply enriched, by the truth of God’s Word. The early church sat under the teaching ministry of the apostles, whose teaching, now written on the pages of the New Testament Scriptures, is to be taught by all pastors.

Scripture is food for the believer’s growth and power—and there is no other. The church today ignores the exposition and application of Scripture at its peril, as the warning of Hosea to Israel suggests: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught; believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. The most noble are still those who search the Scriptures daily (cf. Acts 17:11). They contain the apostles’ teaching.

IT WAS A FELLOWSHIPPING CHURCH

and to fellowship (2:42c)

Fellowship is the spiritual duty of believers to stimulate each other to holiness and faithfulness. It is most specifically expressed through the “one anothers” of the New Testament (cf. Rom. 12:10, 16; 13:8; 14:19; 15:5, 7, 14; 16:16; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2, 25, 32; 5:21; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:9, 13, 16; 1 Thess. 4:9, 18, 5:11, 13; Heb. 3:13; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:9, 10; 5:5, etc.). The basic meaning of koinōnia (fellowship) is “partnership,” or “sharing.” Those who receive Jesus Christ become partners with Him and with all other believers (1 John 1:3). That fellowship is permanent, because our shared eternal life is forever. The joy associated with it, however, may be lost through sinful neglect of its duties.

For a Christian to fail to participate in the life of a local church is inexcusable. In fact, those who choose to isolate themselves are disobedient to the direct command of Scripture. Hebrews 10:24–25 charges believers to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” The Bible does not envision the Christian life as one lived apart from other believers. All members of the universal church, the body of Christ, are to be actively and intimately involved in local assemblies.

IT WAS A CHRIST-CENTERED CHURCH

to the breaking of bread (2:42d)

Their fellowship was symbolized by obedience to the spiritual duty of the breaking of bread, a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. This duty is not optional, since our Lord commanded it of every believer (cf. 1 Cor. 11:24–29). In Communion, all believers meet on common ground at the foot of the cross (Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20), since all are sinners saved by the grace of God in Christ. Communion acknowledges the wondrous work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Communion further exemplifies the unity of believers, since in it all partake together symbolically of the same Lord (Eph. 4:5). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”

Communion calls for self-examination and purging of sin, thus purifying the church. Nothing is more vital to the church’s ongoing, regular confrontation of sins in the lives of its people than the thoughtful expression of devotion to the remembrance of the cross. (For an in-depth discussion of the Lord’s Table, see 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 1984], 265ff.)

IT WAS A PRAYING CHURCH

to prayer (2:42e)

The first fellowship was eagerly and persistently engaged in the critical duty of prayer. Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence. Understanding the sense of loss His disciples were feeling as they anticipated His leaving, the Lord Jesus Christ had promised in John 14:13–14 that “whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” The early church took that promise as the source of God’s provision for all their needs, and they relentlessly pursued divine help. The prayer in view here is not only that of individual believers but of the church corporately (cf. 1:14, 24; 4:24–31).

Sadly, prayer is much neglected in the church today. Programs, concerts, entertainment, or the testimonies of the rich and famous draw large crowds. Prayer meetings, on the other hand, attract only the faithful few. That is undoubtedly the reason for much of the weakness in the contemporary church. Unlike the early church, we have forgotten the Bible’s commands to pray at all times (Luke 18:1; Eph. 6:11), and to be devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2).

The first fellowship knew the critical importance of pursuing spiritual duties. They knew the church must be made up of saved individuals, devoted to studying the Word, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Those elements are the unique expressions of the life of the church. They are the means of grace by which the church becomes what God wants it to be.

SPIRITUAL CHARACTER

And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God (2:43–47a)

A church that fulfills the spiritual duties will find that those duties produce spiritual character. Four aspects of the first fellowship’s character may be discerned in this passage.

IT WAS AN AWE-INSPIRING CHURCH

And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (2:43a)

Phobos (awe) refers to fear or holy terror related to the sense of divine presence, to the attitude of reverence. It describes the feeling produced when one realizes God is at hand. It is used in Acts 5:5 and 11 to describe the reaction to the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 19:17 it depicts the reaction of the citizens of Ephesus to the attack on some Jewish exorcists by a demon-possessed man. Luke 7:16 uses it to portray the reaction to our Lord’s raising of the widow’s son. The life of this first fellowship was so genuine and spiritually powerful that everyone, whether inside or outside the church, kept feeling a sense of awe. They weren’t awed by the church because of its buildings, programs, or anything reflecting human ability, but by the supernatural character of its life. Such an effect should be produced when the spiritual gifts are properly operative (1 Cor. 14:24, 25).

IT WAS A MIRACULOUS CHURCH

and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. (2:43b)

One reason for the awe the first fellowship inspired was the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles (cf. Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:4). Some of those miracles are described in the succeeding chapters (cf. 3:1–10; 5:12, 15–16; 9:32–35, 40–42). As noted in the discussion of Acts 2:22 in chapter 5, wonders and signs were designed to attract attention and point to spiritual truth. The response to Peter’s healing of the paralyzed man in Lydda (Acts 9:32–34) shows that purpose clearly. The people of that region, after witnessing the healing, “turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35). Peter’s raising of Dorcas elicited the same response in Joppa (Acts 9:42).

Our Lord did His miracles for the same reason. In John 14:10–12 He said,

The ability to perform miracles was not given to all, but was limited to the apostles and their close associates (such as Philip; cf. Acts 8:13). The writer of Hebrews said,

God attended the preaching of the apostles with miracles to confirm that they were indeed His messengers. With the passing of the apostolic age, and the completion of the canon of Scripture, the need for such confirmatory signs ended. Today we can determine who speaks for God by comparing their teaching with God’s revelation in Scripture.

Although the sign gift of miracles is no longer extant, God still performs miracles in response to the prayers of His people. They are not, however, public signs like those in the apostolic era. The greatest of all miracles God performs today is the transformation of rebellious sinners into His beloved children, who are becoming like His Son. Such miracles occur in the life of the church that is committed to the fulfillment of its spiritual duties.

IT WAS A SHARING CHURCH

And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together (2:44–46a)

In these early days, before strife and divisions affected the church, all those who had believed were together. They possessed not only a spiritual unity but also a practical oneness. That they had all things in common does not, as some imagine, indicate communal living. The first Christian fellowship was not a commune, nor does the passage offer support for such a notion. The family, not the commune, is the basic social unit in God’s design.

Such sharing and mutual meeting of the needs of pilgrims was a long-standing tradition in Israel during the great religious feasts. The inns could not accommodate the vast influx of people to Jerusalem during those feast times. As a result, the common people opened their homes and shared their resources with the visitors. Many members of the early church were such pilgrims, saved while visiting Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. They now stayed to be a part of the new work of God. It was only basic Christian love for those who lived in the city to share with them. Additionally, some in the fellowship had no doubt lost their livelihoods due to their profession of faith in Christ. The rest of the fellowship met their needs. And others were just the poor believers who always needed help.

That this was not a primitive form of communism is evident from the imperfect tense (denoting continuous past action) of the verbs translated selling and sharing (cf. 4:34). They did not at any point sell everything and pool the proceeds into a common pot. Such a principle for Christian living would have obviated the responsibility of each believer to give in response to the Spirit’s prompting (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1–2). Further, it is clear from verse 46 that individuals still owned homes. What actually happened was that personal property was sold as anyone might have need. It was an indication of immense generosity, as people gave not only their present cash or goods, but also their future in acts of sacrificial love to those in need. And it is clear from Peter’s words to Ananias in Acts 5:4 that such selling was purely voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira sinned not by refusing to part with their possessions but by lying to the Holy Spirit. Finally, in no other church described in Acts was this pattern of selling property repeated. Second Corinthians 8:13–14 describes a similar kind of generosity to the Jerusalem poor.

Sharing was not limited to material things but included spiritual benefits and ministry as well. Day by day they continued with one mind to meet in the temple. They went to the Temple for the hours of prayer (cf. 3:1), and, no doubt, to witness. They had every right to continue to use the Temple, since Jesus had claimed it as His Father’s house. They are still found going to the Temple in Acts 21:26 and probably continued until it was destroyed in A.D. 70. Nor had the hostility of the Jewish leaders reached the point where the believers were put out of the Temple. The phrase with one mind again expresses the unity the first fellowship experienced.

Their times of fellowship were not limited to the Temple, however. They also were breaking bread from house to house, and taking their meals together. Breaking bread refers to the Communion service, the taking of meals together to the love feast that accompanied the Lord’s Supper. They modeled the principles laid down by Peter, “Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9), and Paul, “At this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; as it is written, ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack’” (2 Cor. 8:14–15). The apostle John extends this command to all believers:

IT WAS A JOYFUL CHURCH

with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God (2:46b-47a)

It comes as no surprise that a unified, miraculous, sharing church was also a joyful church. Agalliasis (gladness) is the noun form of the verb agalliaō, which means “to rejoice.” One of the key reasons for that joy was the sincerity of heart they manifested. Aphelotēs (sincerity) appears only here in the New Testament. It literally means “simplicity” and derives from a root word meaning “free from rocks,” or “smooth” (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament [1930; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, n.d.], 3:39–40). There were no stones of selfishness in their hearts.

Praising God also produced joy. To praise God is to recite His wonderful works and attributes. The goal of the first fellowship was to exalt the Lord, and that produced true happiness. Those who glorify themselves and seek the preeminence will never know lasting joy. Joy comes to those who give God glory. Paul expressed that truth to the Philippians when he wrote, “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Phil. 2:1–2).

SPIRITUAL IMPACT

and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (2:47b)

The dynamic corporate life and spiritual character of the church had great impact. Two features of that impact appear in this verse.

THEY WERE AN ATTRACTIVE CHURCH

and having favor with all the people (2:47b)

Their duties and character granted them favor with all the people. They were still going to the Temple and being open about their faith, so that all could see and experience their transformed lives. Later came the intense persecution by the Jews. They proved true the words of Jesus in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Their unity was an answer to our Lord’s high priestly prayer “that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:21).

Some of the reasons the early church found favor with the common people can be discerned from the apology written by the philosopher Aristides early in the second century:

With all of that virtue to commend them it is small wonder they were an attractive church.

THEY WERE A GROWING CHURCH

And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (2:47c)

Effective evangelism was the ultimate impact of the first fellowship’s spiritual duties and character. That the Lord was adding to the church those who were being saved reminds one that God is sovereign in salvation (cf. 5:14). The imperfect tense of the verb translated was adding, along with the phrase day by day, indicates that people were continually being saved as they observed the daily conduct of the believers. So unified, joyful, and Spirit-filled were they that their very existence was a powerful testimony to the truth of the gospel. True evangelism flows from the life of a healthy church.

This brief glimpse of the first fellowship gives valuable insight into what makes a healthy, growing church worthy of the name. The proper devotion to the duties of the Spirit produces the proper character, which in turn produces a powerful and saving impact on sinners.