(Acts 2: 42-47) (Vs.42) “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Vs.43) Then fear (awe) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (Vs.44) Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, (Vs.45) and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (Vs.46) So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart, (Vs. 47) praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added daily those who were being saved.”
The time is coming when Institutional Christendom with its denominational structures will collapse spiritually. While the denominational system will continue it will have become so spiritually corrupted by the traditions, commandments and doctrines and philosophies of man that those who are really for God’s Word will be forced out of the churches they have been attending. Today you have ecumenism, interfaith, hyper faith prosperity, seeker friendly and seeker sensitive churches mixing God’s Word with the humanistic philosophies and with programmes based on secular marketing strategies for Church growth. You have worship modelled after the world and Charismania gone made!
Now the apostolic assembly at Jerusalem in the Book of Acts was a fellowship of New Covenant believers. How they functioned in the power of the Holy Spirit and what they did together set the pattern and the standard for evangelism, discipleship, fellowship, worship and ministry for future generations of the Body of the Messiah. The epistles give us more insight into how the first century apostolic fellowships engaged in the works of ministry. Denominations were never God’s intentions. After the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the 120 New Covenant believers on the Day of Pentecost they were completely united in the Spirit of truth and in their doctrine. Their Bible was the Old Testament. As the New Testament started to be written the apostle’s doctrine was the same in all of the assemblies of the Messiah the apostles established.
Even though different worship styles would develop over the coming centuries the doctrine of the apostles was the foundation for all doctrine and teaching and ministry. When we look at the believers in the Book of Acts we have God’s blueprint and pattern for the local fellowship or assembly, not only for the Body of the Messiah in the first century, but for the Body of the Messiah in every century even down to the present day. The huge ‘edifice’ called Christendom, with its denominational structures and ‘doctrines’ by and large Biblically has lost the simplicity that is in the Messiah and how His family on earth were to operate. With these things in view let’s briefly look at what happened after the 120 had been baptised or filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts Chapter 2:42-47.
Acts Chapter 2: 42-47.
(Vs.42) “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Notice the first and foremost thing that they did was to continue steadfastly and consistently in the apostle’s doctrine. All scripture is “God-Breathed” As it is written; “All Scripture is God Breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Like the Old Testament prophets did the apostles also spoke and taught as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. There was no room for the private interpretation of man. The entire Bible is consistent in its doctrines especially concerning the doctrine of the Tri-Unity within the Godhead.
As we read; “knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21). God never gave ministers and theologians permission to change, or modify, or to add to, or to take away from His Word. In fact scripture warns us about this sort of practice and the consequences of doing this (Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32) (Proverbs 30:6) 1 Corinthians 4:6) (Revelation 22:18-19).
Notice also that “they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine” and with due diligence in Word of God. It was not just a Wednesday Bible study and a Sunday sermon, but every day they poured over what the apostles were teaching, much the same as the Bereans of whom we read; “for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings (of Paul) were true” (Acts 17:11b). It makes us ask the question “what place does God’s Word have in our lives or in our local assembly?” The only way faith will grow is to read and study God’s Word every day because, “faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
There is no other solid foundation upon which to build the Christian life or the local fellowship. Only building our life and the life of the corporate local assembly on the solid foundation of God’s Word will withstand the winds and storms of life, in adversity and in times of persecution (Matthew 7:24-26). As New Covenant believers in all of our activities personally and corporately in fellowship, God’s Word must be the benchmark and final authority and standard in all that is said and done in ministry, service and worship in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then we are told also that “they gave themselves steadfastly to fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers.” Prayer and the Lord’s Supper was a daily activity not a once a month religious activity. It was actually a meal where they all sat together to eat and after they had eaten took the wine and the bread in remembrance of the Lord Jesus and the salvation He had provided. It was done as often as they met together (1 Corinthians 11:25-26).
These apostolic New Covenant believers were steadfast in corporate prayer being of one heart and soul and completely unified in the Holy Spirit as they worshipped together and sought to edify each other through the gifts of the Holy Spirit given severally according to His will (1 Corinthians 12:11). The prayer meeting was not dry and religious, but enthusiastic and expectant, as we see amply illustrated in the Psalms of David, and in the fervency of those early New Covenant believers. It was the kind of prayer that saw results! (Acts 4:29-31).
Did not our Lord Jesus say; “Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven. For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:19-20). The word “agree” describes musical instruments playing in perfect harmony with each other. The prayers of a righteous believer are powerful and effective when offered up in the power of the Holy Spirit accompanied by faith in the unchanging promises of God (James 5:16) (Jude 1:20). Now let’s continue…
(Vs.43) “Then fear (awe) came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”
Notice that “fear (awe) came upon every soul,” There was a reverence for God in the local fellowship even though the worship was spontaneous. Their meetings were not ‘out of control’ but everything was done decently and in order as the apostles instructed for all of the assemblies. Today much of what we see that is attributed to the Holy Spirit is either the works of the flesh (soul power) or demonic in some cases. As it is written; “The spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. For God is not a God of disorder, but of peace— as in all the churches of the saints” (1 Corinthians 14:32-33). A true reverence for God is conspicuously absent in most churches today. God is not at our disposal! He is absolutely sovereign in all things on earth, under the earth, in the heavens and in the entire universe which scientists tell us is still expanding, and this due to God’s spoken command by which everything came into existence! As the psalmist writes; “Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. For He spoke, and it came to be; He commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:8-9).
And then we read; “and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.” The gifts of the Holy Spirit were in abundance in the first century assemblies and have never died out or ceased to operate even after the apostles were all gone. This applies not only to the gifts manifested in the local assembly when believers are gathered together to break bread and for worship, but also applies to the ascension leadership gifts given to the wider Body of the Messiah for its edification, its instruction and defence against wicked principalities in the unseen spiritual realm, to guard against heresy, and to prepare the local assemblies for works of ministry and service (Ephesians 4:11-16).
Notice that where the Spirit of God is at work there will be miracles, signs and wonders following the preaching of the Word and not substitutes for the preaching of it, as we see in many churches today. Many are longing to hear “a word” from God but neglecting to hear the Word of God. If we are not seeking to obey what God has already given us in his Word then why should He give us any more guidance if we are not obeying the guidance He has already given us in His unchanging Word! As it is written; “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Many today, hunger and thirst after miracles, signs and wonders, and bums on seats as such, but very few hunger and thirst after that righteousness without which one will never see God. Let’s continue…
(Vs. 44-45) “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
We see this pattern after the local assembly at Jerusalem had been filled with the Holy Spirit corporately. This also happened again when they experienced another filling with the Holy Spirit after unified prayer in the Holy Spirit (Acts 4:32). The believers in the Jerusalem assembly knew from what the Lord Jesus had prophesied that the city and the temple were doomed to destruction, which occurred around 40 years later, and so they pooled their resources so that no one in the fellowship lacked for daily necessities. This also is a mark of a Spirit filled local assembly. We also should not hold tightly to the things we possess because when the time of Great Tribulation comes upon us most believers will lose their homes, their livelihoods, their possessions and be forced to trust the Lord and support each other with whatever God supplies supernaturally as we see when God commanded the ravens to feed the discouraged, tired and beleaguered prophet Elijah. It is already happening in Islamic countries, in China, in North Korea and wherever wickedness and lawlessness (Torahlessness) is prevailing, and it is coming to the western democracies.
Many churches and denominations will go to ‘Babylon’ to keep their security in this world. May the Lord Jesus grant us all the perseverance we need to weather the coming spiritual storm and to bring us through it, and to keep us from the machinations and temptations of the evil one, that we might not deny the Lord Jesus when the hour of tribulation comes upon us. This is why fellowship in the Holy Spirit with other Spirit filled believers is vital in these days as we see the spiritual storm approaching on the horizon. Coals stacked together keep each other warm but a coal set apart by itself soon losses its heat. Seek Spirit filled fellowship with like-minded believers around the Word of God and the Lord’s Table and enjoy the gifts of the Spirit which are our spiritual armour and weapons against the assaults of the enemy. Satan’s U-boats are always circling. And then we read…
(Vs.46-47)“ So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added daily those who were being saved.”
Notice several things. “In one accord in agreement with each other they kept attending the Temple daily as well as celebrating the Lord’s Supper and enjoying fellowship from house to house.” They were still part of the religious system which was Biblical Mosaic Judaism in its structure and religious worship but spiritually bankrupt and eventually the believers were kicked out of the religious establishment. What happened back then will happen again in the last days and is already happening within denominational structured Christendom. When we are reading the Book of Acts we are not only reading the past history of the Body of the Messiah but the future history of the Body of the Messiah. Many faithful New Covenant believers are still worshipping in their denominational Churches but the time is coming when they will be marginalised and rejected because of their stand for the authority of God’s Word, and because they will not compromise on its truth and its standards as set by God for His people.
And then we notice; “they ate their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added daily those who were being saved.” After the apostles and their fellow believers were kicked out of the Temple they continued daily when and where they could, in fellowship around the meal table, celebrating the Lord’s Supper, and eating their food together with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God with thankfulness for blessings received. Consequently they were drawing to themselves the favour of everyone who came into the fellowship because of the love of God they had for each other, because the genuine power of God was operating in and through them corporately, and because they were unified by the Spirit of truth. Because of these things the Lord added daily those who were being saved.
It did not depend on well-organized programmes, personalities, motivational speakers, methods of evangelism, or courses based on secular marketing strategies for church growth, because they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and were continuously led by the Holy Spirit as a fellowship (Romans 8:14) (Acts 15:28). The three main distinguishing marks of an apostolic fellowship is their confession of the power of the blood of Jesus, their total trust in the power of the Word of God, and their total reliance in all things upon the power of the Holy Spirit and in their continuity in praying in the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:20) (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Fellowship in the Holy Spirit around the Lord’s Table and genuine love for one another, participating in spirit filled, Spirit led worship where the gifts of the Spirit flow, will be the distinguishing features of the Body of the Messiah in these last days. If we cannot stand together in these last of the last days, then we will never stand alone! This is why apostolic fellowship in the Holy Spirit is vital in these days, especially when “the night is coming when no one will be able to work!”
Click here for the Introduction
