Acts 2:42: The Example of the Earliest Church I. Introduction A. The New Testament is full of examples for us to follow 1. many means of teaching and explanation done through examples 2. we see negative and positive examples B. We as a church can benefit from examining the churches seen in the New Testament if we emulate their positive points and avoid their negative points C. One of our best examples comes from the earliest example: the church in Jerusalem in Acts 2 D. We see incredible cohesion and unity within this group (v. 44) E. Acts 2:42 demonstrates their attitudes and actions 1. "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." 2. this is how they spent their time after they were converted F. Let us now examine these characteristics and see if we are emulating the earliest church II. Acts 2:42 A. "They devoted themselves" 1. Greek proskartereo a. Thayer: to adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one; to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing; to continue all the time in a place; to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly b. The form of the word is a present participle; in Greek, the present tense denotes either continual or repeated action 2. The word shows us, therefore, that these early disciples were constantly adhering themselves to the things we will discuss below with great fervency and devotion 3. Could the same be said about us and our devotion to the things of God? B. "to the Apostles' teaching" 1. We have to remember that all of these people who converted were Jews a. some from Judea, Galilee, and Samaria might have heard of Jesus and/or seen His works b. the Jews from the Diaspora, however, would have little if any knowledge of the Gospel of the Kingdom c. We also have to remember that even the 12 did not properly understand all things until Pentecost 2. Instruction, therefore, was critical 3. The new disciples, then, devoted themselves to the teachings of the Apostles, fervently attempting to learn all things they could from them 4. They did not have the written New Testament; all they had to go on was the spoken word of the Apostles as inspired by the Holy Spirit 5. How much more, then, should we devote ourselves to the New Testament given to us, that we may know the things of God? a. 2 Timothy 2:15 b. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 C. "to fellowship" 1. in the Greek, this is formally its own unit and is the word koinonia a. Thayer: fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, intercourse b. The word does not denote an action but a state of existence; one cannot "do" fellowship, but one "has" fellowship with another 2. 1 John 1:3: our goal is to have fellowship with the Apostles and with the Father and the Son a. the earliest church devoted themselves to this association-- this community-- the ekklesia! b. They would do this by associating with one another frequently 3. This is commanded in Hebrews 3:12-14 and Hebrews 10:24-26 4. We should strive to devote ourselves to the fellowship in Christ Jesus as the earliest church did D. "to the breaking of bread" 1. This phrase is used to refer both to a common meal and also in particular to the Lord's Supper 2. my personal belief is that it refers to the latter 3. either way, it emphasizes the unity of the group and the desire to be together 4. Lord's Supper: a. the importance of the Lord's Supper as the commemoration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be underestimated b. Jesus explictly commands that it is to be done-- 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 c. The communion symbolizes our unity in the death (and future unity in the resurrection of) Christ and the communion we have with one another (Romans 6:3-7, 1 Corinthians 15; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17) d. The idea that they devoted themselves to this memorial is a testament to their unity among themselves and with the Father and the Son 5. Common meals: a. even if they did not do so in an assembly of worship, the fact that the disciples were together necessitated common meals, and this is stated as such in Acts 2:47 b. this also demonstrates how the early Christians enjoyed one another's constant company c. do we share this desire and unity? E. "and to prayers." 1. Prayer ought to be an integral part of the Christian's lifestyle 2. Throughout the New Testament we find Peter, Paul, and the other Apostles and Christians praying a. 1 Thessalonians 5:17: pray without ceasing b. 1 Timothy 2:1, 8: urgings for prayers c. James 5:13: prayer alleviates suffering d. James 5:16: the prayers of the righteous avail much e. 1 Peter 3:12: The Lord's ears are ready for the prayers of His saints 3. This attitude was surely embraced by the earliest Christians 4. Do we have such a prayerful attitude? 5. We have been given the opportunity to cast all of our problems, cares, and concerns upon God, and He will take care of them. Why not use it? III. Applications A. What, then, do we see in the earliest church? B. Emphasis on learning 1. Instruction was very important 2. It is critical for growth: Hebrews 5:11-14 3. How can we grow if we do not know how? 4. How can we preach to others if we know not what we preach? C. Emphasis on fellowship 1. It was important that they were in the proper association 2. They fervently worked to be in fellowship with the Apostles and with the Father and the Son 3. We can only share in that fellowship if we are obeying God as He has established in His New Testament D. Emphasis on the Lord's Supper 1. These Christians devoted themselves to the observance of the Lord's Supper to memorialize His death 2. These are the same ones who were pierced to the heart when they learned that they had crucified their Messiah (Acts 2:37) 3. They desired earnestly to remember Him and to share in communion 4. Do we do the same? How can we say we have communion with the Father and the Son if we do not desire to remember the work of the Son? E. Emphasis on prayer 1. Prayer was-- and is-- an absolute essential to the Christian life 2. We are not able to save ourselves: this applies to us just as much in our Christian walk as it did when we originally obeyed the Gospel 3. We must rely on God and allow Him to help us in our lives 4. Our avenue of communication is prayer, and we ought to be known as a prayerful people IV. Conclusion A. We have seen that the earliest church was fully committed constantly to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread, and to prayer B. We would do well to emulate such things and grow and be strengthened by them C. Why did they have this desire? What motivated this diverse group of Jews to come together and learn and to give up themselves for this Jesus? 1. the lesson that Peter preached: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and that He was crucified for our sins (Acts 2:22-36) 2. These Jews were pierced to the heart, and they asked what they needed to do 3. Peter replied that they needed to repent and be baptized for the remission of their sins, and in this way they entered into the fellowship of God 4. If you have not done so, let us help you as we stand and sing