Day Nineteen

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. - Acts 2:42-47

The people of God devoted themselves to 4 things. First, they devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching. In our day that means taking the time to dive into God’s word. Read it, study it, meditate on it, and ultimately obey it. The Bible is crucially foundational to our spiritual growth and maturity. To truly know God and be godly, we must know God’s Word intimately

Secondly, they were devoted to fellowship. Within the context of this passage, fellowship literally meant partnership and sharing. None of us are meant to be lone ranger Christians. We need each other as demonstrated in by the early Christians. They did life together. They ate together. They prayed together. They opened their homes and their schedules, and out of that fellowship came generosity. When you’re really connected to people, you can’t ignore their needs. Acts tells us that no one among them lacked anything. Not because everyone had the same amount, but because everyone cared. They did not cling to what they owned. They understood that what God put in their hands could be used to help someone else. The first century believers held their own possessions lightly, ready to use them at any moment for some else, as need arose.

Thirdly, they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, referring to the Lord’s supper. We have the opportunity to participate in this several times throughout the year during our Sunday morning worship services.

Fourthly, they devoted themselves to prayer. As believers we must carve out time daily to spend with the Lord in prayer, talking to Him and worshiping Him. Doing this deepens our relationship with Him.

The result of this devotion was manifested in a growing community and glad hearts.

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