Sweet Fellowship of Believers

“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 (ESV).

In these verses Luke gives a summary of what occurred immediately following Pentecost.  We cannot tell how long the span of time these verses cover, but this marvelous fellowship of believers happened before persecution began against the Christians in Jerusalem.  Notice the significant activities of the Christian group: 

(1) Teaching from the apostles covered what they had learned from Jesus in His three years with them and in the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension.

(2) Fellowship, Greek word koinonia, meant a close and harmonious relationship, a sharing, a common purpose and devotion that binds persons together.

(3) Breaking of bread likely included both eating regular meals together and having the solemn, memorial Lord’s Supper that Jesus had instituted, saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.”

(4)  They prayed together.  Their prayers were no doubt in the temple and wherever they gathered in house meetings or in smaller groups.

(5) They experienced awe (reverent fear) because of the signs and wonders the apostles were performing through the power of the Holy Spirit.

(6) They had all things in common; they gave of their means.  This was accomplished as they sold their possessions and brought the money voluntarily and without coercion to help with the needs.  Scholars would have us note that they still had their own homes and that the giving up private property is not mentioned in this summary account.  Later, when Ananias and Sapphira came to claim they had sold their property and were bringing all the money to offer in the Lord’s work, their lives were required of them because they told a lie.  They pretended to bring all when they withheld part for themselves (see Acts 5:1-11).

(7)  Praising and worshiping God was a daily part of the believers’ activities. Luke does not elaborate here, but they probably included the Old Testament Scriptures, especially readings from the Psalms, Prophets and Wisdom Literature. 

(8)  Conversions occurred.  “The Lord added…day by day those who were being saved.”  Because the believers’  hearts were right and their spiritual tasks done with zeal and focus, God gave the increase in souls.

Scholars believe (and there is both written and archaeological evidence for this) that the “breaking of bread” mentioned in verse 46 is what was called the agape feast, or love feast.  It was a banquet meal, usually in the evening, where the more financially able furnished the food for the poor and they ate together, saying prayers over each dish or course of the meal.  The agape feast was followed by the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion. However, later, because of excesses, greed and discrimination against those partaking of the meal, the agape feast was gradually separated from the observance of the Lord’s Supper.  By the time of church historian Justin Martyr (150 A. D.), no mention is made of observance then of the agape meal.  A good exercise is for us to examine the points of the Disciples’/Apostles’ (Early Church’s’) fellowship of believers.  Do our church fellowships follow this pattern?  Let us pray that our Christian fellowship will be God-pleasing instead of just people-pleasing.  When we please God, we will be blessed as well.  With my husband having been a pastor, I have experienced many church fellowships.  Indeed, those seeking God’s guidance instead of being just “people-pleasing” were the most outstanding, with a near-heavenly fellowship on earth!  - Ethelene Dyer Jones  05.04.2014.