Thoughts On Acts 2:42

Feature 2 – January 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Thoughts On Acts 2:42
They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. —Acts 2:42 NKJV

The Lord Jesus Christ is “God over all” (Rom. 9:5 ESV ). When He came into this world, we read: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1:14). This is “the mystery of godliness” (1 Tim. 3:16; consider Phil. 2:6-8).

The Gospels succinctly, or concisely, describe when and how He came – born of the Virgin to fulfill God’s plans (Gal. 4:4). We read about His upbringing and training at home and in God’s school, as well as His ministry in Judea and Galilee. These God-given accounts – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – give a summary of His many miracles which drew everyone’s attention and showed God was at work among His people (Acts 2:22).

These four books describe Jesus’ testimony in His words and works as the One sent by God. They also record how His own people rejected Him, as did the world in general. All this was foretold by God in the Old Testament. Man’s wickedness and Satan’s hatred could do nothing else than fulfill God’s plans. God, however, never sets aside man’s responsibility; He will hold all accountable (Rev. 20:11-15).

The Gospels conclude with an account of Christ’s death, resurrection and ascension. They also show that the New Testament is based on the Old Testament, and both are inseparably linked together. Before He went to heaven the Lord Jesus promised His disciples that He would send from there the Holy Spirit (Jn. 15:26). God anointed the Lord Jesus in heaven (Christ means “Anointed,” Acts 2:36), from where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples (vv.1-12). This was followed by Peter’s important speech, recorded in Acts 2:14-36.

It is important to note that the book of Acts reports events which took place soon after Christ’s work on earth was finished, describing seven successive stages of Christ’s work from heaven. The fundamental teaching concerning the Church1 is found in the Epistles.2 The rest of the Scriptures the Books of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms certainly all benefit us, as the Lord Jesus showed the two disciples along the road to Emmaus and the Eleven on the day of His resurrection (Lk. 24; see 2 Tim. 3:16).

Acts 2:42 summarizes the activities and perseverance of the believers after the Holy Spirit had come. They demonstrated their first love for the Lord Jesus even though He was physically absent from them. Their devotion clearly showed He was everything for them. This should be the case for us today, since He is our Beloved. We need wholehearted commitment, love and devotion for Him.

The believers of the beginning did not give up for any reason whatsoever, but kept serving the Lord despite resistance and rejection. The early Church soon failed in this (see Rev. 2–3) and forsook this kind of love for Him and His people. What about us today? What characterized the early Christians encourages us to follow God’s principles because these do not change no matter what people say.

Four Basics
The believers mentioned in Acts 2 showed that what the Lord provided for them was their standard of living. They had repented of their sins and believed the message of the gospel, as they accepted what Peter told them. We should note, however, that this does not mean believers need to have hands laid on them to receive the Holy Spirit, as recorded in Acts 8:17. The laying on of hands means identification. Today no one has the power to heal nor to transmit the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual discernment is needed to understand and accept that the four basics are essential and valid for the whole period of the Church on earth. However, the way believers receive these things now is not necessarily the same as in Acts. More than that, how they received the Holy Spirit was not the same in each case either, even in Acts, nor can we select one of these options as mandatory for today. In fact, Acts describes six different scenarios, a topic I leave for your personal study.

What Luke summarized in Acts 2:42 are four basic elements and practices. They are needed, indispensable for the Christian testimony to function, until the Lord Jesus comes to take us to Himself (1 Th. 4:14-17). The four unchanging basics are:

• The doctrine or teaching of the apostles is the foundation they have laid, together with the prophets of the New Testament (Eph. 2:20, 4:11-16).
• The fellowship of the apostles is inseparable from the doctrine, as one translation reads, “they persevered in the teaching and fellowship of the apostles” (Acts 2:42 JND).
• The breaking of bread is the meal in remembrance of the Lord Jesus, calling Him to mind, who is no longer with His people on earth as He used to be. This is done in the expectation of His soon return (1 Cor. 11:23-26).
• The prayers express dependence on the Lord and fellowship with Him.

The Greek text implies that the breaking of bread and the prayers are very closely linked to the fellowship of the apostles, which cannot be separated from their teaching.

These four points are like ingredients of a recipe; if one of them is lacking, it is no good. For example, some say, “Doctrine is not important” or, “The apostle Paul is not for me.” That person or group is rejecting the foundation, which means all is lost.

Gathered to the name of the Lord Jesus (Mt. 18:20) we will learn and understand that these four elements are really one and inseparable. For practical reasons, we usually divide the one into four sessions:

• To remember or call Him to mind, as linked to a response in worship of the Father and the Son;
• To minister the Word, so the Lord may speak to us in view of our present needs;
• For Bible study, to help us understand the teaching of God’s Word; and
• For prayer, introducing the Lord into our situation, asking for His direction and blessing as we rely on Him.

Some aspects will continue in heaven, as far as they relate to fellowship with Him and worshiping Him and the Father.

Let’s Continue
Acts describes but does not formally teach doctrine, as do the Epistles. There are, however, many things reported in Acts that need to be understood and practiced in the light of the doctrine that God gave through the apostles for the whole Church period. The book describes the beginnings and the progress of the Church the Lord started to build (Mt. 16:16,18), like a newborn baby needing care and growing (Acts 2). In seven progress reports,3 the writer of Acts shows how the Church grew and continued to develop despite all the opposition, resistance, failures and attacks (28:30-31).

The four elements in which the early Christians continued steadfastly (2:42) represent themes that the Epistles teach and expound, with God-given authority. That is why we too need to persevere in the same things, for they are relevant and sufficient for us today. Other features and activities are also mentioned (vv.43-45), which show the great spiritual energy and devotion those Christians displayed. But we cannot do the same things, like go to the temple or heal the sick. Furthermore, the apostles who spoke in tongues and who were doing signs and wonders are no longer with us. However, the basic teachings God gave through them are still valid, and we need to persevere in them until the Lord comes again.

The various biblical reports about the salvation of people and their reception of the Holy Spirit differ as to important details. This fact alone shows that we cannot take one of those accounts as mandatory for all believers throughout Church history and until the rapture. Here is where we need to ask help from the Lord to try to understand which story about salvation and reception of the Holy Spirit applies to our day. For an example, see Acts 11:15-18.

Further Considerations About Those Four Aspects
The teaching or doctrine of the apostles often differs from what people have made of their writings through human traditions, interpretations, philosophies or various theories. Sadly, great changes have been made often gradually and serious deviations have taken place (see 1 Tim. 4:1-5; 1 Jn. 4:1). Therefore, we always need to go back to the principles and teachings God has given at the beginning through His apostles and prophets (Eph. 2:20). Many have departed from them, even in Bible times (see 2 Tim.; 1 Jn.; Jude; Rev. 2–3), but God’s foundation has not changed (Mt. 16:18; 1 Cor. 3:10-11; Eph. 2:20; 2 Tim. 2:19). Even though His plans for believers from before and after the Church period are different, certain basics remain the same in every dispensation, or period. For example: the need of repentance, faith in God and dependence on the Lord.

We may and should seek to have fellowship with the apostles – even though they are no longer with us in person – by submitting to their God-inspired writings. These are still relevant for us because of their God-given authority, as they are sufficient for the whole Church period. They supply what is needed for all believers in whatever challenge or situation.

The perseverance of believers demonstrates their first love. In studying the New Testament we learn about the human tendency to deviate from what God gave and to forsake true love for the Lord (Rev. 2:4). Returning to that first love condition will put us on fire for Him and His people. This will motivate us to continue in real devotion, despite weaknesses, shortcomings or attacks.

While still on earth the Lord Jesus called, trained and sent out the twelve disciples. Before His ascension, the risen Lord was with the disciples for 40 days, charging them with specific tasks (Acts 1:8). After Christ’s ascension, when He was lifted up in a cloud (v.9), God led the Eleven to choose one from among only two who qualified to join them and make the group of apostles again complete (vv.15-26). This was not a mistake as some believe, thinking they should have waited until Paul began to serve.

The Twelve worked very closely together with Paul (Acts 9–15), whom the exalted Christ called from heaven, for he was privileged to hear and see the Lord there. Peter, John and James accepted Paul’s calling as from God (Gal. 1–2). Later we learn that all the apostles accepted this, as did the other writers of the New Testament, called “prophets” (Eph. 3:5, 2:20). Paul worked in close communion with them and their delegates, such as Barnabas and Silas (Acts 11–16).

Peter started to deviate from the right path in which they had walked together, but he accepted Paul’s correction (Gal. 2:1-19; 2 Pet. 3:14-18). Both were kept in unity on the true pathway until the Lord took them, first Peter (67 AD) and then Paul (68 AD). The apostle John continued in the same path, being an example for us (Jn. 21:20-22). Remarkably, John’s death is not mentioned in Scripture, but we know from history that he passed away at a very advanced age. The other New Testament writers are all part of the ones who laid the foundation, with God-given authority. They expressed practical unity even though serious deviations had already started around them (2 Tim. 1:15, 2:16-18, 3:1-9, 4:10-11; 2 Pet. 2; Jude; 1 Jn. 4:1).

All those God used to lay the foundation and who were part of it are no longer with us in person. Yet, we need to walk and work in fellowship with Paul, Peter, John and the other writers of the New Testament as they maintained the authority of the Scriptures (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). We should never reject their ministry or any element of Scripture, whether in connection with the Church or with Israel.

With the Lord’s help, let us try to enter into and maintain what He revealed to Paul. The apostle shared this with the Twelve, who accepted it, as he received and maintained the truth as to Israel and the Church. Paul received special revelations and understood that God’s plans for the Church superseded and preceded God’s plans for/with Israel, but He never set Israel totally aside (Rom. 9–11).

Paul suffered a lot for his ministry, being misunderstood and rejected by most of the Jews and later by a majority of the Gentile believers. We may ask the Lord’s help for us to stay with Paul and seek to honor the Lord in the process (see 1 Cor. 3:8-18, ch.10–14; 2 Cor. 10:3-5,18, 11:2-3). Then, we will also be with Peter, John and the New Testament writers. For this we do not need apostolic succession or to ordain people. We must simply heed Peter’s admonitions (2 Pet. 1:3-15, 3:17-18).

The breaking of bread was practiced every day (Acts 2:46) as part of a common meal yet distinct from it, like two disciples experienced with the risen Lord (Lk. 24:30). Gradually this practice was limited to the first day of the week (Acts 20:6-12), but there is no scriptural teaching not to have the breaking of bread every day. There is no indication in Scripture either that it should be less often than once a week.

Paul’s instructions about this (1 Cor. 10–11) include the following statement: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes” (11:26 NKJV). Of course the Lord does not want it to become mere routine or a ritual. His desire is that we be in a condition of first love and do this to remember Him because we love and want to honor Him.

There was an additional challenge for the believers in Corinth because of great differences between poor and rich. The other issue Paul addressed was that many considered the breaking of bread in remembrance of the Lord as part of a common meal (vv.33-34). Thus, they saw the emblems apart from their spiritual meaning. The bread we break is simply bread and it remains so, but it becomes special to the believers in the context of the remembrance meeting. It does not mystically change into something else, but it receives the spiritual meaning of the body of Christ, even when we combine it with a common meal. It should be clearly indicated when it represents His personal body that He once gave as a sacrifice, as it is also the one body of all true believers, at any given moment until the rapture.

“The prayers” represent the fourth essential element mentioned in Acts 2:42. These prayers indicate dependence on God and on the Lord Jesus, truly relying on Him with the desire to continue in fellowship with Him. In his gospel, Luke described the Lord Jesus in various ways, but especially as the dependent Man on earth in a life of prayer. This was followed by his book, The Acts Of The Apostles, which is about a company of believers saved by grace, marked by prayer, in various situations and challenges.

ENDNOTES
1. “Assembly” is a more literal rendering of the Greek ecclesia, company of called-out ones, than the word “Church.”
2. Although not found in Scripture, it is thought that Paul wrote Hebrews. If so, we would have 14 epistles by the apostle Paul and seven by Peter, John, James and Jude. These 21 epistles give the doctrinal foundation on which we stand and practical instructions on how to function.
3. These are statements that summarize the developments, just as a mother would note the progress of her baby (Acts 2:47, 6:7, 9:31, 12:24, 16:5, 19:20, 28:30-31). Amazing progress, despite opposition and failures.

By Alfred Bouter