There are times when I like to read the Bible slowly, and even in a repetitive fashion. Now, of course I read chapters of the Bible most of time in the same fashion we all read—rather quickly. But I like slow reading, too, as I will go back and review a verse or two over and over again, thinking carefully about why certain words or phrases were used the way they were.
This is true of the short passage in Acts 2:42-47. I have been poring over the words and phrases for weeks now. These famous few verses are an important description of the very first church as it appears on the scene on the heels of the Pentecost event, when thousands in Jerusalem came to faith.
So right now, let’s take a slow look again at these verses:
Acts 2:42-47 (NIV): The Fellowship of the Believers
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The word for fellowship there is the Greek word Koinonia—the community, the gathering, the fellowship.
And what were they devoted to? “The apostles’ teaching.” Last Sunday, we clearly laid out that this first church was serious about anchoring the church on God’s Word, and on Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s Word.
This Sunday, we are going to park on the simple phrase, “They devoted themselves to…the breaking of bread.” For a long time, I just passed over this phrase and thought that maybe this church became such a loving and caring fellowship (Koinonia) because they loved to eat together. They loved a great potluck! Well, in reality, they did actually eat together—face to face, house to house, family to family. But this “breaking of bread” together is so much more.
This is our focus this coming Sunday, December 5. As you get ready for Sunday morning, I am going to ask you to take a good look at the following passages:
Consider in these passages how important the table was in the development of the first church. When you follow the storyline in the whole book of Acts, you will find that as churches were being formed and developed a sense of Koinonia fellowship, they were positioned around a table—around a meal—face to face, family to family. I am challenged by this concept and how it is so different from the way we often think of a church. So, as we get together this coming Sunday (around tables, I might add!), we are going to explore again the meaning of “breaking bread and living face to face” with one another.
See you Sunday morning, December 5, at 10 a.m.
