“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:46-47 (NLT)
After the events of Pentecost, Luke shows us what the first church looked like in Jerusalem. It wasn’t built on hype or production. It was built on devotion. They were committed to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to meals together, and to prayer. If we aren’t devoted to the Word of God and to one another, nothing else we do will matter.
Luke also says a deep sense of awe came over the believers, and many miraculous signs and wonders were done through Holy Spirit. Remember, they weren’t doing it. God was doing it through them. And that same Spirit formed their generosity. They shared what they had, gave to the needy, and refused selfishness. This is what happens when a people become one body.
Then we get to the heart of their ministry rhythm. They worshiped together at the temple each day, and from house to house they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ. This wasn’t a once-a-week faith. It was daily. And unbelievers were ministered to as they watched a community live this way.
And right in the middle of it all is the table. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, with great joy and generosity. The Holy Spirit showed me that “broke bread” is the same language used in Matthew 14 when Jesus fed the 5,000. Jesus broke the bread, gave it to the apostles to distribute, and the apostles gave it to the people. That miracle that Jesus had and the people experienced now looks like what the church is experiencing daily in Acts 2. This miracle of Jesus can be experienced often when believers care enough to eat together, and when we operate as one body. We have made ministry too complicated and neglected the simple things that form a real church. Let’s get back to the basics, and watch the Lord add to our fellowship daily those who are being saved.