⁴²They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Before the day of Pentecost, the original one hundred and twenty believers were “continually devoting themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:14); now the company of three thousand believers continued in prayer but were also “continually devoting themselves” to three additional things.

First, they were committed to the apostles’ teachings; that was their window into the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. The twelve apostles were the overseers of what was passed along as authentic teachings of and by the Lord.

Further, these early believers were devoting themselves to fellowship. Some interpreters see this as a category that includes the breaking of bread and prayer, based on Greek grammatical considerations, so that there are only two main emphases here. However, they clearly practiced fellowship as a separate, practical sort of activity, as we are about to see in our passage. It is better to see their balanced commitment expressed as two couplets giving a four-fold focus: apostles’ teaching and fellowship, and then breaking of bread and prayer.

Third in the early church’s devotion was the “breaking of bread.” While this phrase at times can mean simply eating together in unity (and thus an extension of fellowship), here it most likely refers to the practice of remembering the Lord by the simple reenactment of the Last Supper, what we now call “The Lord’s Supper” (1 Cor. 11:20). The early church was just as devoted to remembering the Lord in the way He asked them to do, as they were committed to apostolic teaching, fellowship, and prayer!

Finally, we find a continued devotion to prayer, which shows throughout the book of Acts (see Acts 3:1, 4:31, 6:4, 12:12, etc.). We do well to follow the early church’s example in all four areas!

As a result of the early believers’ being “saved from this perverse generation,” we see generous sharing of resources, daily gathering together in large and small groups, and continual expressions of joy and praise. The result? The Lord kept expanding the number of people saved!

Lord, may I be devoted to these things that were important to the early church.