Acts - 2 42b-47 - The First Fellowship

Teacher

Acts 2:42b–47 — The First Fellowship Lesson 10

These verses present the ideals of the church. One is doctrinal (e.g., Ephesians), the other historical—found here in Acts. There was no church in the Old Testament; this is the first church. In just 98 Greek words, Luke gives us a picture of what that first church was like. A new dispensation had begun.

The ideal church is shown to have three essential qualities:

Proper Content

Proper Character

Proper Consequences

This church had the proper input—therefore, it had the proper output. Notice that evangelism is not listed as the first priority. In Ephesians 4, we see that apostles, prophets, teaching shepherds, and evangelists were given to the church for the equipping of the saints. Evangelism is not our chief concern. First, the church must be filled with the right content before it is ready to reproduce.

Four Indicators of Proper Content:

It Was a Saved Church Acts 2:41 says they were baptized, and Acts 2:42 says they continued. A true branch abides in the vine.

John 8:31: “If you continue in my word, then you are truly my disciples.” Continuation is a sign of true salvation. Just because a group calls itself a church doesn’t mean it’s genuinely following Christ. (See Revelation 2:14.)

2. It Was a Studying Church This church had the right content.

1 Peter 2:2: Desire the pure milk of the Word so you may grow.

Romans 12:2: Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

1 Peter 1:13: Gird up the loins of your mind.

Hosea 4:6: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

1 Timothy 4:6, 11, 13, 16; 2 Timothy 4: A time will come when people will not endure sound doctrine. You cannot function on doctrine you do not know.

3. It Was a Fellowship Church Fellowship (Greek: koinonia) is not just interaction—it is partnership.

1 John 1:4: We are partners with Christ. While we cannot lose our relationship with Christ, we can lose the joy of that fellowship. Acts 2:42 also shows the symbol of their communion. At the foot of the cross, all believers come together.

4. It Was a Praying Church They faithfully prayed together with other believers.

Proper Character

Verse 43: Fear came upon every soul. Everyone sensed that something awe-inspiring had occurred. Their life together was so real and so powerful that even outsiders recognized something special.

They were:

An Active Church – Many people were healed.

A Sharing Church –

Verses 44–45: It was common to allow pilgrims into one’s home and share resources.

They did not sell everything and pool belongings communally. Rather, they sold possessions as needs arose.

This was a unique situation and is not repeated in other churches in Acts. It was done out of necessity, not ideology.

2 Corinthians 8:14 supports the principle of providing for one another as needs emerge.

Proper Consequences

Their life commended them to all men.

A 2nd-century writer, Aristides, observed Christians and wrote:

“They abstain from all impurity in the hope of the recompense to come in another world. As for servants, handmaids, or children, they persuade them to become Christians by the love they show. When they have converted, they call them without distinction ‘brothers.’ They do not worship strange gods. They walk in humility and kindness; falsehood is not found among them. They love one another. When they see a stranger, they bring him into their homes and rejoice over him as a true brother. If there is any among them who is poor and needy, and they have no spare food, they fast two or three days in order to provide for him. They scrupulously observe the commandments of their Messiah. They live honestly and soberly as the Lord their God commanded. Every morning and at all hours they give thanks to God and praise Him. Over food and drink, they render Him thanks. If a righteous person among them dies, they rejoice and thank God and escort the body as if he were moving from one place to another. When a child is born, they praise God. If a child dies in infancy, they still praise Him mightily—considering the child to have passed through life without sin. Such is the law and the conduct of the Christians.”

Student

Acts 2:42b–47 — The First Fellowship Lesson 10: Observational Notes

Verse 42: “Breaking of bread” is sometimes interpreted as a common meal, but it is unlikely that Luke intended this meaning here.

Verse 43: The people were continually stunned. The Greek verb ginomai (“to be”) in the imperfect tense shows that the awe and miracles were ongoing, not temporary.

Verses 44–45: As a minority, Christians faced economic sanctions and later persecution, leading them to live in communal settings. This was also practiced by other Jewish sects at the time.

Verse 46: Their preferred meeting place was Solomon’s Colonnade on the eastern edge of the temple’s outer court, where they offered praise to God.

Verse 47: “The people” often refers to Israel and later includes Gentiles (see Acts 3:9; 4:10; 5:13). Luke ends the section on a high note: thousands were being added daily.