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Acts 2:42–47 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

And - links this activity to the occurrence of the previous passage. The result of the saving work of the Lord is a radical change in the people saved. They changed (). This passage now shows the nature of that change and what a community of Spirit-filled believers looks like.

they devoted themselves - along with the new nature comes new desires. They were not forced or coerced - they had new passions. The object of their devotions had changed. We all devote ourselves to something. What we devote ourselves to is what our hearts most desire. Greek: to persevere devotedly. A superficial profession may lead one to a burst of religious activity and devotion, but if it wasn’t genuine it will fade with time. True conversion results in a persevering devotion to God. Perseverance implies with it a sense of striving, in spite of hurdles and hardships - even persevering against our own flesh which may still fall to other temptations and idols. But the genuinely converted believer will persevere in the things of the Lord, even against the tide of our flesh (, ). This was a daily devotion, a daily discipline. Nobody can persevere in anything without discipline. Any time you devote yourself to something, you commit to it and to making it a priority. So a healthy spirit-filled life is born out of a change of heart (“…and...”) and is marked by discipline and perseverance. God’s sovereignty in adding us and changing us, and our responsibility to discipline and perseverance, are both present at the same time.

What specific things did they devote themselves to?

(1) to the apostles’ teaching - Even the most dedicated and strongest of devotions and zeal can go astray if not properly and correctly anchored. A steam train that has a massive amount of energy compelling it steadfastly and resolutely forward, in spite of hindrances, can destruct itself if instead of being anchored to the tracks it is set down on a tar road. It may not even be able to move forward at all because of a lack of grip, but if it does, it is certainly doomed to go off the road and self-destruct. So also, the newly converted and zealous believer, full of passion and desire for the Lord, must be properly anchored to the Word of God, or he will inevitably either not grow at all, or he will burst forward on the wrong track and be like the people Paul warned about in - children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Therefore, it is critical that the believer must be anchored in the truth of Scripture.

One of the first marks of a community of Spirit-filled community is therefore a devotion to, a reliance upon the Word of God.

The teaching of the apostles was authoritative because it was the teachings of Jesus communicated through the apostles in the power of the Spirit. These men were directly appointed by Jesus himself, and were taught by Jesus himself. Now, after the resurrected Jesus had met with some of them on the road and explained how the scriptures were about him, and after they had received the Holy Spirit who gave them insight into the scriptures and their meaning, these 12 apostles were uniquely gifted and commissioned with teaching and establishing the Church - building on the foundation and cornerstone which is Jesus . This first community of Christians therefore had the Old Testament Scriptures and the Spirit-empowered teachings of Jesus’ appointed apostles

(2) the fellowship - this is so much more than just friendship, or association. When Luke says they were devoted to fellowship with each other, it has a meaning that goes far beyond just being acquaintances. Greek - Koinonia: active participation in the activities and privileges of a community. The fellowship here is not just a group of people who greeted each other once a week on Sunday, without really knowing much about them. They actively participated