I am blessed to be involved in the youth ministry at St. Paul’s church.  We have been seeing a lot of young people get connected to our group to hear and discuss God’s Word on a week to week basis.  A number of our young people know Jesus as their Lord and Savior and are continuing to pursue a deeper life in Him!

One of the most recent passages of scripture that has been discussed in chapel this past month has been Acts 2.42-47.  It’s a great example of early believers and the deeper life they pursued in Christian community after their decision to repent, be baptized, and follow Jesus.  After all, our conversion to Christ is only the beginning of a life marked with growth in Christian community – the Church.

The Bible says that “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2.42).”  Many of you have heard of and used the word devotion.  The idea of devotion is that someone is completely dedicated to a person, a cause, or a course of action.  These early believers had devotion to the Lord and to His cause here on earth.

What were they devoted to?  We read that they were devoted to the Apostles’ teaching – which we have preserved for us today in the New Testament.  The teaching that we need God’s grace through faith to live a life that is acceptable before God, the message of the cross, the resurrection, and the deity of Jesus Christ, the doctrines of the Second Coming and of holy living before God.  These are some of the teachings that these early believers devoted themselves to.

They were devoted to the fellowship.  Fellowship means sharing or having things in common.  As believers we share so much in common – our faith in Jesus Christ, our love for Him and His people, our desire to follow Him with our entire lives, our struggles and joys, our need for growth and encouragement… These early Christians not only dedicated themselves to Christ on a personal level, but on a community level as well.

They also devoted themselves to the breaking of bread.  Simply put, they shared meals together – a sure sign of a life shared together in community.  There could, however, be an even more significant meaning to the phrase ‘breaking of bread:’ it may be an early indicator of the fact that the Lord’s Supper was a regular part of the Church’s gatherings.  Jesus blessed and broke bread saying “Do this in remembrance of Me,” and to this very day we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for us with the broken bread and the cup.

We read that they were devoted to prayer.  Prayer is our connection with God.  It is talking with God, petitioning God, and thanking God; but it is also listening to God.  It is the privilege that we have of abiding in His presence.  Through prayer we learn more and more to rely on God’s strength and not our own.  As the old song goes, “they are weak but He is strong.”  Prayer reminds us of our weakness and our need for His strength.

So today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your journey here on this earth, may you be continually devoted to these things as well: the scriptures, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.  An acronym that we used to help us remember these things is FREE.

Fellowship – share the Christian life with other believers 
Remember – the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross 
Educate – yourselves in the Word of God 
Enter – into God’s presence through prayer

At the end of the passage we read: “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  Evangelism – people coming to faith in Christ – was an inevitable result of the Church living out their lives in faith and devotion to Christ.  May we reflect such a devotion and love for God and others that people will desire to know our Lord Jesus for themselves.

God Bless,

Matt