TEACHING NOTES Introduction Today we’re continuing our series about being devoted. Previously, we learned that the early church in Acts was devoted to four specific things. This devotion or faithfulness led to the church’s growth and success. They were not devoted to everything or just any good idea, but to only four things. Today we’ll cover the fourth area of devotion. We’ve already covered the first three, but let’s start with a review. ‌ Acts 2:42 ESV 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ‌ Devoted = Grk. proskarterountes - to stick close with, be faithful, hold fast to, continue in, persevere. This word is also used in Acts 2:46; 6:4; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2. In Acts, the early church is described as a family of devoted disciples. This means that they remained close with one another and gathered regularly to learn the Word of God and take care of each other. ‌ The teaching = Grk. te didache - teaching, instruction. This was not just any kind of teaching but “the apostle’s teaching.” At that time in Jerusalem there would have been many Jewish rabbis and teachers. However, the church was devoted to the teaching of the apostles because they had been taught directly by Jesus. ‌ The Fellowship = Grk. τῇ κοινωνίᾳ (te koinonia) - sharing, relational partnership and participation. Luke is clear that the early church operated not as an organization, but as a close family. They shared resources, responsibility, and accountability because that’s what a healthy family must do. ‌ The breaking of bread = Grk. te klasei tou artou - While this would include meals being shared together, it specifically refers to taking Communion (the Lord’s Supper). The Sunday gathering in the early church included a shared meal and included taking Communion together. ‌ The prayers = If Luke was simply taking about prayer in general, he would not have included the definite article “the” in this passage. “The prayers” indicates that Luke is referring to specific prayers that were said or sang repeatedly in the church gathering. This was not a new practice, because the early church was mostly Jewish and were already accustomed to reciting prayers from the Old Testament. ‌ The Prayers of the Church ‌ The Lord’s Prayer: This was usually prayed three times daily. ‌ Various Psalms: The apostles quote from the Psalms repeatedly in the New Testament. And the early church prayed and sang prayers from the Psalms. ‌ The Didache: This document was written around AD 70-150 with some scholars saying as early at AD 50. It is a kind of manual for the early church on how to live out the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and of the apostles. It also contains specific prayers of the early church. ‌ Books of Prayer: Several denominations of the church have a Book of Prayer or Book of Common Prayer. Many of those prayers were written in the early centuries of Christianity, especially those from the Eastern Orthodox Church. ‌ Modern vs. Ancient Prayer Modern — individual & private Ancient — collective & public ‌ In the modern west, prayer is most commonly viewed as an individual and private practice. However, in the ancient church prayer was more public and collective. In the modern world, prayer is often limited to asking God to do things for you. But in the ancient church, prayer was broad—including requests, praise, thanksgiving, joy, and even mourning. In the early church, prayer was less individual and more about praying together as a group of believers. Prayer was considered and practiced as worship. The whole assembly would recite and even sing prayers together as part of their Sunday worship gathering. ‌ Note: This is why at Grace & Truth we choose to sing songs that are in the form of prayer. Instead of singing about ourselves and making empty promises to God, we choose to sing prayers of praise about God and to God. Our songs are never intended for ourselves nor for entertainment. Our songs are prayers that are intended to keep our focus on God alone. ‌ ‌Acts 2:46 (Curt's Translation) “And every day devoting themselves to gathering with one purpose in the temple courts, and breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with joy and simplicity of heart, praising God...” ‌ Every day devotion = Grk. kata hemera proskartereo - Luke is telling us that the early church was devoted to gathering daily, not just on Sunday. In the early church, gathering together was top priority. ‌ If the early church gathered every day, and we only gather one or two days a week, how much more devoted should we be to those one or two days? ‌ Gathering with one purpose = Grk. homothymadon - one mind, purpose, unity. The unity of the early church is a major theme in Acts (see Acts 1:14; 2:44; 4:32). ‌ The temple courts = The early Christians continued to attend the temple for the daily prayer times, while they were still allowed to do so. The temple complex provided a large space for the church to gather for teaching and prayer/worship. However, rather quickly in Acts we find that the church begins to be persecuted by the Jewish leaders and no longer allowed in the temple. ‌ Breaking bread in their homes = In addition to the large gathering in the temple, the early Christians also gathered in their homes to share meals and Communion. When they were no longer allowed in the temple, the church met exclusively in homes or other public spaces. ‌ Sharing their food = The early church was devoted to sharing resources, which Luke calls “the fellowship” (Grk. te koinonia). They did this with joy, not under compulsion. ‌ Simplicity of heart = Grk. aphelotes kardia - The root of this word is apheles, which means to take away. The idea here is that these believers were not distracted by the things of this world. They lived simple lives of humility. ‌ Praising God = This is Luke’s way of summarizing that the devotion of the early church to teaching, fellowship, Communion, and prayer is how they praised God. In other words, their faithfulness was their worship. ‌ The early church was known for being devoted to gathering together to worship God through study, prayer, praise, and fellowship. Gathering together was a priority. ‌ *The last lines of verse 47 about “having favor with all the people” and “the Lord added to their number day by day” will be covered next Sunday. ‌ Hebrews 10:23–25 ESV 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ‌ Let us hold fast the confession = This is a call to stay faithful. There is no concept of casual faith in the Bible. You are either faithful or unfaithful and there is no in-between. ‌ For he who promised is faithful = We are called to be faithful because God continues to be faithful to us. To be a casual Christian is to reject the faithfulness of God for you. ‌ Stir up one another = Grk. paroxysmos - to provoke, either by encouragement or confrontation. If you were a part of the early church, you were expected to be faithful and would be constantly encouraged and/or confronted to stay faithful. ‌ To love and good works = We stir up each other to love and good works, because on our own we would neglect both. We need our church family to encourage and challenge us to keep doing what we’re called to do. ‌ Not neglecting to meet together = The author of Hebrews (likely Paul) states that even in the first century there were some who were “in the habit” of neglecting the gathering of the church. The Greek word for “in the habit” is ethos, which means to make a custom or do something repeatedly. The phrase “not neglecting to meet together” is not a casual suggestion, but is a direct command. ‌ Neglecting the gathering is a sign of disobedience and unfaithfulness. Now it is understandable to miss the gathering because you had to be a work or out of town or were sick. But if you choose to skip the gathering simply because you’d rather do something else, what does that say about your priorities? What does that say about your faithfulness to Jesus? What does that choice teach your children? ‌ Faithfulness is not optional or only for “serious Christians.” Faithfulness is expected and required of all people who claim to follow Jesus. ‌ Conclusion Here’s how we should respond to today’s teaching. Most of us should thank God for leading us to be faithful and obedient to His Word. Some of us need to repent for our unfaithfulness and our casual approach to our faith. Repentance is not merely saying your sorry. Repentance means to stop being unfaithful and start doing what is right. So let’s repent, come to the Lord’s Table, and find grace and forgiveness.