Acts 2:42

These new converts along with the disciples gave ("devoted," Gr. proskartereo, cf. Acts 1:14) themselves to two activities primarily: the apostles’ teaching and fellowship. The grammar of the Greek sentence sets these actions off as distinct from the following two activities that define fellowship. The apostles’ teaching included the Jewish Scriptures as well as the teachings of Christ on earth and the revelations He gave to the apostles from heaven. This means the early Christians gave priority to the revealed Word of God. [Note: See Steven J. Lawson, "The Priority of Biblical Preaching: An Expository Study of Acts 2:42-47," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:630 (April-June 2001):198-217.]

"The steady persistence in the apostles’ teaching means (a) that the Christians listened to the apostles whenever they taught and (b) that they assiduously practised what they heard." [Note: Barrett, 1:163.]

The fellowship (Gr. te koinonia) refers to sharing things with others. The presence of the article with fellowship indicates that this fellowship was distinctive. It was a fellowship within Judaism. Even though their fellowship extended to material goods its primary reference must be to the ideas, attitudes, purposes, mission, and activities that the Christians shared.

Two distinctive activities marked the fellowship of the early church. The "breaking of bread" is a term that here probably included the Lord’s Supper as well as eating a meal together (cf. Acts 2:46; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25; Judges 1:12). [Note: Kent, pp. 34-35; Blaiklock, p. 61.] Elsewhere the phrase describes both an ordinary meal (Luke 24:30; Luke 24:35; Acts 20:11; Acts 27:35) and the Lord’s Supper (Luke 22:19; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:24). Probably these early Christians ate together and as part of the meal, or after it, used their common food, bread and wine, to commemorate Christ’s death. [Note: Neil, p. 81.]

In "the prayers" the believers must have praised and thanked God as well as petitioning and interceding for His glory (cf. Matthew 6:9-13). The article with prayer probably implies formal times of prayer (cf. Acts 1:14), though they undoubtedly prayed together at other times too. [Note: See Daniel K. Falk, "Jewish Prayer Literature and the Jerusalem Church," in The Book of Acts in Its First Century Setting; Vol. 4: The Book of Acts in Its Palestinian Setting, pp. 267-301.]

"Just as Luke has set up in Luke-Acts the parallelism between the Spirit’s work in relation to Jesus and the Spirit’s work in the church, so he also sets up the parallelism between prayer in the life of Jesus and prayer in the life of the church." [Note: Longenecker, p. 290. Cf. 1:14, 24; 4:24-31; 6:4, 6; 9:40; 10:2, 4, 9, 31; 11:5; 12:5; 13:3; 14:23; 16:25; 22:17; 28:8.]

"Prayer is an expression of dependence, and when the people of God really feel their need you will find them flocking together to pray. A neglected prayer meeting indicates very little recognition of one’s true need." [Note: Ironside, Lectures on . . ., p. 77.]

Their persistence in these activities demonstrated their felt need to learn, to encourage one another, to refocus on Christ’s death, and to praise and petition God (Acts 1:1).