The discipleship of the Early Church (v 42)

The discipleship of those who believed continued. Luke aims to convey the warm atmosphere of the early church. “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” The Greek word rendered as “devoting” also can be translated as “hold fast” or “persevere.” (1) They were enthusiastic in their faith. The word “enthusiastic” in Greek is “entheos,” meaning “having God within” or “being captured by God.” This enthusiasm was not by human effort, but by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. (2) They were enthusiastic about two things: (a) “The apostles’ teaching,” which was the very content that Jesus taught the apostles during His public ministry. The Holy Spirit reminded the apostles of this teaching. Initially, these teachings were transmitted orally, but later they were written down, eventually forming what we know as the New Testament. (b) The “fellowship” was also a focus of their enthusiasm. This fellowship is called “koinonia” in Greek. The believers were called out from the world (sanctified) and made part of the household of God. One example of the fellowship of believers is “the breaking of bread.” This includes both a regular meal and the Communion. Over time, as disorder began to emerge during the love-feasts (meal gatherings), the practice of having the Communion and meals together came to an end. Another example of the fellowship of the believers is prayer. The use of the definite article with “prayer” indicates that it refers to specific prayers, namely, prayers at the temple.

Wonders and signs (v 43)

“Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” (1) A sense of awe towards God was instilled in everyone’s heart, brought about by the Holy Spirit. (2) “Many wonders and signs were taking place.” The Greek word for “wonders” is “teras,” referring to miracles that invoke awe. “Signs” in Greek is “semeion,” which are miracles that authenticated the apostles’ authority. These miracles were performed by God to confirm the credibility of the apostles’ teaching. Let us learn from the example of the early church. Trying to generate zeal through the desires of the flesh are futile efforts. However, if we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, strength will arise from within. Let us seek the zeal that comes from the Holy Spirit.