THE BIG 4
Acts 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Doctrine is listed first. That makes sense because without the Word of God, there is nothing for the Holy Ghost to perform. Without good doctrine, or a good diet of the Word of God, believers can’t grow in their faith. Without good doctrine, the Jewish believer, especially, would turn toward their religious upbringing because it was all they knew. So, the Word of God had to be first place. Later in the book of Acts, we find the Apostles feeding the widows, which is a good thing, but it was keeping them from prayer and the Word. So, they appointed Deacons to handle this very important matter because the spiritual things had to be given first place by the Apostles. Jesus said, “Without me, you can do nothing.” He is the Word made flesh and without the Word, you and I cannot do anything of real value.
Next, we see fellowship. It seemed really important to the Lord that this early group of believers got to know one another. The reason humanity was created was for God to have a family, people created in His likeness and image, so He could fellowship with them on the same level, people who would want to be with Him and would willingly long to be in relationship with Him. This fellowship was to cause these people to become family, to become brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the best ways to really get to know someone is over a meal. They went from house to house and really got to know one another. When you know someone, you can help them; if they fall down, you can encourage them to keep going; if they are going the wrong way, you can redirect them; if things get tough, you can help them hold their place and stay steady.
The third one is breaking of bread, but a better translation would be sharing the Lord’s table. We call it communion today. Jesus told us to do this until He comes back. This is a time they were to remember everything the Lord had done for them through the cross, His death, and His resurrection from the dead. Although, it is more formal today than it was back then, you don’t need a minister to give you a piece of bread and a cup of grape juice. You can do it yourself or, in this case, a group of you could do it in your home before the actual meal. It brought them together, and it gave them a directive to advance the Kingdom of God because they remembered how it all started when their ancestors were in bondage in Egypt; and they knew that every time they partook of the Lord’s table that continued deliverance was theirs as well.
The last major thing the early Church did was pray. They knew the power of their corporate prayer life. They knew when they prayed, God heard them and began to move on their behalf. There has never been a time when prayer was more essential. We need to gather together, as righteous men and women, and make tremendous power available, dynamic in its working. We need to bring a supply of the spirit, especially for those of the household of faith. These were the building blocks of the early church, so let’s keep building on them!