“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
(Acts 2:42)
Those early believers referenced in this second chapter of Acts realized that the ordinances of Christ were essential means through which the Lord nourished His people. As a result, their steadfast faithfulness to those ordinances demonstrated their love for Him and dependence on His appointed means of grace. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine, to the fellowship of the saints, to the breaking of bread, and to public prayer because they understood that God ordinarily strengthens faith through these ordinances.[1]
The church is never healthier than when it gladly embraces everything Christ has commanded. The preaching of the Word instructs the mind and convicts the conscience. Fellowship binds believers together in mutual care and encouragement. The Lord’s Supper visibly proclaims the death of Christ and nourishes faith through His covenant promises. Prayer lifts the church together before the throne of grace in dependence upon God. None of these ordinances compete with one another. But rather together they form the ordinary pattern of congregational life established by Christ through His apostles. These things should not be forgotten, nor neglected.
This pattern reminds us that Christianity is sustained by faithful submission to these divine appointments. God has given ordinances that direct the church toward Christ and continually call believers back to the gospel. When these means are neglected or treated lightly, spiritual weakness soon follows.
The Lord’s Supper especially deserves careful attention, for it is a covenant ordinance that proclaims the Lord’s death until He comes. Whenever believers gather around the table in faith, they testify that their hope rests entirely in the crucified and risen Savior. The bread and cup remind us of the sufficiency found in Christ alone and that the promises of the gospel are grounded in His finished work.
God preserves His people through appointed means. He builds them by His Word, encourages them through fellowship, nourishes them at His table, and sustains them through prayer. To neglect these gifts while expecting spiritual maturity is to ignore the very instruments Christ has provided for growth in grace.
Faithful participation in public worship likewise guards believers against isolation. Christianity was never intended to be lived alone. The members of Christ’s body strengthen one another through shared worship, mutual exhortation, and common confession of the truth. The visible gathering of God’s people bears witness that Christ has redeemed a people for Himself and continues to dwell among them by His Spirit.
This passage therefore calls every believer to examine his priorities. Do I treasure the means Christ has appointed, or do I regard them as occasional conveniences? Do I hunger for the preaching of the Word, delight in the fellowship of the saints, approach the Lord’s Table with reverence, and value corporate prayer?
Christ continues to bless His people through the same ordinances established long ago. As believers continue in these gifts with humility and gratitude, they discover afresh the richness of communion with Christ and with one another.
Contemplations:
- Examining My Commitment to God’s Ordinances. I often assume that spiritual growth will happen naturally while giving little thought to the means God has appointed to produce it. When I neglect the gathering of God’s people or approach worship carelessly, I should not be surprised if my soul grows weak. I need to view these ordinances not as obligations to endure but as privileges through which Christ ministers His grace to His people.
- Considering My Attitude Toward the Lord’s Table. The breaking of bread points me again and again to the sufficiency of Christ’s sacrifice. I want to come to His table with repentance, faith, and gratitude rather than indifference. Each opportunity reminds me that my acceptance before God rests entirely in His body that was broken and His blood that was shed for sinners. Such meditation strengthens my faith.
- Acknowledging My Need for the Church. There are times when I think I can stand alone, yet Scripture continually directs me back to the fellowship of God’s people. I need their encouragement, correction, prayers, and example. My spiritual health is closely connected to faithful participation in the body that Christ Himself purchased.
- Confessing My Careless Priorities. When I honestly evaluate my schedule and affections, I can see how easily menial concerns crowd out eternal realities. I sometimes devote more energy to temporary matters than to hearing God’s Word or joining His people in worship. This reveals misplaced priorities that require repentance. I desire a heart that gladly orders every part of life around communion with Christ and obedience to His commands.
Prayer (Confession):
Merciful Father, I confess that I have not always treasured the means of grace as I ought. Too often I have approached Your ordinances with divided attention, allowing routine, distraction, or worldly concerns to diminish my gratitude for the gifts You have provided. I have failed to hunger for Your Word as I should, neglected opportunities for faithful fellowship, and allowed my heart to grow dull toward privileges that countless believers have cherished through suffering and sacrifice.
Forgive me for treating lightly what Your Son established for the strengthening of His church. Cleanse me from spiritual complacency and from the pride that imagines I can flourish apart from constant dependence upon You. Renew within me a sincere love for public worship, for the fellowship of the saints, for the breaking of bread, and for united prayer.
Grant that my repentance would not consist in words only but in renewed obedience. Give me delight in the ordinary means by which You sanctify Your people, and make me steadfast in seeking Christ through every ordinance He has appointed. And let my life display a growing dependence on Your grace and a thankful submission to Your wisdom.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Acts 20:7; Acts 1:14; Phil. 1:5; 1 John 1:7
[1] Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas Goodwin, vol. 11 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1865), 388-391.
