Gods Prescription for Assembly Practice Acts 2:41-42

www.insidethebible.ca /gods-prescription-for-assembly-practice-acts-241-42/
Micah Hackett
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three
thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and
in prayers.
Acts is the second volume of Lukes two-part treatise to Theophilus on the beginnings of Christianity. The first book,
the gospel, spoke of Christs ministry and the foundation of the faith; now as we come to acts we see the apostolic
ministry and the function of the faith. It is a book filled with evangelism and gospel efforts. It is a book filled with
wonderful stories of conversion. But we would certainly be at a loss if we didnt realize this one point: from the very
beginning, God set the assembly to be the context of it all. Here in Acts 2, with Pentecost being the background, we
see the first real glimpse into assembly life in the early church. Of course, it is still a pattern not fully developed at
this point, but it brings to us the foundations on which the fuller revelation would build.
Candidates for Membership Who Is the Assembly For?
There are three main spheres of obedience that God demands in the life of an individual: salvation, baptism, and
fellowship in an assembly. Where there is salvation, there should be baptism in the near future. Where there is
baptism, there should be assembly fellowship in the near future. Because of Scriptures emphasis on these things, it
should be obvious that all are essential in the life of one who claims the name Christian. It is important that we
realize, too, that verse 41 presents a very logical progression that cant and shouldnt be improved upon. Notice that
salvation is dependent upon simply receiving his word, that is, the gospel message. It is not dependent upon
baptism; however, baptism is certainly dependent upon salvation. The same goes for being added to fellowship
with Gods people in assembly capacity. Salvation and baptism do not come after some sort of church observance;
but true membership in an assembly has salvation and baptism as prerequisites. This should be a great
encouragement for us, because it implies that part in the very house of God is not only for the spiritual elite, if there
existed such a concept. The assembly is a place of growth. It is a place of support. It is a place of learning. It is a
place of combined worship. We should be thankful that God offers these things to each one of us. But this then begs
the question, Where does my desire lie? Every one of the 3,000 saved at Pentecost was ready to associate with
Gods people and Gods pattern, and in that day such could have cost many their lives. Let us be thankful that God
invites us to His assembly; how will we respond to such an invitation?
Manner of Obedience
They continued steadfastly. These are the words used to describe fresh believers and their response to what God
called them to. So convicted were they of the truth of God, that they saw it as demanding full attention. It is no
wonder that they thought this way, since these were the same who gladly received his word. Some translations say
They persevered, while some say They devoted themselves, with others saying They gave constant
attention In all of these the point should be quite clear: these Christians gave their all to the assembly, because
they had a holy conviction that this was where God called them. We may know in our minds that God has called us,
but does this kind of devotion accompany that knowledge? Or has Christianity and assembly life simply become a
compartment that we give attention to at certain times of the day and of the week? Surely this passage should be a
rebuke to us if so: these believers had nowhere near the revelation we have concerning the local church, and yet
they by simple faith dubbed it worthy of full attention. How should any less be expected of us when we have Gods
complete pattern for His assembly? How, then, do we continue? Do we continue arbitrarily? Half-heatedly? When
convenient? Or do the things of God command our full attention in every circumstance, convenient or not?

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The Four Pillars of the Assembly

We have seen briefly something of the membership of the assembly as well as devotion to the assembly. But the
question still remains, what should the members expect to be devoted to when they sign on as it were to being part
of that assembly? Here we have four great pillars that make up the fundamentals of assembly life, and these are
what we are called to continue faithfully in.
The first of these is apostolic teaching, the body of which we have in the New Testament the faith once for all
delivered unto the saints. It is only logical that this appears first, since there can be no unity in fellowship, no reason
for the breaking of bread, and no intelligence in prayer unless doctrine is the foundation. What is doctrine exactly? It
is simply teaching. Devotion to the apostles doctrine is faithfulness to the teaching of Scripture. Those who gladly
receive Gods message as to their salvation should be more than willing to gladly receive it as to what they must
uphold as believers, and this is exactly what we see with the Jerusalem Christians. What about 21 st century
Christians? Where do we get our cues? From postmodern evangelicalism? From a denominational creed? Or from
Gods Word? An assembly by Gods definition is one in which Scripture is given highest authority. Are we happy with
the simplicity of the teaching of the apostles?
Secondly, where there is unity in doctrine there can be unity in function, that is, fellowship. In reality this is already
expressed in the fact that They (plural) continued. Fellowship is a word that denotes commonality and
participation; where there is first of all oneness in purpose, fellowship brings oneness in fulfilling that purpose.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. How true of an
assembly! But the question still remains, What kind of reward will be mine with the amount I fellowship with my
assembly? Are its meetings our priority? Are its people our joy? Is its growth in our prayers? By this shall all men
know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. If this is not true in an assembly, it is not true
anywhere.
Thirdly, we have the breaking of bread as a main assembly function; it is another name for the Lords Supper. What
was its purpose? The Lord gave us the purpose when He instituted it: Do this in remembrance of Me. What was its
frequency? Acts 20:7 says And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread,
Paul preached unto them Obviously it was every Sunday that the Lords Supper took place. How precious that
God would give us in an assembly the capacity to break bread with Gods people and remember the Lord we all
love. What a privilege to begin our week with a solemn reminder of the Lord Whose authority we must own daily. And
how appropriate that God would make His Son the joy and focus of each assembly He forms.
Finally, we see prayers. We have seen the doctrinal aspect of the assembly in the apostles teaching. We have seen
the practical aspect of the assembly in fellowship. And we have seen the assemblys devotional aspect in the Lords
Supper. Now we find what seasons them all: prayer. God values a unified people with a sensitivity and desire toward
His purposes; such is seen primarily in prayer. This kind of spirit is seen in Acts 12, Peter therefore was kept in
prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. The same is seen in Acts 14, And
when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the
Lord, on whom they believed. An assembly without prayer is an assembly without power. Let us then not think of a
prayer meeting as a side event, but the foundation of all assembly function. Will we make it a point to be there?
With all of these things, let us give them their proper place. Doctrine has been substituted for pragmatism.
Fellowship has been made non-essential by mega and video churches. The Lords Supper has been made
occasional. Prayer has become old fashioned. This is the attitude of Christendom, but the Biblical assembly will hold
each of these things worth being devoted to. What attitude will we settle for?

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