The grammatical construction of 2:42 is significant. Here we see that the new believers continued steadfastly in two groups of things: first, in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles; second, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. In each group of two there is the conjunction “and.” This conjunction joins the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles; it is used again to join the breaking of bread and the prayers. However, this conjunction is not used to join these two groups. In other words, these four matters—the teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers—are not one group of four items. Rather, according to the grammatical structure, teaching and fellowship are one group, and breaking of bread and prayers are another group.
We can see from the grammatical construction of this verse that the teaching and the fellowship are of the apostles, but the breaking of bread and the prayers are not of the apostles. The teaching and the fellowship belonged to the apostles, but not the breaking of bread and the prayers. This implies that although we can pray at any place and at any time, we cannot have more than one kind of fellowship. There is only one fellowship, the unique fellowship, the fellowship of the apostles. Likewise, although we can break bread at any time and at any place, we cannot have a teaching different from that of the apostles. On the contrary, as believers we should have only one teaching, the unique teaching, the teaching of the apostles.
Acts 2:43 says, “And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.” Wonders and signs are not part of God’s central testimony of the incarnated, crucified, resurrected, and ascended Christ. Neither are they part of God’s full salvation. Rather, wonders and signs are only evidences that what the apostles preached and ministered and how they acted were absolutely of God, not of man (Heb. 2:3-4).
Acts 2:44 and 45 go on to say, “And all those who believed were together and had all things common; and they sold their possessions and properties and divided them among all according as anyone had need.” We read of the same in 4:32. Having all things common is not a sign of love; it is a sign of Christ’s dynamic salvation that saved the believers from greediness and selfishness. This was practiced only for a short time at the initiation of God’s New Testament economy. It did not continue for the long run as a practice of legality in the church life during Paul’s ministry, as proved by his words in 2 Corinthians 9 and other places.
Acts 2:45 says that the believers sold their possessions and properties and divided them according to need. This also is an evidence of the Lord’s dynamic salvation, which caused the believers to overcome their earthly possessions, which occupy, possess, and usurp fallen mankind (Matt. 19:21-24; Luke 12:13-19, 33-34; 14:33; 16:13-14; 1 Tim. 6:17). Although the dynamic salvation of God caused the believers to forget about earthly possessions, having all things common did not become a formal practice in the church life.
Acts 2:46-47a says, “And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they took their food with exultation and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.” In the initiation of God’s New Testament economy, the early believers and even the first group of apostles were not clear that God had forsaken Judaism with its practices and facilities, including the temple (Matt. 23:38—“your house,” referring to the God-forsaken temple). Hence, they still went, according to their tradition and habit, to the temple for their New Testament meeting.
According to 2:46, day by day the believers broke bread from house to house. The early believers remembered the Lord by breaking bread daily in their houses. This shows their love and enthusiasm toward the Lord.
The Greek words rendered “from house to house” also mean “at home,” in contrast with “in the temple.” The Christian way of meeting together is fitting to God’s New Testament economy, differing from the Judaic way of meeting in the synagogues (6:9). The Christian way of meeting in homes became a continual and general practice in the churches (cf. Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 16:19; Col. 4:15; Philem. 2).
In 2:46 we see that the believers “took their food with exultation and simplicity of heart.” The Greek word for “simplicity” also means singleness. Here it describes the heart being simple, single, and plain, having one love and desire and one goal in seeking the Lord. These early believers were simple, single, sincere, and pure in heart.
According to 2:47a, the believers in the early church life praised God and had favor with all the people. They lived a life that expressed God’s attributes in human virtues, as Jesus the Man-Savior did (Luke 2:52).
Acts 2:47b says, “And the Lord added together those who were being saved from day to day.” For the Lord to add together those who were being saved means that He added them together to the church. The Lord added the saved ones together, and their togetherness was the church. This indicates that from the very beginning of their Christian life the early believers were brought into the corporate church life, not living individualistically as Christians separated from one another. We thank the Lord for this picture of the first church life.