“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2:42)
At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out and had filled people’s hearts. Many people came to faith and joined the church. Today’s text tells us what these people did after their conversion and their being filled with the Holy Spirit.
They were studying “the apostles’ teaching”. Some examples of the apostles’ speeches are written down in the book of Acts, and these make clear what “the apostles’ teaching” was about: they told people about Jesus Christ, about the meaning of his death and resurrection, and they showed how all this was already prophesied in the Old Testament.
Nowadays, there are no eye-witnesses of Jesus’ ministry anymore, but we have their careful records in the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The theological interpretation and explanation of Jesus’ death is worked out in many New Testament letters. And we have the Old Testament as well. So, we too can study “the apostles’ teaching”!
Moreover, these new believers devoted themselves to fellowship, to the breaking of bread (=the Lord’s Supper) and prayers. All these elements are important in a Spirit-filled life. Having the Holy Spirit in our hearts does not make any of this superfluous!
Are these elements part of your life as a Christian?