Bible Reading – Acts 2:42-47, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
They devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Devotion
From Acts 2:42-47, we learned that the early church was devoted or committed to the Apostle’s teaching. In his booklet entitled, Fingerprints of the Visible Church, J.V. McGee writes, “The mark of a church is not the height of the steeple nor the sound of the bell. The important issue is whether or not they hold to the Apostle’s teaching. Correct doctrine was one of the fingerprints of the visible church.” In the early church, doctrine mattered. It is no mistake that it is listed first on this list of four.
It is also important to note that the study and discussion of God’s Word was done in the context of community. This community of believers was known by its devotion to God’s Word. Meaningful Christian community is always going to revolve around the teaching of God’s Word. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we see the value of God’s Word as it is shared in community. A good discipleship formula might look something like this: The Word of God (Transformational Truth) + Relational Environments (Transformational Incubators) = Transformational Discipleship. There is life changing power that happens when God’s Word is shared in community.
The Big Question
How are you living out God’s Word today? Do you regularly meet in community to study and discuss God’s Word? What does your personal discipleship journey look like? How has God’s Word shaped your thought processes? How has God used His Word to teach you? Rebuke you? Correct you? Train you? How has God used others in your spiritual journey?
Spend some time in prayer meditating on what God revealed to you today.