Acts 2:42
"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
True fellowship presumes a common bond, founded upon the Truth. The “apostles’ doctrine” is described by Paul in Ephesians 2:20 as the very foundation on which the church (the elect, redeemed and called-out ones) is built, with Jesus Christ the Chief Cornerstone. Fellowship is founded solely upon the Person and work of the LORD Jesus Christ, to the satisfaction of God the Father, revealed in the heart by the Spirit of Grace. Where this oneness does not exist, there is NO fellowship. As stated in 1 John 1:6 ,"If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not the truth.”
Many profess to have fellowship, yet they continue to walk in darkness—blindness, unbelief, and an unconverted state regarding the unrighteousness of their own works as evil, nor will they come to Him alone in Faith and walk in Him, who is the Light. Without the blood shed of the LORD Jesus Christ unto death, and without the Righteousness imputed by God the Father to their spiritual account by His death at the cross, they remain in darkness. True fellowship is the fruit of Christ’s work, by which believers are "reconciled unto God in one body by the cross" (Ephesians 2:16).
The word for fellowship in the ancient Greek is koononia, meaning communion. There is a threefold cord that binds believers together in fellowship.
1. Steadfastness in the Apostles’ Doctrine
The first and most fundamental element is that “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” This refers to the doctrine of Christ’s coming, His perfect obedience to God the Father, His sacrificial death, and His resurrection for the justification of those that the Father gave Him from before the foundation of the world.
2. Blending Fellowship with Life
Another characteristic emphasized here is the integration of fellowship with daily life. True fellowship extends beyond the four walls of a church building. It encompasses the shared life of the Lord’s people outside of formal times of worship. “They continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine . . . and in breaking of bread.” The breaking of bread was not limited to the observance of the Lord’s supper but also included their shared meals in one another’s homes, where they enjoyed the oneness and fellowship together in Christ.
3. Habitual Devotion to Christ and Each Other
True worship and fellowship are a way of life, affecting everything believers think, say, or do as God’s elect. They continued steadfastly together in not only the apostles’ doctrine and the breaking of bread but also in their devotion Christ and to one another. This devotion was expressed through mutual care, the love of Christ, and prayers for one another.
True oneness and fellowship with the Lord’s people is the fruit of Christ’s work even as He prayed in John 17:11: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.”
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