Session 3: The Way

Session Overview

Confessional Statement

Disciples of Christ: earnestly receive God’s salvation by repenting from sin and pledging faith in Christ, publicly declare their faith commitment and community participation through baptism, and get established in faith essentials as part of a Christian community.

Key Elements

• Key Passage: Acts 2:42-47
• Scripture Memory: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
• Catechism Question: Q: What does commitment to Christ look like? A: Devotion.

Introduction

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

His cross is the sweetest burden that ever I [bore]; it is such a burden as wings are to a bird, or sails are to a ship, to carry me forward to my harbour. I have not much cause to fall in love with the world; but rather to wish that He who [sits] upon the floods would bring my broken ship to land, and keep my conscience safe in these dangerous times; for wrath from the Lord is coming on this sinful land.

Disciples of Christ make God’s agenda their highest priority. As much as Jesus first calls us to trust him in faith and express this faith in baptism, he then calls us to align all areas of our lives under God’s control. Often called discipleship, the realignment of beliefs, behaviors, habits, relationships, priorities, and purpose is a process of reordering our lives after God’s ways. Such a work requires full submission to and complete commitment to God. God desires that we surrender our lives to him without distraction, competition, or hesitation. With deep and abiding trust, genuine disciples live under the reign and rule of God as sovereign king of the universe and their lives. As a Christian, our lives become an offering fully dedicated to God in worship and wholly fixed on God in devotion.

Although disciples aim to be devoted to Christ, we live in a world where forces are constantly working to divert our focus from God and his purposes for our lives. Even for Christians, obstacles challenge our devotion to God. Trials threaten our trust in God’s faithfulness. Sin tempts us to part from God’s ways. The ideologies of the world and the values of surrounding culture assault foundations of the truth. A fierce and evil adversary, Satan, seeks to destroy God’s people. Even our own desires and ambitions—vestiges from our old sinful way of life—can compete with what matters most to God. Any number of pressures or attacks can shake the faith of a believer or believing community, causing us to lose our center of gravity and drift from God’s priorities. In this regard, it is important that Christians and churches become established in the faith, rooted and grounded in God’s ways.

The Christian life can be summed up as undivided loyalty and unbridled commitment to God. When God becomes foremost in our lives, we begin to see all other areas of life fall into proper alignment. Prior to becoming Christians, all of us held value systems, harbored emotions, encouraged habits, and developed patterns of life that were not in alignment with God’s ways. Placing faith in Christ and publicly confirming that faith in baptism, disciples enter a process of becoming strengthened and established in this newfound faith. Similar to the unfolding of the Acts 2 narrative, faith and baptism are not the end of a Christian’s journey. In Acts 2:42–47, we see the community of baptized believers devote themselves to God’s ways in the context of Christian community. This passage is a summary picture of what it looks like for the community of faith to reorder their lives after God’s priorities.

No one casually becomes a Christian. Genuine faith in the gospel and public profession at baptism involve a wholehearted commitment of one’s entire life to Christ. Such surrender to Christ anticipates that God will transform our lives, shaping them and ordering them after his ways. While disciples can usually come to saving faith and get baptized in a short period of time, it usually takes time to get established in the faith. There is hopeful news! God has supplied his Holy Spirit and a loving church community with whom to trek together along this journey of Christian growth. Seeing the road ahead, let’s take comfort (and inspiration) from this condensed summary of the devoted life of the earliest Christians. May the community life of the first Christians become a roadmap for your own establishing process!

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: Read the biblical passage. Answer the following questions to familiarize yourself with the scriptural narrative. Then in the Storycraft section, retell this story in your own words in a way that is accurate, natural, and reproducible.

Storycraft: In Your Own Words

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: Discuss the following questions as a community. For help answering these questions, read the Commentary on the following pages to uncover core principles this passage teaches about the Christian faith.

Commentary: Principles of Godly Parenting

Key Idea:

Jesus is calling his community of disciples to establish themselves in the essentials of the faith by being fully devoted to Christ in every life sphere.

Introduction

In general, sincere devotion to someone involves more than casual commitment, nonchalant involvement, or general association. When speaking of devotion to God, this is true to a greater degree. True devotion to God entails diligent, sacrificial, and steadfast commitment: a commitment in which one fully surrenders every area of life to God. God expects no less. In genuine faith, believers entrust their lives to Jesus. Through baptism, disciples publicize their allegiance to Christ. In the context of church community, baptized believers establish themselves in the essentials of the Christian faith, reordering their lives after God’s intended design.

In the brief summary of Acts 2:42-47, we catch a glimpse of the life of the early church in its infant days. They were God-fearing, Christ-believing, and Spirit-filled believers who had given their lives wholly to God. The early Christians, now filled with the Spirit, modeled this devotion by dedicating themselves to God and his priorities. This group of Christ-followers prioritized the teaching of God’s Word, meaningful fellowship with one another, table fellowship, and prayer. They witnessed God’s powerful and transformative work in their midst. Their love for God translated into love for one another, selling possessions to meet community needs. They met together on a regular basis—in homes and in the temple—and experienced joy, practiced generosity, and worshiped God. People observed the life of the early Christians and as a result many more disciples came to faith in Christ. This brief and profound passage highlights how the church community devoted themselves to God, the teachings of Christ, one another, and God’s purposes in the world. Their example is an inspiration and instruction to believers in all times and cultures.

Responding to the call to follow Christ, Christians enjoy glorious promises of life, forgiveness, and nearness to God. These promises, however, do not mean that Christian disciples enjoy an easy or unchallenged life. On the contrary, Jesus explained to the first disciples that they should expect affliction, opposition, and hardship as they follow Christ. It is no less the case for us today. The life of a disciple is not easy. Gratefully, we do need to weather the challenges of the Christian life alone. God equips and empowers his people with his Holy Spirit. As Christ reigns and rules in heaven, he undertakes for his people who presently live on the earth. God the Father protects, preserves, and sustains the community of faith at all times. Christians participate in a faith community in which fellow members encourage, uplift, and support one another through the journey of faith.

As we explore Acts 2:42–47, we learn about basic aspects of Christian devotion. The Christian life does not stop at baptism. Rather, baptism launches new believers into an ordered process of becoming established in the faith and the Christian community. We are not left without guidance on this next leg of our faith journey. God has recorded how the earliest members of the Christian church went about the same task. May we find the example of the early Christians a fitting roadmap for our journey in the days ahead!

A Devout People: Fully Devoted to God

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:42). Filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit, the early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (2:42). In this statement, we see that the early disciples were loyal, committed, and faithful. Their commitment to Jesus resulted in them being fully invested in God’s priorities. Additionally, their commitment to Christ resulted in their commitment to one another. Four of these priorities—faith practices—are outlined as followed: the apostolic teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers.

By giving themselves to the apostles’ teaching, these early believers were committing themselves to the truth. The apostles’ teaching involved the foundational truths of what disciples believe and how disciples should live. The early church community studied, taught, and applied the truth to their lives. These early disciples also engaged meaningfully in fellowship. This practice of fellowship entailed living a shared life in community with other believers. Christian disciples lived generous and sacrificial lifestyles (cf. 2:44–45) and enjoyed deep bonds with one another (cf. 2:46). Truly, the shared bonds around the truth—the teachings of Christ—made these deep bonds of community relationship possible.

Bringing together deep fellowship and apostolic truth, the early church also devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. Part of the early Christian worship involved a table fellowship: sharing a meal together (cf. 2:46–47). Part of this meal involved a more sacred meal called the Lord’s Supper (eucharist) in which Christians ate bread and drank wine to remember Jesus’ death, take confidence in his resurrection, and hope in his coming return. In this act of worship, Christians confessed common belief in gospel truth and enjoyed rich fellowship with one another. Being so intimately woven together as a body of believers, the early church also gave themselves fully to prayer. Believers petitioned God for his intervention in their lives. This Christian practice allowed believers to worship God (giving thanks to God and affirming his praise) and care for one another (bearing the burdens of others by making requests to God on behalf of needy disciples).

Biblical Principles. This opening verse gives an initial picture of Christ’s earliest followers committing themselves to the faith in the context of a thriving and vibrant faith community. The specific priorities listed in this passage show the focus of the early church, and they should instructively serve the people of God in all generations and cultures. Commitment to Christ requires full- fledged surrender; faith in Christ involves submission to God’s authority in every area of life. This commitment to God also results in a commitment to other believers. God himself being a Divine Community—one God who eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—he calls his people to enjoy a common life with one another. This common life is nurtured around truth, fellowship, meals, and prayer.

Awe Came Upon All: Opening Up to God’s Outstretched Arm

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:43). As the early Christians gave themselves to God’s priorities (cf. 2:42), they experienced God’s transforming and powerful work among them. In the devoted life of the early church, “awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (2:43). God was working mightily. Wonders were being performed. Signs were being done. God accomplished these deeds “through the apostles” (2:43). The result of these mighty deeds was high regard and esteem for God. People responded with deep reverence for God because he was performing extraordinary deeds in their midst. A sense of awe captured people’s spirits. The devotion of the early Christians provided fertile soil for them to witness and participate in God’s powerful work.

Biblical Principles. Only God can establish his people in the faith. Certainly, Christians can (and should) give themselves to personal practices and community habits that bring their lives under fuller submission to God’s authority. But only God’s power can bring about the necessary change in the lives of believers. This is shown particularly true by the miraculous deeds God performed among the early Christians. We may or may not experience miraculous events in the same way as the early Christians. However, we can still experience the outstretched arm of God. God saving humans from sin is a miraculous event—one that could only be accomplished by God’s power. When God works, extraordinary things happen. To truly experience God’s powerful hand at work, fear and awe arise in our hearts. Whatever these miracles and wonders were for the early Christians, they were an attestation to them (and to us) that life transformation, renewal, and restoration is possible through the power of God’s hand.

As Any Had Need: Meeting Community Needs with Sacrificial Commitment

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:44–45). As the early Christians experienced God’s transforming hand powerfully in their midst, the Christian community experienced a deep sense of commitment to each other. All of the believers “were together and had all things in common” (2:44) to the point that “they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (2:45). The early Christians practiced sacrificial community living. Part of their devotion to Christ was their committed care for other believers. The common belief and baptism that brought them into a faith community were the same foundations that fueled their support of each other. Truly, the early Christians lived a life of shared faith, relational togetherness, common faith, sacrificial giving, and mutual care. The generosity behind this reciprocal care strengthened the church and became a resounding witness to the surrounding world (cf. 2:46–47).

Biblical Principles. The deep bonds of Christian fellowship are galvanized as Christians concretely meet the pressing needs of fellow believers. What was modeled by the early church in Acts 2:44–45 should become a personal manifesto for every believer. Each disciple should be meaningfully embedded in the life of a believing community such that they can participate in meeting the needs of others and also have their own needs met. To accomplish this reality, churches need to embody a character of vulnerability and transparency so that believers can be known by other trusted members. Likewise, community members need to be interconnected to such a degree that they can act generously and sacrificially to meet the needs of their fellow brothers and sisters in God’s family. Again, at its core, commitment to God involves meaningful involvement and mutual investment in the lives of other believers.

At a Heart Level: Experiencing Deep Life Transformation

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:46). The earliest believers regularly met together. In the summary before us, we are told that “day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (2:46). The early Christians were in frequent and ongoing contact with one another. As Christians with a Jewish heritage, they met together in the normal temple services. These larger gatherings allowed for the larger group of believers to have a sense of connection with one another. Then, they gathered in homes as a close-knit body of believers. These more intimate meetings provided a place for deepening relationships, teaching, prayer, worship, and common confession of their faith. This first community of Christians met in larger worship assemblies and in smaller home gatherings. As they shared their lives with one another (in both settings), these Christians were affected in deep and abiding ways. They experienced gladness and generosity. In their gladness, the early Christians were filled with joy. In their generosity, the early Christians were moved to benevolence. This profound joy and radical generosity helped sustain the devotion of the early Christians. Even through unrelenting persecution, Christians have been able to sustain their commitment to Christ with rejoicing and sacrifice.

Biblical Principles. The Christian life was not designed for individual existence. While all believers are individually responsible before God, believers were meant to enjoy relationship with one another. An established Christian is one who meets together with God’s people on a regular basis. Likewise, mature churches gather frequently. When together, they worship God and fellowship with one another in a way that brings joy and fuels generosity. Maturity in the faith is handicapped and halted without meaningful and ongoing interconnections with other believers. Like a tree out of soil, the Christian without a church community lacks the necessary (God-designed) context for growth. But when a Christian is firmly planted in a loving and thriving church—a church that is devoted one to another because of its devotion to God—the roots of the believer can mature and deepen in a way that results in both personal growth and the edification of the whole church community.

A Double Love: Praising God and Winning the People’s Favor

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:47). The early Christians maintained right relationship with God and other people. In the context of a vibrant and worshiping community life, these Christ-followers were “praising God and having favor with all the people” (2:47a). In praise, the early Christians celebrated God’s goodness, announced his worth, esteemed his greatness, and basked in his glory. By having favor with the people, the early Christians were respected and esteemed by the people in the surrounding community. The church had a good reputation even among those who were not believers. In fact, even when the church came to experience persecution, believers gained favor from those in society by the character of their community life. Christianity’s focused orientation of worship to God formed the early Christians into a distinct and noteworthy people who gripped the attention of the surrounding world.

Biblical Principles. God’s people are a worshiping people. Foundational to Christianity is pure worship of God. Jesus’ saving work—the core content of the gospel—makes worship possible by restoring sinful people into a reconciled relationship with God. God’s people praise God in prayer, teaching, song, conversation, or witness. In praise, Christians declare God’s greatness, celebrate his majesty, confess his character, publicize his glory, and give thanks for his good and gracious works. This worship focus—a God-centered orientation— allows believers to have an appropriate relationship with others (even those who are not believers). If Christians first seek to have favor with people, they will too easily accommodate cultural and societal values and jettison fundamentals of the Christian faith. The distinctiveness of Christianity is lost by those who assimilate to the surrounding world in order to gain approval and validation from others. But, Christians who dedicate themselves to a right worship of God are formed into a uniquely Christian people. Such faith communities are noticed by the world, not for their similarity with surrounding culture, but for the marked difference with which they live their lives. Established Christians worship God unapologetically and, through this uninhibited devotion, become a compelling witness of the gospel to the watching world.

Day by Day: Adding People to the Number of the Faithful

Biblical Narrative (Acts 2:47). The worship of the early Christians led to a large influx of new converts. At the end of this summary of the worship and devotion of the early church, we note that “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (2:47). As the narrative unfolds, there seems to be a possible correspondence between the day by day community gathering of the early church—”And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes” (2:46)—and the day by day conversions they experienced—”And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (2:47). As the church devoted itself to Christ and one another, it bore witness to the gospel of Christ. The vibrant community life of the early church was one of God’s evangelistic strategies to have the gospel spread in the church’s local sphere of influence. A church absorbed with the glory of God, genuinely concerned about the needs of its community members, respectful and caring toward outsiders, committed to its core teaching, and overflowing with joy and generosity would have been an appealing contrast to the arid and sterile religions in the surrounding culture. These Christians practiced their faith in a way that compelled unbelievers to investigate the claims of the faith.

Biblical Principles. The church expressed devotion to Christ by participating in God’s mission in the world. Devotion to God involves participation in gospel evangelism (i.e., sharing the faith with others). Devotion to God leads to personal transformation and a vibrancy in the life of the Christian community. This devotion fuels our gospel witness in other spheres of influence. When we praise God, prioritize his ways, sacrifice for the needs of others, share a common life of mutual care, display a firm commitment to the truth, and exhibit the deep joy and generosity of community life, we become shaped as a faith community. Formed in this way, the character of Christian community becomes attractive to the world. In word and deed, the church expresses its devotion to Christ by participating in the progress of the gospel. Mature Christians, established and rooted in the faith, are active agents in sharing the good news of the gospel. Through the character of one’s life and the verbal proclamation of the gospel message, mature disciples of Jesus multiply themselves, and devoted churches multiply Christian communities.

In Short: Coming to Terms with True Devotion in the Context of Christian Community

Jesus is calling his community of disciples to establish themselves in the essentials of the faith by being fully devoted to Christ in every life sphere. First and foremost, true devotion involves a commitment to God. The early Christians committed themselves to God. They devoted themselves to “the prayers” (2:42; specific prayers rather than just general prayer). They were diligent in “attending the temple together” (2:46) on a regular basis. They were noted for “praising God” (2:47). And as a result of their commitment to God, “awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles” (2:43). The life of the early Christians was centered around giving God praise, seeking him in dependent prayer, and faithfully entering into his presence. In our own lives and churches, we should remember that a mature Christian faith expresses itself in growing devotion to God.

True worship also involves a commitment to God’s ways. The early Christians committed themselves to the “apostles’ teaching” (2:42). They were grounded in right belief (2:42, 44), godly conduct (2:42–43), formative habits (2:42, 44–46), meaningful community (2:42, 45–47), devoted worship (2:42–43, 46–47; cf. 2:37–41), and gospel mission (2:47; cf. 2:22–41). The Christian community had placed their faith in the gospel of Christ—the message Peter gave in Acts 2:22–36 (2:44; cf. 2:37–41)— and they had also dedicated themselves to a new way of life. In general, the apostles’ teaching comprised the saving truth of the gospel and also the lifestyle implications for how one should live their life as a disciple of Jesus. As these Christians practiced God’s ways, they bore a marked difference when compared to the rest of their culture. In their new life, “they received their food with glad and generous hearts” (2:46). Faith maturity follows when believers and churches root themselves in the truth of God’s Words, becoming increasingly faithful to follow the “apostles’ teaching” in every area of life.

Additionally, true worship involves a commitment to God’s people. The early church devoted themselves to “the fellowship” (2:42). This fellowship was a unified commitment to a shared community life. This community was more than casual social affinity. The believers interacted with one another in ways that reflected the deep bonds of intimate family relationships. Common to family participation, the church community practiced “the breaking of bread” (2:42; cf. 2:46), gathered in homes (2:46), and frequently “were together” (2:44). They gathered together regularly “attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes” (2:46) and did so “day by day” (2:46). These believers also shared their possessions with one another. In the early church, “all who believed were together and had all things in common” (2:44). Believers in Christ grow in their faith as they actively and meaningfully participate in the life of the Christian community.

Lastly, true worship involves a commitment to God’s world. Embodying a distinct community character, the early church experienced “favor with all the people” (2:47). Their influence in the surrounding community was so pervasive that “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (2:47). God used the apostles to perform “many wonders and signs” so that “awe came upon every soul” (2:43). The early Christians were meaningfully engaged in surrounding society, making an impact and participating in the progress of the gospel. Christians grow in their faith as they embrace their own role and responsibility in advance of the gospel and the expansion of the church to regions beyond.

Conclusion

The early Christians practiced their faith with sincerity. Their belief in Christ brought about transformation in every area of life. In their devotion to Christ, the earliest Christians practiced and prioritized habits that further established them in their faith. These believers prioritized the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and prayer. They practiced radical generosity and mutual care as they met the pressing needs of other community members. They gathered together on a regular basis and experienced deep joy as they shared their new life as Christians. They faithfully praised God and maintained a compelling witness to the surrounding world. This witness resulted in many people becoming disciples of Christ.

The community life of the early Christians is an inspiration and instruction to us today. Their devotion is a model of wholehearted commitment to Christ which resulted in a dedication to God, God’s ways, God’s people, and God’s mission in the world. If you have come to faith in Christ and publicly dedicated yourself to this faith in baptism, God invites us to mature in our faith by reordering our lives after God’s design. The summary of the early Christian community life in Acts 2:42–47 is a roadmap to guide us on that journey. May God cause you to flourish as your life (more and more) comes wholly under submission to Christ!

Session 3 Synopsis

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: Use the reflection questions to examine your life in light of this biblical passage. Then, follow the instructions for the Spiritual Practice as a way to apply the truth of this passage to your life.

Spiritual Practice: Fully Devoted

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

If…we are to live unto God at any time, or in any place, we are to live unto him at all times, and in all places … [if things are] the best things at all times, and in all places … they are the best things at any time or in any place.

Part of the path of discipleship is to align our goals and aspirations with God’s will for our lives. In essence, we want to have God’s priorities become our priorities. Offering our whole lives to God in worship involves dedicating every sphere of life to him: allowing God to recalibrate what should be important to us. In effect, we are striving to make God “first and foremost” in our lives. God desires to unleash his blessing in our lives as we make him our all in all. As the early Christians were fully devoted in their commitment to God, so God calls us to a life of worship by being fully devoted to his priorities. In order to aid in this process, the exercise below is meant to help you think of your life in light of God’s priorities. Prayerfully consider the upcoming phase of your life and try to come up with a concrete and measurable goal for each sphere of your life: individual, family, church, and world. Take the time to think about what goals in each sphere would align your life around God’s priorities. Then, discuss these priorities and plans with others in your church community.

Community Covenant/Intentions

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth