As discussed over the past three days, Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers. Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Devoted themselves. Notice that it was an individual decision to become the church. Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ. What did that look like? How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves?

I see four distinct ways in which they devoted themselves - the first is to the apostle’s teaching, the second is to the fellowship, the third is to the breaking of bread, and the fourth is to prayer.

Intimacy with God doesn’t happen any other way. Prayer is speaking with God and listening and watching, and often times waiting, for His answers. Full devotion to Christ requires a healthy prayer life, and it was a cornerstone of the first church.

Often our fires become dull as a result of a waning prayer life. Just like exercise, everyone needs to choose a routine that works for them. When I exercise, I need a consistent time slot that doesn’t leave wiggle room for excuses, but a routine with a lot of variety to keep me interested and to bring about a number of different results – toning, endurance, cardiovascular health and weight loss.

The same is true to keep my fire white hot in my relationship with God. I need to meet with God in prayer and in study the same time each day, without wiggle room for excuses but with a variety of methods to keep me engaged. Sometimes it’s journaling – writing out my prayers in a conversation with God. Sometimes there are specific needs I plead with God about boldly in prayer. Sometimes I pray through a Psalm by responding to God when something applies directly to my life. Occasionally, after I pray for God to speak to me, I fast in order to keep myself tuned in to listening to His answers. Sometimes my prayer is made up of thanksgiving and praise for who God is and all that He’s done. Whatever the methods, I want to stay faithful to the one who is more faithful than any human being ever could be.

Why wouldn’t we want to pray – to talk to God about everything and anything in an intimate relationship with Him? It heats me up just recalling the times I’ve seen God work in answer to prayer or when He’s conveyed something to me during my prayers. How about you - how do you stay motivated to pray continually, as the Bible directs? What methods can you use to try to stretch yourself in this area? Ever considered a prayer partnership to address these needs in your journey toward full devotion to Christ?

In closing - if we choose to live out being the church as the first believers did in Acts 2: devoting ourselves to the apostle’s teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer, what difference might it make in our lives? In our relationship with Christ? What kind of impact would our lives have on others in our family, our church, our neighborhood, our community, our state, our country, our world? I leave you considering the blessing that the first church was given as a result of their full devotion:

“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” – Acts 2:47

How does that stoke your fire?

~ Kay Evenwel

As discussed over the past two weeks, Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers.  Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” “Devoted themselves.”  Notice that it was an individual decision to…become the church.  Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ.  What did that look like?  How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves to be fully devoted?

I see 4 distinct ways in which they devoted themselves - the first is to the apostle’s teaching, the second is to the fellowship, the third is to the breaking of bread.

I find it interesting that verses 46-47 tell us, “…They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people…”  What a beautiful picture of believers gathered together to remember Christ’s sacrifice and to share a meal with the people they care most about, in the special loving environment that a home can have.  There is a small group at Cypress that begins every gathering with a meal and it’s amazing what it does to bring about community and intimacy within their group.  They are glad and prepared to share authentic community and study with one another after time together like that.

Don’t you just feel special being invited to be together around a table?  What about the Lord’s table?  He invites us to come to it regularly and Cypress Meadows offers corporate communion at His table the first Wednesday of every month.  Practice full devotion by obeying His command to break bread in memory of Him.  It definitely stokes the fire when we remember the extent of His devotion to us.

~ Kay Evenwel

Acts 2 Living – Part II

As discussed last Thursday, Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers.  Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” “Devoted themselves.”  Notice that it was an individual decision to…become the church.  Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ.  What did that look like?  How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves to be fully devoted?

I see 4 distinct ways in which they devoted themselves, and the first is to the apostle’s teaching.  The second is to the fellowship.  The believers submitted themselves to relationships with other Christ followers.  Fellowship was so significant that they not only met regularly as a large body of believers, but also in small groups within their homes.  They did not choose to do one or the other, but both.  Verses 44 – 46 say, “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…”

As a fellowship of believers, we too benefit from both corporate worship as a body and from worship in small groups of believers to personally study and practice our faith.  We are challenged to share our possessions, our resources, our talents, and our faith with anyone as they have need as the first church did.  Submitting these things in full devotion to Christ keeps God on the throne, not the material things or personal talents that we can get caught up in.  We act selflessly rather than selfishly.  Our fires can be quenched when we draw the line at any of these things, or when we neglect meeting together in large and small groups.  We draw our strength from God and one another. — Our encouragement from God and one another.  And our heart grows in love for God and one another when we devote ourselves to the fellowship.
~ Kay Evenwel

Acts 2 Living – Part I

(This is the first in a four-part devotional. We will post one each week. To read all at once, search for the “Acts 2 Living” category within the blog.)

Acts 2:42-47 tells us about the first church – the fellowship of the believers.  Verse 42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”  “Devoted themselves.”  Notice that it was an individual decision to…become the church.  Each believer submitted themselves to full devotion to Christ.  What did that look like?  How did they keep the fire burning white hot inside themselves to be fully devoted?

I see 4 distinct ways in which they devoted themselves, and the first is to the apostle’s teaching.  You can be sure they met despite a 10:10 rule – being in church unless 10 inches of rain or below 10 degrees.  These folks were sold out – the weather didn’t determine attendance; no sleeping in; no family obligations that had to be considered first; no driving distance or traffic to weigh in; no deciding whether to go depending on the topic addressed, the teacher that day, or the kind of music played during worship.

They came expectantly to hear the Word of God preached.—  Expecting to meet God when they came.—  Expecting to hear from God personally— God directing them, gently nudging them, correcting them, affirming them, filling them with His presence, receiving their worship, blessing them and answering their prayers.  God was relevant to everything they faced in their lives and they subjected their lives to a God-filter in how they lived.

In verse 43 it says that one of the things that happened as a result of becoming this church was that, “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.”  Imagine what God would do in Cypress Meadows if we all lived lives devoted to God’s teaching.—  If we came expecting to meet God personally, not adding church as an activity on Sunday that we may or may not be ‘able’ to make.  What if we were sold out?!  What a white-hot fire our church could be!

~ Kay Evenwel