Being Devoted - Acts 2: 42-47

Welcome to the Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast. The communion meditation today is based on a passage of Scripture from the New Testament, Acts 2:42-47. In this passage of Scripture, the author, Luke, describes the devotion of the new Christians to "the breaking of bread" and other elements of worship. As we share in "the breaking of bread," we are prompted to evaluate our own awe and devotion as we reflect on what Jesus has done for us. Scripture quotations today are from the English Standard Version (ESV) and New Living Translation (NLT) and are used with permission

As you listen to the episode today, my hope is that you will be encouraged from the time spent meditating on what Jesus has done for you. You are a special person; the one Jesus died to save!

Transcript

Welcome to Eat This Bread Drink This Cup. The title of my communion meditation today is "Being Devoted." I read from Acts 2: 42-47 (ESV). Scripture quotations today are from the English Standard Version and the New Living Translation and are used with permission.

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

It's one thing to devote yourself to something, like learning a second language or an exercise program, because, after all, it involves only one person deciding. The situation is altogether different for a group of unrelated people to decide to devote themselves to something. Maybe a few could agree but Luke tells us that this group of unrelated people, the newly formed Church of Christ, swelled to over 3000 believers in a single day. That's powerful! And they did not agree on just one thing, but four things: to devote themselves to the apostle's teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. The new believers were filled with awe because they knew they were part of something bigger than themselves—the newly-revealed but long-awaited and much-desired kingdom of God led by the newly-revealed but long-awaited and much-desired Messiah, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God! I believe this realization is what brought them into immediate and total agreement! From reading Acts 2:46, we know the new believers met together day-by-day in the Temple to hear the gospel preached and, in their homes, breaking bread and sharing their food with glad and generous hearts. But in our zeal, did we legitimately add observance of the Lord's Supper to their day-to-day celebration. In Acts 2:42, the Koine Greek word for "breaking" is a noun, klasei, and is found in only one other place in the New Testament, Luke 24, 35, where the same author writes, "Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread." The travelers on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus by the breaking of the bread! This Koine Greek phrase, tē klasei tou artou, the breaking of bread, is synonymous with the Lord's Supper in the mind of the author. The sharing of food later described is likely an extension of the fellowship they enjoyed. The point here is that the early Christians devoted themselves to the breaking of bread in order to remember Jesus and this observance was one of the pillars of their worship. They were humbled by the fact that it was Jesus who they had crucified, and at the same time, they were endeared to Him by sharing in something that Jesus Himself had done with His apostles. Although we are nearly two thousand years removed from their observance, we should likewise devote ourselves to remember what He has done for us by the breaking of bread. Let us pray.

Abba, Father. Today we bless and set aside this bread and the fruit of the vine in this cup to remember Your Son, Jesus. We know that the bread represents His body that was nailed to the cross, and the fruit of the vine represents His blood that He shed for us. As we pour out the wine from the cup, we are reminded of how Jesus poured out His own blood that our sins might be forgiven. Abba, Father, as we read about the devotion of the first century Christians to the apostle's teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer, we want to follow in their example. We want to share the same awe in knowing that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, the kingdom of God, and that Jesus, who is resurrected from the dead, is our King and Savior. Thank-you, Abba, Father, for grace and mercy in sending Jesus to save us. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today, Jesus invites you to partake of His supper. I read from Matthew 26: 26-28 (NLT).

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Let us partake of the bread.

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many." Let us partake of the cup.

And the assembly of believers said, "Amen!"

Until next time, from Numbers 6: 24-26, "May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace."

Artist's Note: If you have questions about the Lord's Supper, I invite you to visit my website, https://eatthisbreaddrinkthiscup.com, for a brief overview. The Eat This Bread Drink This Cup podcast is listed in most podcast directories, and I invite you to add my podcast to your favorites and be notified of new posts. There is a written transcript that accompanies each podcast, and you are free to use the transcript in accordance with US copyright law. My prayer is that you will benefit personally from this time with Jesus and encourage others to observe the Lord's Supper. In these trying times, we need to keep our eyes on Jesus!