They Devoted Themselves | To The Breaking of Bread
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)
Culturally, the idea of breaking of bread has not significantly changed much over time. During the time that Luke wrote the book of Acts, the idea of breaking bread with someone was an act of intimacy with that person. The meal was often spent reclining with one another in an intimate setting as the people ate together. For the people of God to devote themselves to the breaking of bread is not just a sharing of food with one another but an intimacy of shared life with one another. Our modern culture invites people in for the meal as the entry into social connection and progresses to the living room as a more intimate setting. However, in the ancient culture, the shared meal had been one of more intimate things people can do with another.
As the church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, they devoted themselves to this idea of a shared life with one another. The intimacy involved in the breaking of bread together meant sharing the home of another and being in close contact with one another in the process. Our modern idea of personal privacy, while not necessarily a bad thing, inadvertently created an environment in which we guard our life off from other people and choose to do life alone. We segment and quarantine off parts of our life from other people and no one ever gets the full person of our identity. As Christians, we devote ourselves to the breaking of bread, to the share life with one another and withholding anything. Yet, we do this out of our relationship with Jesus Christ and our full identification with the God made flesh who did not withhold Himself from us.
The Fullness of God With Us
The sin of mankind caused a rift to occur between man and God that mankind remains unable to cross. Yet, it was God who revealed Himself fully to man and took on flesh to be with Him. God did not withhold part of Himself from His people but had been willing to give the fullness of His presence to be with people and then later to send the Holy Spirit to dwell within His people for their benefit and God’s glory. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32, ESV) God displayed His full self in the person of Jesus Christ. The fullness of God’s presence in the world came to be with man and dwell among them.
The believer in Christ has full access to God through the person of Jesus Christ. Yet, the Christian does not go alone to be with Christ but with the full body of Christ going together. Christians go with one another in fullness and intimacy as we give everything we have for the sake of the Gospel being proclaimed in all the world. The temptation is to hide things from the presence of God and from the body of Christ. As we approach the cross of Jesus Christ, we lay the fullness of ourselves bare before the fullness of God. We do not need to fear hiding and holding back from the perfect and sovereign God who rules and reigns over all and knows all. Instead, we can approach the fullness of God with the fullness of ourselves as we stand with the full body of Christ in unity of being with Jesus Christ, forever.
Bonding in Fellowship With One Another
Just as we are called to an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, as He takes on flesh to be with us and the Holy Spirit resides within us, the Christian is called to intimate relationship with one another. We are to strive to share our life with one another in all facets of our identity. This means, we invite one another to participate in our lives with one another as family. The body of Christ goes beyond a group of people who meet once a week but is a unified people who invite one another to share in the details and struggles of each others life in order that God will be fully glorified. As the early church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread, there had been a share life among them. The children play together as the parents look out for the community together. Life is shared among them as we willfully admit our struggles with one another. At times this share life and intimacy will be awkward and messy but so is life. The church should not be a place where people put up false facades of having everything together but should be a refreshing place of intimacy where the struggles and the successes are known among one another. Christians have access to one another’s life and the private moments as everything is laid bare before the cross of Christ.
In truth, we need one another to share in our battles, to wage war on sin with one another, and to encourage one another in the faith. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV) As members of the body of Christ, we share in our struggles and our successes as we lift one another up in our shared strength as we glorify God. We stir one another up in our pursuit of God. Yet, this can only be accomplished by a radical vulnerability of being willing to be in relationship with one another. Our pursuit of the righteousness of God should not and cannot be done alone. God is glorified as we fight alongside one another in pursuit of a collective relationship with Jesus Christ.
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
