Acts 2:42 (ESV Strong's)
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
Formula for Success
As a leadership coach I am often asked, “What is the best way to find success?” Many people want to know the “secret” or, better, the “short-cut” for success. They often want a five step program that guarantees them success at the end. Business management is all about “success” and “progress.” In the above passage we have Dr. Luke’s summary of the early church. It should be noted that most business management schools do not study the growth of the church in their growth management classes. They study the Fortune 500 lists each year. Those are the company’s that interest them for growth. But, the Christian church actually sets the bar for growth. There has been no other organization in the history of mankind that has grown at the rate and depth as the Kingdom of God via the Church of Christ. In the above passage we see the necessary and correct way for growth and success. There are a number of parts to the formula:
1. Teaching: Success begins with attention to God’s Word and our obedience to that word. The early church spent much time in teaching. In fact, in Acts 6 we see that the Apostles wanted support in the service areas of the ministry so they could give attention to the teaching of the Word.
2. Fellowship: The early church spent much time in “fellowship” with each other. This is why in the tenth chapter of Hebrews that author makes sure the members of the early church, during suffering, do not stop assembling together. There is something about the dynamic of people being together in order to hold each other accountable, encourage each other and/or praise God together.
3. Breaking the Bread: The breaking of bread probably means remember the death and resurrection of Christ around the Lord’s Table. It could mean and did end up as a festival (that the Corinthian church abused). But, the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice is the foundation of the Church. Foundational remembrances is essential for growth.
4. Prayer: The early church spent much time in prayer. We only have to read the next few chapters in Acts to see their commitment to prayer. In John 17 we read that Jesus made sure they knew they would have access to God in prayer. He died for that to be possible.
These four areas are the key to success. It is doubtful that most of the business schools in the world would even teach any thing remotely about the Christian church. But, true success, before God and man, is to teach and learn God’s Word, fellowship with God’s people, remember Christ’s sacrifice on a regular basis and pray to God in communion, adoration, intercession and requests.
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