Being a Part, Not Apart: The Blueprint of Acts 2

So perhaps you can tell which Scripture I felt led to preach from by the children’s sermon.

It is hard to be a part of something while staying apart from that something.

In Acts, one of the passages I have always loved is in chapter 2. The little section between verses 42 and 47 gives us a blueprint—a blueprint for a successful church.

Every year, millions of dollars are spent by churches, boards of elders, and denominational leaders trying to figure out, “How can we make the church work? How can we grow the church? How can we be the church that Christ has called us to be?”

I remember a time when I was at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville for an evangelism seminar. During our break, my phone rang. It was a Reverend and Doctor from the Moravian Church, calling on behalf of the PEC and a committee that had been formed to investigate church growth—to “figure it out.”

He said to me, “Your little church up there on the mountain is growing in every category. You’re one of the few we’ve got that’s doing that right now, and we want to know what program you’re using to grow the church.”

I said, “Well, Bill, it’s easy. I preach the Word of God in truth. I yield myself to the Holy Spirit, and I love the people.”

He replied, “Well, that’s all fine and good, but what program are you using to do that?”

He asked me that same question five times during that phone call, and I gave him the same answer each time. At the end of the call, he essentially said, “Well, when you remember what program you’re using to do all that, would you please let us know?”

We are so busy looking for some new “something” that will make everything work that we don’t realize it is right here in front of us. It is the simplicity of this little section of text.

Listen again to what it says.

Starting at verse 42 in Acts 2, we have to remember: this is the first church. There were no churches before this, no models to follow. These were the new believers gathered together after the resurrection of the Lord, with the apostles there to teach and grow them. They met in homes, many of them; some met in the temple courtyards.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

What does it mean that they “devoted themselves”?

In English, “devoted” describes someone with unwavering loyalty, deep affection, or intense focus on a person or cause. In the Greek text, the word is proskartereō. It means to persist, to persevere, to continue steadfastly, to give an unwavering commitment to something.

So they did not back away from it. They were there together for the teaching of the Word, devoted to it.

What did Jesus say about that? I’m glad you asked.

Turn with me to John 17. You might as well keep one finger in John 17 and one in Acts, because we are going to move back and forth. John 17 is almost entirely a prayer—Jesus praying for His followers, for the Church, to the Father. This prayer covers all of us, even today, from the newest believer to those who have not yet believed.

At that time, the written Word they had was what we know as the Old Testament, so they taught extensively from it. Now, in this new phase of the church, they are also teaching what Jesus had taught them. So it is the Old Testament plus the teachings of Jesus, and Jesus Himself often taught from the Old Testament.

The apostles are now bearing witness to what Jesus has taught and done, and what He has called us to be. That is what we, as pastors, Sunday school teachers, youth leaders, and Bible study leaders, are supposed to be teaching—not “my way.”

If I teach you “my way,” you are going down the wrong highway. I am to teach you what I know of Jesus and what the apostles taught. The Word is important.

Listen to what Jesus prays to the Father on behalf of His Church: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” That’s John 17:17.

“Sanctify them in the truth. Your word is truth.”

In John 10, our Gospel reading, Jesus says, “My sheep know my voice.” How do we know His voice? How do we hear His call in our lives if we are not devoted to His Word?

Jesus is asking the Father to sanctify that Word—to set it apart for us so that we know the truth. A healthy, growing, successful church is a church that devotes itself together to the teaching of the Word.

Back in Acts, we take baby steps through this passage. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…” Then Luke adds, “…and to the fellowship.”

What does it mean to be devoted “to the fellowship”?

Again, the Greek word is helpful. The word translated “fellowship” is koinōnia. It means a close, intimate association and partnership, a sharing in common. It goes beyond socializing. It describes a shared life, with deep and active participation.

That is what we are called to: fellowship, close association, deep participation. It connects back to what I said earlier: it is hard to be a part of something while staying apart from it.

In the Church, Jesus calls us to be a part of what He is doing—to be engaged, to be active.

“Preacher, you’ll have to show me Jesus’ words again on that one,” you might say. “You know it’s a busy season. We’ve got travel ball. I’ve got a major career move. I have to keep up the yard. I have all these things to do, and you’re telling me this is important?”

Listen to what Jesus asks of the Father.

Back in John 17, look at verse 11: “I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”

He calls us to a oneness.

Then look down at verses 20–21: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us.” Verse 23: “I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them.”

“That they may be one. That they may be one. That they may be one.”

It is difficult to be one when we are apart. Can we still “be the church” if some are gone often? Yes. But we cannot fully be the church Jesus is building if people He has called and gifted to be part of the fellowship are regularly absent. When you are apart, something is missing. Your part is missing.

He calls us to be one—one in work, one in fellowship, one in study, one in prayer.

If you pull something out of “the one,” what happens? Let’s use math language: if you take away one piece from the whole, now you only have nine‑tenths. One thing I dislike about this time of year is that our attendance numbers, which in the fall are usually in the 70s and sometimes close to 80, drop down to the high 50s or low 60s—almost 20 people fewer.

It is like trying to drive your car after removing half the gas from the tank and still expecting to get the full mileage. It does not happen. When the body is missing parts, the things God calls us to do become harder to do. The witness is not complete.

Jesus calls us to be persistent, to persevere, to continue steadfastly, to unrelentingly care and engage.

He calls us to devote ourselves to the teaching of the Word, to the fellowship—to gathering together—and then to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

“The breaking of bread” here does not mean, “Hey, we’re grilling hot dogs and hamburgers; y’all come.” It refers to gathering around the Lord’s Table, the Lord’s Supper, remembering together and partaking together in what Christ has done for all of us. We devote ourselves to that remembrance.

Every Sunday, whether we receive communion or not, we remember what Jesus has done for us. We remember that God raised Him from the dead. That shared remembrance is important. He calls us to be devoted to that remembrance and also to prayer together.

“Why prayer, preacher?”

Scripture says, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working”—“availeth much.” We want to see God do exceedingly and abundantly in this body of believers and in the community that we serve, so we must be a praying people.

Not the “convenience store” version of prayer we so often slip into—the quick, “I’m in a hurry, let’s pray so I can eat.” Instead, we must truly talk with God and listen to God. We must be devoted to prayer.

Listen to what happened because they, as a group, were devoted to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to 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.” Their love for one another ran so deep that “they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

They became so close that if someone had a great need and no way to meet it, another might say, “I’m going to sell my car so we can take care of that need.” That kind of love and devotion held them together as a body of believers.

Because of that camaraderie and those deep ties, they shared life in remarkable ways. And listen to their rhythm of life:

Do you think it is a lot to ask you to worship, to join in fellowship, to attend Sunday school or Bible study now and then? Listen to Acts 2:46: “And day by day”—not just Sunday by Sunday or week by week—“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.”

Why were people being added daily? Because when the church is that committed and allows God to shape their lives that deeply, the witness in the surrounding world becomes powerful. People want to be part of that.

Do you remember when timeshares became popular in the 1970s? Someone would get involved in a timeshare and say, “It’s the greatest thing! We share this condominium; I own a piece of it. I get three weeks a year, and it’s my place. I own it, and I share it with all these other people.” They had great excitement: “Look what I’ve got now!”

There ought to be more excitement over Jesus than over a timeshare.

In a church that is growing in that kind of environment—devoted to the Word, to fellowship, to remembering Christ, to prayer—that is what the church should be and can be.

If we are soaking in the Word, if we are fellowshipping and growing closer, if we are acknowledging all that Jesus has done for us, and if we are wrapping ourselves in prayer, we begin to realize we are part of something bigger than just “a church.” We are part of the priesthood of believers. We have been called to be priests.

That means it is no longer, “We hire someone to come in and do all the spiritual care, visiting, and ministry.” No—we all do it. We all share in it. We share in loving, caring, and doing. Then you have a church full of people out doing the work of Jesus, being His hands and feet, giving His love. That creates real witness in the community and real encouragement among ourselves.

Why is it so important that we be devoted? Why is it crucial that we be one—not apart, but truly a part of what is happening in the church?

Go back again to John 17, starting at verse 20. Jesus prays not only for the disciples who already believe but also for those who will believe in Him through their word—their witness, their testimony. That includes us, and it includes the people in our neighborhoods and families who do not yet know Jesus.

He prays “…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me… I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Why is it so important to be devoted to this oneness, this unity, this togetherness?

Because that unity itself is a witness to the dying world around us. It testifies to the goodness of Jesus Christ—that He was sent into the world, that He came to draw people into relationship with Himself. Our devotion and our unity affect not only what we do inside the church, but also the witness we carry outside, often in ways we do not even see.

It affects very practical things: “Oh my goodness, it’s Christmas Eve and four people who were scheduled to carry cups didn’t show up—what are we going to do?” But it also affects the external witness. People notice more than we realize.

Someone might say, “Preacher, I’m sorry I wasn’t at Bible study. I was breaking my neck to get there, but when I got close to the church, I saw only three or four cars. I figured I’d just go on home; there’s not much going on—I’m not missing anything.” That is also a form of witness—to the people who do gather, it is either encouragement or discouragement.

Jesus indeed calls us, in the church, to be a part of what He is doing—not to live apart from it.

Pray with me.

Father, the real verse we should consider when it comes to Your Church and its condition today is this: “Apart from me you can do nothing.” Apart from You we can do nothing—that is Your Word.

And Father, when much of Your Church stands apart—not engaged as a part of it—it becomes difficult for us to do what You have called us to do. It can still be done, but there is a reason You place people in congregations. There is a reason You gift us individually.

Father, I pray that the answer to the question that was asked of me some eighteen years ago—“What program are you using?”—would become clear. Open our eyes to see that the formula is already there.

Preachers must be devoted to You. Sunday school teachers must be devoted to You. Believers and members must be devoted to You and to Your Church.

Father, I thank You for what You are doing here at Fulp. You have made this place a congregation that stands on truth. We have the most valuable thing in all the world: the truth of Jesus.

Father, take us another step. Grow us in our devotion and our service to You and to those around us, so that the world may know that God is, that He sent You, that You are the Savior of the world, His only Son, and that You bring life and bring it to the fullest.

Thank You, Jesus.

In Jesus’ name we ask these things.

And everybody said, “Amen.”