A Disciple’s Life

Love is the defining characteristic of all those who are born into God’s family through faith and baptism.

In Acts 2:37-47, those who heard the Apostle Peter were baptized because they believed the Gospel of salvation preached by the apostles and obeyed their call to repentance. A true Christian’s life begins at baptism and involves changes in how we think and live.

We will explore a helpful summary of a disciple’s new life found in this passage in Acts. Here we find four activities set forth that characterize the new life of these disciples:

• Continuing in the apostles’ doctrine
• Fellowship
• Breaking of Bread, and,
• Prayers.

Apostles’ Doctrine

“Doctrine” refers to what the apostles taught.

“Continued steadfastly” means they kept and practiced what they heard. This was as Jesus had commanded: “Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20).

Note the importance God’s Word plays in helping us to keep the teaching of Jesus in our New Lives:

But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned [them], and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:14-16).1

As we have seen, “teaching” concerns information about God and His way. “Reproof” means this information confronts and challenges us as disciples. “Correction” means to set us right again, to get us going in the right direction. “Instruction” concerns training in righteousness, that is, training in our new life in Christ.

This teaching reveals to us the true foundation for our new life in Christ:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV).

Our new life in Christ is like a garment we put on:

But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:20-24).

But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave [nor] free, but Christ is all and in all.
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:8-14).

So, the apostles’ teaching is not just about faith or believing; it is also about the behavior driven by what we believe. This behavior is not only personal, but also communal, as we can see in the above passages.

Fellowship

What does “fellowship” mean? You may have heard someone describe fellowship as “fellows-in-the-same-ship.” In its way, this captures the Biblical idea of fellowship as a sharing in everyday life, our common life in Jesus.

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.
As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

Why not share with those who don’t believe? What’s the problem? To what kind of situations might this apply today? And what would this mean to us today, “Touch not the unclean thing”?

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11-12).

So, with whom are we to share our lives? And why?

Fellowship is based on the idea of one body. Paul has a wonderful explanation of this in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Read this through and see if you can find the two very human problems Paul addresses.

We are called from entirely different backgrounds, making the one body full of very different people all called to live together as one. How is this possible?

Paul’s answer is found in that famous chapter in 1 Corinthians 13, and Jesus’ answer sets the stage for Paul’s exposition of the one quality that is needed:

Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek me; and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:33-35).

Here is the Third Great Commandment, but why a new commandment? Jesus knew that his disciples would face a massive challenge of living as a family. Now you know why Paul wrote what he did to the brethren in Colosse, because living in a family is hard work:

Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. (Colossians 3:12-14; cf. Philippians 2:3-4).

Love is the defining characteristic of all those who are born into God’s family through faith and baptism:

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…. If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. (1 John 4:7-11, 20-21).

The Breaking Of Bread

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same manner he also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood.” This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).

Why is this memorial meal so important? Jesus, the one we are called to follow, is very clear: “Remember me.” He wanted us to do this on a regular basis.

But how often should we do this? And why?

Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. (Acts 20:7).

Both the New Testament (as above) and the documented practice of first-century believers tell us that the disciples met on the first day of each week to “remember” their Lord and to be encouraged to hold fast to the life in Christ to which they had been called. This pattern is one disciples have wisely followed to this very day.

This invitation from the Lord Jesus is an invitation to sit down with him at this meal. How we respond to this invitation tells him everything about what we genuinely believe to be important.

The Breaking of Bread is called the agape or “love feast” in the New Testament. Here is an important reminder of God’s love for us while we were still sinners and Christ’s love for us in yielding to the will of his Father for our salvation. It is to this love for one another that Jesus commanded us that God’s love might also be seen in us.

Prayers

This is the last of the activities set forth by the apostles that we should engage in. But what would be the content of these prayers?

In the Psalms, we find prayers of praise and thanksgiving. There are also petitions for strength, deliverance, and forgiveness. Paul and James encourage us similarly: 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7).

Most especially, pray for one another!

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. (James 5:13-18).

Examples abound of Paul’s prayers for his brothers and sisters (e.g., Philippians 1:4, 9, 19; Colossians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11).

Why should we pray especially for one another? Because when we pray for one another, it is very difficult to harbor anger and malice towards our brother or sister. Such is the wisdom of God reflected in this counsel.

Ted Sleeper,
San Francisco Peninsula Ecclesia, CA