Prayer Walk: Acts 2:42 (Week 6)
A Heart Filled With A Verse
Acts 2:42
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42 (ESV)
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Prayer Walk Intro (Week 6)
I really love the book of Acts.
I know I say this about most of the books in the Bible…
It’s because the Bible is just so awesome!!!
Acts is another one of those books that holds a special place in my heart!! It’s so exciting to read. It really pumps me up!
It begins like this…
Jesus ascends into Heaven and with His ascension comes amazing, mighty, promise-keeping wonders and blessings. I’m talking about the outpouring gift of the Holy Spirit, impactful and powerful Spirit-inspired revival, Believers coming together as a united family in Christ, the establishment and growth of the church, missionary beginnings, and the spread of Christianity! Mind-blown, beyond amazement, wonders and blessings straight from God!!
The book of Acts. That’s where all this can be found.
See for yourself!
Open up your Bible to Acts and get your read on. There’s seriously so much goodness!!!
And…
guess what…
Acts is where I’m landing for this week’s Bible verse focused on prayer!
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 2:42 (ESV)
Prayer Walk: Acts 2:42 (Week 6)
In this week’s Bible verse we learn…
(1) The early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship!
(2) They devoted themselves to fellowship immersed in prayer!!
Love it!!!
Before I dive into the verse I thought it would be fun to share how I was led to it.
Here’s a fun fact about me…
The older I get the more and more fascinated I am with the Hebrew and Greek text. I mean there’s just something about going back to the original text!! It really takes a Bible study to the next level. So fun!!! And…it’s such a great way to dig deeper. So, when I take the time to do this, I’m able to understand more of the meaning behind what I’m reading! I also geek out a bit because…I love me some good ole research!!!
A few weeks back…
One of my morning devos mentioned the meaning behind the Greek word – koinōnia. As I kept reading my devo I learned this word was first mentioned in the Bible in the book of Acts. Well…I was intrigued and had to dig!! I mean we’re talking about two of my favorites all rolled into one! Yes, please!
Koinōnia?? What’s that mean??
It means to have a deep Christian “fellowship”. It’s a time when fellow Believers, living in an obedient relationship with the Lord, come together to serve and honor Him.
This really spoke to me, and I’m still on cloud nine thinking about how I can embrace this to the fullest. Friends, I love this word so much. I’m serious! It’s so exciting when God gifts me with exquisite gems like this.
Koinōnia is special, because fellowship with sisters and brothers in Christ is part of God’s plan!! When Christians come together – with hearts full of devotion – to genuinely serve and honor the Lord spectacular, beautiful, amazing things happen!!
Being active in a Christian community is truly a treasure! Having a church family is such a vital part of a Christian’s relationship with their Heavenly Father. Friends, God has thought of everything and has given us everything we need to flourish. We just need to be active! We need to be obedient and follow where He leads us. Just like we learn about the early Christians in the book of Acts!
There’s just so much wonderfulness to glean from this week’s verse. I’m gonna repeat it again…
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 2:42 (ESV)
(1)The early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship!
“They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:46-47 (NLT)
Side Note – It’s important to note that when you look more in depth into the word “fellowship”, mentioned in Acts 2:46-47 (taken from the New Living Translation), the meaning behind the break down of the Greek words is closer to “the Lord added to the church” (according to the Interlinear Bible). So, the translation for NLT is using the word “fellowship” in place of “church”.
Don’t you just love these 2 verses?! I feel like this Scripture passage does a good job fleshing out the meaning behind koinōnia found in today’s Prayer Walk Bible Verse (Acts 2:42). I also love the wording found in the NLT translation.* You’ll notice I highlighted a few of the words that really stood out to me, as I focused on the atmosphere of being involved in genuine, Biblically grounded, Christian fellowship. These words paint a great picture of the impact koinōnia has on fellow Believers, as we continually seek out the Lord, growing closer and stronger in our relationship with Him.
THEN, did you notice what Acts 2:46-47 ends with?? (hint, hint – I underlined it.) Salvation multiplies when we’re united together in God’s fellowship! Now that’s some of the best news ever…don’t you think?!
So…my story keeps going!
When I looked up the verse…
I was thrilled to find that it mentioned PRAYER!!! And, because that’s what I’m studying right now I can only thank God for His perfect, divine timing because that’s exactly what this was…GOD SHOWING UP, JUST MAKING A WAY!!! Don’t you just love His divine appointments?!
I’m just so thankful for my morning devotion time. God always knows what we need to hear, friends. So, of course, I journaled this impactful devo moment AND also mentioned it to the ladies at our most recent get together, aka “fellowship” time, at my church. The point I’m trying to make here is it’s just so fun to learn ALL about God’s amazing, perfect, divine plans for His children! It’s ALSO important to be reminded, sometimes again and again, about all these wonderful plans. AND, THEN…it’s even more fun, and just as important, to share what we learn along the way!
God lead me to this goodness at the exact time I needed to find it and then as I basked in all its wonderful glory God kept working His wonders!! He was preparing my heart so I could write these words for all those that come across this devotion. He was helping me understand more deeply that prayer is more than communication with Him it’s a connection we can share, and have, with others. There is power in prayer!! Wonder-working power. So, get immersed!!
(2) The early Christians devoted themselves to fellowship immersed in prayer!!
When I reread through Acts 2:42 it gets me thinking about how impactful a devotion to prayer amongst fellow believers can be. The early Christians understood this!!! AND, with understanding came action! They immersed themselves in a fellowship that included prayer. This reminds me of some words Jesus spoke in the book of Matthew!!
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Matthew 18:19-20 (NKJV)
It seems like I’ve been using Matthew 18:19-20 a lot recently! It’s one of the first one that pops in my head when I’m talking with someone struggling and they know I’m praying for them, and that I’ve asked others to pray for them. It’s the verse I recite when I suggest they pray as well. Friends, it’s uplifting and encouraging to know Jesus wanted us to understand when two or more pray on a matter there is power!!
The early Christians got this! They embraced it, and so should we!
Embrace Koinōnia Prayer
Hopefully by now you’re understanding just how marvelous, powerful, and deep the word “fellowship” (aka koinōnia) really means. NOW…add prayer to this kind of fellowship and that’s what Acts 2:42 is talking about – Koinōnia Prayer!!! I’m gonna repeat it one more time…
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Acts 2:42 (ESV)
Are you ready to devote yourself fully to the Lord and embrace koinōnia prayer?
Might I suggest a praying friend?!?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve reached out to my army of prayer warriors, and at the same time, how many times my army of prayer warriors have reached out to me. Friends, we were made to have fellowship with sisters and brothers in Christ. A fellowship that includes prayer!
Praying friends are special! Praying friends are needed!
If you’re still searching for fellow Believers to walk faithfully beside you, give it to God. Trust Him to provide and continue being faithful while you wait.
Get yourself in the mix of koinōnia!!
Friends, my prayer for you is that you will be able to experience the fullness of koinōnia, and that you’ll also be able to devote yourself to Christian fellowship immersed in prayer.
If you’re not already, get connected with other fellow Believers in a church community. If you’re still searching, know there is a church close by that’s waiting for you to come on in. I’m serious, God’s just waiting for you to walk through the doors and get involved. So, why not give it a go?!
Forever Rely On God
Wanna keep exploring this topic?!?
Make sure to come back next week for another Bible verse devotion that’ll help encourage your prayer walk with the Lord! While you wait, CLICK HERE for Weeks 1-5 Devotions.
*I like to read through several translations of the Bible while I’m studying it, as well as when I’m preparing for any studies/devotions I’m writing. Using more than one translation helps give me the clarity I need on verses I may get stuck on or need more of an explanation for. I also love using Study Bibles, because they include notes for even better understanding. You can check out My Favorite Study Bible post to find out more on what my top pick is. Both of these study tips have been a blessing to me personally and have really helped me dive in deeper when I read the Bible.
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