Acts 2:46,47 – Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
This passage describes the life of the church in Jerusalem after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and the powerful message Peter preached that God used to birth the Christian Church in Jerusalem. If you notice in this passage there were two types of meetings that were important in the Church. Apparently the disciples had learned well from Jesus, He obviously had large gatherings where He taught and preached God’s word and healed the sick. He also had small meetings, He gathered around Himself twelve men who He called His disciples. He was training up these men through a constant relationship with Him that resulted in these men being the very foundation of this new church.
What was the purpose of the temple meetings that the disciples conducted? Apparently the preaching and ministry of the apostles was critical to the life of the church. Even to the present day the Lord anoints and raises up men and women to preach the gospel, there are giftings in the lives of God’s chosen ministers to equip the church for the work of the ministry. Here are some comments from the Pillar Commentary about these gatherings.
“When he says they continued to meet together, he uses the verb found in v. 42 (‘devoted’) and the adverb employed in 1:14; 4:24; 5:12 (‘together’), to stress the degree to which they were committed to practical expressions of their common life. One of their venues was the temple courts, where large groups could gather. Solomon’s Colonnade, which ran along the east side of the outer court, is twice mentioned as the place where they actually met (3:11; 5:12). The purpose of such gatherings was considered in connection with v. 42.”
Just as Jesus saw the importance of the large gatherings the apostles followed His lead. This allowed for a public demonstration of the Christian faith. In these meetings the community could see the preaching, the worship, and experience the power of signs and wonders. These meetings launched the worldwide Christian movement. Our world needs that again today, the gathering of His people, apostolic preaching, amazing worship, and the powerful message of signs and wonders.