Albert Barnes Commentary Acts 2:42

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles` teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." — Acts 2:42 (ASV)

And they continued stedfastly. They persevered in, or they adhered to. This is the inspired record of the result. That any of these apostatized is nowhere recorded, and is not to be presumed. Though they had been suddenly converted, though suddenly admitted to the church, though exposed to much persecution and contempt, and many trials, yet the record is that they adhered to the doctrines and duties of the Christian religion. The word rendered continued stedfastly, proskarterountev, means attending to someone, remaining by their side, not leaving or forsaking them.

The apostles' doctrine. This does not mean that they held or believed the doctrines of the apostles, though that was true; but it means that they adhered to, or attended, their teaching or instruction. The word doctrine has now a technical sense, and means a collection and arrangement of abstract views supposed to be contained in the Bible. In the Scriptures, the word means simply teaching; and the expression here denotes that they continued to attend their instructions. One evidence of conversion is a desire to be instructed in the doctrines and duties of religion, and a willingness to attend the preaching of the gospel.

And fellowship. The word rendered fellowship, koinwnia, is often rendered communion. It properly denotes having things in common, or participation, society, and friendship. It may apply to anything that may be possessed in common, or in which all may partake.

Thus, all Christians have the same hope of heaven, the same joys, the same hatred of sin, and the same enemies to contend with. They also have the same subjects of conversation, feeling, and prayer, or they have communion in these things. And so, the early Christians had their property in common. The word here may apply to any or all of these aspects—their conversation, their prayers, their dangers, or their property—and means that they were united to the apostles and participated with them in whatever befell them.

It may be added that the effect of a revival of religion is to unite Christians more and more, and to bring those who were previously separated into union and love. Christians feel that they are a band of brethren, and that however much they were separated before they became Christians, they now have great and important interests in common; united in feelings, in interest, in dangers, in conflicts, in opinions, and in the hopes of a blessed immortality.

Breaking of bread. The Syriac renders this "the Eucharist," or the Lord's Supper. It cannot, however, be determined whether this refers to their partaking of their ordinary food together, to feasts of charity, or to the Lord's Supper. The bread of the Hebrews was commonly made into cakes—thin, hard, and brittle—so that it was broken instead of being cut. Hence, to denote intimacy or friendship, the phrase to break bread together would be very expressive, in the same way as the Greeks denoted it by drinking together, sumposion. From the expression used in Acts 2:44 , that they had all things common, it would rather seem to be implied that this referred to the participation of their ordinary meals. The action of breaking bread was commonly performed by the master or head of a family, immediately after asking a blessing—(Lightfoot).

In prayers. This was one effect of the influence of the Spirit, and an evidence of their change. A genuine revival will always be followed by a love of prayer.