And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
daily.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
Acts 5:42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
breaking.
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
from house to house.
Acts 1:13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
1 Corinthians 11:20-22 When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's supper…
did.
Acts 16:34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.
Deuteronomy 12:7,12 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee…
Deuteronomy 16:11 And thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates, and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, that are among you, in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to place his name there.
singleness.
Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
Matthew 6:22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
they continued to meet daily
The commitment to daily gatherings highlights the fervor and dedication of the early Christians. This practice was rooted in Jewish tradition, where daily prayers and gatherings were common. It also emphasizes the importance of community and fellowship in the life of believers.
in the temple courts
The temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish religious life, and the early Christians, many of whom were Jewish, continued to gather there. This setting provided a public space for teaching and evangelism, as seen in Acts 3:11 and Acts 5:12. It also signifies the continuity of the Christian faith with its Jewish roots.
and to break bread from house to house
Breaking bread likely refers to both communal meals and the Lord's Supper, reflecting the intimate fellowship among believers. Meeting in homes was practical and personal, fostering close relationships. This practice is echoed in Romans 16:5 and 1 Corinthians 16:19, where house churches are mentioned.
sharing their meals with gladness
The joy experienced by the early Christians was a testament to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. This gladness was not dependent on external circumstances but was a fruit of their faith and fellowship, as seen in Galatians 5:22.
and sincerity of heart
The believers' sincerity indicates a genuine and pure devotion to God and each other. This authenticity was crucial for the integrity and witness of the early church, aligning with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5:8 about the blessedness of the pure in heart.
Unity marked the newborn church. Everyone moved in the same Spirit-given direction, just as Acts 1:14 records, “All these with one accord were continually devoting themselves to prayer.” This harmony fulfilled Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 “that they may all be one.” When believers today pursue the “unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3), we display the same supernatural oneness.
Key reminders:
• Unity is rooted in shared devotion to Christ (Philippians 2:2).
• It is maintained by humble, others-first attitudes (Romans 12:16).
• The world notices when we stand together (John 13:35).
Their worship life was consistent and public. Luke had already noted that, after the resurrection, the disciples were “continually in the temple, praising God” (Luke 24:53). Meeting daily:
• Showed their eagerness to praise (Psalm 27:4).
• Provided a visible witness to Jerusalem (Acts 5:20-25).
• Modeled the command not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:25).
Gathering at the temple did not compromise the gospel; it declared that Jesus is the promised Messiah whom the Scriptures celebrate.
Corporate worship in the temple was matched by intimate fellowship in homes. “They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42). This practice likely combined ordinary meals with celebration of the Lord’s Supper, echoing Luke 22:19 and anticipated again in Acts 20:7. House-to-house hospitality:
• Knits believers’ lives together (Romans 12:13).
• Levels social distinctions (James 2:1-4).
• Provides natural on-ramps for gospel conversations (Philemon 6).
Joy filled every table. Obedient hearts overflowed with gratitude: “Serve the LORD with gladness” (Psalm 100:2). Even persecution could not steal their rejoicing (Philippians 4:4; Acts 5:41). Practical outworkings:
• Thankfulness before, during, and after eating (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
• Festive generosity that mirrors God’s provision (Deuteronomy 16:15).
• Contagious joy that draws outsiders (Acts 2:47).
Their fellowship was genuine, free of hypocrisy. Paul later wrote, “Our boast is this… in godly sincerity” (2 Corinthians 1:12). Sincere hearts:
• Seek pure motives (Psalm 86:11).
• Labor wholeheartedly “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:22-23).
• Love without pretense (1 Peter 1:22).
• Remain devoted to Christ “with incorruptible love” (Ephesians 6:24).
Acts 2:46 pictures a church alive with unified worship, daily commitment, warm hospitality, joyful gratitude, and authentic hearts. These believers gathered publicly, fellowshipped privately, and lived out the gospel in every setting. The same Holy Spirit who empowered them invites us to walk in that unity, consistency, hospitality, joy, and sincerity today.
(46) Continuing daily with one accord in the temple.--At first it would have seemed natural that the followers of a Teacher whom the priests had condemned to death, who had once nearly been stoned, and once all but seized in the very courts of the Temple (John 8:59; John 10:31; John 7:45), should keep aloof from the sanctuary that had thus been desecrated. But they remembered that He had claimed it as His Father's house, that His zeal for that house had been as a consuming passion (John 2:16-17), and therefore they had attended its worship daily before the Day of Pentecost (Luke 24:53); and it was not less, but infinitely more, precious to them now, as the place where they could meet with God, than it had been in the days of ignorance, before they had known the Christ, and through Him had learnt to know the Father. The apparent strangeness of their being allowed to meet in the Temple is explained partly by the fact that its courts were open to all Israelites who did not disturb its peace, partly by the existence of a moderate half-believing party in the Sanhedrin itself, including Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathaea, and Gamaliel (Acts 5:35); and by the popularity gained for a time by the holiness and liberal almsgiving of the new community. . . . Verse 46. - Day by day continuing steadfastly for they continuing daily, A.V.; at home for from house to house, A.V.; they did take their food for did eat their meat, A.V. In the temple. It is very remarkable that at this early age of the Church's existence Christians did not deem themselves separated from their Jewish brethren, or from the Old Testament institutions. Christianity was but Judaism perfected; the gospel the full blossoming of the Law. The first Christian Jews, therefore, did not conceive of themselves as quitting the religion of their fathers, but rather hoped that their whole nation would in a short time acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ. Christian institutions, therefore - the prayers, the breaking of bread, the prophesyings and speaking with tongues, and the apostolic teachings - were supplemental to the temple service, not antagonistic to it; and the church took the place rather of the synagogue than of the temple (see 'Dict. of Bible:' "Synagogue"). At home. This version hardly represents the true idea of the original; κατ οϊκον represents the private Christian place of meeting, as contrasted with the temple. The meaning is not that every disciple broke bread in his own house, but that they broke bread at the house where the Christian assemblies were held, whether one or more. We have already seen the Church gathered together "in an upper room" (Acts 1:13), in "one place," in "a house" (Acts 2:1, 2), and "together" (ver. 44; see too Acts 4:31); and we know that as the synagogue was called בֵּית תְפִּלָּה, house of prayer, or בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת, the house of assemblage, so the Christian place of meeting was called ὁ Κυριακὸς οῖκος; the Lord's house, whence the word "church." (For breaking bread, see above, ver. 42.) They did take their food. The link of connection is the ἀγάπη or love-feast, which formed an important part of the κοινωνία, or common life, of the early Christians. The whole description is a beautiful picture of Christian unity, piety, love, and joy.