Restoring Apostolic Faith

A First-Century Picture of Christian Life

The New Testament itself—especially Acts, the Pauline letters, and the General Epistles—alongside the earliest extra-biblical witnesses, gives us a remarkably consistent picture of apostolic church life.

The apostles did not preach a disembodied belief system.

They planted living communities marked by allegiance to Christ, costly discipleship, shared life, and visible transformation.

What follows is not a later idealization. It is the pattern the apostles taught, modeled, and expected when establishing churches.

1. Devotion to Apostolic Teaching

Doctrine as a Way of Life

From the beginning, the churches devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). This “teaching” was not speculative theology but the authoritative witness to Jesus—His words, His way, and His interpretation of faithfulness.

Paul repeatedly insists that communities “hold fast to the traditions” he delivered (1 Cor 11:2; 2 Thess 2:15), and he instructs leaders to guard and transmit this teaching faithfully (Titus 1:9; 2 Tim 2:2).

This same emphasis appears in the late first-century manual Didache, which opens with “the teaching of the Twelve Apostles” and frames Christian life as Two Ways—life and death—echoing Jesus’ ethical instruction.

Apostolic doctrine was never abstract.

It shaped how believers lived.

2. Fellowship (Koinonia) – Shared Life, Not Religious Attendance

The early believers were devoted not only to teaching, but to fellowship (Acts 2:42). This meant shared life, mutual responsibility, and tangible care.

They shared possessions, met needs, and understood themselves as one body (Acts 2:44–45; 4:32–35). Paul frames this as normative Christian existence: bearing one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2), being built up in love (Eph 4:16).

Most churches met in homes—“the church in their house” (Rom 16:5; Col 4:15; Phlm 2)—forming intimate, family-sized communities where faith could not remain private.

3. Breaking of Bread – Table Fellowship at the Center

The breaking of bread appears immediately in the earliest description of church life (Acts 2:42, 46). This was not an add-on ritual but a central practice of remembrance, thanksgiving, and unity.

Paul describes the Lord’s Supper as a participation in one body (1 Cor 10:16–17) and rebukes divisions at the table precisely because the meal proclaims allegiance (1 Cor 11:17–34).

The Didache (chs. 9–10; 14) preserves early Eucharistic prayers that emphasize gratitude, unity, and the gathering of the scattered people of God into one.

The table was theological before it was ceremonial.

4. Prayer – Corporate, Regular, and Expected

The apostles assumed prayer as a defining practice (Acts 2:42). Churches gathered intentionally for prayer (Acts 12:12; 13:3; 16:25), and Paul instructs prayer in every place, for all people (1 Tim 2:1–8).

The Didache includes the Lord’s Prayer as a thrice-daily discipline (ch. 8), underscoring that prayer structured daily life, not just gatherings.

5. Baptism – Entry into the Community

Baptism functioned as public entry into the people of God.

It followed repentance and allegiance (Acts 2:38–41) and was administered immediately upon response (Acts 8:36–38; 16:31–33). It was not private symbolism but communal incorporation into Christ’s body.

Both Matthew 28:19 and Didache 7 reflect an early, shared Trinitarian baptismal practice, often accompanied by fasting and instruction.

6. Repentance, Holiness, and Obedience as Normal Christian Life

Repentance—turning from idols and former ways—was foundational (Acts 26:20; 1 Thess 1:9). Holiness was not optional but expected (1 Pet 1:15–16).

Paul frames faith itself as “the obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5; 16:26), and neither James nor John allows faith to be separated from lived fidelity (James 2:14–26; 1 John 2:3–6).

The apostles never taught a faith that did not result in transformation.

7. Leadership – Plural, Servant, and Local

Local churches were led by elders (presbyteroi) and overseers (episkopoi) appointed in plurality (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Phil 1:1). These leaders guarded teaching, modeled faithfulness, and equipped the saints (Eph 4:11–12).

A single-bishop structure emerges more clearly in Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 110 AD), but this reflects a developing structure—not the apostolic norm itself.

Leadership served the body; it did not replace it.

8. Worship and Teaching in Gatherings

Gatherings included teaching, psalms, hymns, spiritual songs (Col 3:16; Eph 5:19), and participatory exhortation (1 Cor 14). The Lord’s Day becomes a recognized gathering time (Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10; Didache 14).

Worship was formative, communal, and intelligible—designed to build allegiance, not spectacle.

9. Mission and Hospitality

Apostolic churches existed for mission: making disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19–20; Acts 1:8). Hospitality to traveling teachers and missionaries was expected (Didache 11–13; 3 John 5–8), alongside generosity to the poor and to other churches (Acts 11:27–30; 2 Cor 8–9).

Mission was not outsourced. It was the vocation of the whole body.

Summary: The Apostolic Pattern

What the apostles actually taught and modeled was not a private “faith transaction,” but a public, embodied way of life:

• repentance and turning from former allegiances

• baptism into Christ

• devotion to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer

• mutual care, generosity, and holiness

• leadership that equips rather than controls

• visible, costly obedience

The New Testament repeatedly calls this simply “the Way” (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 24:14).

A new family.

A living allegiance.

Christ as direct authority—not managed by old gatekeepers, but embodied in His people.