The first few chapters of Acts of the Apostles provide us with the historical account of the early church. In these chapters, we can glean what constituted priorities for the Apostles, and by extension the entire church. Prayer ranked highest for the Apostles. They actually adopted the Jewish timings to their prayer life. They prayed three times a day. While we cannot form a doctrine around this, it will suffice to say that they regarded prayer as a core business, and that was why they gave so much attention to it. Next in line was their addiction to the Word. On the day of Pentecost Peter preached the word; and that brought 3,000 souls to the Kingdom. The miracle of healing of the lame man at the temple’s gate was immediately followed by the preaching of the Word. They literally overwhelmed the city with the Word of the Lord. It is trite to say that they would not have been effective in preaching the Word except they had first studied it and internalized its principles.
The faith of Jesus cannot be separated from the incorruptible Word of God. The bane of our time is gradual slide from wholesome teaching. The bulk of what we hear these days are humanistic philosophies that have no impact on the soul. There are many word peddlers who teach unwholesome things for personal gain. Even where sincere attempt is given to the truth of God’s word, what is served is not more than survival kits. The call is upon all believers to put on the “Berean spirit”, searching the scriptures to ascertain the truth of what they hear. We have zero percent chance of experiencing the glory and power of the early church unless we return to their emphasis on the Word of God and prayer.