FUNDAMENTALS OF THE FAITH

May 8

Bible Reading: Acts 2

Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Amongst its various definitions, something is said to be “fundamental” when it serves an essential or foundational role.  For example, fundamental to the game of basketball are the abilities to dribble, pass, and shoot a basketball.  With education, the subjects of reading, writing, and arithmetic are fundamental to future learning.  So, it is with respect to the Christian life.  There are certain “fundamentals” that are essential to the believer’s walk with Jesus.  We can predict something of the present spiritual health and future well-being of a church or an individual believer according to how much heart-level devotion is given to these important spiritual disciplines.

The things spoken of in our verse are the things that healthy and growing Christians and churches do.  They don’t just do them; they devote themselves to them.  They don’t do them because they are compelled to as some kind of religious duty, but because they are Spirit-led to do them.  These activities have characterized the lives of believers since the birth of the church.  While there are differences in the specific ways in which churches in varying cultures around the world worship Jesus, every healthy believer or church is characterized by its devotion to these four things. 

Peter proclaimed his first sermon and, as a result, “about three thousand souls” were saved (Acts 2:41).  The very next verse in Acts speaks then of the activities to which these new believers devoted themselves.  There is between verse 41 and verse 42 no additional information given regarding how these believers came to their understanding of the need to give attention to these things.  People were saved, then those people did them.  There are things that new believers in Christ are Spirit-led to do from the moment of saving faith.  They do not have to be told to read the Scriptures, because like newborn babes, they are instinctively led to long for the truth (1 Peter 2:2).  They do not have to be told to pray; they were Spirit-led to pray to God for salvation and are thenceforth Spirit-led to devote themselves to prayer.  Like a magnet, the new believer is drawn to fellowship—by a Spirit-led attraction—with other like-minded believers.  Spirit-led believers are likewise compelled to break bread together in remembrance of the Lord Jesus.

There is something seriously amiss when an individual or church abandons any of these practices.  They are Spirit-led disciplines that are borne in us out of love for Jesus.  They are not religious duties or practices exercised for some mundane or human-ordained purpose.  Jesus is at the heart of each of them.  It is love for Jesus that engenders desire for the truth.  Those who love Him love to read about Him and hear from Him in His Word that they might know Him better.  Love for Jesus is likewise made clear in its corresponding love for—and desire to fellowship with—His people.  Love for Jesus necessitates prayer and remembrance of Him in the breaking of bread.  Those early church believers devoted themselves to these spiritual disciples because the Spirit-led them to as he filled their hearts with love for Jesus.

It would be fair to say that the church in America is today both frail and anemic.  And countless strategies and new fads are suggested to fix that which ails the church.  Perhaps it would be good for us in this day to evaluate ourselves in light of the four-fold, Spirit-led, devotion of our predecessors.  Sometimes there is a need to get back to basics.  Here are the basics—love for His Word and His people and devotion to prayer and remembering Him in the breaking of bread. These fundamentals should characterize the lives of Jesus’ followers.  Whenever we find a person or church devoting itself, out of love for Jesus, to these things, we know that the Spirit of God is at work.  Wherever and whenever they are lacking, we likewise know that something has gone amiss.

A Spirit-borne love for Jesus leads to a devotion to the Word and prayer and fellowship.  Devotion to these disciplines is essential to Spiritual health and growth.

I need Thee ev’ry hour,
Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine
Can peace afford.

I need Thee, oh, I need Thee;
Ev’ry hour I need Thee;
Oh, bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

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Author: looking2jesus13

Jerry L. Conklin was born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years in the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program. He was assigned to the USS *Omaha* (SSN-692), a nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine, where he served as a reactor-plant electrical operator. His military service took him to ports and locations throughout the world and provided extensive technical training, leadership experience, and an enduring appreciation for those who serve in the Armed Forces. Following his Navy service, Jerry earned a bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Technology from Thomas Edison State University. He worked at the Trojan Nuclear Plant near Rainier, Oregon, first as a reactor operator and later as a training specialist. After sensing God’s call to pastoral ministry, he left the nuclear-power industry and earned a master’s degree in theology from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland, Oregon. Jerry served for twenty-seven and a half years as senior pastor of Lewis and Clark Bible Church in Astoria, Oregon. During those years, he preached and taught the Scriptures, provided pastoral counseling, performed weddings and memorial services, trained church leaders, and served individuals and families throughout the community. He also served as a fire department chaplain and participated in a variety of community ministries. After retiring from full-time pastoral ministry, Jerry and his wife, Laura, moved to Heppner, Oregon. There he served for approximately four years as a chaplain with Pioneer Memorial Home Health and Hospice, providing spiritual and emotional support to more than 150 patients and their families. In 2023, the Oregon Association for Home Care honored him as its Chaplain of the Year. Jerry also helped establish South Morrow County Seniors Matter, a nonprofit organization created to address the needs of older adults following the COVID-19 pandemic. As chairman, he worked with community leaders and volunteers to develop a weekly senior meal program, a monthly veterans’ lunch, and other activities and services. The organization served hundreds of seniors, mobilized more than 200 volunteers, and received statewide and national recognition. In 2025, Jerry was named Heppner’s Man of the Year, and his community service was later recognized by United States Senator Jeff Merkley. International missions have also been an important part of Jerry’s ministry. He has made ten trips to Uganda, where he has taught at pastors’ conferences, preached in churches, participated in Bible-school graduations, distributed Bibles and Christian materials, and encouraged local pastors and ministry leaders. He developed the discipleship booklet *First Steps with Jesus* to help new believers understand and grow in their faith. Jerry is the author of numerous books, Bible studies, devotionals, and teaching resources, including works centered on prayer, Christian hope, spiritual growth, and the person of Jesus Christ. His decades of preaching and teaching reflect his commitment to presenting biblical truth clearly, practically, and faithfully. Jerry and Laura were married for nearly forty-two years and raised four children. They were also blessed with three grandchildren. Laura passed away in August 2025 following an eight-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Jerry currently lives in Hillsboro, where he helps care for his elderly father. He continues to preach, teach, write, and serve others through pastoral and community ministry.

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