We see this pattern in the very beginning of the church in Acts 2. Believers understood the need to come together.
1) Acts 2:42, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship…”
2) Acts 2:44, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common.”
3) Acts 2:46, “So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house…”
4) Acts 5:42, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.”
Many would explain away the daily interaction of this spiritual family because of the persecution and the benevolent needs of displaced Christians. The context is noted but are we to assume that they would not have met daily if such conditions did not exist? This is not a very sound conclusión for the following reasons. First, the persecutions came rather quickly, but it did not occur before it is well established in chapter two that “they continued stedfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, fellowship and the breaking of bread.” Remember, we are describing the very ones who now believe that the crucified Jesus is Lord and Christ. Are we to suggest that the thing that motivated daily togetherness was the desire for physical protection and to have their physical needs met? Second, even when they did face persecution in chapter 4, they were little concerned about their own survival. After the threats from the Sanhedrin, they prayed to God with one voice that He give His servants boldness in the face of Jewish threats. If these men and women were not moved by the threats of death by the hands of the Jews in Jerusalem, they would not be motivated by the fear of death through famine, either.
Regardless of the reason that brought them together, the fact that they were together on a daily basis is unquestionable and stands as a contrast to today where it is difficult to motivate some to assemble just once a week. One factor that can be attributed to such indifference is the dismissal of a loving and caring family for a corporate “church membership.”
Regarding the supper of the Lord, the time was not specified in Jerusalem. It seems to be referenced in Acts 2 by the phrase, “breaking of bread.” When it is first mentioned in Acts 2, it is listed along with other spiritual activities such as prayer, teaching, and fellowship. While the first day of the week is a day of gathering to eat the Lord’s supper (Acts 20:7), it wasn’t the only time the early church met. It seems likely that it was only the time they met to eat the Lord’s supper. Yet, they were in the habit of gathering and were exhorted that they not discontinue that pattern. Yes, it was a pattern that is supported by their teaching, exhortation, and example of life.
While we are told what saints did when they gathered, the emphasis is on their being together. Common interests, love, goals, and priorities along with a great number of people who had been added to their number created a natural desire to be together. The excitement was in the air and there was no place they would rather be than in the company of the apostles of Christ. In Acts 4, after Peter and John were arrested and then released, we see the Christians in Jerusalem coming together for prayer and comfort. When Peter and John were “let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God…” (Acts 4:23, 31). After Peter was freed from prison by an angel in Acts 12:5-12, he went to a house where there were Christians gathered together praying. After Paul’s first missionary journey, when he arrived back in Antioch, we see the eagerness of the church to hear about the work of the Lord, for it says, “Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them” (Acts 14:27). Today, if someone came into town from a journey of preaching the góspel, they would have to wait until one of the appointed times scheduled for brethren to meet where they might be given some time to give a report of their work. Our attitudes and love for one another would have to change for this to happen, today. Few people could gather the church together when returning to town. Our time and schedules do not allow such preference given to a brother or sister who wants to share news of the gospel’s spread.