to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty—‘to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in.’

one who fulfills the role of being a special messenger (generally restricted to the immediate followers of Jesus Christ, but also extended, as in the case of Paul, to other early Christians active in proclaiming the message of the gospel)—‘apostle, special messenger.’

to provide instruction in a formal or informal setting—‘to teach, teaching.’

the activity of teaching, teaching, instruction

the content of teaching, teaching

close association involving mutual interests and sharing, association, communion, fellowship, close relationship

attitude of good will that manifests an interest in a close relationship, generosity, fellow-feeling, altruism

sign of fellowship, proof of brotherly unity, even gift, contribution

participation, sharing

The essence of the Christian life—fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers in Christ.

As a result of Christ’s finished work on the cross, God now makes his permanent abode in the believer’s heart (Jn 14:23). Hence the fellowship which now prevails under the new covenant is nothing less than the vital, spiritual union of the believer with Christ (Jn 14:20, 21). Fellowship with God is the goal of the Christian life (1 Jn 1:3), and this relationship will be perfected forever when we see our Savior “face to face” (1 Cor 13:12), when God dwells with his people in the heavenly kingdom (Rv 21:3).

The gospel restores fellowship not only with God, but among believers as well. Jesus’ last supper with his disciples illustrates the relationship between the vertical and horizontal dimensions of fellowship (Mk 14:22–25). In the upper room Jesus shared with his disciples a sacred love feast. The hearts of the Lord and his followers were knit together by a deep sense of love and commitment. Later the disciples discovered that their own hearts were strongly united out of their common loyalty to Jesus. Following the cross and the outpouring of the Spirit the church was born, that new society of people in fellowship with God and with one another.

breaking/ fracturing

to break an object into two or more parts (in the NT κλάω and κλάσις are used exclusively for breaking bread)—‘to break, to break bread.’

κλάω: κλάσας ἔδωκεν τοῖς μαθηταῖς τοὺς ἄρτους ‘he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples’ Mt 14:19.

κλάσις: ὡς ἐγνώσθη αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου ‘how they recognized him when he broke bread’ Lk 24:35

The reference here is to the head of the house who at the beginning of a meal takes bread, gives thanks, breaks it and gives to those at table with him. In this way it is used of the bread of the Last Supper in Mk. 14:22 and par.; 1 C. 11:23 f., 26 ff.; 10:16 f.; Ac. 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11 (→ λαμβάνω, → εὐχαριστέω, → εὐλογέω, → κλάω, → κλάσις, → δίδωμι).

A classic definition of Christian prayer is “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of his mercies” (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Christian prayer is the end product of a long process of change and development in God’s relation to men, as a survey of the biblical data shows.

The NT’s teaching on prayer is dominated by Christ’s own example and teaching. His dependence on his Father in his mediatorial work expresses itself in repeated prayer, culminating in his high-priestly prayer (Jn 17) and the agony of Gethsemane with the prayer from the cross. Yet Christ is explicit in describing his relationship to his Father as a unique one (Jn 20:17).

Prayer is an expression of sincere desire. It is not to inform God of matters that he would otherwise be ignorant of, and the validity of prayer is not affected by length or repetitiveness. Private prayer is to be discreet, secret (Mt 6:5–15).

The parables are another important source of Christ’s teaching, emphasizing persistence in prayer (Lk 18:1–8), simplicity and humility (Lk 18:10–14), and tenacity (Lk 11:5–8). A third source of teaching is the Lord’s Prayer. Once again there is the blend of directness (“Our Father”) and distance (“Who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name”). The requests given in the Lord’s Prayer are concerned first with God, his kingdom and his glory, and then with the disciples’ needs for forgiveness and for daily support and deliverance. Occasionally it seems from our Lord’s teaching that anything that is prayed for will, without restriction, be granted. But such teaching ought to be understood in the light of Christ’s overall teaching about prayer (“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”).

Christ stated that when the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, came the disciples would pray to the Father in the name of Christ (Jn 16:23–25). Accordingly we find that after the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost the early church is characterized by prayer (Acts 2:42) under the leadership of the apostles (Acts 6:4). The church praises God for the gift of his Son and his Spirit and petitions God in times of difficulty (Acts 4:24; 12:5, 12).

As subject (En 100:8): φόβος πίπτει ἐπί τινα fear comes upon someone Ac 19:17 v.l.; Rv 11:11 v.l. ἐπιπίπτει ἐπί τινα Lk 1:12; Ac 19:17; Rv 11:11. ἐστὶν ἐπί τινα Ac 2:43b v.l. γίνεται ἐπί τινα Lk 1:65; Ac 5:5, 11 or γίνεταί τινι Ac 2:43a. λαμβάνει τινά (Jos., Vi. 148) Lk 7:16;

profound respect and awe for deity—‘reverence, awe.’

φόβοςd: καὶ πορευομένη τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ κυρίου ‘and (the church) lived in reverence for the Lord’ Ac 9:31.

δέος: λατρεύωμεν … μετὰ εὐλαβείας καὶ δέους ‘let us worship … with reverence and awe’ He 12:28.

a relatively large quantity of objects or events—‘many, a great deal of, a great number of

someth. that astounds because of transcendent association, prodigy, portent, omen, wonder in our lit. only pl. and combined

an unusual sign, especially one in the heavens, serving to foretell impending events—‘portent, sign

an event that is an indication or confirmation of intervention by transcendent powers, miracle, portent

ⓐ miracle

a sign or distinguishing mark whereby someth. is known, sign, token, indication

an event which is regarded as having some special meaning—‘sign