In this lesson, Garrett Bookout explores the spiritual habits of the early church as recorded in Acts 2:42–48. He emphasizes that discipleship is not merely an individual pursuit but a communal responsibility aimed at helping every member "image Christ" more perfectly. The session specifically highlights the importance of planned prayer and the shift from personal growth to building a "discipleship-centered" church where members walk alongside one another.

Garrett Bookout continues the "Discipleship" series by examining the lifestyle of the early church immediately following Peter’s sermon in Acts 2. He identifies a non-exhaustive list of their core practices: devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, prayer, generosity, and hospitality.

A significant portion of the lesson is dedicated to the discipline of prayer. Garrett argues that while spontaneous prayer is valuable, a rich prayer life requires set times and specific planning. He shares personal examples of scheduling deep prayer on Mondays and encourages the use of Scripture-based prayers, such as the Psalms or Paul’s petitions in Ephesians, to move beyond "cookie-cutter" requests and focus on deep spiritual heart-change.

The lesson then shifts focus from individual actions to the communal nature of the church. Garrett points out that the early Christians did not have individual Bibles; their learning and worship were inherently social and collective. He concludes by asserting that the "exclusive primary goal" of the congregation should be spiritual formation into Christlikeness. He challenges the congregation to ensure that Oak Hollow is a place where anyone—whether a new seeker or a long-time member—is actively and visibly becoming more like Jesus through shared life and accountability

I. Introduction and Context
- Source Text: Acts 2:42–48 (Life in the early days of the church).
- The Early Church "To-Do" List: Devotion to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, generosity, and worship.

II. The Devotion to Prayer
- Spontaneous vs. Planned Prayer: The importance of setting specific times to avoid neglecting prayer.
- Corporate Prayer: The value of "prayer meetings" and the idea that "couples (and churches) that pray together stay together".
- Variety in Prayer: Moving beyond "cookie-cutter" prayers to include worship, lament, and specific intimacy with God.
- Praying Scripture: Using the Psalms and Pauline prayers (Ephesians 1 and 3) to focus on spiritual growth rather than just physical health.

III. Discipleship as a Communal Act
- Beyond Individualism: Recognizing that the practices in Acts 2 were done together.
- Shared Learning: The historical reality that early Christians learned the Word communally because they lacked personal copies of Scripture.
- Impact on One Another: The role of the church in helping members "image Christ".

IV. The Goal of the Local Congregation
- Primary Mission: Spiritual formation and Christlikeness.
- The Example of Jesus: How the early church's habits mirrored Jesus’ own life of prayer, fellowship, and sacrifice.
- Metrics of Success: Moving away from focusing on "membership numbers" toward focusing on visible spiritual transformation over 5, 10, or 20 years.

V. Application and Encouragement
- Oak Hollow Progress: Commending recent church activities like eating together and community service at "the Lantern".
- Forward Look: Preparing to discuss how the church can further promote these communal spiritual habits in the final week of the quarter.