All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.
Acts 4:32
The early chapters of Acts present a beautiful picture of the Holy Spirit-driven Church. Specifically, read 2:42–47 and 4:32–37. The unity sounds almost too good to be true. There was strong devotion to biblical teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and selling possessions for the sake of the needy. As a result, the number of those who were saved grew, and grew daily. Wow, what an inspirational picture!
Evangelism and discipleship did not just take place in the local community, but word of and belief in the resurrected Messiah spread farther and farther. The geographically diverse Jewish believers who were present at Pentecost now spread the Gospel in their respective locations. And fellowship spread with it.
Interestingly, these two passages emphasize selling property and donating the profit. An example is given in Acts 4 of a Levite from Cyprus named Barnabas (the future ministering companion of Paul) who sold land and brought the proceeds to the apostles.
All wasn’t completely rosy, though, as an opposing example is immediately given in Acts 5:1–11 of a married couple who lied about their property sale. They kept some of the money to themselves, but claimed they didn’t. This exposed a troubling heart issue that was met with harsh consequences. God struck them dead for lying to Him. This was a stark reminder that the newly arrived Holy Spirit knew their (and knows our) every thought.
Now back to the more positive topic. Doesn’t the sound of the early church’s unity create a longing in you to experience the same? Does such a situation even exist in America today? With our dividing lines (denominations), selfishness, greed, and laziness abounding in all directions, it would take a major earth-shaking revival to create such a scenario. But it is possible.
It has been my experience that authentic fellowship exists more often in poorer countries. The poorer a group of believers are, the more generous they seem to be. One could argue Jesus made this case in sharing about the widow who gave sacrificially versus others who only gave a meager portion out of their abundance. This should be enough to make most believers feel rightfully guilty. It is for me!
It takes a daily reminder to self that every possession we hold so dear still stays here when we die. The only things we can take with us are what we did for the Lord and relationships with other believers. We need to let go more and share what we have.
What would it look like if you devoted yourself to the teachings in God’s Word? What if you or your family picked a possession to sell and gave all the proceeds to the needy? What if you invited someone who could use the fellowship over for a meal? How different would our communities, nation, and world be if we were doing what we should have been doing all along? You can start now with a simple act of kindness toward another believer.
