“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. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need”

Untitled

From parables to commands, the Gospels are filled with direction from Jesus, about how we should view material wealth, and the Book of Acts presents us with an account of Christ’s teaching in practice. “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. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need” (Acts 4:32-35).

These early Christians gave, not out of social coercion or legislative edict, but of free will, as need presented itself. Unfortunately, greed did work its way into the community with devastating effects for some (Acts 5:1-11), but let’s consider what we can learn about the good fruit produced, during this episode, in early Church history. Need had been eliminated. God’s grace was powerfully at work in the people. The apostles continued spreading the Good News with great power; and likewise, their numbers continued to increase. The people willingly shared everything; no one claimed ownership of their possessions. The community was of one heart and mind in Jesus Christ; the people’s willingness to share everything witnessed to the love in their hearts.

Among all the good fruits produced, need was eradicated; Christian economics at work! From the apostles to the everyday believer, I suspect there was no class of elites; no gated communities; no presidential palaces. People somehow found purpose absent of the pursuit of material wealth. I leave this post here without offering any further interpretation or conjecture. Instead, I invite devotion to studying scripture, prayer and seeking revelation.

Please sign up to follow my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. God bless!