The Believers Share Their Possessions

PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

Acts 4:32-37

DEVOTION / REFLECTION

Extraordinary Grace

by Judy Webb

The six verses from today's reading are a bold statement to what Jesus can do for a community that believes and follows his word. The change that takes place in our lives when we look to the Spirit for guidance and wisdom is endless. In this section of Acts, the power of the Resurrection was seen in the transformed living of the Christian community. Their unity is striking. They shared everything, there was no person in need of anything. It is difficult to picture this, isn't it? 

The good of the Community is the good of each individual member. As opposed to the other side of the coin where the gift-giver is expecting something in return. Generosity was not a means to power; heart-felt giving has little to do with the giver and everything to do with the receiver. Sounds like utopia, right? 

The commitment to each other and the resulting transformed lives speaks volumes. How can we live like this in our times? Is it possible now days?

"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..." (verse 33)

Jesus' character was rubbing off on the believers. Because they loved Him so, they wanted to do as He did, as He taught. Isn't that the way it often goes. We behave in certain ways because we want to make others happy, or proud. The truth is, the Gospel can rearrange everything – our economics, our relationships, and our attachments to things. That's not a bad thing, especially if it results in a transformed life. Jesus is the Way to that transformation. As the Voice verse of the Bible reads verse 33b, “Everyone was surrounded by extra ordinary grace.”

Lord, teach us how to embrace the ways of the early church and renew our commitment to each other and to you.  Amen.

To Share or not to Share

Acts 4:32, 34 (NIV) All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had…There were no needy persons among them. 

The words in verse 34 are striking. "There were no needy persons among them." There was a time I would have been considered 'needy'. I was insecure and desperate for attention. We all know someone like this, their lack of parental love and attention may be how they came to struggle with a lack of confidence. A parental pat on the back goes a long way to securing a child’s self-assurance.

The lesson today is pointing to the fact that everyone had everything they needed to survive. At first read, I am thinking of money to purchase the necessities, but after prayerful consideration I think it means that there were no needy persons among them, because they took care of any need that may arise. They genuinely loved and nurtured each other. The love the Believers had for one another was complete. They took care of each other. They loved one another as Jesus did.

It is difficult to imagine a society that would sell their possessions for the greater good. It is next to impossible to dream of a civilization that cares for their neighbor’s needs before their own. There was no one in need of the basics of food, clothing, and shelter among them, “they were one in heart and mind.” They nurtured one another, complimenting, walking alongside and generally sharing their lives. They loved each other.

It is when we don't feel loved that we crave affection, and we go after that attention in ways that could be considered 'needy'. We can all learn a lesson from the early church members. Life lived for our neighbor is life lived for Jesus.

Acts 4:32-37