Reflecting on Acts 4:32-37“No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” (Acts 4:32)
This first church was not perfect, but this description is amazing.
Despite their divisions and differences, they aimed to be radically one.
They even renounced ‘private property’ to generously sharing everything!
Not claiming our possessions as our own seems so radical; we call it communism.
But if you think about it, this seems more like how God created the world to be.
I know some Christians who insist on the creation order for sex.
And yet they do not apply this same thinking to other areas.
Like private property or forms of government (is democracy creational?).
How about eating meat, or nakedness, or engaging in war, or singleness?
We insist on some things as morality, and yet dismiss others that we don’t like.
I have yet to encounter a church that insists of sharing everything like this.
We need to be honest about our not living up to God’s full creation design.
We have a long way to go, and to grow, to be fully human as God intended.
Until then, our job is to be more graciously loving within our imperfect communities.
To freely give what we have freely been given to other imperfect sinners like us.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, this first community was not perfect, but it did do some amazing things. We will not succeed in being a perfect community either, but help us to aim to be more loving and generous than we currently are, especially with sinners who sin differently from us.
All what I have belongs to Him. Remember the building of the temple that the people freely gave until they had more than enough? My resources must be used for His purpose – building his Kingdom. I too need to freely give.
God forgave my sin in Jesus’ name.
I’ve been born again in Jesus’ name
And in Jesus’ name I come to you
To share his love as he told me to.
He said ‘Freely, freely you have received;, freely, freely give.
Go in my name, and because you believe others will know that I live.