Problems of Family Living
The Promising Early Years
“They felt that what they owned was not their own” Acts 4:32
“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. . . . . There were no needy people among them, because they would bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.” Acts 4:32-37 (NLT)
Pastor's Blog
If you are fortunate you starting your family by sharing everything, holding all things in common, and you dreamed that it would always be like this. The early church family started off great. It was becoming exactly what the Old Testament had foretold. God had made them into generous givers exactly as the Old Testament had predicted.
With this passage Luke is making the dramatic claim that what is happening here in Jerusalem in this Christian Community is exactly what God has intended all along. Luke does this by basing vs. 34 on Deuteronomy 15, especially vs. 4. Jesus had set this very same agenda in Luke 4 by quoting Isaiah 61.
My wife, Kathy, likes to quote Revelation where Jesus tells us to remember our first love. Luke is writing long after these events and he has by now seen many things go wrong in the church. Perhaps, by recounting the beginnings of the church he wants to remind us how believers behave.
Luke shows us what kind of generosity and charity is generated when the Holy Spirit has His way. These people where demonstrating the fruit of the resurrection in way that many Christians today, who often sadly balk at even giving a tithe of their income to the church, can only dream of.
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