One man's gift...

“They Had Everything in Common”

(Acts 4:32-37, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, May 8, 2011)

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul,

What a wonderful moment this was in the history of God's saving purposes. Christ had come. He lived and died for His people. He rose from the dead. The Spirit of God was poured out on this new community of faith in Jerusalem. Miracles were happening in the Name of Jesus. The Lord was granting boldness to the apostles in the face of dangerous threats.

The impact of this new age of resurrection was by no means limited to the apostles. There were very noticeable and real changes in the lives of all who believed. Certainly some of the changes were individual, as each person repented of sin and turned to God. But what happened at the end of Acts 4 was more than just a few cases of extraordinary individual generosity. The church was an assembly of heavenly life. They had the Holy Spirit in them together, the Spirit that filled Jesus Christ. He was their unity of faith, love, and courage. He was the power that was displayed in weakness. They were of one heart and soul.

and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

This oneness of heart and mind must have been expressed in sincere emotions, good words, and acts of kindness, but it is worth noticing here and in the next chapter that this oneness led to a great wave of Spirit-filled giving. Even though this did not end private ownership or individual control of property, no one was insisting on their property rights in the church. That was not where their hearts were. No one was getting passionate about holding on to what he owned. Something else was taking place that was much more remarkable. People were using their possessions based on the spiritual fact that they were one in Christ.

Many from Acts 2 onward were away from home much longer than they had anticipated. They had come from far-off places as Jews to attend the Old Testament festivals of Passover and Pentecost. Events had moved according to God's plans, and not according to their own expectations and preparations. In Jerusalem they had found the Messiah. He had revealed Himself in suffering. He had shown Himself in glory, and He had touched them in particular. They were a part of the church, and they were passionate enough about this new resurrection life, that many remained in Jerusalem long beyond what they could personally afford. Others who were of greater means or who lived locally were treating these travelers and the poor among them as their brothers and sisters in the family of God. They had everything in common, even if they did not throw away the documents that gave them title to all their homes. They made sure that everyone had a place to stay, and that no one was hungry.

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

Meanwhile, the Lord was blessing the apostles with a very powerful message. They had asked for courage, and they were taking courage, and were speaking out boldly concerning the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This one resurrection was central to both their doctrine and their life together. They believed, proclaimed, and lived out the one resurrection of Jesus as Lord.

This resurrection that they proclaimed was not an isolated fact. It was evidence of the reliability of the previous promises of God and a visible reminder of what would come at the return of Christ in the resurrection from the dead. But the resurrection of Jesus not only brought clarity to the past, and a confident hope in the future. The book of Acts tells us that it changed the present for all who believed. Great grace was upon them all.

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

This grace of God in the resurrection of Jesus Christ had too many implications to list. It changed everything, ushering in a new era of life for mankind. But one impact is listed in this passage: As far as the new community of worshipers in Jerusalem, now numbering in the thousands, there was not a needy person among them. Why? Because people of means, people who were owners of lands or houses sold them, and they gave the proceeds to the church, putting them in the charge of the leaders of the church, the apostles. The apostles did not keep those proceeds for themselves. They distributed to each as any had need.

The essence of this action was in the desired result: that there would be no one among the thousands in the church who was left in a state of being truly needy of food and clothing. The aim was to love God by taking care of his family.

Was this way of life just an extraordinary manifestation of generosity for the first century church, or could such a thing be expected to happen throughout the New Testament era? As the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ takes root in people, we can expect two changes to take place that both work in the direction of meeting needs through giving. First, people begin to redefine what they need. What they thought were needs are exposed as desires, and the intensity of those desires decreases because of the pleasures of the kingdom, some of which are experienced now. Secondly, believers find a new delight in giving away things. As the grace of God grips their hearts, they find that what they need to receive from the goods of this world goes down (this is Christian contentment), and their desire to give in new ways goes up (this is Christian love.)

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

The passage closes with the example of one man's gift. Barnabas (Wouldn't you like to have the nickname “Son of encouragement?”) found that he needed less than he thought. This Levite, a native of the island of Cyprus, owned a field. He did not need it anymore. This is contentment. He decided to sell that field and to lay the money at the feet of the apostles so that the church could use that money to provide for those in need in any way that they saw fit. This was love, love for the Lord's family, love that insists that everybody's needs are being taken care of.

This was just the beginning for Barnabas. He would do much more than this. He would give more than money. Why did he do it? It was by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you impressed by what Barnabas did? Be more impressed with the One who died for Barnabas. Be impressed with that one Man's gift.

1. What would it look like for those who believe to be of one heart and soul?

2. What was the testimony of this first community of faith?

3. What was the meaning of laying something at the feet of the apostles?

4. Who was Barnabas and what do we know of his life story?

OT Passage: Exodus 16:1-21