Acts - 12

Acts - 12

Acts 4:32-37

Introduction

A Situation Report, or SitRep is what a soldier provides for his commanding officer when they want an update on what is happening in the field. A true SitRep is a highly detailed, ordered list of information to give all the relevant information necessary. Consisting of no less than 17 distinct lines of information, a SitRep is comprehensive and efficient, providing all the necessary information without much fluff.

Acts 4 ends with a SitRep for the Church. After getting off to a fast and successful start, those early Christians ran headfirst into some persecution. Because of their boldness in preaching Jesus, the authorities are doing all within their power to shut them down. They’ve already arrested the Apostles Peter and John. Since the Apostles did not cave under the pressure put on them, the authorities issue further threats and order them to stop preaching about Jesus. All of the early Christians simply dismiss those threats and pray for God to make them even more bold. Persecution could easily slam the brakes on the Church’s growth. It could stall the Church’s excitement. So how are things going on the other side of these challenges? We need a SitRep.

Acts 4:32-37 - 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.

TS - things are going well! We were given a similar SitRep in Acts 2 and now see the continuation of God’s work in and among His people. This is obviously a special Church filled with special people. Or is it? Could it be that this description is supposed to be the normal experience for all Churches? That this uncommon Church should really be common? Let’s take a few minutes and break down the text. Three uncommon descriptions:

UNCOMMON UNITY (V. 32)

This is where the church’s uniqueness begins. In a world where all are divided, God’s people stand united. First century culture in the Roman Empire held to sharp and fierce cultural divides. There was royalty and governmental leaders who had all the power. There was the aristocracy that owned everything. And there were slaves. It is estimated that up to 80% of the citizens of the Roman Empire were considered slaves. They are owned. They have no rights.

But in the Church…this division was erased. Sitting in worship together are those from Jewish backgrounds and those from Gentile/pagan backgrounds. There are slaves and their owners, sitting as equals at the foot of the cross. There are men, who hold all the power, and women who were considered property, now equal in value in God’s eyes. There are the wealthy sitting with beggars, both now endowed with dignity and worth.

According to v. 32, they are ‘of one heart and soul.’ The heart, biblically, is the center of one’s affections, really the center of one’s life/personhood. Their identity is one. They see themselves as one body, one group. Together no matter the consequence. They are of one ‘soul.’ It is the Greek word psyche. It is translated elsewhere as ‘mind.’ This doesn’t mean they participated in group-think or were all brainwashed to think the same. All it means is that they held to the same convictions about Jesus. What they thought about Jesus was the same. How they thought about Jesus was the same. All this to say…their attention and their affection were one…all centered on Jesus.

Galatians 3:26-28 - 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

In our culture where we are not only divided, but are encouraged to be even more so, it is the Church who stands in defiance of that nonsense. Our political world becomes even more divided as people go to the extreme right and left, refusing to even hear the other side. The wealth/poverty gap continues to widen as the have’s have more and have-not’s have less.

It is only the Church where all the forces that could divide people from one another are erased. All the things the world uses to tribalize our society are superseded by the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings us together under one heading…sinners saved by grace.

In his book The Pursuit of God, A.W. Tozer writes, “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become “unity” conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

Listen to how the NT addresses our unity and drives home its source. Ephesians 4:1-6 - …walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

‘Maintain the unity of the Spirit.’ Not create. Maintain. God has already provided the unity through Jesus Christ. Our job is to maintain it. That sets an example to follow among a fractured world. That is how you shine brightly in a dark world.

UNCOMMON FIDELITY (V. 33)

Tucked into this text is a verse that is typically overlooked. v. 33 - 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. Consider the truth of that verse in the midst of the previous verses. What has just happened to them all? Peter and John were arrested and interrogated by the same group that condemned and killed Jesus. These are dangerous men who gladly kill to protect their power. They’ve been further threatened. They’ve been ordered by the murderous group to immediately stop preaching about Jesus. Yet here they are. They dismissed the threats and prayed for even more boldness. Now they are reported as continuously testifying to Jesus’ resurrection, which is the message that got them arrested in the first place.

They don’t quit. There is no stopping them. They cannot be intimidated. You see, this is the problem (from the world’s perspective) with people who believe in resurrection and eternal life…they aren’t afraid of anything. Think of the life of the Apostle Paul, who we will turn our attention to in just a few chapters in Acts. He travels around and preaches about Jesus, planting churches and training leaders. When he preaches, it causes riots. He has to escape cities in the cover of night, not to save his life, but to get to the next city and keep on preaching. We are going to jail you. Ok, I’ll happily share the gospel with the guards. We are going to kill you. Cool, I get to be with Jesus sooner. See how it works? Unafraid. Bold.

You see, this persecution could have put a damper on their missions endeavors. Being jailed and threatened by a group of killers could easily lower your excitement for preaching. But that isn’t what happened at all. The challenges made them rise up and become even stronger. We will see this as we keep going in Acts…as the challenges rise up, the Church will rise up even stronger.

ILL - Semper Fidelis is a Latin phrase that means always faithful. It is the motto of the US Marine Corps, adopted in 1883 on order from Colonel Charles McCawley, the 8th Commandant of the Marines. It is a cry of loyalty and devotion. No matter the context, no matter the consequence, Semper Fi.

That is the cry of the Christian. No matter the context. No matter the consequence, we are always faithful. We won’t answer to God for how high we rose in our company, or for how big the numbers are in our bank account, or for our kid’s accomplishments and degrees. We will answer to the Lord for our faithfulness to Him. In a world that quits when it gets tough, that is increasingly being populated by snowflakes, stand your ground. Semper Fi.

UNCOMMON GENEROSITY (V. 34-37)

This is where things get a bit dicey and challenge us so harshly. The end of v. 32 showed that part of their unity was an awareness that their stuff wasn’t just their stuff. v. 32b - no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. My stuff isn’t just for me. If you need it, consider it yours. What a radical way to live!

The radical nature of their generosity continues…v. 34-35 - 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. Not a needy person among them. Here is why this is so uncommon…there is historical record of a devastating famine in this region at this point in history. The entire region had been decimated by poverty. But not the Christians. While the world suffered, God’s people lived above that craziness because they cared so well for one another.

There are those who say that the job of the Church is to be a social benevolence organization. That our job is to meet all the world’s needs. Now, we absolutely should care about the problems in the world and do what we can to help meet those needs. But God’s primary concern is for the well-being of His people.

People will rip OT verses out of context and use them to push the Church to be a global social organization. Care for the poor, with widow, the orphan. But those commands are directed to and for Israel. God never commands His people to go into Assyria and care for their widows. God never commands for His people to go into Canaan and alleviate their poverty. Those commands are for Israel to ensure they care for their own.

Deuteronomy 15:1-11 - “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. 2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed. 3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release. 4 But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess— 5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, 8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. 9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin. 10 You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. 11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

God’s expectations are clear. God’s people are to live radically different than the world. Really, that is what we are talking about here, right? With unity, with fidelity, with generosity…different. This is what it means to be holy. The word simply means to be ‘other.’ Different. God is holy, meaning He is not jut a more evolved human. He is radically ‘other’ than we are. And we are commanded to be holy as He is holy. And typically when we think about holiness, we think only in moral terms. And that is true. But holiness has far-reaching implications.

What we are talking about is being counter-cultural. There is a way of living that the world dictates, almost as if there is a script to follow. Our calling is to flip the script.

delay adulthood and responsibility for as long as you possibly can. Have as much fun as you can. Blow your 20’s by being carefree. Don’t get married (ave. age is now mid-30’s). Focus on your career, be non-committal in relationships, explore all sexual options.

But that is a broken model, isn’t it?! Delaying responsibility delays the factors in life that create and foster maturity. This is why we have a host of man-children and Karens who are trying to run the world. They never matured. Turning yourself into a workaholic in your 20’s doesn’t create success or wealth. It just burns you out, as that attitude doesn’t magically go away when you get older. Countless sexual conquests don’t actually make you happy. Direct statistical correlation between number of sexual partners and dissatisfaction in marriage. Flip the script. Get married younger than your pagan counterparts. Build a family, not a career. Create a godly heritage. Don’t live in sexual immorality, but find your fulfillment in your spouse, as God’s good gift to you. Leverage your younger age for God’s glory and your good. The decisions you make in your 20’s dictate your 30’s and 40’s. Do you know why mid-life crises are so common? Because people made such poor life choices early on that they discover in their 40’s that they want to abandon the life they’ve built. So build a better life. instead of cultivating an online persona and having surface-level friendships, put down your phone and go hang out with an actual person. Build real, godly friendships with real, godly people. Instead of delaying responsibility, embrace it early and often. Watch God build your character and bring about emotional, relational, financial, and spiritual maturity. Instead of fearing marriage in the name of fun, find someone with godly character that you will delight in for the rest of your life, put a ring on it, and enjoy the life you build. Instead of feasting on sexual immorality with meaningless sexual partners, or in pornography, or in a sexual relationship without marital commitment, flip the script. Find her, marry her, be faithful. Instead of scrolling social media and turning your brain into a shallow pool of ignorance, pick up a book and read it. Find true wisdom. Read your Bible, see how God views the world. Instead of making your life all about your wants and pleasures, spending yourself into oblivion, embrace God’s call on your money. Leverage what he has given you to come alongside others and help them. Meet the needs of God’s people. Use God’s blessings to make their lives better.

Do you see what I mean? God has a way of living that is radically different than the world around us. From the very beginning, His people were to be so holy, that it was like a spotlight was shining on His people in a dark and depraved world. The world will see that and notice it is different. Some will do so to mock. They are weird. They are socially backwards. Good! But others will see that and know it is different. They will see how much better that way of living really is. And all we will do is introduce them to the Jesus that creates that kind of life.

Conclusion

In the early 2nd century, St. Ignatius, an early church father, wrote these words to describe the Church in the city of Rome - “It was a church worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of congratulation, worthy of praise, worthy of success, worthy in purity, preeminent in love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing the Father’s name.”