The Believers Share Their Possessions

What possessions would you be willing to part with to help a friend in need?

Obviously our culture is different from the first-century church, but this question really helps to put things into perspective doesn’t it?

What attitude did the believers have toward one another? (v. 32)

They were of one heart and soul.

They were selfless and understood that all they had been entrusted with was a gift from God.

They were willing to follow God, regardless of what the culture says.

What message continuously fueled the church at this time and should that same message be what fuels the church today? (v. 33)

It was the resurrection of Christ.

This message was obviously pertinent during that time as Jesus was the center of all the commotion. It was adamant that the people understood He still lived and was indeed the Messiah, of which had been prophesied from God’s Word.

Yes! It is the only message of salvation.

Though we are very distant from the time of this event, we are ever so close to ultimate fulfillment of this resurrection account. We are closer now, more than ever, to seeing those who believe in the resurrection of Christ accounted for in glory. The second coming of Christ eminent and we must proclaim the truth of it.

How is the unity of the church portrayed and why was it so important unto them? (v. 34-35)

Those who had been blessed abundantly, abundantly blessed others. They sold their possessions of excess and gave the proceeds to the apostles so that they could be distributed as needed.

This giving to the apostles shows the true selfless nature of the act. They did not try and control what happened to the money after it was given, they trusted the leaders with that decision. It was no longer theirs because it never was theirs.

These same people were cut off from society. This type of selfless love was paramount to the survival of the Church during this time. If they would not have supported one another, many people simply could not have made the transition financially and would have been forced to continue in their allegiance to society.

Why do you think Joses (Joseph/Barnabas) was singled out in his offerings? (v. 36-37)

He was a devout servant of God and stayed close to the apostles.

They even gave him the surname of “Barnabas”, which meant “Son of Encouragement.”

It was important that the people see everyone, at all levels, committing the same act of selfless love.

He was a religious leader, a Levite.

The fact that he was willing to transition from his original post as a priest to being a follower of Jesus, meant that a studied man of faith was moving his allegiance to the cross of Christ.

To see this would have sparked hope in many of the Jews to do the same.

He too, was willing to lay the proceeds of his possessions sold at the apostles feet, showing he trusted their decisions as to how it was used.

What is difficult about sharing the things we have?

Our culture does not act this way naturally.

Our upbringing had taught us differently.

Our own pride can cause us to hold back those things which God has blessed us with, as if we somehow claimed them for ourselves.

Fear can also cause hesitation in this area. If I sale my house, where will I go? What about my family? What about a recession?

In what way can we mimic the unity of the first-century Church?

We must find where Christians are struggling today.

We areas of life are made difficult for those who choose to follow Christ?

We must decide how, as a local assembly of God’s Church, we can aid in those areas.

The most meaningful ministries are those which provide an answer to the problems of those within the community.

We must be willing to give selflessly to those ministries so that others are blessed by our blessings.

As we give to those ministries, we are simply passing along the blessing of God upon us to others. As this happens, the love of God is felt in those ministries and the message of God comes to life.