01.19.2025 Acts 4:32-37

Well, we've been working our way through the book of Acts and I hope that each week. It's brought you more more joy and may bring you more. More conviction, more more concern. And today probably won't be different because it does both of those two things together, God's word always does that. It brings us both conviction and joy that happens when we see Jesus in light of the passage. And what he's done to rescue us from our situation. This morning, we have a wonderful passage that begins in verse 32 of Acts chapter 4, we're going to finish the fourth chapter of Acts today. We've been going through verse by verse just digging into God's word and this is our opportunity to take today to hear what God has to say. Don't be distracted. Don't be thinking about dinner. We have it all stored away in the back. It's going to be perfect. Don't be thinking. I'll tell you all the things don't be thinking about. But let's gather our mind towards God. Right now. Right now. So if you're willing and able, please stand with me, we're going to read God's word together. In verse 32 of Acts chapter 4,

Now, the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. And no one said that any of the things that belong to him was his own, but they had everything in common, and with great power, the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus, and great. Grace was upon them. All, There was not a needy person among them for as many were owners of lands or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to each as any had need those Joseph who was also called by the apostles Barnabas, which means, son of encouragement. A levite a native of Cypress solar field that belong to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet. Let's pray together. Lord this morning, we need this passage because we need to express generosity and encouragement towards one. Another that comes from a Unity that we have in Jesus Christ. I pray that what we would do is be stirred up by the gospel to tighter Unity, two more generosity and more encouragement. And I pray that what we would do is do that For Your Glory so that others would see a distinction and us as an authentic Community of Peace. Who are honest and true. Lord, we are sinners and we're going to need help this morning. So I pray that you would give us that by the power of the spirit that you would make us new and make us a live a life together and Unison. Generous and encouraging in Jesus name I pray, amen. You know, Valentine's Day is coming up, if you didn't know, and that's always an opportunity for you to express your romance. Some of you are going to consider places to go eat places to have a good time. I don't know what your favorite spot is or if there's anyone pursuing you, some of you are just happy that there's no one that you're pursuing all that is in pursuit of you because you do not have to pay for anything and that that is one approach for sure, but it seems like our culture it in any number of ways is sensitively drawn to romantic relationships as a priority over our friendships or find interesting. At least about studying this passage this week. Is that in the ancient world for the Greeks? Friendship was a higher priority than romantic love. I don't when I meditated and thought about that for a minute, I was like that is just such a different world, but the passes that we just read, would have been a huge apologetic to the Greek world to say, hey, not only, are we doing this, we're doing it better than you and it's been a things that the Greek World wanted for a long time. I wanted to read you a few quotes that way, you know, dance, not just making this stuff up. All right, so a few quotes from old dead people. That aren't necessarily from the Bible, all right famous ones. Nonetheless, one of them is epicurus, if you've ever studied philosophy would know of this guy and this is what he says of all. The means to ensure her happiness throughout the whole life by far. The most important is the acquisition of friends. That's why statement and the acquisition of friends is the most important thing if you're wanting to achieve happiness, and that this is what Aristotle said, maybe you've heard of him and he lived about 384 to 3:22 BC. Epicurus live 341-2270, BC sooner overlap in their lives. He said this was a friend, a single soul dwelling, in two bodies He also said that's wishing to be friends. Is a quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit. They not only were obsessed with this. They were always talking about friendship and what it meant to have be friends in to have friends. In fact, within the pages of your Bible, when Luke is painting this down, he uses some of their own phraseology on purpose, to communicate to Theophilus. Hey, you need to look at this. We're doing it better. In fact, that is what Jesus said, in the upper room. Isn't it? Jesus said, in the upper room, they will know. You are my disciples because of the way that you love one another, the invite of Christianity is a genuine invite to friendship, and so often what it looks like in the churches, that's not what we were expressing together. We are called to be friends, but to be authentic friends. Then why would you bring up this authentic versus inauthentic? It's very important because it's playing out in the next couple of weeks. Not only just this week but next week we're going to look at inauthentic people, aren't we? And those in thought and authentic people, they run slap headlong into some problems. In fact, you can put it this way. This is the second conclusion in the book of Acts. The first conclusion was found in Acts chapter 2 verses 42 through. 47 now, we've run into the second conclusion and in the second conclusion, we're going to find two carcasses afterwards. That's a problem, right? We want to avoid an authenticity and these folks as a couple lied to the Holy Spirit and we're in. They ended up dead ended up dead. In this conclusion, we want to see that there's some links to the previous conclusion. It's gone before. There's Unity, there's a group of people who are uncommon friends who've gathered here together yet again. And what happened. Since the last one is intensity has built. They are, they are not in cahoots at all with the leaders of their country, they're being questioned, their being four suits, their being attacked, that's drawing them even Tighter. And at the same time, their numbers are growing each and every day. That's what that's what we've learned from before. So this Pentecost conclusion is led to this lame man experience where he ends up as a sign walking among God's people. And the word of God increases as Peter has been and John have been released and this lame, man. It has increased the prayer life of this community and they faced more antagonism than ever and they're pursuing authentic relationships with one another because they need them to survive. So, often within the Church of the GF Jesus Christ, what's happened to us as we don't think we need each other. We get bonded by the notion of the world around us, that we can do it by our self. There were strong enough work, confident enough, we figured it out. We've got enough resources, within ourselves to do things by ourselves and we claim Christ, even as an addendum and an addition to our life rather than the very source of life itself. That bonds us to other people The church is a different animal in this world and it's meant to be an apologetic to what's true? What's actually real? And so often what it becomes is a lesser version, many of us have experienced, if we work hiding it a more authentic community in the sports teams, we grew up with, as we participated in the mission of meeting other people in scoring more points than we have within the people of God. And that's a shame. The Brotherhood that we share in Christ's should outrank any other experience that we have in the outside world? It's a friendship Bond. That's meant to say to other people. Know that you wish you had this. We're doing it better because of Jesus Christ and his gospel. I wonder if that's true for you today. We live in an age, think about it right now. That is drowning and social media experiences were there hungering, the approval of others and it always comes up short and leave them empty. It's breaking them down, and it's not making them more relationship-oriented, but it's making them more individualistic, more antagonistic, more on that able to sit down and have a conversation and look other people in the face, and it's devastating. There is not a less opportunity for us to be locked into Community today than there was in the first century, but yet a greater one. Because people are not going to stop wanting to be in relationship with others because the times have changed is because we were made for relationship, and it's not good that we were alone. You've been made for relationship with the god of the universe to worship Him and adore him, and you've met him made to be in fellowship and communion with others. And sometimes, what we settle for is a fake and broken relationship with our Lord and a fake and broken relationship with others in our church. Does calling us to a tighter sense of communion not just in the first century when Jesus has rose from the dead. But now as an example, still of what's happened in those days, then when you read these passages what do what do you think is this something we should just excuse as prescriptive of an excuse me, as descriptive of an old age or is it prescriptive for all the things that we should be doing? How do you measure such a tension? I don't think the intention here by the book of Acts is to record this so they can say yeah that's just what they did. Then let's skip over all their virtues. We should look at their gospel oriented virtues and say, why were they different? And what do we need about? What they were? That is common to us in our current day. Then I'm telling you, we need an authentic Community more than ever more than ever. It's evident that this virtuix virtuous expression of God's grace in these people is something we should always expect and Foster it with one another rather than avoid it and pretend like it's unnecessary. Just because, all that's the old days. That's a deception. I'm not saying that we ever achieved Perfection, but because you can't achieve, Perfection doesn't mean you ought not to be in Pursuit. We are in Pursuit because we've been transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And we seek to hold tight to that word and groove. Do good deeds just as they did in the book of Acts. So this morning, we have a wonderful opportunity to talk about authentic Grace oriented community that stuff. Because I think we live in a hard day where they doesn't feel like we really have any friends or were skeptical and cynical and we're broken by relationships and even broken by Church relationships, especially broken by Church relationship. Some of you in this room today, have done that. This is what you went through in your mind, maybe even in coming here today. This is how it went in your head, okay? Maybe I'm going to hang out with those church people, but I don't know man. Everytime, I hang out with those church. People. It gets a little weird. I might be fixing to get hurt again. I don't know. Sticking my heart out there. One more time, just ready to get stopped on. That's normal. I think it's normal in a world where we continually practice, all kinds, of relational dysfunctions and I think God's word today has something for us to renew us both with hope. And a trajectory for how it could be different. Let's read again. Verse 32 and talk about the first thing, it is a Greater Grace oriented gospel Community authentic Community needs first and foremost, Unity we need Unity. Unity, what does that look like verse 32? Says this? Now, the full number of those who believe and that's like 5,000, alot of people. Now, wear of one heart and soul that, we are reading that from God's word should make us. Go what? In fact, I wrote this down during a time of reflection on this passage. This is just my situation at the time. Maybe you've never felt this way. I wrote. This was this the last time? LOL. What is honest? If we think for a minute, the Christian church and all of its flavors and seasons is obviously, very divided, everyone thinks they're right. And if you didn't think you were, right, you change and try to be right and everyone has a better right Miss than those around us. And sometimes with the way that this even developed within churches, as we're, the only ones that are right and everybody around us is the ones that are wrong. If they had every doctrinal jot and Tittle cross ties and tease the way that we would have them. And obviously they would be the good people that we are and everyone should be like us rather than devoting our attention to everyone being like, Jesus, we become self-righteous and confused and then there's a kind of unity that we settle for, you know. The one we don't talk about the things that we disagree over or we just brush things quickly under the rug, when something falls apart or something goes into chaos, we lie and pretend and cover up for the sake of making the church look better and marketable to those who are Outsiders. And then we what we pitched today is an inability to repent and admit and confess our sins. And that's devastating. That's not the unity that the scripture is calling for because of the very next part of the verse. Did you see it? Now, the full number of those. Sorry, it was in the same verse Who believed? What, what is it that they believed? the guy was wholly in perfect and all his ways, and they are not The Jesus is the only substitute for Sinners who died on their behalf. That's that's what they believed and how they became of one mind. If we share in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that's happened by God's grace. And its building us into a group of people who say you said or have me 20 solution, what? Wow? Me too. And the more that we say me too in that particular way over the gospel of Christ, we see each other as allies and not enemies.

So often what we do is we live in a kind of fake nests over the gospel. That means you can't talk about this or you make make no weekend. We can talk about it because we have unity in Christ Jesus. Knowing that if you believe in his name, no matter your imperfection In. This Moment, one day you will be made perfect. And I have high hopes for you, what are we? That you're going to be different in the next life, but in this life, you're going to be different as you're conformed to the image of Christ in relationship to us as a people. What's my hope for you? But we're growing in unity not moving away from it, not disintegrating because of what will we do, play something of higher values in the Lord, Jesus Christ in his gospel and when that's the case, then what we will do is go to war over. Something that doesn't matter.

You know, unity in Friendship is a complicated matter these days, especially in our churches. If we're not careful, we expect week spect, a kind of blind uniformity or we build off of the validation culture of the world. The deal with our guilt and shame Humanity, has turned it into drunken positive affirmations, rather than looking to Jesus Christ, they've developed inabilities to have a deep unity and honest conversation conversation. Even disagreement instead of becoming sharper and better through disagreement and unity. We go along just to get along. And it's devastating. Steps today. You know.

I really think that our attention when it comes to the subject to being the United people of God, it comes down to Simply. This are those people really for me. Are they really for me? Because we think people are out to get us because that's what the world is like. For the roads. Like we don't have this thing. That's right here in this passage notice what it says, they were of one heart and soul. And no one said that any of the things that belong to them was his own, but they had everything in common, That's explosive it. And they had everything in common because of what they had in common in G's it was transformative in the way that they looked at the world and they solve these people are truly my people because there for me, there for me, you know what breaks down In our broken. Relationships within the church rather than talking we turn to Stone Walling, we stopped communicating with one another. Have it rather than having an honest conversation we can move towards trying to prove that I'm better and actually, okay. Rather than moving towards a vulnerable conversation. We just cut people off and decide that they're not made in the image of God. They don't have anything to contribute. I actually am the only one with something to contribute and people feel alienated and obviously can tell when somebody's treating them that way there's also another way that you can treat people just like that you can decide that well I'm not open to someone else's conversation because I'm better than them or I'm not going to actually listen to someone else and take in what they have to say because I'm better than the end of this constant move towards self-righteousness will break down our sense of belonging to one another. You know, there's an unclear ultimate value in Christ, that happens and develops and it gets messy. No one knows how to triage, because no one sees Jesus is ultimately important. You know, triage is triage is when you're in the nursing room and somebody has a bullet wound to the head, you know, that's bigger than a bullet wound. So that the hand while both are semi-serious, we know that the most serious one is the one that's gone to the head and when you value Christ propria appropriately and his gospel, you can tell the difference between a bullet wound to the head and wanted a hand. And the same thing happens to us. In church, we get really Persnickety about things that just don't matter. Because we don't know what matters. Favoritism can develop out of these kinds of mine sets where it ends up being fear-driven or somebody's getting more of the attention than I am. And I can see it. And when someone's excels in some kind of way and sticks out, we will disrupt Unity for the sake of trying to prove that I'm actually valuable to this community. We breakdown the unity that we have with one another and it's devastating. We can fail to think of others is more important than ourselves. We were the most important person in this conversation. Not you? We get into competition competition with one another, right? We're well, like, I have to show you of just how righteous I am. We can have a lack of self-knowledge in relationship to this as well, where we don't really have an awareness of our self. Because for years, we've been tuning out. Others who've been speaking to us and trying to shape us into the image of Christ and it breaks down the unity that a church can have. We can have a lack of accountability where people just do whatever they want. Because, you know, there is no King and everyone does what is right in their own eyes. If you don't know, I'm referencing the Bible.

This is devastating to us. We can have an unresolved tension with the past or something is broke down in our church relationship in the past that we're still holding onto and we won't tell others about it and we won't deal with it because we want to pretend like it still doesn't hurt and then we pour it on other people and we have these assumptions that they're always going to be just like this. Or this person's going to be just like that. And it breaks down our ability to be honest and transparent with one another because we are holding on to the past and we can't let it go and its defining your future. And it's simple. We can look at others is unredeemable and we can express lack of trust. We can move away from trying to trust the body of Christ because of what we share in Christ. And what we can do is we can look at everybody with suspicion,

This is a lack of unity. If we're constantly suspicion, what we, what we can think of in reason or mine is that doesn't have anything to do with unity. It absolutely does if we move towards suspicion with one another in constantly think that each other is out to get each other like the world does, we're not different than them. We must be built on the gospel and learn to trust one another. It doesn't mean that people won't sit against you or hurt you. They're going to and what we're going to be does different people. Is the kind of people who can forgive not, without accountability, know without honest confession of sin but was repentance and growth. In forbearance with one another. Our passage won't let us get off the hook with that. So I can look, we need to be like a fist and then it's cheesy. It's just one of the old coaches analogies, right? If we play this one, as strong, as we would be together like a fist. And so will we will we need to practice as a kind of unity together, not because it's fake because if it's fraudulent, think it'll come especially if it's tested, these people are being tested.

And they need each other. And you need each other more than you realize in this world. Grace oriented Community is rustling through this together, the wrestling, through these things, with one another struggling, learning to fight for it. Learning to have all things in common because of what we share in Jesus Christ. This is our apologetic. I mean, it's right here within these words, but they had everything in common is what Aristotle wrote about the idealistic community in the past and is Luke record. This, he's saying the church is that brother

Is it? Do we share that same apologetic today? This is actually even to the Jew what they hope. The tour would could convert people towards is being able to live and harmonious Shalom with one another. And what do you find in the Bible? So often, come on, we're studying the Book of Genesis in our Sunday school and all them Bros are killing each other.

How pleasant it is when Brothers dwell together in unity.

Isn't that in the Psalms of ascent?

You know, this thing was also promised this first connects us to the Shema because it says the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul. There there's a a connection to our heart and soul were been knit together as one voice as one people and if it was promising versus like Jeremiah 31 3134 and is he kill 36 226 at the long place by the spirit in their heart and if we Acclaim that we share in that same Spirit than we're moving towards this kind of unity in fellowship with one another or pretending with ourselves because this is what was promised to us and it's been given to us by it as by God as a gift, that's right, you should look at the people around you and you said you were my gift. It's true. That's what was promised to us, friends. Prince were built off the gospel of Christ. And it's being perfected. The hope that even in the verses that we read from Romans chapter 12, or Jesus is prayer and John 17 is a hope of what would happen. When we wrestle over God's word, looking to him as the author perfector finisher of our faith. The one who is seated at the right hand, when we see Jesus in the epicenter of it all, we are being drawn together as a people not further apart.

And it's going to take time to be perfected and will ultimately be perfect. Perfect it in glory, and I noticed also is being performed in generosity. And it's the same, very text wouldn't notice what they did. No one said that, any of the things that belong to him, once his own, this is amazing, not because it's communism. It's the opposite. In fact, they have personal property and they relinquish their right to it. Think about how amazing that is, rather than holding fast. What they have, they release it, and they say this belongs to me, but I'm not going to act as if it's mine. Because this is how much you mean to me.

I'm moving into that part because we're going to talk about generosity next. Fake friendship is not Christian.

It's not. Friendship should matter to us. It's going to be perfected in our Pursuit. It's going to take time for us to realize the promise that's ours in Jesus Christ. When we're dealing with our broken sinfulness, we're going to have to work through things looks. Honestly, our life And I'm praying for greater Unity, not just in our church Community, but in our marriages, and the way we function our homes, because this is where we must do battle. We have no other option before to Super to each other. With a hope of unity, isn't that what we experienced in the unity of our marriages and in our romantic relationships, but what breaks down over time, When we decide well we'll never get there. Let's just quit. This is what we're in pursuit of, for the sake of God's glory, authentic community. You know, this next part, we're going to Dothan to community number to needs generosity. There's the kind of way that self-righteousness kills us here. I'm not kidding. If your question I never noticed this is something. I'm just I've been doing this pastor thing for a long time and I'm just going to bring it up. So here we go. Whenever you're like in the small group or at the small group setting or just a group of friends, sometimes you just talkin and there's that person who finally says the thing, you know what I mean? And everybody knows that. It's the thing is the thing that's been plugging them as the thing is the thing that's almost Define the lies and they finally get to that moment of genuine vulnerability. As they like, this is what's been going on with me, the cry, they weep, you pray for them, the church will surround them and end. This is what will happen next week, they leave And they never come back are like, we just had the most amazing moment of all time with this person. Why is it that won't come back? What happened? It's like, well, whatever doing that again, if anybody ever starts confessing and acting like that run away cuz we don't want to lose them, There's something weird here for that happens with us and it's a self-righteous thing and it has to do with shame and it has to do with guilt. And it's plugging people. It really is, especially in this day and age where were nervous. Because what just happened in that moment that person made themselves vulnerable. And they thought after that conversation, when they got by themselves and isolated, now don't never received me because they found out, they found out who I am, and I'll never accept me and I'm ashamed and I can never go back. That's why. Every time a pastor does marriage counseling with a couple is really having a fight and the something works out with that marriage and it goes well. Couple never comes back to that church and pastors to say that's it, I'm not doing marriage counseling. This is a normal thing that happens in community. So when a church starts tightening down and getting close to one another, and you're moving to a place of vulnerability where your generosity on Cullen covers who you are, because your ass is not just about what you give, it's how you're made known. Look, I was on the Emerald Coast for several years. You want to know what those people were. They love coming off as generous and not vulnerable. What was signed you a check faster than you can blink? But they wouldn't admit where they were struggling and that's different your ass. If he calls you to more it's your time, your talent, your resources. It's a call to your whole person to be involved. Who cares, how much money you have, if that doesn't lead you to be vulnerable? And weak. Then you're missing Christianity altogether. Because here's the big story of Christianity. We're going to die. Just not at the stop with you. You can't pay enough money to keep cats out of your body. You can't do it. You're going to die. You are very well. Whether you want to admit it or not. The Gospel of Jesus is moving in our life and it's calling us to a generous participation that these people scare us over when we read about this is like for me to do what they sold what and did, what not me? I'm good I'm self-aware and secure and I'll be okay. Just being how I am. Generosity always has a difficult time. When there's disunity. See our unity in Christ is what builds us towards our generosity towards being the different people that we were in Union with Christ and with one another. And now, we're going to be different people and I will be generous in my time talents and abilities. And this is going to move me in places where I'm going to be genuinely sacrificial and not just pretend with you, to church, with expressing vulnerable sacrifice, with one another because they trusted one. Another, this isn't something to avoid. But to pursue the, let's, let's look at the versus really quick and with great power of the apostles, were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Notice how the gospels framing this whole thing and great. Grace was upon them. All, that's what we need. We need God's grace to work at our hearts. Cuz this doesn't happen, generosity is not express from our own initiative, but because of what we have in Jesus raise from the dead, it is our prized possession. Price possession. Right there was not a needy person among them for as many as we're owners of lands or houses sold them and brought them about the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to each as any had need. This is amazing to me because we would not do this so easily. This will be difficult for us to practice together and I'm not saying that's it, all of you, sell your houses that in bed. That's what Dan saying here, but don't miss what people were doing because they held on to Christ.

Don't miss that. Look are Temptation. When we Face vulnerable giving is to be selfish when I'm safe. I'll be vulnerable again. That's what I do when I'm going to start, giving my time telling her resources, I'm going to start doing that when I'm finally secure, and then that will never happen. You will not find safety in this world other than in Christ. And we're called to be generous. We have a scarcity mindset and rather than a provision mindset. Because what we do is we feel like we're running out of the resources, we better hold on to them as tight as possible and grab them with our hands. Don't Let Go rather than thinking you know. The Lord has provided and will provide. I'm called to pray for daily bread and trust him. I can trust him to provide for my needs. We have an entitlement mentality, one that's built off of like I earned all of this, this is my free time. It's the me too. I got me time and me talents and I'm not giving them to you because it belongs to me. And this is my stuff. I earned it rather than looking at the world as if what God has done is, you know, Giving You Everything You know, what do you have? That you did not receive. As the Apostle Paul was right. We have issues in the Church of taking God for granted. This is like the anti scarcity motive. This works in our heart as well. We can take God for granted by God will always provide for my needs so I'll give it a minute, I'll be generous in a minute, I just, you know, need a little bit more me time. Little bit more me resources, little bit more me fun.

And then we move in all kinds of ways within the body of Christ of of corruption and mismanagement of funds and people and time and it's devastating. And so we look at that we have responses out of that. Then there's motives of corruption I given this way. Or if I give in this particular way, people will think I'm showing off. So I'm not going to give in that particular way or there's the kind of people who look at that. And they say that person is just showing off by the way that they give and they want all the attention.

That's the devastating to our generosity. Then there's a lack of connection that we experience when we are not connected to the body of Christ in unity. While our temptation is, as we say, I'm not doing any of that anymore. I'm done.

You know, that there's some people that faced giving to the church as all One Direction that's the way they experience it and they said they sense that they've just been giving until they've been run dry. And they don't sense that they're getting getting resources and Care from the body. And so they think well that's it. I'm not giving to that anymore. That doesn't do anything for me, which is absolutely broken and self-centered and what we find often when we give ourselves away as we find life, Something takes the place of the church. People will Express the generosity that is meant for each other with their time talent and resources with someone or something else other than the church, and it gets our attention. And we end up dying from that. The body does not benefit from it. You don't benefit from it. If we drew it would be truly believe. It's more blessed to give than receive. Like Jesus said, then what we would do is give our time talent and resources to one another

And something often takes the place of the church because what's funny about us is we don't stop giving we're givers, we're going to give you just sacrificially give the something that genuinely not rewarding.

Sometimes were unaware of opportunities. And I would last a pastor like him, give you opportunities to generously, give yourself away to one another as much as possible. To the resurrection of Jesus was preached. And this word framed, their genus generous response is because of what they had, but there's one of my favorite and troubling versus that. I read every time, I'm tempted to be selfish and I want to give it to you. Just because it drives me crazy, if you would turn to Hebrews chapter 10, in this verse it is always astounding. And every time I read it I'm like yes, this is the truth and I desperately need it yet again, Hebrews chapter 10.

And we'll start reading a verse I think 32 but recall the former days. When after you were enlightened you endured a hard struggle with sufferings sometimes being publicly exposed to reproach in Affliction and sometimes being partners with those. So treated for you had compassion on those in prison and you joyfully hear joyfully accept the plundering of your property since you knew that you yourself had a better position and an abiding one,

Joyfully, accepted the plundering of your property. Because you associated with those who were your brothers, who were put into prison for us? It's such a foreign concept. If someone was put in prison in those days and you related to him, they would think you must be guilty too. Because they moved from the idea of not like us where you're innocent until proven guilty, but you're guilty until proven innocent. So, if you're hanging out with somebody, whose put in prison, you're in serious trouble. And many of our brothers and sisters of times past were put in prison, what? This is saying is you were willing to do so because you love your brother's at like this, it express this kind of generosity within the body of Christ. Wow. Doesn't that steep? It'll make you go. Wow, because of what they had in Jesus because of what they claim to share, they became this kind of generous Needs were met out of God's grace. It's not something you drum up this this morning, please don't hear me. This is not an attempt to guilt and shame Fest you into being generous, it just will work. It's the better position that we have. That informs our generosity. What could they do that? How could they do that joyful? Except that plundering of property? Because of Jesus, they had a better possession. What we have in Jesus Christ, is that better possession and it's forming us to be vulnerable generous.

That's hard. White one, say it's cruciform what it is to be conformed to the image of Christ.

So the question is, are you giving is it out of Grace? Or is it expected? Is it normal? If you hadn't used to your relationship with generosity, what we have in Jesus pushes us to radical expressions of giving towards one another? It really does. It pushes up towards growth We need forgiveness. So often for holding while on to what God has given us, when he is leading us to Let It Go.

Let It Go. So, final thing. I want to talk about that, an authentic Community needs. That is Grace, oriented is encouragement. What I just did and said, a bunch of stuff that could bring a lot of conviction to the soul. Hopefully, so, and at the same time, I pray that what you find in that is not this call from a pastor of wagging, a finger and saying, shame on you. But a way of encouragement not to say, look at you, look at you look to Christ and what he's given, isn't it encouraging this last part of this text that we're going to go over today. To me, is amazingly encouraging because it's talkin about the one who is named for encouragement. Barnabas, you know, when I was in school my truck playing Professor, he wrote up a whole diagnostic on What's called the Barnabas principles. His name, was Jay T-Pain. What he said is this is when you're going to start at church, you need to look for the Barnabas factors and it's like eight of these things. And we're getting introduced to Barnabas right here in the book of Acts and what he's going to play it into is a contrast of what's going to come next. He is authentic, he is renamed that. There's so much going on about this bar of his character. That what we want to do is look for that and others. But what I found is is this is a amazing dude in your Bible. An amazing dude and none of us today. Anybody know of Joseph No, but you maybe know about Barnabas, he gets renamed in such a fashion that from here on out. He's going to be cold Barnabas. This guy is like a rich young ruler who actually got saved and got rid of it. All that's an amazing story. Ultimately, pointing to the ultimate Rich Young Ruler who had it all and came to identify with broken, Sinners, Like, You, and Me, Jesus. When we worship Him and give glory to him, we're going to be encouraging people because we're going to let go of the things we have and pursue people with a heart to encourage them. A lot of times church can feel not very encouraging. I pray that this morning the intent behind what I'm saying to you is to not be discouraging, but to tell you, this is who you can be. Think about the possibility of this with me. This, this is who you could be. You could be a different people. You don't have to be who you were when you came in here today by God's grace. You can be generous and in unity with one another. You can settle disputes with one another. You could you could be renamed in Christ Jesus. This morning. You, can you imagine that? What would be to be that Community? I need your help with this. As we participate together this isn't just a call for people to go. Yeah thanks for sharing all the fun stuff do we want to be encouraging to one another as examples? This is good for your soul. So let's I was looking a couple of things right here in this. Passage starting with verse 36, their property and laying it at the apostles feet, but let's look at one particular guy, his name is farthest but his name first is Joseph who was called by the apostles Barnabas which means son of encouragement. Now what was it you was a levite a native of Cyprus, this is to Epic amazing things that we need to take note off. He was a levite Who was from Cyprus now. Why do we care? Then I'll leave. I was one of those guys that was put in charge of the temple after Aaron blue it in the wilderness. Do you remember the story with the golden calf? Did not go? Well, if I could leave, I had no property in the new land and their job was to take care of the temple. What's been the big problem with the lame, man? The temple. And the guys who were associated with it, this guy from Cypress who was obviously well-to-do and did pretty good for himself because he's probably been there since Pentecost. Probably looks like it. He is now hanging out with the Christians. Joseph from Cyprus who gets name Barnabas cuz he's an encouraging guy. He becomes an example to the rest of the Christians, to follow. After many of the Christians could have taken all of those cynical points of view that I talked about from, before that, he's just doing this to show off. Look at him, he thinks he's somebody important. Many things could have been said about Barnabas, but he becomes a source of encouragement and moves to follow Jesus. In this way, he's from Cypress. What's up with that? Dan? That's an island in the Mediterranean that isn't exactly close to Jerusalem. But yet it is out there. Giving you a signal that the gospels fixing to go to the nation's, The gospels fixing to move, look at how it's impacted this person that it would not be likely for it to impact. I do from Cypress who is a levite He's not Joseph anymore. Now his name is bar this because he's becoming courage thing to the apostles. You know what, the encouraging to leaders in the church. When other leaders emerge in the church who are encouraging based on the way, they live their life and their Generous Heart and their expression for Unity in the church. That encourages the church when you see that moving but somebody who thinks they're better than the church. Who was self-righteous, who decides? That's not encouraging. It's very devastating for the soul. This Barnabas is moving in a different way because of what he has in Christ, Jesus knows what he did. It tells you verse 37 sold a field that belong to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet. When doesn't even stay right here, that he sold all the property had, he's sold a field and he was generous so that didn't sell all the property necessarily that he had, but he sold a field and was an example in this particular way, and it became an encouragement to the rest of the church based on his generosity because of what he had in Christ Jesus, because he was a believer. This is Barnabas, right? We need leaders to emerge. We're encouraging. And that be their greatest weapon is the greatest weapon you possess in Your Arsenal of personhood encouragement. Are you looking for ways to encourage what you see as great growing in your other believers in? Jesus Christ. Because I think it's Foster's, our sense of togetherness to know. They're actually out for me. But if we become selfish with our encouragement of one another, what we end up doing is saying, I'm not sure if they even like me, Never felt that before, but I don't think they like me. If you've ever been to church for very long, you start to go home. No. And you get suspicious today. This is just my heart's admonition move towards someone. You actually don't like and like them. For the sake of Jesus, his name, if you don't move towards them, no, because that's something you can do in your own strength and find a way to encourage them because the grace of God is at work in their life and they're here and a rose from the dead by faith. In Jesus's name that should blow your mind. That's unexpected. There's no likely convert in the room. People are here because Jesus is better than us and he's glorious. And he's the ultimate Rich. Young Ruler come to give us all that. We need And it should encourage our hearts. And every time we come in here for worship, that's what drawing us to put our hands in the air and say glory to God in the highest. I have something better than what this world has to offer. I have genuine friends who are out for me. Is that true?