Common Unity...[ kuh-myoo-ni-tee ]

Acts 4:32–37 ESV

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

Intro - Answer this question....you will be successful if....Recap of Kingdom Values and the invasion of the Kingdom of God into this world. Since you are a part of the Kingdom there is a different value system. Example of the pressure to have “numbers” of members. However, you begin to behave differently when you are aligned with the value system of the Kingdom of God rather than that of this world.

Intro - Answer this question....you will be successful if....Recap of Kingdom Values and the invasion of the Kingdom of God into this world. Since you are a part of the Kingdom there is a different value system. Example of the pressure to have “numbers” of members. However, you begin to behave differently when you are aligned with the value system of the Kingdom of God rather than that of this world.

TR: One of the first things that happens is you unify with those that share common values...

Unity

It isn’t accurate to see this as an early form of communism. Communism is not koinonia. “Communism says, ‘What is yours is mine; I’ll take it.’ Koinonia says, ‘What is mine is yours, I’ll share it.’

The dynamic of these people who were recently saved was powerful.

They were shaking buildings with their prayers and standing up to the powers that sought to persecute them.

They were able to do this because they were of one heart and soul

This is an interesting phrase to use. These people had one emotion unifying emotional feeling and inspirational in their heart

They were MOVED powerfully by the testimony of the apostles. They were cut to the heart regarding their sin and more importantly that Jesus saved them from it!

They were sincerely broken by their fallenness but even more revelled in their new life in Christ which made them whole!

Example of Seleah being afraid of death and that fact that we never come back. So now even death has a different value.

What is also abundantly clear to me is that they found joy in one another and fellowship! They met consistently! Their emotions were tied to each other.

In addition to their heart they were of one soul.

They had one driving force and purpose. They were unified in esteeming others more highly than themselves and EVERYTHING was viewed in light of that.

The word here for soul is used to describe the “essence of life and thinking”. What is the essence of your life? What is that one thing that if it were removed you would dry up and wither away?

If it’s ANYTHING other than your relationship with God and His Body than you are of a different heart and soul than the Kingdom of God.

Are you unified with this family in heart and soul? Do you believe that you NEED each other? Not just can deal with each other or even just enjoy each other but do you think that you NEED those around you?

Do you believe that they need you?

You can answer these questions by asking yourself do you hurt when they hurt and rejoice when they rejoice, sometimes more than when something happens to you?

TR: Because they were unified in heart and soul we see a dramatic behavior take place...

Common

People are connected!

See a crazy thing happens when you begin to function with Kingdom values and as Kingdom Family....NEED begins to be OPPORTUNITY

They were so charged by what they had become that they systematically sought to eradicate need within their fellowship.

One of the values in the family of God is that NEED, in as much as it is possible, should be removed!

They UTTERLY REFUSED the idea that someone could be thriving financially while theie brother or sister next to them was suffering.

Excess was aid!

WHY? Because to be a part of the Kingdom Family is to be CONNECTED to one another in every important way conceivable.

It wasn’t for appearances or for noterity. It is because there is the fundamental value that if ONE person is in pain, if ONE person is suffering, if ONE person is destitute....EVERYONE IS!

One of the things that is lost in the modern day is the idea of moving as one organism. Look at all that is around you…even your very body itself…does it not all impact one another? Has God not taught us that everything/everyone is connected somehow?

This value was manifested in the idea that if one person was destitute or in need than it was not only reasonable but expected that those with excess would sacrifice for that person.

One person in particular manifested this quality that we’ll learn more of later and his name was Joseph who they also called Barnabas which meant Son of Encouragement.

This will be contrasted in the next section with the heart of Ananias and Sapphira.

Caveat....what this is not....it is not a biblical form of communism.

It isn’t accurate to see this as an early form of communism. Communism is not koinonia. “Communism says, ‘What is yours is mine; I’ll take it.’ Koinonia says, ‘What is mine is yours, I’ll share it.’

In addition this action was of helping those in NEED not those in WANT.

made it the churches responsibility to determine the need, not the person

if you can work you must

, if an immediate family can support the need of a person it is their responsibility first.

, , those that have received aid ought to also be someone who serves the church body.

Also, that person is going to have their moral character examined.

Lastly, need is basic necessities not things that are luxury cf.

So this value of having no need in the church, amongst the family of God, was directly counter to that of the culture.

Imagine the man that works hard, is the sole breadwinner for his family, gets a promotion at work, come homes and fixes only him a meal to eat and looks at his wife and kids and says fend for yourself! That is an evil man! Yet many in the body of Christ are doing just that!

What an amazing testimony we could have if we would understand that there is greater reward in sacrificing for your family rather than hording things for yourself.

This is why I LOVE our pastors. I remember a time when we actually let a couple live IN this building because they fell on hard times.

CLOSING FOR CORPORATE PRAYER NOT PRAISE AND WORSHIP TEAM!

What if you felt what the person that is sitting next to you or across the aisle from you felt? Would you be moved by that, not just to pray but to act?

Let’s take some time to pray corporately that we would be of one heart and soul with those in this fellowship and they our family would be moved to action to care for each other.