All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, – Acts 2:44-46
A lot of Christians today are saying and wishing that they were back in the times of the Book of Acts. They wanted a simple life, where people took care of each other and met together regularly. The passage they like quoting the most is Acts 2:44 and 2:46. However, most people seem to forget the verse in between these two.
When you read that the early believers sold their property and possessions to help others, it makes you wonder why they were so willing. It also makes you wonder are we so willing to do so today? Property and possessions have become more important to us today and we are very reluctant to part with things, even the money we get from selling them, to give to others.
If someone was to ask you to sell your house and give the money to the poor, would you do it? How about selling your car, or your television? Early believers would have faced the same dilemma that we do but the difference is that they did it or it wouldn’t have been mentioned. What changed over the last thousand years that makes it so hard for us to do it today?
Giving up everything we own is a lot harder than we think. It shows a lack of trust and shows the emphasis that we place on things. The early believers trusted that their needs would be looked after because everyone else was doing the same thing. They came together and shared what they had with each other. There was no hesitation, no fear, they just did it.
In today’s society, it has been drummed into us that we are nothing without our possessions. Having a lot of things help improve our status. The richer we become, the more things we get. If we get rid of all that we own, we will become nothing in the eyes of the world and that’s part of the problem. We seek the world’s approval and forget about God’s.
It didn’t matter to early believers what they had or didn’t have. Their focus was on helping each other to have better lives. In today’s world, the desire to help others has been replaced by the desire to get the latest and greatest thing. Some people are more willing to spend money on upgrading to the latest mobile phone than they are in donating to a charity.
God doesn’t want our focus to be on what we own; He wants us to look at how we can help others. Sometimes, it will be a case of selling something and giving all the money away. Our reluctance to part with our possessions is a sign of our sinful nature. The last thing God wants us to do is put our faith in things and not in Him.
The next time, you reminisce about how you would like to live those in Acts, don’t forget about what they did. They put their faith in God and were willing to give up everything they owned to help others out. Are you willing to do the same?
Originally published October 2019