The Believers Share Their Possessions

 Meditations on The Acts of the Apostles

January 26, 2021

The Believers Share Their Possessions

With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.

Acts 4:33-34a

Read: Acts 4:32-37

The Old Testament describes what it will be like when the covenant people of God live together in community. Luke borrows a phrase from this description when he says of The Believers, “there were no needy persons among them.” (V. 34a, compare to Deuteronomy 15:4) I believe Luke’s intent is to show how this new community of believers, who had received forgiveness of their sins and new life in Christ, were living together as the covenant community God had intended.

This spirit of generosity and hospitality became a hallmark of the first century church. The church embodied what Steven Covey would describe as a Win/Win attitude in his Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. Covey said the basis of a Win/Win attitude is the belief that there is enough pie for everyone to have a slice. With this attitude it is unacceptable to win if the other person feels as though they lost.

My Takeaway: Luke introduces us to a specific person who modeled the spirit of generosity, Barnabas. We will see much more of Barnabas in the Book of Acts, as a person who shows us what it is like to make the life in Christ your way of life.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.