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…
Acts 4:32-37
In this brief story of the early Jerusalem church, we learn a great deal about the Holy Spirit’s working among the Christians there. In verse 32, we read that “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” Another way to word this is, “all the believers were in accord with the Lord by the working of the Holy Spirit.” Neither of these statements reflect a slavish following by the people of some set of principles or laws as the Jewish religious leaders were teaching. There is no teaching here about any kind of political governing nor should it be inferred. These Christians were doing what the Holy Spirit led them to do in loving one another to the degree that all the needs of the congregation were met and each Christian was willing to share anything thing he had with his fellow Christians. The church was also witnessing to the community of the Grace, Love and, Mercy that God had shown to them through Jesus Christ and wanted all who would believe to have the same. We also learn that the Apostles, all eleven of them, were powerfully giving their testimonies of the risen Lord Jesus for the persecution that dispersed the Apostles had not yet come upon them. We meet a man named Joseph, also called Barnabas, from Cyprus, who will later become a missionary with the Apostle Paul on some of Paul’s journeys. For Christians today, here is a church that truly loves the people of the community where it is. The church demonstrates the love that God wants the church everywhere to demonstrate, showing compassion for all people, caring for the needs of the poor, praying earnestly, worshipping gladly and, reflecting the Lord Jesus Christ in all things. Oh, that there were more churches today who would be like Christ in their community! How much better would our community, our nation be should that occur?
Source: S C Ball June 4, 2023
Leave a Reply