Acts 4:32 All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. 33 And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers, 34-35 and no poverty—for all who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need.
36 For instance, there was Joseph (the one the apostles nicknamed “Barnabas, the encourager.” He was of the tribe of Levi, from the island of Cyprus). 37 He was one of those who sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles for distribution to those in need.
Sometimes, the simplest statements are also the most profound. For anybody who has ever been part of a group, the first statement is a shocker- All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. Where more than two or three are gathered together, generally there are at least two factions. Churches have been known to split over fights about the color of the hymnals or the new carpet for the sanctuary. There’s even an apocryphal story about a church somewhere in the American South where they literally split the church building right down the middle and moved half of it down the road. American writer Garrison Keillor describes the Holiness congregation in which he was raised as being so small that the families could meet in someone’s living room with space to spare. But under the influence of the Holy Spirit, the early church members were agreeing with one another and sharing whatever resources they had. There was even “warm fellowship.”
Never underestimate the value of warm fellowship. The reasons don’t matter; however, I was so wounded by some life experiences that by the time I reached one church, I could scarcely stand to be hugged. Hugging me was no more rewarding than hugging a fence post; yet, one precious lady made it her duty to hug me warmly every Sunday. Eventually I thawed out to the point where I could hug back, shocking my friend in the process. The Holy Spirit was moving mightily in that church, and eight different couples went into ministry in a few years under the influence of the Spirit. Prayer times were also kept until the end of the service so that if people needed to stay for several hours to pray, they had liberty to do so, as long as they would lock up the church afterwards.
Believers were of one heart and one mind; they were sharing; and they were preaching powerful messages. Relieved of the worry of going hungry or naked, these believers could focus on proclaiming the Gospel. And there were those like Barnabas “Son of Encouragement” with wealth enough to share generously.
My husband and I have been in missions since 1987, and we have noticed an interesting phenomenon. Although we have had a few wealthy supporters during the years, the majority of our support has come from individuals on limited incomes or churches with smaller memberships. Mother Teresa noticed the same thing during her work with the poor in Calcutta. When Teresa brought one poor family some rice, the wife immediately divided the rice in half, keeping half for her family and sharing the other half with her neighbors. Does this mean all poor people are generous? No. But those who have endured poverty understand it and are more willing to help. I once heard a radio interview with a billionaire from Hong Kong who spoke in glowing terms of the charitable acts he intended to do….just as soon as he gathered sufficient money. This man had more wealth than he could spend in a thousand lifetimes; yet, he was unwilling to share and was finding excuses. When the interviewer inquired as to how much more money this man might need before embarking on charity, there was no answer.
There is a simple law in the Kingdom of God: the measure you give out is the measure you will receive. Luke 6:38 tells us, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” The Holy Spirit taught early church members this lesson, at least most of them. Tomorrow we will consider a couple who refused to listen to the Spirit.
How do we handle money? We try not to let money stick to our fingers. Surrounded by poor people in need of medical help and even feeding while in hospital, we do what we can to lift part of the burden. We feel that as long as we continue to be channels of God’s love and grace, God will continue to pour out blessings. Is this always easy? Are you kidding? Through the generosity of donors, we have helped with several projects around the hospital as well as training a number of staff. Sometimes things get scary. Sometimes we must balance out compensating a blood donor or settling a hospital debt rather than spending money on ourselves. We have two patients with long-term health issues whose monthly appointments we support. Many times, we must look heavenward and say, “Okay, Lord, please send funds.”
We can testify that God has always met our needs. Notice I am saying “needs,” not “wants.” We might want something that is not strictly necessary. Although sometimes God does give unexpected personal blessings, many times, the biggest blessing of all is seeing people get well and go home.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, please help us to see the needs of those around us, their spiritual needs as well as physical, and be of one heart and one mind while we share with them. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment