Saturday, October 31, 2015

Rich Fellowship

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. (Acts 4:32-35 ESV)
Their giving was just a symptom, a sign of something deeper. The very first phrase needs to sink in - "the full number of those who believed" - all of them were of one heart. No one was being selfish. They distributed, they "fellow-shipped" whatever was a genuine need, with joyful hearts. They were rich not because they had so much, but because they were unified in purpose - to live life in testimony to Christ, to allow His grace to rule and reign. This gave the apostles liberty to preach and have their message backed up by the lives of those who received it. Let us live out the gospel.

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