Monday, June 20, 2022

Questions to Ponder

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

QUESTIONS TO PONDER

Acts 4:32-37

32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

NIV

This was certainly a unique situation that happened to this early church. It is doubtful that would happen in this post-modern church. To claim that any of our possession is not our own and to share everything we have with all the others are just not going to happen. We live in such a society, even within the church, that what is ours is ours because it is ours. Sure, we give some money, but not anything which is going to keep us from gathering more stuff for ourselves. It is still unlikely they sold their homes, but just their possessions. We also wonder just how many possessions people of that time owned. Even Barnabas who sold a field that he owned gives way to the question if that was the only field he owned. Was it the smallest of several fields he owned? Did he work in those fields? Was he a farmer, or was it a vineyard field? Still, it is unlikely that anyone today would sell any property and give all the proceeds to the church. Why did the early church conduct itself in that way and have we lost that commonness among the church today? We even wonder if we can say that all believers are of one heart and mind. Of course, we know that is not true because of all the division of theological issues among the various denominations that consider themselves either evangelical or fundamental, and then we have many who are considered mainline denominations that would not admit that a person needs to be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven. It is even doubtful that many of us would follow in the footsteps of the Apostles, continuing, if we ever really started, to testify of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This grace that was upon them, and this is not the grace which is the gift of God, or unmerited favor, in that sense, as it carries this concept of the divine influence upon a man’s heart and how that is reflected in his life. So, then the Apostles had a great deal of influence upon their hearts, and it was reflected by the fact they testified to the resurrection of Jesus. How do we deal with the information we have been given here? Can we have all things in common? Can we all be of one mind and heart, even within a single church? Can we, or should we, adopt this type of Christianity, or was that just for those early days? Then we should also consider what would consist of having a need. In our modern era, we all have so much and there will always be some who have more than others and some who have less than others. We live in a society that does not promote either the socialist or communistic agenda and even within them, there are always those who are in leadership roles who have far more than the common people, as both fail to meet the same heart and mind concept those of the early church had as well as all people still do not have all things in common. Have we all failed to live up to the way God intended, or does the word of God allow us to evolve in accordance with our culture? Questions we may have to ponder on.

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