The early church was inclusive. Yes, it started out in one city, with one main ethnicity and collective background, but Jesus had prophesied that it would spread quickly. This may not be the same idea of “inclusion” that you’re used to from a secular standpoint, though. (To be clear, I’m not saying that everyone who seeks inclusion is wrong, but this good concept goes awry when external requirements are used to try and make people treat each other with only the appearance of respect, or to all think the same way, which really isn’t inclusion.) Instead, words like “All”, “everything”, and “anyone” in Acts 2 show us how members of the church voluntarily became part of a healthy community.
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Acts 2:44-45 NIV
So, how about those – including me – who are part of the church (i.e., the body of Christ – a fellowship of believers in Jesus)? Are we looking for ways to share what we have with others in the church who have a need? That might look like allowing someone to borrow our material goods, or even crash in our spare room. It might be giving them money or things that they need. Or, it could include giving to the church, to allow trusted persons in our congregation to centrally distribute our individual contributions to others as there is need. (See Acts 6:1-7 for an example of how this was done in the early church.)
Next question: Do we hold onto things as our own, or are we happy to consider them as free to be used by others in the body of Christ? I don’t think that there’s any prohibition on private property in the Bible. (I could go into how the community of the church is radically different from the idea of communism, but hopefully I don’t have to, here.) However, the perspective of the one who believes in Jesus – believing that He is God, that He created the world, and that He is sovereign over His creation – should include not only the fact that everything is His in the first place (and we are just stewards), but also the reality that He is more wise, knowledgeable, and loving than we are (so He knows better than we do how to make use of what He has entrusted us with).
A couple more questions for this passage: Are there any fellow Christians in your congregation who are in need? If so, why is that the case? (This isn’t meant to pick on you – I asked the same question of my class when I first taught this lesson.) In the first-century church, I’m not sure if there was always enough surplus to meet all of the needs of those with a shortage, but I suspect that, if every believer in the church that I attend all chose to be content with only our needs and had “everything in common” like the early church, there would be nobody going without food, shelter, or clothing in the congregation.
I’m not saying that I’ve mastered these skills and behavior, but I hope that this passage from Acts is as much a reminder to you to consider how we manage what God has given us, as it is for me to do the same.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for September 24, 2023
References:
- The Lookout, October 1, 2023, © 2023 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- New Testament History: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Acts, by Gareth L. Reese. © 1976, College Press Publishing Company.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Acts, by Dennis Gaertner. © 1993 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 