Acts 4:32 “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.”
The early church has much to teach us. What followed v32? “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them” (v33,34, emphasis mine).
The believers were so liberal with their possessions because they knew that their citizenship was in heaven, that Jesus was coming again in judgment, and that it was more important to store up lasting
treasures in heaven than selfishly hoard on earth what would in any case ultimately rot and decay. But can you see the correlation between giving and grace? Was it because the believers were so liberal with their possessions that God was so liberal with his grace?
On many occasions I’ve been overwhelmed by the sacrificial sharing of destitute believers in Burundi. Some time ago, I drove with a colleague on my motorbike to a displacement camp. It was a very dangerous outing. The rebels had just sent down the chopped-off heads of the soldiers they had ambushed. There were 40,000 people in the camp, who had been forcibly regrouped several months earlier. They had no electricity, water or sanitation. On average ten people were dying day after day, week after week. After the church service, I was taken into a tin shack, and fed beans and rice. I knew this was far beyond what they could afford. They were languishing in misery and starving to death, whilst I had a packed fridge back home. They were giving me so much out of their so little, as so often we give so little out of our so much.
Are you more inclined to share or hoard? Take an inventory of all you have. Any action needed?
Lord, I want to experience the liberality of your grace in my life, so I choose to express that same liberality to others today. Amen!
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