A Study of Acts: The Early Church - Grace, Common Property, Serving Need
Acts 4:32-36; Galatians 6:9-10 - Acting in one heart and one soul together to preach the Resurrection.
“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”
Acts 4:32-37 NASB1995
Acts 4 ends with a glimpse into the shared community of the early congregation. They believed with one heart and soul and all things were common property to them. The apostles gave testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and abundant grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for all who had property (land or houses) would sell them and lay the proceeds at the feet of the apostles for distribution to those in need.
This communal nature of the early church was noted previously in Acts 2. These activities have often been used to justify totalitarian (and atheistic) economic systems like communism, as I noted in a previous devotional. But I like what Enduring Word says about this unity:
Those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of things he possessed was his own: This unity was a wonderful evidence of the work of God’s Spirit among them. Because of their unity, they regarded people more important than things.
“This unity is not conformity, where everybody is exactly alike. It is not organizational, where everyone must be forced into the same denomination. The worst times in the history of the church have been when everyone has been part of one large organization. It is not that kind of a unity.” (James Montgomery Boice)
They had all things in common: They recognized God’s ownership of everything; it all belonged to God and His people. Because God had touched their lives so deeply, they found it easy to share all things in common.
All things in common: It isn’t accurate to see this as an early form of communism. Communism is not koinonia. “Communism says, ‘What is yours is mine; I’ll take it.’ Koinonia says, ‘What is mine is yours, I’ll share it.’” (William LaSor)
“The Greek here does not mean that everyone sold their property at once. Rather, from time to time this was done as the Lord brought needs to their attention.” (Stanley Horton)
There was also probably immediate reason for this significant sharing of all things in common. Since Pentecost there was a large number of those who believed and many of them were from distant lands. Without permanent homes and jobs in Jerusalem and Judea, those who stayed in Jerusalem to learn more about being followers of Jesus needed special support from the Christian community.
Some think that this radical sharing of possessions among the early church was a mistake. They say it was based on the wrong idea that Jesus was returning immediately, and that it led to much poverty in the Jerusalem church later on.
Interesting observations! That last bullet is intriguing, in that this happy communal approach ended up leading to poverty in the Jerusalem church later on (we will see evidence of that later in Acts).
So what is Koinonia? Here’s an explanation of this beautiful Christian fellowship idea from Gotquestions.org:
Koinonia is a Greek word that occurs 20 times in the Bible. Koinonia’s primary meaning is “fellowship, sharing in common, communion.” The first occurrence of koinonia is Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia.
Philippians 2:1-2 declares, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.” Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ. First John 1:6-7 says, “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
A powerful example of what koinonia should look like can be found in a study of the phrase “one another” in the Bible. Scripture commands us to be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10), honor one another (Romans 12:10), live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16; 1 Peter 3:8), accept one another (Romans 15:7), serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13), spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24), offer hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), and love one another (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11-12). That is what true biblical koinonia should look like.
So who will do this work for one another and for the church? Many churches in our time struggle with getting people to serve in any capacity or even give to the mission of the church. I had to laugh at this letter to a congregation I found on Precept Austin; at the same time, I am cringing, because I know that I could serve far more than I do!
Dear Friend:
Our church membership… 1400
Nonresident members… 75
Balance left to do the work… 1325
Elderly who've done their share… 25
Balance left to do the work… 1300
Sick and shut-ins… 25
Balance left to do the work… 1275
Members who do not give… 350
Christmas and Easters members… 300
Balance to do the work…625
Members who are overworked… 300
Balance left to do the work… 325
Members with alibis… 200
Balance left to do the work… 125
Members too busy with other things.123
Balance left to do the work… 2
Just you and me, friend, and you had better get busy, because it's too much for me!
The communal property proceeds were used to serve those who were needy in the church community. The criteria for “needy” was not defined and this is one of the only times that this practice is overtly identified, although the New Testament clearly states that the church should help those in need, starting with those who are in the congregation. Christian charity is a fundamental outcome of our beliefs in our merciful Lord, resulting in things over the centuries like hospitals and orphanages and many aid programs like Samaritan’s Purse (a favorite organization that is worthy of your contributions). According to commentary in Precept Austin, by the fourth century the Christians in Rome were feeding over 20,000 needy people a day. The Holy Spirit changes those who repent and believe!
However, those early apostles were not only required to evangelize and preach the Gospel, but also manage these funds. As we will see soon (in Acts 6), this process needed a new approach because of complaints. And Paul later identifies stricter criteria for this practice, because it was quickly and easily abused (see the commentary below). Humans are sinners, if you recall, and there were probably calls for assistance when help really wasn’t needed. As the old saw goes: If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day; if you show a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime. One of those things requires no work on the part of the beneficiary; the other requires two or more people to work together to build a skill.
Enduring Word has an excellent overview of Paul’s admonitions for serving those who are needy:
They distributed to each as anyone had need: Unfortunately, this generosity of the early Christians soon began to be abused. Later the Apostle Paul taught regarding who should be helped and how they should be helped. Paul’s directions were that:
The church must discern who the truly needy are (1 Timothy 5:3).
If one can work to support himself, he is not truly needy and must provide for his own needs (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12, 1 Timothy 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:11).
If family can support a needy person, the church should not support them (1 Timothy 5:3-4).
Those who are supported by the church must make some return to the church body (1 Timothy 5:5, 10).
It is right for the church to examine moral conduct before giving support (1 Timothy 5:9-13).
The support of the church should be for the most basic necessities of living (1 Timothy 6:8).
It’s fascinating to look at these directions from Paul in this time of endless government entitlement programs that function as a transfer of wealth between nameless taxpayers funneled through faceless bureaucrats to unknown (and growing) groups of recipients. The church way may be the better way!
This passage ends with an introduction to Barnabas, who is known as the Son of Encouragement. His original name is noted here in Acts 4 (Joseph) and his tribal affiliation (Levite); he is from Cyprus. Since the OT laws did not allow Levites to own property, apparently those rules have been relaxed a bit. He sells the land he owns and lays the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles. We will, of course, see more of Barnabas in Acts.
My next devotional examines Acts 5:1-11, the cautionary tale of Ananias and Sapphira.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Today I pray Galatians 6:9-10: “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Galatians 6:9-10 NASB1995
Amen!
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Enduring Word commentary by David Guzik is used with written permission.
Gotquestions.org was accessed on 8/25/2024 to answer the question, “What is koinonia?”
Precept Austin was accessed on 8/25/2024 to review commentary for Acts 4:32-37.