42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ac 2:42–47.
Whether we learned it in Kindergarten or living in a house with a dozen college roommates, sharing is imperative to living in a peace-filled environment. When we don’t share and make sure others are cared for, there is a certain sense of chaos that ensues. Anyone who has been in a room where two small children are fighting over a toy knows that it is the antithesis of peace. However, it is really no different from living in a communal environment, where one person hoards the good food immediately after the house steward has gone shopping. This was the situation in my fraternity house when the house manager came back from Costco, and no more than an hour after everything had been unloaded, the Oreos disappeared, which ultimately caused a rift within the community and rising tensions between members. This situation underlies the need for peace in any communal situation. When we live together, we need peace, and as Christ invites us to the table, we must do so with a mindset of peace and caring for one another. The early Christian community, immediately following Pentecost, exhibited qualities that set them apart from the rest of their world and contributed to its rapid growth and impact. They came to the table with an understanding that there must be peace within the community, which could be accomplished by sharing with one another. This mentality showed up through devotion to the scriptures and learning, community building, generosity, worship, and evangelism.
As the early Church gathered, they did so as Acts 2:42 states they “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship.” They showed themselves to be persistent, devoted, and passionately committed to enriching their minds with the teaching of the Apostles and the Scriptures. They were first and foremost a learning church, seeking to feast upon the words of truth. Through learning not only taught and learned, but they also submitted to the apostles’ teaching, rooted in Scripture. In the same way, we must be eager to learn and strive after an intellectual desire to constantly have our minds transformed, and seek to study the truth with our fullest effort, because anti-intellectualism is incompatible with being fulfilled by the Spirit. A mind on fire for God is a Spirit-filled mind. For us today, this means constantly understanding what God is speaking to us through the Scriptures and the teaching in the Church. We must be a people who are steadfast in the Word, because where we spend our time consuming reveals where our minds are devoted. Thus, if we are to follow the example of the early Christians, we must devote our minds completely to studying the Word and sharing it with one another.
As one dives deep into the Scriptures, one will find that there is an expression for this community that uses the Greek word koinonia (κοινωνίᾳ). It means a deep, mutual sharing of life, not just polite sharing of a few kind words during the fifteen minutes of fellowship time. This requires a full commitment to each other and a common interest in one another’s well-being. The danger comes when we think that koinonia is simply a spiritual concept; when, in fact, it is absolutely practical and tangible. Acts 2:44-45 expresses how the early Christians lived out this idea, “All that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.” The giving expressed in this was not forced, but rather showed itself through the free expression of care for one another by sharing their physical possessions. It was a voluntary generosity driven by love, and it happened consistently in response to the needs within the community. We see how this act of giving is supposed to be done freely and not begrudgingly, as in Acts 5, where Ananias reluctantly gave and withheld a portion; however, the sin wasn’t owning property, but lying about his giving. Generosity must flow from changed hearts. With changed hearts, the believers have contempt for the world’s priorities because of their assurance of another world. This in turn results in how Acts portrays the community as having “no needy persons among them” (Acts 4:34). Thus, in learning to care for one another, we can imagine a community with no envy, no pride, no grudges, but overwhelming joy and care. External sharing simply reflects the internal change the Spirit works in our hearts.
As the church allowed the Spirit to transform their minds from selfish worldly desires and into a heart that is willing to give, it also allowed their faith to permeate every aspect of their existence. This included the “Breaking of Bread” (Acts 2:42), which encompassed both the Lord’s Supper and their daily communal meals. They participated in supporting one another with gladness and singleness of heart, representing simplicity, sincerity, and an absence of hidden motives. Their worship includes “The Prayers” (Acts 2:42), which reminds and demonstrates utter reliance on God. They worshipped publicly, “daily with one accord in the temple,” and privately, “breaking bread from house to house” (Acts 2:46). This showed that worship was to integrate into every aspect of a Christ follower’s life, and established traditions with intimate, home-based fellowship. Their lives were consistently marked by “praising God” (Acts 2:47), a spontaneous expression of the Spirit dwelling within them. Thus, the action of giving one’s heart to living out a life in the Spirit of God necessitates that every single aspect of our lives be given over to our worship of God, both in public and in private.
The post-Pentecost church represents what the Lord desires for every Christian and congregation. Through the coming Spirit, it signifies the transformation of human personality and the enabling of the human spirit by the divine Spirit to know unqualified love. The early Christians’ willingness to sell possessions demonstrated their transferred thoughts to things future, and looked for nothing in things present. This contrasts sharply with later tendencies to cling to wealth, which Chrysostom identifies as a root of evil. It is like a person who needs to shed worldly attachments to effectively contend against evil. Retaining riches or worldly concerns makes one vulnerable to the enemy. However, too often, Satan has no need to do the work because we do it all ourselves through covetousness and greed. Within the fraternity house, the disappearing Oreos sparked a string of complaints and even a discussion about adding provisions to the house rules that would impose fines on anyone caught hoarding any of the house food in their rooms or cars. However, we could have probably taken a page out of the way the early Church cared for one another. No special rules or restrictions needed to be imposed, because people gave freely and cared deeply for one another, such that any need was met with a caring response and sharing of resources. It is a reminder that when we share, we show another a caring that reflects the love of Christ and empowers the church to allow the Holy Spirit to move through our community with a message of hope that brings peace.
Elpis and Shalom 