Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder if after watching only a few minutes of the daily news, no matter where you live in the world, you shake your head and wonder if there’s any safe place to live, any wise political leadership who lead with integrity anywhere in the world? Or is there anyplace in our crazy, selfish, greedy, angry,
May I invite you to join with me in such a place today. It happened in the city of Jerusalem about 2000 years ago and we have a detailed account for us in Acts 4 in the Bible. Dr. Luke, the human author of Acts, led by the Holy Spirit of God, writes this: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions were their own but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:32,33)
Jerusalem then, as any major city today, was a busy, bustling place of business and normal life. While Roman soldiers were everywhere, crime was a problem then as now. While the great Temple of God was at the highest point of the city, visible from miles away in all directions, and there was constant worship activity there, many people ignored the Temple and had no interest at all in God. Others faithfully went to the Temple, but lived just as wicked a life as those who rejected God. There were a great many Jewish religious leaders who had great influence in the city and dominated normal life for the religious Jews… so it was a city very much like yours and mine today. But there was one major difference. In Jerusalem, several weeks before Acts 4, Jesus had been crucified and then rose from the dead! That event shook that city for a very long time.
For 40 days the risen Jesus appeared alive to many different people and those who saw Him were absolutely convinced of the authenticity of His aliveness, His resurrection and despite the ridicule they received when they spoke of it, they would not be quiet. Then Jesus elevated into the sky on that 40th day after His resurrection, in full view of several people, and He disappeared into the clouds and angels said He had returned to heaven! Jesus’ closest friends and followers had spent the next 10 days together sharing their stories of Jesus, praying and trying to discern what they were supposed to do next without Jesus present. Suddenly the Holy Spirit came upon them with a powerful wind, what appeared to be little flames of fire and they spoke the truth of Jesus in languages they didn’t know but languages known by pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem from all over the Roman empire, for the Pentecost festival. Peter had explained it and called people to trust in the crucified and resurrected Jesus for salvation from their sins, and would you believe 3000 people responded, repented and were baptized! That began this spiritual movement which was shaking up Jerusalem!
Within a short while that 3000 had grown to over 5000, and those are the people Luke refers to here in Acts 4:32 as he describes this remarkable community of unity: “All the believers were all of one heart and mind.” Can you imagine 5000 people being of one heart and mind, on any topic, at any time, anywhere in our world? How is that possible? It’s because they were all focused on JESUS… the truth of WHO He is, God the Son, and the truths Jesus taught, and His atonement death for their sins, and His victorious resurrection. JESUS unified them all! Jesus’ personal example of self sacrifice motivated them to do the same so “No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.”
Jesus had promised His disciples that He would send them His Holy Spirit who would empower them and they’d do the miraculous things He had done by the Holy Spirit’s power, and they did! Remember the healed crippled man we saw earlier in Acts 3?
Now listen to what Luke writes next: “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 and gave it to the apostles, and it was distributed to anyone as they had need!” Can you believe that my friends? I call that outrageous generosity! What would you call it? Have you ever seen anything like that? Now remember, in the Roman Empire in those days there was no such thing as social, government welfare. Poverty was everywhere. Some people even sold themselves or their children into slavery so they could eat and have shelter! So there was no shortage of people in great need. Can you believe that someone would actually sell a house or a piece of land and bring the proceeds to the apostles and say “It’s for you to help those in need. Use it wherever and however it will be most helpful to the needy.” Now notice carefully the apostles did NOT put any of that in their own pockets… they prayed over it, evaluated the wide range of poverty and need all around them and distributed it carefully to help as many people as possible.
Look around where you live. Do you see anything like this? Now ponder this a moment. In a big city just like any city in the world, with all the crime and anger and violence and corruption of any city, Jerusalem was experiencing a radical movement of outrageous but authentic generosity from these more than 5000 people who have experienced life change with Jesus!! They live in unity and agreement. They encourage and care for each other. And they shared their resources… everything, with each other. Can you even imagine what that was like?
Luke finishes his brief but stunning description of this unusual time in history with this: “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement, sold a field he owned and brough the money to the apostles.” (Acts 4:36) Now why would Luke give us such detail in the midst of widespread outrageous generosity? It’s because this man “Barnabas” is making his first entry into God’s story of the remarkable events which took place after Jesus’ resurrection. Cyprus was the island in the Mediterranean. Evidently “Barnabas” had heard of the impact of this spiritual movement in Jerusalem and came to see for himself. Perhaps he had already been there for Pentecost and had seen the remarkable coming of the Holy Spirit. Evidently Barnabas became a believer in Jesus, a follower of Jesus and was now among the 5000 and moved by the Holy Spirit he sold a piece of land to help the poor. Don’t you love his nickname… “Son of Encouragement”! As you follow the story of the spread of Jesus’ Gospel across the Roman empire with the apostles and later Paul, over the next years, you may know Barnabas was strategically involved!
So, here’s my questions for you and me today… Are each of us, wherever you live in the world, part of a spiritual movement like this, that was happening in Jerusalem? Are you part of a group of people whose lives have been radically changed by Jesus and you care for each other, you are of one heart and mind, and you are even radically generous…even if you live in a wicked, corrupt, violent city? If not, maybe Jesus wants to begin such a movement with YOU? Would you contemplate what impact such a movement, even if small, might have on your city today, and would you consider asking Jesus about that, and if He’d like to involve you in that?
What would it look like in this COVID world if a small group of young people, somewhere in the world, in a city just like yours or mine, gathered together for some worship and prayer time, asking God to do something like Acts 4 in their city… maybe it would be like this song video I found for us. Do you believe God has greater things HE wants to do NOW in your city?
Today’s Scripture is Acts 4:32-36.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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