A Word for the New Year - Pt 4

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 ESV).

Today we will look at another possibility for a “Word for the New Year.” It is a part of Luke’s description of the early church in our reading today. He says, And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (vv. 43-44). They were sacrificial in their generosity. The meme today is a quote from Winston Churchill. It is a unique and powerful way to express the heart of generosity: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” The Christians in that first church were captured by a vibrant, dynamic, and personal vision of God, but that did not keep them from focusing on one another. They did not have to choose between being a church going hard after the God seated in heaven and a church dedicated to the needs around them here on earth. Christianity should never isolate believers to focus exclusively on their own relationship with Jesus, but make each believer another vital vein in the body of Christ, each of them carrying what others need from God to the one in need. God promises to meet our every need (cf. Matthew 6:25-33), and many times he meets our needs through another believer. He gifts each of us, not for self-expression or self-fulfillment, but to fill what is lacking in someone else by meeting genuine needs. God has given each of us grace that was not meant to end with us, but to extend to someone else (cf. 1 Peter 4:10). But without selfless and sacrificial compassion, grace ends up in storage, not in action. The first Christians felt so secure in God’s promises that they let go of all they had to help one another. To the watching world, it was unexplainably selfless and foolishly generous. Joy faced with need always looks like compassion and sacrifice. In short, it looks like the cross (cf. Hebrews 12:2;1 John 4:9-11). Perhaps this is a word for your consideration. It certainly embodies the foundation of the early church!