“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”
– Acts 2:44-45 NKJV
Can you imagine a world where ‘the haves and the have-nots’ did not exist? Where everyone looked out for each other, and shared what they had, such that there were no poor people among them?
Such a world might seem too unreal to imagine, but in the book of Acts, we see the Early Church practise a kind of economy different from the world they lived in. Our anchor verse gives us a glimpse into how the believers of those days lived.
We see that no one had an ‘ownership mentality’ towards what they had but saw their possessions as belonging to everyone. They “were together and had all things in common.”
Acts 4:32-34 tells us that those who had plenty shared with those who had little, and that there were no needy people among them because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds to the apostles to give to those in need!
Now, you might be tempted to attribute the success of this system to the wealth or social status of some of the brethren, but 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 shows us that while the Macedonian Church was very poor, they overflowed in rich generosity!
The believers back then did everything out of a willing heart. They looked after one another, even as they were united in their faith. We might be in the 21st century, but this principle of love and giving should not cease in our day!
As Christians, we ought to imbibe the culture of providing for our brethren and doing so willingly (2 Corinthians 9:7). This may even go beyond just meeting a need but empowering the needy to be able to meet their own needs and those of others around them.
For example, you can establish businesses with the aim of financing the growth of the gospel and the prosperity of the church. You can share business opportunities with fellow brethren, take up political offices, and propagate economic policies that align with scripture.
Ungodly lifestyles that seem to be flourishing in our day are not just for believers to pontificate and condemn, but to really get to work on doing something about it.
Dear believer, being able to live comfortably is too small of a goal. You have a greater role to play in the world’s economy. Rise up and take your place!
DO THIS: Ask God to open your eyes to see your role in the economy of the world. Ponder on how to make it conform to Christ.
Bible Reading Plan: 1 Samuel 4-6