“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.”
Acts 4:32 (NLT)
After the Holy Spirit falls in a fresh way on the believers and they preach the word of God with boldness, we get to see again how they form a community that is unified. This verse shows us that all, A‑L‑L, of the believers were united, not just in heart, but in mind. They were living proof that we can be ONE body as believers, according to 1 Corinthians 12.
This reminds me of Acts 2:42. They were devoted to teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, and to prayer. They were committed to doing the same things together. But here in Acts 4, they’re taking it a step further. They’re committed to sustaining that kind of community by giving away what they don’t have to have so the needy will have what they need.
Verse 34 clarifies that there were no needy people among them. Anyone who owned land or houses would sell them, and they would bring this money to the apostles to give to those in need. That’s important as well. They trusted their leaders to distribute the funds given to the ones in need.
What makes this land for me is the scale. Earlier in Acts 4, we see that the number of men alone who believed totaled about 5,000. With women and children, it’s got to be over 10,000. Can you imagine a group of believers of that size being so united in heart and mind that they share everything they have and there’s not even ONE needy person?
I think this unity is possible because they have one leader and one thing unifying them, the Holy Spirit that had just fell. When we are not filled with the Holy Spirit, we are not able to overcome the power of the flesh that draws us towards selfishness. I think we have some work to do. I wonder if there’s anything I have today I need to sell or give to a brother or sister in Christ in need. We need a fresh wind of Holy Spirit to shake our church buildings and our hearts so that we as believers become sharers again.
Think about what I have “just in case” I’ll use it.
There are people out there that need one that I selfishly don’t wanna give up. I really needed this. Thank you Cory!