What do we have ‘in common’? And is it good or even God’s will?

By Dean Collins

It has always been an intriguing passage of Scripture to me. Every time I read the book of Acts I find myself slowing down to consider these six verses that describe the life and behaviors of the church that emerged at Pentecost. Was it the boldness of the apostles that got things started? The movement of the Holy Spirit? The preaching of the gospel? The response of hearts convicted by God? Yes. Yes. Yes, Yes! Yes, and more. It is really hard to imagine what that day must have looked like and felt like. I suspect it would have been a church gathering well beyond our comfort zones.

Ever since that opening Sunday in Jerusalem, the gospel has gone out far and wide. Millions upon millions have come to experience the transforming power of the gospel. But even as the many Christ-followers today focus on evangelism to the uttermost parts of the world, many churches struggle to experience the richness of the first church’s fellowship.

Again this morning I am staring at these verses from Acts 6. Some have seen in them a mandate for believers today to live in Christian communes. I once heard one pastor explain what many see here as “the four planks of the church”: devoted to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. All are critical in the life of the church. And all are practiced one way or the other by various denominations and nondenominational churches. But even though this account certainly describes a dynamic and growing church in Jerusalem in its early days, I am not convinced it was meant to be the template for the church in all cultures and all times.

How they shared

I was struck today by the phrase, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common.” It is clear from these early chapters of Acts that these believers were, in fact, selling property and giving the money to the church to provide for the needs of this new and rapidly growing community. And many of Paul’s letters include evidence that as the church grew and spread into many regions, countries, and communities, there was a focus on taking care of the widows and the poor. In fact, so much so that the poor were also committed to giving the little they had.

So, yes, I believe that being together with all things in common includes how we share our resources with each other for the benefit of God’s kingdom expansion and to meet the needs of many. But maybe being together and having all things in common is more than just sharing our stuff. Maybe it is deeply rooted in what Jesus was talking about and modeling for the disciples as he prayed for their unity and for the unity of the church in the years ahead.

What are we sharing?

I had lunch with a very prominent pastor last week. He has recently retired from leading his church of many years and is still active writing books, speaking at conferences, and mentoring the next generation of leaders. In a discussion that lasted at least 90 minutes, he shared that toward the end of his long-term ministry, he went through a lengthy period of deep and profound discouragement about the evangelical church. 

This is a very well-respected and educated pastor, one whose work has impacted more lives than we could count. He loves and believes the Bible and follows Jesus. He gave his life to ministry inside the evangelical church that many would say is focused on evangelism and spreading God’s Word and will throughout the world. Yet as he experienced evangelicalism, this pastor was depressed by the lack of unity, the constant infighting, the political ambitions, and more.

I can’t help but wonder if this pastor‘s discouragement doesn’t have something to do with believers being together with “all things in common.” He observed that some of the things many Christians have in common are the wrong things. Having politics in common isn’t what changes the world for Jesus. Having an insistence and seeming determination to speak cruelly to those who think differently than you is not the right thing to have in common.

A common surrender

What is needed is a common surrender to Jesus. What if we took seriously the prayers of Jesus and even determined to pray them together? If we daily prayed for God’s will on earth as it is in Heaven and for the church’s unity described in the prayer of Jesus in John 17, I suspect we would likely have more of the Jesus priorities and values in common. I suspect that together we would see the commonality we have with the world loosen its grip on our hearts and minds.

I don’t have all the answers. I am sure this pastor doesn’t think he does, either. But i am convinced that a common humility before the Lord and a common bond of love for others would allow the fruit of the Spirit to be visible in us and drive us to have more in common. The results might just be a movement in the church that would look like what happened after Pentecost.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Acts‬ ‭2:42-47‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Gear5.8 by Roberto R. on Unsplash

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