I’m reading a book called, “The Dust Off Their Feet.” It’s a “retelling” of the book of Acts and was written and revised by a team of over a hundred theologians, pastors, poets, artists and historians. I read something a few nights ago that just about knocked me out of my chair.
The Apostles and the thousands of people who comprised the Early Church (the first church we read about in scripture) were freakin’ communists!
I thought, “How did I miss this in all my years of study?” Really, I’ve read the Book of Acts probably a hundred times or more by now, and it never jumped off the page at me like it did the other night. So I grabbed several Bibles and read it again and again , and it’s in there… plain as day!
Don’t believe me… check it out:
Acts 4:32-35 KJV
And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
And from The Message paraphrase:
The whole congregation of believers was united as one – one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them. And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.
And from my translation of choice, the NCV:
The group of believers were united in their hearts and spirit. All those in the group acted as though their private property belonged to everyone in the group. In fact, they shared everything. With great power the apostles were telling people that the Lord Jesus was truly raised from the dead. And God blessed all the believers very much. No one in the group needed anything. From time to time those who owned fields or houses sold them, brought the money, and gave it to the apostles. Then the money was given to anyone who needed it.
So you wanna be like the Early Church, huh? You want to… how did my professor at Bible college put it… let me get this right… “Do what they did, they way they did what they did.” Yeah right! No we don’t! Not this part at least… not the whole “communism” part!
But are we supposed to be endeavoring to be just like the Early Church? I mean, we are a far cry from that “Book of Acts” church, but can we just do everything but this thing the way they did it and call it a night?
I know that Communism as we know it wasn’t the same system that the Early Church employed, but it looked a lot more like communism than it did capitalism. Here’s my question… If we are supposed to be endeavoring to be just like them, to do what they did the way they did what they did… are we supposed to be “holding all things in common?” Are we supposed to be selling our house and land and giving it to the church to divvy up as it sees fit?
Your first response (like mine was) will probably be… “HELL NO!” (Or something close to it, lol!) But think about it for a bit, really consider if we’re supposed to emulating them, and then weigh in! I wanna hear from you!
September 27, 2007 at 11:28 pm
It’s important to remember that the :commune in Jerusalem was only one way the early church looked. The Church in Corinth, for example, probably met in several different “house churches”, which was far different from the “gathered in one place” we read about in Acts 4. The exportations for these churches was not to join a commune, but rather to love one another and to care for each other’s needs, therefore work was good and wealth (read anything that goes beyond your base needs) was to be used to love others as Christ had loved them.
September 27, 2007 at 11:33 pm
One quick add on thought: I don’t think that “being like the early church” is to have a change in our economics. It is a change in heart orientation toward humanity because of our reconciliation to God through Jesus.
October 9, 2007 at 1:11 pm
Savage, Thanks for the input…
October 16, 2007 at 11:40 am
Does a change in heart orientation not have a change in our economics?? Is our financial situation on a separate shelf, uninfluenced by the transformation of the gospel?
I don’t think that’s what Cultural Savage means to say (based on his first post), but there are big implications behind the idea that having a “change in our economics” isn’t a part of our calling.
This subtle idea is a virus in the theology of our churches, thanks to a multitude of greedy tele-preachers who have made us think that any discussions about money within the walls of the church must be a scheme to put parishioner’s dollars into a preacher’s pocket.
The end result is a church full of people who don’t see their resources as God’s property for His purposes.
October 16, 2007 at 11:50 am
For me, the bottom line is that the early church seemed to literally be “sold out.” They seemed to have understood how becoming a “new creature” meant abandoning your own agenda and absolutely giving all to see as many people liberated and rescued as was possible. I was having a conversation with some good friends last night and that’s what kept rising to the top over and over and over.
We have our own agendas, lots of ‘em. And if the Kingdom agenda gets in the way of our personal agenda, we dismiss the Kingdom by watering down the good news. When the Kingdom agenda gets in the way, you start hearing things like, “Well, God wants me to have nice things,” and “God knows we have to survive,” but “surviving” is very loosely defined and usually includes some kind of luxury.
I don’t think you heard things like that from the early church. It seems to me that the whole thing was very simple… they laid down personal agendas (for example, “they stopped claiming personal ownership of property,” and “anyone who owned houses or lands sold them and brought the money to the Apostles”) because they had a new agenda, the Kingdom agenda: love God, love people. Anything that didn’t benefit the Kingdom, they let go of.
You gotta love Peter, right? I love him more and more every time I read Acts. And Paul, and Silas, and Barnabas… These guys couldn’t help but smile after walking away from beatings, and prison… SMILE? Are you kidding me? They were overcome with joy because they had no personal agenda…
I’m no theologian, but that’s what I want… I’m sick to death of subtlety.
October 16, 2007 at 4:00 pm
We should talk about this part: “It seems to me that the whole thing was very simple… they laid down personal agendas (for example, “they stopped claiming personal ownership of property,” and “anyone who owned houses or lands sold them and brought the money to the Apostles”)”
So… where does that leave those who own houses who call themselves Christians? If they are to follow Jesus, is it imperative that they sell their home? Or is it selectively applied? Do we start spreading the word that Christians who aren’t selling their homes are living in contradiction to God’s desire for their lives? Let’s get our hands dirty here and really flesh this out.
I run a ministry out of my home (a ministry to my wife and five kids). Should I sell the home anyway?
Maybe you are saying that the idea here is to have a Kingdom agenda for your life, instead of a self-centered agenda. This may or may not mean selling your home (or boat, or tent, or iPod, or car). Is that what I’m hearing?
By the way, you are a theologian… like it or not.
October 16, 2007 at 11:01 pm
I’m saying that, it seems to me, that when a human being truly understands how hopelessly lost and without hope they are, and also what an incredibly beautiful, all-together amazing and overwhelmingly underserved gift God has given us, and when they receive the gift of God and are liberated and rescued… whatever “personal” agenda’s they had before that moment will just melt away.
I think if we really understood that we are PARTICIPANTS in a spiritual war for the human heart, then we might not need the latest and greatest toy or gadget or outfit or car or… you get the idea… especially if it meant that extra cash could be invested into the “liberation efforts” of the Kingdom of God.
I’m not generous like that… yet. A month ago, I really considered myself a generous man, but after re-reading the book of Acts, I realize how I’m not generous like the early church was generous, and I think it’s because I haven’t ever completely laid down my personal agenda. But that’s the mark I’m aiming for.
Are followers of Jesus who own homes or who choose not to sell their home living in contradiction to the Kingdom agenda? Of course not. I’m 5 years into buying a house myself. But am I willing to sell it and give the money for the Kingdom agenda if the need arose and 1 or 1,000 people be liberated by the power of God and receive eternal life… that’s the $200,000 question I guess.
I understand that a man that doesn’t provide for his own is worse than an unbeliever, it’s just that I’m starting to see that I live very extravagantly and I could live with a lot less… am I willing to do that if it means that the Kingdom benefits? I’m not sure yet… I hope so.
January 17, 2008 at 7:55 pm
Yeah, these are pretty tough issues. My family goes to a Chinese Christian church, even though my wife and I are not Chinese, because we have three adopted Chinese daughters, one of whom is 15 and just came from China last year. I own a home (or at least the mortgage) and feel guilty about it sometimes, even though we have two girls in one bedroom, one in a large closet, and my wife and I in the remaining room, 1,300 square feet total. Our church members generally own homes, too, as Americans tend to do. But on Sundays, people come at 8 in the morning and are there until 3 or 4 in the afternoon, just hanging out and fellowshipping. They are also at church on Friday night until about 11 PM, and on Wednesday nights. It is clear that the church is the center of their lives. There is no one on salary. The deacons take turns preaching, and Sunday school classes take turns doing the janatorial duties, and on work days we take care of the grounds. A group of people cook lunch for after church every Sunday, and others teach a Chinese school on Sunday afternoons. When we adopted our last daughter, which happened to coincide with my wife being diagnosed with breast cancer, we went 2 months without cooking a single meal. I’m not kidding. They passed the hat and gave us over $2,000, without us having expressed any need, and it was exactly how much money we needed to get throug those months. I feel sure that no one in our church would be allowed to suffer want. I and the other youth leader regularly have our whole 30 member youth group over to our houses, which never lasts shorter than 6 hours, just to hang out, play guitar and sing praise music, and fellowship. I know it is not the church of Acts, but as you said, I think the right priorities are there.
I actually think the “communist” culture they bring from China helps. I don’t mean Mao and suppressing education and depriving people of human rights. Rather, there is a communal spirit that our American cowboy frontier do-it-yourself mentality may need to step back and look at. I don’t think Americans mind being generous as much as they mind depending on other people. It takes some humility to be communal, and maybe that’s what we need to work on. The Chinese don’t seem to struggle with this so much. We need each other, in addition to needing Jesus, and from reading Acts, that seems to be the way God meant it to be.
January 17, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Kevin… All I can say is, “WOW!” Sounds like you guys are living in real community!