The Person God Loves

In the New Testament, money is more a spiritual than a material issue. How we handle money and possessions says a great deal about the genuineness of our Christian discipleship. This is most clearly expressed in Paul’s words of encouragement to the Corinthians (2 Cor. 8,9), but it is also given practical expression in the early chapters of Acts. In fact, it was already embedded in the teaching for God’s people in the Old Testament: “there need be no poor among you” (Deut. 15:4).

The logic is obvious in Acts 4. The believers belonged together with a shared spirit and purpose (32). United through the Gospel of Christ and bound together by the Spirit, they were now God’s own family living by God’s standards. The selfish tendencies of hoarding possessions and property were replaced by an atmosphere of mutual concern and shared purpose, where generosity flourished. Certainly, the personal ownership of property continued since they met in one another’s homes; yet, today’s passage demonstrates that possessions could be surrendered if circumstances required it.  

One of the most acute challenges facing the church today is the disparity between rich and poor in communities, countries and around the globe. While this passage requires appropriate application in different cultures and contexts, we must not miss the force of what it teaches us about the deployment of resources, nor suffocate its challenge by a thousand qualifications. Generosity, sacrificial giving, and caring for those in need are clear evidence of God’s grace at work. We see this argued by Paul (2 Cor. 8:1,7,9; 9:8,14), but also here in Acts: “God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all” (33). How much grace is upon me when it comes to what I own?

Answer the question above: “How much grace is upon me when it comes to what I own?” How is that grace evident in practical ways?