"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."
-Acts 4:32
When eyes are fixated on God, the blemishes and faults of others lose their brightness. The longing to accomplish a pivotal task has the power to cause divided hearts to become united hearts. Something remarkable transpires when two or more people are emotionally and spiritually joined together. When a church fellowship is God-centered the unity it produces allows ministry to overcome mayhem. When a marriage is God-centered the unity it produces allows commitment to conquer cynicism. A church personnel committee meeting several years ago reminded me how vital the pursuit and preservation of unity is in marriage, as well as in ministry.
I was contacted by a pastor one afternoon who suggested that we get together for a lunch interview. I had been recommended for a part-time music ministry opening in his congregation. Although I had never met the pastor prior to my initial interview, our like-minded ministry approach formed an instant connection. We each shared a zeal for sound biblical teaching, uplifting and meaningful worship, and discipleship. Not long after the lunch meeting, the pastor requested that I visit with the church’s personnel committee and answer some preliminary questions. Since I had served as the worship leader for two other churches prior to this experience, I was well-acquainted with the pace, progression, and proceedings of ministry employment. Naively, I assumed the impending personnel committee review would be like my previous ones.
Over the phone, the pastor provided a calendar opening for a comprehensive conference that accommodated the committee members. Then he followed up with a question that caught me off guard. “Will you make sure that your wife can attend the meeting?” I responded with a mixture of curiosity and surprise. “Why? Will she be asked direct questions?” The pastor explained that the committee had a vested interested in discerning my wife’s heart too. It was just as imperative that they confirm my wife’s commitment and calling.
In the pastor’s eyes, my wife and I were a package deal. The congregation would not only be welcoming me into their church family as a leader; they would be welcoming my wife too. This was not an invitation that they took lightly. It required prayer and investigation. My wife and I instantly felt a special association to that church. Eventually, we were called to that fellowship and served there for over four years.
Thinking back, that church ministry was the best experience I had in the first ten years of my ministry tenure. The friendships. The blessings. The personal and marital growth. The confirmations of God’s working. All of which all came about because a pastor and a church personnel committee took a noble approach in hiring me as their music minister. They diligently examined both my spirit and my wife’s. The congregation had a firm hold on a time-tested truth: a devoted marriage helps produce a dynamic ministry. To put it another way, unity in marriage fosters unity in ministry.
Even in times of opposition and attack, unity is achievable, as confirmed by the actions of the apostles and believers in Acts 4. As Acts 3 concluded, Peter was still in the midst of delivering a powerful and poignant message to worshippers gathered at the temple grounds. As Acts 4 opens, Peter is interrupted by priests, Sadducees, and the captain of the temple guard. They were disturbed by the declaration that Jesus had been raised to life. This truth threatened to weaken the public confidence in the wisdom of the religious leaders, given that they were primary stakeholders in the plot to crucify Christ.
It is important to take a moment to briefly evaluate the Jewish religious structure that was present in the first century. Like denominational fellowships within the Christian faith today, the ancient Hebrew culture had a fair share of religious parties, which expressed variances in beliefs, priorities, and points of emphasis. The two dominant religious parties in this time were the Pharisees and the Sadducees.
The Pharisees were the larger group and therefore carried more influence with the general population. They led the synagogues dispersed across the Judean region and abroad. The word “Pharisee” is translated “separated one”. The Bible verifies that the Pharisees were strongly committed to the study and interpretation of the Mosaic law. But the Pharisees eventually instituted the development of oral laws and placed those human ordinances on equal footing with the written law inspired by God. They were religious progressives. Their oral laws received the rebuke of Jesus on many occasions in the gospel accounts. Christ fiercely opposed the misguided understanding and misapplied practice of God’s Word.
If the Pharisees were the religious progressives then the Sadducees could be considered the religious conservatives, or traditionalists. They were a party that enjoyed the affluent demographic, as well as the high priestly families. While the Pharisees controlled the numerous synagogues, the Sadducees were responsible for conducting temple services in Jerusalem and collecting its offerings. Sadducees rejected the oral laws the Pharisees produced because they strictly adhered to the first five books of the Old Testament (the Pentateuch). Remarkably, the Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, angels, or demons. They also did not view God as One Who is heavily involved or concerned with the affairs of mankind. According to Acts 4:2, it was the matter of Jesus’ resurrection that incited the ire of the Sadducees and priests at the temple. Because of this, they immediately apprehended and incarcerated Peter and John. Despite the vengeful efforts of the priests and Sadducees to disrupt Peter and John’s evangelistic work, many people surrendered faith in Jesus Christ that day. As Peter and John were being led away and confined in a prison cell, five thousand men became Christians.
The apostles were to be tried before the Sanhedrin council, a panel of well-educated scholars of Scripture. The Sanhedrin was the most influential Jewish council in the first century. It was comprised of as many as seventy-one members, including Pharisees and Sadducees. Each member was believed to be an expert in the Word and ways of God. Because Sanhedrin trials were not conducted in the late afternoon and evening hours, Peter and John spent a night in jail. The very next morning they were brought before the Sanhedrin.
The pressing question asked of Peter and John by the Sanhedrin was eerily similar to a question posed to Jesus by the priests not long before, “By what power or what name did you do this?” (Mt. 21:23). The strategy employed against Jesus was repeated with Peter and John. The religious leaders hoped to condemn the apostles by way of self-incrimination. If they confessed anything perceived to be criminal, or in violation of God’s law, their own admission would warrant their torture, dismissal, or death.
Acts 4:8 states that the Holy Spirit appropriately fitted Peter to answer the religious leaders’ deceptive query. Peter’s divinely-led reply dumbfounded the spiritual elitists. The apostle quoted from Psalm 118:22, which indicates that the stone that was rejected by humanity (Jesus) had become the foundational stone of God’s structure (the church). When the religious leaders recognized Peter and John’s courage in the face of fire, as well as their command of Scripture, despite their lack of theological education, they were speechless. Furthermore, the healing of the paralytic, a man who had been unable to walk for over forty years, verified the apostles were endowed with special gifts from God. They were not masquerading as men with supernatural abilities; they were men with supernatural abilities. The evidence of their anointing was undeniable.
The religious leaders were ready to punish Peter and John for talking about Jesus, but the panel lacked the nerve to inflict physical harm on them because the general body of temple worshippers held a favorable view of the apostles. The previous day’s miracle and message produced an excitement and fervor that was still circulating. Begrudgingly, the religious panel released Peter and John, who promptly went back to the church body and relayed everything that had happened. The church responded with praise and prayer. Furthermore, the believers asked God to grant them great boldness so that they could proclaim Jesus in a hostile environment. As they closed in prayer, the place where they were meeting was shaken by the movement of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:32 highlights the unity the first century church enjoyed. The people were one in heart and one in purpose. They were a family. Sharing. Giving. Loaning personal belongings to each other. The results were indisputably powerful. There were no needy persons among them. With materialism and possessiveness practically gone, the church body enjoyed a season of contentment, allowing the focus to remain on the preaching and teaching the gospel of Christ.
The life-changing methodology of charitable giving and sharing was just as shocking to find in the ancient world as it would be to find in the modern world. Most people would prefer to receive personal adulation rather than offer up humble admiration of Jesus. Most people would prefer to be entertained as the esteemed guests in someone else’s home rather than use their home as a means of ministering to the community. Most people would prefer to accumulate exclusive trinkets, or expensive possessions, rather than embrace opportunities to give away or sell valuables in order to help those much less fortunate.
This passage presents a drastic and distinguishing contrast between the godly nature and the worldly nature. The godly nature seeks to practice love, truth, and sacrifice. The worldly nature, however, seeks to practice hate, deceit, and selfish stockpiling. The worldly nature can never satisfy the hearts of those who proclaim Jesus is Lord. The early church realized this. As a result, they continually had a motivation to do more, say more, and give more. Their example reveals spiritual unity brings about greater understanding, as well as a desire to accomplish godly undertakings.
Three important aspects of unity stand out in Acts 4. One, unity fosters a solidified fellowship. To solidify means to take on a definite form or identity. When people are transformed into believers of Christ, they take on a new form. They are given a distinct identity. No longer called enemies of God, they are called friends of God. No longer considered castaways, they are considered children of the eternal King - a designation that was paid for by the eternal Son of God: Jesus Christ.
Christians should not only be willing to associate themselves with Christ, they should aspire to honor Him with their lifestyle. Jesus provided us with many examples of righteous living, as recorded in the gospel accounts. He chose to exercise ministry rather than materialism. Compassion rather than condemnation. Leadership rather than legalism. Generosity rather than greed. The lavish love of Jesus demands to be modeled in the actions of His followers.
This concept is not readily received or promoted in the current culture. Individuality is the desirable position, not conformity. But if you trace the root of this desire, you will likely find that this longing stems from a prideful yearning. We must continually evaluate our motives and ask ourselves, “For what purpose do I seek exceptionality?” Is it to draw attention to my life, or is it to draw attention to the One who gave me life?
Jesus offers mankind the opportunity to find a sense of worth in Him, rather than in ourselves. Talent, beauty, and status can never produce a lasting or healthy self-image. Only in Jesus can humanity know the greatness of His unending love and feel the wonder of His astonishing grace. By conjoining our lives with Christ’s, we discover God’s purpose not only edifies believers, it unifies believers. The first century disciples were an assorted lot, but what brought them, and kept them, together was the burning desire to proclaim the message of Jesus.
Two, unity fosters a satisfied fellowship. An abiding relationship with God brings about a holistic change in the lives of believers. Patience increases; anger decreases. Love emanates; hate dissipates. Peace flourishes; worry fades. Priorities are reevaluated and reshuffled. Thoughts and actions are passed through the searing lens of God’s biblical standards, rather than man’s shallow, self-indulgent standards.
To discover and enjoy satisfied hearts, believers must consider the source of their satisfaction. For some, money is the means of finding contentment. The larger the bank account, the better one’s outlook on life. This deluded notion has a critical flaw - what happens if the money one has set aside devalues, or is suddenly required to cover some enormous, unplanned expense? Where then does one turn to for peace of mind?
For others, a career is a means of achieving a sense of fulfillment. Workaholics dedicate hours to impressing clients, bosses, and co-workers in order to climb the worldly ladder of success, often bypassing time with loved ones, friends, church family, and God. The primary fault with this approach is what happens when a career is over? What then is the driving ambition for one’s life? Some realize all too late that the ladder of success has no apex. It is demanding and ultimately unfulfilling.
For the few who have discovered satisfaction in a relationship with God, there is joy inexpressible. To them, the value of God’s presence, unlike money, never diminishes. To them, God’s kingdom-building work, unlike a vocation, has no retirement date (save death). The disciples fervently sought to exercise a sanctified spirit, which thereby allowed them to experience satisfied hearts.
A relationship with God has a multiplying effect. The disciples individually drew closer to God. Then, because of a common desire to worship Jesus, the disciples drew closer to one another. As they drew closer to one another, they became attune to the needs and burdens of each other. They endeavored to meet their church family’s needs and alleviate the church family’s burdens. As they ministered to one another, they saw the world through the scope of love. In love, they were inspired to reach out, not just to their fellow believers, but to non-believers as well. Clearly, satisfied hearts do not look for security in the temporal things this world has to offer. Rather, satisfied hearts find security in an abiding relationship with God.
Three, unity fosters a sacrificial fellowship. The aspiration to submit ourselves completely to the cause of Christ produces a radical transformation. The early disciples made serving people more important than stuffing their pocketbook. They made conveying love more important than collecting land. Such extreme action reveals an extravagant appreciation for what Jesus meant to the believers, as well as a firm trust in the provision of God. When hearts are fixated on Christ, homes and holdings tend to lose their luster. They lose their appeal. They lose their level of significance.
Surrendered lives are sacrificial lives. The confirmation of this reality is underscored in the closing two verses of Acts 4. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement”, sold a field he owned and gave all of its earnings to the church. He desired to honor God in everything, especially in the area of finances. His selfless act revealed the depth of his devotion. In laying the proceeds at the feet of the apostles, Barnabas was symbolically laying down his life for the cause of Christ. As we will come to discover later in Acts, Barnabas was a man deeply committed to the faith, and he led by word and deeds. Such is the character of those who find unity in the grace of Jesus.
Is unity a visible attribute in your life?
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