Misguided

"I have little doubt that the single greatest obstacle to the impact of the gospel has not been ints inability to provide answers, but the failure on our part to live it out." - Ravi Zacharias from the book "Beyond Opinion"

This is the very issue I have been wrestling with. It's not so much that we don't really look like the First Century church, but that they looked more like the gospel lived out than we do. I attended the Park Plaza college class last Wednesday and we just so happened to discuss the Acts 2 passage which began my journey through this grand issue. In our talk I recognized a few things I'd like to share here as well as sharing something that my parents brought to my attention. I will begin there.

It should be recognized that even the first century church didn't go very long with doing it perfect. Let's take a look at Acts 4 & 6.

"All the believers wer one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possesions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, broght the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need." Acts 4:32-37 (TNIV)

Let me first note that here is another witness to the amazing attitudes of those first believers. The shared heart and mind which led to shared possesions and well being. It is to this ideal which I want to strive. However, it is made clear that it was the powerful work of God which allowed for no needy persons to be among them. In other words if we are to ever see this happen we've gotta turn to God! So, when was the last time you sold something as significant as your house or a piece of land and used that money to provide for someone else? I want it to be clear we aren't talking about tithing or giving out of our excess to a benevolent fund. This is SACRIFICIAL giving. But the pretty picture goes bad quick. In fact it is the ver next chapter where we see an example of those who lied about the sale of their property and were destroyed because of it. Thank God that we don't suffer the same fate. And then let's look at chapter 6.

"In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food." Acts 6:1 (TNIV)

Wow, already someone is not getting taken care of. How quickly we fall! But I have us look at this in order to see that even the First Century church wasn't a continuous example of perfectly living out the gospel. But I don't want this to really be a look at the macroview of the church. Really I want us to look at the microview. Specifically at our own selves. The question is: who are you? Are you Barnabas who at the very end of chapter 4 is mentioned to having sold his field and laid the money at the Apostles feet? Or are you Ananias, who also sold a piece of property, but "with his wife's full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles' feet." (5:2)

Do I trust that if I will use what the Lord has already given me to take care of the needs of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that I too will be taken care of? Do I want an excess of comfort and luxury, of pleasure and excitement so that I give only what's left after I've enjoyed myself? When was the last time I let someone else use that prized possesion, or what's more, sold a prized possesion in order for someone else to meet a need? These are the questions I ask myself.