Acts 4:32

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 in common. With great power, the apostles gave 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 and houses sold them. They brought the pieces of the things that were sold and laid them down at the apostles' feet. Distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Joseph, who was also of the apostles, was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted as the son of consolation or comfort. He was a Levite and of the country of Cyprus. Having land, he sold it and brought the money, laying it at the apostles' feet.

Let's pray. Father, I do ask that you would speak to us from this passage this morning, that you would continue to equip us and transform us. Lord, let us not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds as your word, as this fresh living water, pours over us, transforming us and cleaning us. God, we just give you the remainder of our service this morning and ask that you, by your Spirit, would speak. For we ask it in Jesus' name. And all God's people said, Amen. You can be seated.

I had hoped and planned to be here last week, but God had other plans. We got a little bit of snow up there at the men's retreat. I was blessed to hear that Todd was able to step in and share a message from Romans 12, which a number of people told me was very challenging and encouraging. God is good; His word is great.

Here we have an interesting passage of scripture as we cover a topic that sometimes is not talked about within some churches, especially in evangelical churches and at many Calvary chapels. Sometimes you won't hear a lot discussed about what we're going to discuss this morning and also next week. In one sense, I would almost apologize, but not because I'm going to be sharing about giving, as we're going to be looking at it here, but because we don't share enough about it.

I was talking with my good friend David Guzik a number of years ago, and he said that money is one of the most important discipleship issues that oftentimes doesn't get discussed in the church.

The Bible has an awful lot to say about money. There are over 2,100 verses in the Bible that deal with stewardship and money, and how we use the things that God has given to us. God talks quite a bit about it, not because He is absorbed with it, but because He knows that we are. Because God knows that we are so focused on it and so absorbed with it, He speaks about it and gives us very clear instruction about giving.

This week, we're going to be looking at a passage in Acts 4 on gracious giving. Next week, we will look at another passage in Acts 5 on greedy giving. In this passage, we see some very interesting things starting in verse 32. The first thing I want you to note this morning is that the early church in Acts, specifically in Acts chapter 4, was a church that had great unity. They were a church that had one heart and one soul, the multitude of those that believed. What a great declaration that is!

When you consider it, we know that the early church in Jerusalem was comprised of people from every tongue and every nation. In Acts chapter 2, when the church was birthed on the day of Pentecost and Peter preached that great message, we read in Acts chapter 2, verse 5, that there were people of every tongue and every nation gathered together in the region of Jerusalem at that time. There, Peter, as he was stirred by the Holy Spirit, preached this message. The multitude, 3,000 men, cried out, "What must we do?" He said, "Repent and be converted. Be baptized, each one of you."

The church in Jerusalem was filled with people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and all over the world, people gathered together. Yet, they were of one heart and one soul.

There has been a lot of talk over the last year and a half, especially with the most recent campaign season in our nation. There has been much discussion about race reconciliation. You read the newspapers, you read the magazines, you watch the news, and you hear a lot about race in our nation. Yet, the one thing that brings people together more than anything else in the world is Christ. In fact, Paul tells us in Galatians chapter 3, as he wrote to the church in Galatia, "There is neither Jew nor Greek." In Galatians 3:28, he continues, "There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ."

You see, in Christ Jesus, there are no socioeconomic class differences and no racial divides.

God breaks all of that down. He has broken down the middle wall of separation, and we are, as Paul says, one in Christ. This kind of unity does not just happen; it doesn't immediately occur within the body of Christ. In fact, Paul told the church at Ephesus that there is a certain level of work involved when he said in Ephesians 4, verse 3, that we need to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Why do we need to work to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace? It has everything to do with my flesh and your flesh. It has nothing to do with God's Spirit. There is no division within God at all. However, we ourselves, in our flesh, will divide ourselves very quickly. But in Christ, as we walk in the Spirit, He breaks down those middle walls of separation.

There are many things in the world that divide, but Christ is the one who gives you and me a common foundation upon which the structure of the body of Christ can be built. The early church, as described in Acts chapter 4, verse 32, had great unity. Not only did they have great unity, but we read in the remainder of the verse that none of them said that the things they had were their own. They had all things in common.

One of the things that will destroy unity faster than anything else is selfishness. If you don't believe me, I highly recommend that you sign up to help with the three-year-olds in our children's ministry. You will see that when children are gathered together, they don't talk about how much money they make, what they do for a living, or where they go to school. They don't have conversations like that. There is often instant unity until you introduce a new toy. Then, all of a sudden, you see that selfishness breaks down this unity.

In the body of Christ, as we read in Acts chapter 4, these people had all things in common, and no one regarded the things they possessed as their own. This concept is a little foreign to our mindset here in America. As you begin to deeply consider and study the early church and the community they had, our Western, especially American, mindset doesn't really fit with this. Our nation was founded on a principle of independence, and we strongly promote the idea of independence, gaining possession, and holding on to our wealth. As I begin to talk about some of these things and as we study through the book of Acts, it becomes clear how different our perspectives can be.

For some of you, that 1950s communism warning light starts to blink. You might think, "Wait a minute, that's communism," but it's not. One commentator rightly said that communism says, "What's yours is mine, and I'll take it." However, koinonia, the fellowship described in the Scriptures, says, "What is mine is yours, and I'll share it." I would further say that Christianity says, "What is mine is God's, and I'll use it as He tells me to."

What is mine is God's, and that's not just speaking about our money. It encompasses my intellect, my energy, my time, and the assets that we have. Everything that we possess should be recognized as belonging to God. This understanding is one of the first steps to maturity in Christ: a right recognition that you are not your own and that you have been bought with a price.

Paul told the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 26, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." Most likely, Paul was quoting Deuteronomy chapter 10, where Moses says in verse 14, "Behold, the heaven of heavens is the Lord's, and the earth also, and all that is therein." Everything that you and I have in our possessions, everything we see around us, at its barest and most fundamental level, belongs to God.

If you are a believer today, you've been bought with a price. Christ bought you and me on the cross 2,000 years ago, and we are not our own. This truth speaks to every aspect of my life: my time, my energy, my intellect, my assets—whatever it may be, it all belongs to God. When we begin to recognize that we are not owners of these things but rather managers of what God has given us, growth begins to take place in ways we can't even imagine.

You will start to see changes in your life. In fact, if you talk with any of the people in our fellowship who are actively serving the Lord and giving not only of their finances but also of their time to the work that God has laid before them, you'll find that this is when growth really started to happen in their lives. I see Dave nodding his head back there because I remember driving down with him to Tecate a number of months ago. He shared that the first time he went to Tecate, he went because his daughter was going with the youth ministry, and he wanted to make sure that she was actually doing something down there.

And not just kind of hanging out. On his way back, he started to have tears come down his face as he sat at the border, realizing that God was calling him to be a part of that ministry. He said he has never grown so much as he has in the last several years while being involved in that ministry. Why? Because he has invested of himself—not just his money, but his time and intellect. He has given all that he has to the work that God has called him to because Dave recognized that he is not his own.

I guarantee you, if you sat down with Luke Ryder, the Ryder family, Pastor Mark, Pastor Pat, Pastor Richard, or any of the pastors here, including those helping with the children's ministry, they would all tell you the same story. They came to a recognition that they are not their own, and then God began to work in a powerful way.

Speaking of the community we see within the early church, we first notice in verse 32 that they were a church that had great unity. They were also a church that had great community and great charity. The idea of community, as Luke mentioned this morning, is that the family structure in Africa is so different from the family structure here in America. We are a family in Christ; we are a body in Christ. That sense of community within America is sometimes something we do not fully comprehend.

However, the idea of charity is something that is not typically difficult for Americans to understand. Why do I say that? Because America is the most giving nation in the entire world. When you look at the statistics, on average, Americans—especially in the most recent years—have given over $300 billion a year to charitable ministries and charitable work in our own nation and around the world. Until about four months ago, $300 billion sounded like a lot. Now, it has taken on a whole other significance.

Still, if you consider that, the people of the United States of America—not the government—on average, give over $300 billion to charitable works around the world each year. That number is very, very big. While that number sounds impressive, we must also recognize that Americans have a lot of wealth. As you sit here in this room today, you are among the richest people in the entire world. In fact, I would say that we here in this room today are richer than 98% of the rest of the world.

We have been blessed with great abundance in our nation. It is only right that we are the most giving nation in all the world. However, $300 billion sounds like an overwhelming amount of money until we realize that Americans annually spend $40 billion on their pets and $60 billion a year on weight loss. While $300 billion a year on charitable donations is a significant amount, last year, the gross domestic product of the United States was $14.85 trillion. Therefore, the $300 billion given in charitable contributions in America was 2% of the GDP. This figure is higher than any other nation in the world, and it is an awesome thing to see.

I believe that the charity of our nation is directly related to the fact that this nation, in many ways, has been founded on the principles of the Bible. What we find in the Scriptures is that God is a giving God. He has given you and me everything that is needed for life and godliness. He has given us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places. We are told in John 3:16 that He gave His only begotten Son for our salvation. The God that we worship, the God that we serve, and the God that we study week in and week out here at Calvary Chapel is a giving God. This is why I believe that America is such a giving nation.

If you look at other religions and nations in the world, you will find that they do not give nearly as much as the American people because they are founded upon different principles and a different understanding. By comparison, there are very few Hindu non-governmental organizations and charitable organizations or Buddhist charitable organizations that are doing this sort of work in the world. Many of the charitable organizations have been founded upon the Word of God in the Bible. Our God is a giving God, and the people who follow Him, as they begin to mature in Christ, recognize that they are not their own. The things they have are also not their own; they are merely managers of that which God has given.

There are some very interesting things that happen when a church and a body of believers begin to recognize this great truth. In Acts chapter 4, we see that they were of one heart and one mind. They did not regard their possessions as their own, but they shared things in common with the body that was there.

And verse 33, look at the outcome. In Acts 4:33, we see that as the body of Christ recognized they were managers of all that God had given them, they took care of the needs of everyone. There were two things we could call returns on investment.

The first return on investment is that the church leaders were freed up to do what God had called them to do. With great power, the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord. That is what they were called to do. It is important for us to note and recognize that the primary calling of the church is not to take care of poverty, pain, and sickness throughout the world. The primary mission of the church is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died and was raised from the dead.

As the church was fulfilling its calling socially, taking care of the needs they had, the work of God was furthered. The first return on investment was that the church leaders were freed up to do what God had primarily called them to do.

Secondly, the church body was filled with God's favor. Verse 33 states that great grace was upon them all. Yes, it is the primary ministry and focus of the church to share the gospel and bring the good news of Jesus Christ into all the world. This is why we partner with ministries like Cross Connection and others to see that work go forward.

However, it is also part of the church's ministry to address the needs of the world, reaching out in a charitable way with the love of God. In fact, the word "agape," which is translated as love in the Bible, is often translated in the King James Version as "charity." This is a love that is self-sacrificing and willing to give. It is the love that God displayed when He demonstrated it for us by dying for us 2,000 years ago.

We are told to love our neighbors as ourselves, which is the second greatest commandment. First and foremost, we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart.

Soul and strength. But secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. That love is displayed in very physical and tangible ways, as we see in the early church here in Acts chapter 4, but also in the Gospels. Remember that Jesus left us a very interesting example. He first and foremost came to preach the Gospel, to preach the good news. That's what he tells us in Mark's Gospel. In Mark chapter 2, I believe it was, he said, "I have come to preach the Gospel."

Did Jesus feed the hungry? Yes, he did. We see that Jesus fed the multitudes—a multitude of 5,000 at one time and a multitude of 4,000 at another time. Did Jesus come and tend to or heal the sick? Yes, he did. Jesus healed multitudes of people who were demon-possessed, sick, paralyzed, and lame. When Jesus came, he reached out with loving hands and ministered to the felt needs of individuals. However, the primary purpose was the preaching of the Gospel.

Continuing on in verse 34 of Acts chapter 4, we read, "Neither was there any among them that lacked." Neither was there any among the people in the body of Christ that lacked. A byproduct of the work that was going on in the church at this point in time, and the work that the Spirit of God was moving in the church to accomplish, was that the body of Christ took care of the body of Christ. No one within the body lacked. A byproduct was charity in the early church. No one had any lack. No one was needy. No one was destitute.

This seems to be the desire of many people among the wealthiest nations of the world. How many of you have heard of the G8 or the G20? That seems to come up quite a bit in the news lately. They have meetings all the time. The G20 is a gathering of the 20 most wealthy nations in the world. Many of these nations are seeking to reach out with charitable hands to the world that doesn't seem to have enough food, or where sickness and difficulties and famines are overrunning those nations. The G20 is often looking for opportunities to reach out.

However, I stumbled upon a very interesting statistic the other day: among the 25 most wealthy nations in the world, the American government falls 21st in giving financially, monetarily, to the rest of the world. There are many within our nation who don't like that statistic.

They're very upset by that statistic, but I believe that there's a reason for that. It's because the United States of America, the people of this nation, are number one in giving across the board. Whether you look at governments or individuals, they are the number one givers throughout the world. I do not believe that it is the job of the government, as we see in the Scriptures, to fulfill this need. There is a social responsibility, but as you look at the Word of God, it falls upon the church and not the government.

In many nations besides the United States, people look to their government to fulfill the needs of society. Oftentimes, this is done through taxation, which is forced giving. However, God does not force giving. The Scripture makes it very clear that God desires these needs to be taken care of out of the abundance of love from our hearts. It is not something that the church mandates; rather, it is a work that the Spirit of God accomplishes as He works the love of God in and through the lives of believers.

This is a work that God desires to accomplish, but not by compulsion or force. It should be by the loving hand of God working in my life and in your life. Yes, our government ranks 21st among the 25 most wealthy nations in the world regarding monetary giving to the rest of the world. However, the people of the United States of America, many of whom have been taught biblical principles, are those who give greatly in this area.

Before we pat ourselves on the back, we must recognize that we are the most wealthy nation in the world. As a result, we have an opportunity to bless people globally and should not expect our government to do it for us, thereby taking away the obligation that God has given us in His Word.

In a couple of weeks on Wednesday night, we will continue our series through the prophets. Not this week, but the following Wednesday, we will be looking at Matthew chapter 25. In this chapter, the context is the last days, and there Jesus provides very clear teaching about how we are to work in this world during those times. He speaks of giving a cup of cold water to the one who is thirsty and clothing those in need. As we, the body of Christ, recognize that we are living in the last days, we have a great opportunity for evangelism. This evangelism begins to manifest in the world by seeking to help people.

But the primary help that people need is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Amen?

In Acts chapter 4, verse 34, we read that there was no one among them who lacked. For as many as were possessors of lands and houses sold them and brought the prices of those things that were sold, laying them down at the apostles' feet. Distribution was made to everyone according to his need. This was not something that was forced. There were those stirred by the Spirit of God, by the love of God, who recognized that they had something they were not using. They questioned why they kept it and realized they could sell it to help someone else. Thus, distribution was made according to everyone who had need.

In verse 36, we find an example of this in Barnabas, whose name means "son of consolation" or "son of comfort." He was a Levite from the priestly tribe and had been living on the island of Cyprus, located in the Mediterranean, west of the nation of Israel. He had a portion of land, which he sold, and he brought the money and laid it down at the apostles' feet.

This was not the norm in the early church; however, it was something that God was stirring people within the body of Christ to do. It was not prescribed, mandated, or manipulated. If it had been, it would have been a form of taxation, and God is not like that. God is into worshipful sacrifice, not woeful taxation.

That's why if today you gave in the offering plate and found yourself thinking, "I can't believe they're taking this," please come to the back of the office, and we would love to refund your money. Paul says in Corinthians that God loves a cheerful giver—someone who recognizes that this is a sacrificial service of worship to the Lord. They love to give back to what God has given to them.

However, if it feels like woeful taxation and you think, "Man, they told us we had to do this," we will give it back. God doesn't want that. He is not delighted by that kind of service. That is the same kind of service that was offered mindlessly, where people gave their goats and sheep as sacrifices. God said, "I do not delight in these things. I want a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart."

Barnabas came with that kind of spirit and that kind of heart.

He took what he had and recognized that it was abundance, but he wasn't using it. So, he gave it to the body of Christ to bless those who were in need. Here, we see the aspect of gracious giving. However, anytime God's Spirit is moving, we need to recognize that the enemy, the adversary, the devil, is also moving. Next week, we will look in Acts chapter 5 at greedy giving, as another man named Ananias, along with his wife Sapphira, was stirred by the enemy—not by the Spirit of God, but by the devil. He did something rather greedy, trying to give only for what he could get. But that's for next week.

Before we finish up today, I want to share six principles that we find in Scripture regarding giving. The first principle is that Paul the Apostle directs in 1 Timothy chapter 5 that the body of Christ, the church, should discern who the truly needy are. We see this take place regularly here at Calvary Chapel Escondido when people come in throughout the week with apparent needs. They meet with Pastor Mark, Pastor Richard, or Pastor Josh, and as they sit down, they begin to express their needs. However, God often reveals that this is not the real need. The primary need in many people's lives is that they need the gospel, and their physical need is just a distraction from what God is trying to do in their lives. Paul exhorts in 1 Timothy 5:3 that the church needs to discern who the truly needy are.

Secondly, Paul reveals in 2 Thessalonians chapter 3, 1 Timothy chapter 5, and 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 that if an individual can work to support himself, he is not truly needy, as the Scripture reveals.

Thirdly, the Bible states that if a family can support a needy person, then the church should not support them; that family should step in and provide support. This is found in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verses 3 through 4.

The fourth principle we find in Scripture is that those who are supported by the church must make some return to the church body; they should be a part of the work that God is doing. We find this in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verses 5 and 10.

The fifth principle that we find in the scriptures is that it is right for the church to examine the moral conduct of individuals before giving support. If someone comes in and says, "Hey, I need you guys to provide this amount of money," but we recognize that the only thing they are going to spend that money on is maybe gambling or something that is outside of the will of God or the scriptures, why would we give that to them? It is okay and right, as we see in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verses 9 through 13, for the church to examine moral conduct before giving.

The sixth principle that we find in the scriptures is that the support of the church should be given for the basic necessities of living. If someone comes in and says, "You know what, I really would like the church to pay for my family and me to go on this vacation," is that something we should be involved with? Paul, in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 8, reveals that giving should be for the most basic necessities of living.

Again, the Bible has a lot to say about money and how we use it. As I mentioned at the beginning of our service this morning, it is not because God is so excited about and absorbed with money, but because He knows that we are. He knows that oftentimes we can be so distracted by these things. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This principle is not only true; it is very important for us in America today, where we are so focused on our possessions and our treasure and what we have here and now.

Until about October 1st, everything seemed stable, and then all of a sudden, things started to collapse. Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. What that basically means is that my focus, my attention, my interest will be upon the things that I invest my energy, my assets, my time, and my intellect into. It is God's desire that my focus and my interest would be on the kingdom of heaven. He says to invest wisely. The one who stores his treasures in heaven, in the bank of eternal securities, will find that his riches are not in a place where rust and moth can destroy or where thieves can come in and steal. May it be that the treasures of my life are invested with the Lord in His kingdom.

In his work and in my interest in the things that God is doing, I reflect on the reality that life is not all about this world. There is coming a day when you and I will no longer be a part of this world, and we will be in God's kingdom. On that day, I hope that every single person here at Calvary Chapel of Escondido will hear the Lord say, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." I am looking forward to the Lord saying that one day.

However, if my life is completely consumed with and focused on the things of this world—those things that are temporal—then that may not be the case on that day. I pray that my life would not be consumed as wood, hay, and stubble, but that it would be a blessing unto the Lord. There is a form of giving that is right, as stirred by the Holy Spirit of God, which is gracious giving. We see this in Acts chapter four.

But just in case you think that the early church was perfect, next week we will see greedy giving in Acts chapter five. I must confess that I find it woeful and sad; it breaks my heart that in many pulpits across this nation, greedy giving is encouraged by saying, "If you give, God will give you a hundred times more." I firmly believe that you cannot outgive God, but to teach people that giving is only for what they can get is exactly the giving of Ananias and Sapphira. We will consider that next week.

Let's stand together and pray. Father, it is so easy for us to become consumed and focused on the things of this life. I pray that you would help me this week, Lord. Help me tomorrow as I wake up on Monday to remember that you are my sufficiency. Your grace is sufficient. Even though sometimes in my flesh I think I must have this or that, ultimately, all we need is you. I pray that you would continue to teach me this truth as we start another week.

I also pray for my brothers and sisters here, that you would pour out your grace abundantly upon each of them. Just as we see in this passage in Acts, as the body of Christ functioned as you called them to do, great grace was upon them all. Would you pour out your grace in a powerful way?

And help us to be, Lord, those who are shining forth Your grace in a dark world. For we ask it in the mighty and precious name of Jesus. We pray, all God's people said, Amen.