Acts 4:32

And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. And neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things in 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 and 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 Joseph, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32-37)

The early church gave so freely because they understood one transforming truth: nothing they owned was their own.

Why the Church Must Talk About Money

Here we come to a topic that often goes unaddressed in evangelical churches, especially in many Calvary Chapels. In one sense I would almost apologize—not because I'm going to share about giving, but because we don't share about it enough. My good friend David Guzik once told me that money is one of the most important discipleship issues that often doesn't get discussed in the church.

The Bible has an awful lot to say about money—over 2,100 verses deal with stewardship and how we use what God has given us. God talks about it not because He's absorbed with it, but because He knows that we are. Because He knows how focused and absorbed we are, He gives us very clear instruction. This week we look at gracious giving in Acts 4; next week, greedy giving in Acts 5.

A Church of Great Unity

The first thing to note is that the early church had great unity. They were "of one heart and of one soul." When you consider that the Jerusalem church was comprised of people from every tongue and every nation—Acts 2:5 tells us there were devout men out of every nation under heaven gathered there when Peter preached and 3,000 were converted—this is a remarkable declaration.

There's been much talk lately about race reconciliation in our nation. Yet the one thing that brings people together more than anything in the world is Christ. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." In Christ there are no socioeconomic differences and no racial divides. God breaks all of that down.

This kind of unity does not just happen. Paul told the Ephesians to "endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). Why work to keep it? Because of my flesh and your flesh. There is no division within God at all, but in our flesh we divide ourselves very quickly. Christ gives us a common foundation upon which the structure of His body can be built.

A Church of Great Community

Not only did they have great unity—none of them said the things they possessed were their own; they had all things in common. One of the things that destroys unity faster than anything else is selfishness. Sign up to help with the three-year-olds in our children's ministry and you'll see it. Children have instant unity—until you introduce a new toy. Then selfishness breaks the unity down.

This is foreign to our American mindset, which was founded on independence, gaining possessions, and holding on to wealth. As we study Acts, some of you may feel a 1950s communism warning light start to blink. But it's not communism. One commentator rightly said: communism says, "What's yours is mine, and I'll take it." But koinonia, the fellowship described in Scripture, says, "What is mine is yours, and I'll share it." And I would go further: Christianity says, "What is mine is God's, and I'll use it as He tells me to."

That's not just our money. It's my intellect, my energy, my time, my assets—everything. This is one of the first steps to maturity in Christ: the recognition that you are not your own, that you've been bought with a price. Paul told the Corinthians, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof" (1 Corinthians 10:26), likely quoting Deuteronomy 10:14. Everything we have, at its most fundamental level, belongs to God.

When we recognize that we are not owners but managers of what God has given, growth begins to take place like you can't imagine. Talk to anyone in our fellowship actively serving and giving of their finances and their time, and you'll find that's when growth started. I remember driving to Tecate with Dave, who first went only because his daughter was going with the youth ministry. On the way back, tears came down his face at the border as he realized God was calling him into that work. He says he's never grown so much as in the years since—because he invested himself, not just his money, but his time and intellect. Ask Luke Ryder, Pastor Mark, Pastor Pat, Pastor Richard, or anyone helping in children's ministry, and they'll tell you the same: they came to recognize, "I am not my own," and then God began to work powerfully.

A Church of Great Charity

We also see a church of great charity. The aspect of charity isn't typically difficult for Americans to understand, because America is the most giving nation in the entire world. On average, the people of the United States—not the government—give over $300 billion a year to charitable work. That number is very big.

Until about four months ago, $300 billion sounded like a lot. Now it's taken on a different feel. And while it's an awesome figure, we must recognize that Americans also have tremendous wealth. As you sit in this room, you are among the richest people in the world—richer than 98% of everyone else. So it's only right that we are the most giving. Yet $300 billion sounds overwhelming until you realize Americans spend $40 billion a year on their pets and $60 billion on weight loss. Last year's gross domestic product was $14.85 trillion, so $300 billion in charity was about 2% of GDP—higher than any other nation, but worth keeping in perspective.

I believe our nation's charity is directly related to its founding on the principles of this book. The God we worship is a giving God. He has given us everything needed for life and godliness, every spiritual blessing in heavenly places, and John 3:16 tells us He gave His only begotten Son. The people who follow this giving God, as they mature, recognize they are not their own and the things they have are not their own. By comparison, you find very few Hindu or Buddhist charitable organizations doing this work in the world; most charitable organizations were founded upon the Word of God, because our God is a giving God.

The Return on Investment

When a body of believers recognizes this truth, interesting things happen. Verse 33 shows the outcome: "with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."

The first return on investment was that the church leaders were freed up to do what God had called them to do—give witness to the resurrection. It's important to note 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. As the church handled its members' needs, the work of God was furthered.

The second return was that the church body was filled with God's favor—"great grace was upon them all." Giving the gospel is the prime focus, which is why we partner with ministries like Cross Connection. But ministering to the world's needs is also part of the church's ministry. The word agape, translated "love," is often rendered "charity" in the King James Version, because it is self-sacrificing love—the love God displayed when He died for us.

Jesus left us this very example. He came first to preach the gospel (Mark 2), but did He feed the hungry? Yes—the 5,000 and the 4,000. Did He heal the sick? Yes—multitudes of the possessed, paralyzed, and lame. He reached out with loving hands to felt needs, but His primary purpose was the preaching of the gospel.

No One Lacked—and the Question of Government

"Neither was there any among them that lacked" (v. 34). A byproduct of the Spirit's work was that the body of Christ took care of the body of Christ. No one was needy or destitute.

This seems to be the desire of many wealthy nations. The G20 gathers the 20 most wealthy nations, often seeking to reach the world with charitable hands. Yet among the 25 most wealthy nations, the American government ranks 21st in giving to the rest of the world. Many are upset by that statistic, but I believe there's a reason: the people of this nation are number one in giving across the board. I do not believe Scripture assigns this responsibility to the government but to the church. Many nations look to their governments to meet such needs through taxation—forced giving—but God does not force giving.

Scripture makes it clear that God desires these needs met out of the abundance of love in our hearts. This isn't the church saying, "This is what you must do." It was the Spirit of God working the love of God in and through the believers. God desires this work not by compulsion or force, but by His loving hand working in our lives. Still, before we pat ourselves on the back, we must remember we are the most wealthy nation in the world, with great opportunity to bless others—and we shouldn't expect our government to take away the obligation God has given us.

In a couple of weeks on Wednesday night we'll look at Matthew 25, set in the last days, where Jesus gives clear teaching about giving a cup of cold water to the thirsty and clothing those in need. As we recognize we're living in the last days, we have great opportunity for evangelism that moves out into the world by helping people—but the primary help people need is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Example of Barnabas

Distribution was made to everyone according to his need. This wasn't forced; the Spirit and the love of God stirred people to say, "Why do I keep this thing I'm not using? I could sell it and help someone." Verse 36 gives an example: Barnabas, whose name means "son of consolation," a Levite of the priestly tribe living on Cyprus, sold his land and laid the money at the apostles' feet.

This was not the norm; it was not prescribed, mandated, or manipulated. If it were, it would have been a form of taxation, and God is not like that. God is into worshipful sacrifice, not woeful taxation. If you gave this morning resenting it, please come to the office and we'd love to refund you—because Paul says God loves a cheerful giver, one who recognizes this as a sacrificial act of worship. God took no delight in mindless sacrifices of goats and sheep; He desires "a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart." Barnabas came with exactly that spirit.

Six Principles of Giving

Wherever God's Spirit is moving, the enemy is also moving—next week we'll see greedy giving in Ananias and Sapphira. But before we finish, here are six principles from Scripture concerning giving:

First, the church should discern who the truly needy are (1 Timothy 5:3). We see this regularly here at Calvary Chapel when people come with an apparent need, but God reveals the real need is often the gospel, and the physical need is a distraction from what God is doing.

Second, if an individual can work to support himself, he is not the truly needy (2 Thessalonians 3; 1 Timothy 5; 1 Thessalonians 4).

Third, if a family can support a needy person, the church should not; that family should step in (1 Timothy 5:3-4).

Fourth, those supported by the church should make some return, taking part in the work God is doing (1 Timothy 5:5, 10).

Fifth, it is right for the church to examine moral conduct before giving support. If someone will only spend the money on gambling or something outside God's will, why give it? (1 Timothy 5:9-13).

Sixth, support should be given for the basic necessities of living (1 Timothy 6:8). If someone asks the church to pay for a vacation, that is not our responsibility.

Where Your Treasure Is

The Bible says much about money not because God is absorbed with it, but because He knows we are. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Our focus, attention, and interest follow the things we invest our energy, assets, time, and intellect into. This was true for America, so focused on possessions—until about October 1st, when things started to collapse.

God's desire is that our focus would be on the kingdom of heaven. He says invest wisely: the one who stores treasures in the bank of eternal securities will find his riches where no rust, moth, or thief can reach them. Life is not all about this world. There's coming a day when we will stand before God, and I hope every one of you will hear, "Well done, my good and faithful servant." But if my life is completely consumed with temporal things, that may not be the case. I pray my life would not be wood, hay, and stubble, but a blessing unto the Lord.

There is a giving that is right—gracious giving stirred by the Holy Spirit, as we see here in Acts 4. Just in case you think the early church was perfect, next week we'll see greedy giving in Acts 5. And I confess it breaks my heart that in many pulpits greedy giving is encouraged with promises that if you give, God will give you a hundred times more. I firmly believe you cannot outgive God—but to teach that giving is only for what you can get is exactly the giving of Ananias and Sapphira.

Closing Prayer

Father, when it is so easy for us to get consumed and focused upon the things of this life, I pray that You would help me this week—help me tomorrow as I wake up Monday to remember that You are my sufficiency, that Your grace is sufficient. Even though in my flesh I think I must have this or that, ultimately all we need is You. I pray You would continue to teach me this truth as we start another week. And I pray for my brothers and sisters here that You would pour out Your grace abundantly upon each of them. Just as great grace was upon them all in this passage, would You pour out Your grace in a powerful way, and help us to be those who shine forth Your grace in a dark world. For we ask it in the mighty and precious name of Jesus, and all God's people said, Amen.