March 7: The OG Church

Acts 2:42, 44-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.  Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

These few verses nicely summarize the state of the church as soon as the Holy Spirit had descended upon the early believers. It also raises many questions as to how those people did life, if all they did was meet daily at the temple and eat food together. In any case, something radical seem to have occurred when the Holy Spirit came upon them. People who had more things shared with people who had less things. Those who had excess money gave it away to those in need, or to the house of God. Even land and houses were sold so that there would be enough for the entire believing community to survive, equally. In short, people all started sharing with each other.

Children are taught that “sharing is caring”, and we expect them to share their toys or their things with their friends or siblings. But as we grow into adults, and get busy with our own lives, sharing becomes a thing of the past. Even if we want to, it becomes a bit of a struggle to give things away. Is it just me? Can I hear an amen?

But I think there is more to it than just sharing that happened in the first century church. It was as if the things that they cared about most, became irrelevant after the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Earlier, they had much to think and worry about - food, clothing, shelter, loans, taxes, land maintenance etc. There was plenty of earthly things that took their time and energy. But after the Holy Spirit entered people’s hearts, a new perspective was given to them. Their focus shifted from earthly things to heavenly matters. And that shift in heart made them to radically change their lifestyle.

Jesus had something to say with regards to this matter. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6:19-21)

One of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to remind us the words that Jesus spoke (Jn 14:26). And that is what He did when He came to the early believers. He reminded them all that Christ had spoken of prior to leaving this earth. And the people listened to their heart’s convictions and removed everything that hindered them from setting their eyes on eternal treasures over earthly treasures. This then helped them to focus on doing God’s work, and enabled them to become channels of God’s blessing to people all around as well as channels of the greatest revival of all time.

Even today, if the Holy Spirit is inside of you, there will always be a tug to spend less time on things pertaining to this world, and more time on the things of God. In an overly materialistic world where things all around scream for our attention, we need to make radical efforts to shift our focus. It might not be easy, but you cannot have it all. Riches and God. Love for stuff and love for God is not a match made in heaven. You can only love one of them. If you have been blessed with riches and things in this world, it takes extra effort to share with those in need. But I believe there is more to it than just handing out money to the homeless or inviting people over for dinner, or even supporting missionaries. As important as those good acts are, it is a state of mind that is focused less on this world, and more on heaven. It is an intentional choice of loving God more than anything this world to offer.

Is the church today loving God more, or loving their possessions? Is the church loving its people more than the building holding the people? Has our focus shifted from God to stuff? There is much to learn from the first century church. It truly was the OG church.