INTRO
I am a typical Westernized American. I am the third of three children, the baby in the family so to speak in a typical, American middle-class family. From my earliest memory my parents spoiled me – not rotten to the core (at least I would like to believe), but I never went without. So much so that I never had a “Big Wheel”, but the faster, sleeker “Green Machine.” And I just didn’t have one green machine, when I broke my first, dad bought me a second… and when that one broke I think he bought me a third.
I also remember having a really cool, Schwinn banana seat Stingray bicycle. My friend Pete use to say he was envious of my bike, because it was the fastest is the neighborhood. And I use to be envious of my friends bicycles, because theirs were the early prototypes of BMX bikes, and theirs had big orange flags off the back seat. In all the bike envy in the neighborhood, nobody ever wanted to share their bike with another. I wonder why?
TRANSITION
I think as American’s we often have the mentality that’s “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine.” At least, that’s what many folks tell one another often. Now, maybe we don’t use those words, but we do like to us the words, “MINE!” No, I’m not about to share….. Go, get your own.
Has anybody ever heard anything like that before? Prior to moving here to Kellogg, we lived in Bethel’s Seminary’s “sem village.” There was a family there whose kids liked to ride all the other kid’s bikes – they never asked permission, they just took and grabbed. I remember we use to get upset about this. I guess it is because we are typical in our attitude that “what’s mine is mine, and what’s mine is not yours.” But the neighbors, they had a different ideal – what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine. I guess when we boil all things down, we like our stuff…. And our stuff is our stuff, because by golly we’ve earned it…. And yet, we need to ask, is this what God wants from us?
Open with me to the Book of Acts, Chapter 4, verses 32-37.
Can you imagine for a second the perfect utopia where nobody owned any property – that all anybody had was given freely for all to use? Many in the world, especially in the last century, after reading and contemplating this passage, however have come to that conclusion. I have often surmised, although I doubt it can be proven, that some ideological portions of socialism and communism are rooted in this text.
Lately we’ve been hearing a lot in the news about a redistribution of wealth many legislative, judicial, and executive branches of our government espouse and desire to institute – in one form of another. I am not going to stand before you today and discuss politics – because that’s not what we’re about. And yet, when our government uses sacred text to espouse Biblical values, and to incorporate those values through forced assimilation and government programs, than we need to stand up and take notice….. And if we find ourselves getting irritated, we need to ask the question – why I am getting upset – what is this cause of irritation?
Do we become irritated because we like our stuff…. And our stuff is our stuff, because by golly we’ve earned it, and don’t want to share? Or, do we become irritated because we don’t want to be forced to share? Or, maybe, is it some combination of the two?
These are good questions for us to ask – and our role as the church is to ask them? Because in the days of the early church, Rome didn’t take care of the people – the Church did! But that’s not the same case today in America. But should it be?
Let’s look at this passage again. The heart of this passage is not just about giving away all your possessions in obedience; it is about giving away your livelihood, your “world” – your flesh to the church to be used for righteousness sake. We aren’t to just give our money to the Lord, but our entire beings – our worship, mind, soul, body, gifts, talents, abilities, and life experiences. God wants everything in our life – our entire person and all that he has graciously given us.
Verse 32 says: “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.” Notice how the text stays they were of one heart and one mind. One way to translate the original language of this text is to say, “No one would claim to exist for one’s own self. The root word for one’s self is “Idios”, the Greek root where Freud came up with the “Id” in his psychological premises – the same root term we use for the words: ideology, identity, idiot, and a word so Unbiblical – Idol.
This text is saying that the thought of one being for oneself – Where the term “MINE” does not even enter the picture – is completely absent. There is not individualistic mentality – there is no living for self – but rather, living for a common cause – to live for the other. For in God, there is no Id.
To live this way is to live radically. To live this way is to say that together we will become radically reliant upon one another. To live this way is to live in complete humility – putting aside my own needs, wants, and desires – my own need to hoard – and to share with others that which I really don’t need.
Consider the really radical nature of what was going on. Some people the text says sold their land, their homes, and gave the proceeds to the church? For what reason we might ask? To give to those who had need.
Now this wasn’t a forced redistribution of wealth by the government through taxation. No, because a system forced upon one by another – weather a person, group, organization, or government – is really not viable nor sustainable. And why you might ask – because it is not of God – the heart of God does not take from another and give to another without the heart of the giver involved. God’s law says – “You shall not steal.” God is not going to take your bicycle and give it to another.” That would be stealing – and God cannot go against His own Word, He cannot go against His own universal laws and principles.
However, God may implore you to share with one another as you have ability. In the OT, God commanded His chosen people to give of their tithes and offerings, and to present them before the temple. His command was for every family to give the first 10% if their labor’s efforts – ten percent of their harvest, ten percent of their income, to the Temple…. The priests then took these funds and distributed to all who were in need…… Or at least, that’s what was supposed to have happened.
Yet, the NT brings upon a different paradigm… and even in that paradigm, Jesus Christ even said to the Pharisees – those thought to be the most righteous in the day – that even he gave according to the law. He said this in Luke 18:12, “I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.” For Jesus, being God, not only had to do the law, he needed to fulfill that law! But to Jesus, the law was only the starting place. The heart of the giver goes beyond the law.
In our country, there is no law stating that we must give so much of our income for the needs of the other? Rather, in our country, the law of the land is to give a proportion of your income for the needs of the government… and according to the government, they will take care of the poor, the widow, the destitute, homeless, and destitute. But nowhere in the Bible is the role of the government relegated for this task…. Nowhere in the Bible does God ever call for a forced retribution of wealth.
However, I say to you today, that all throughout this text, and the whole of the Bible, God implores each of His children in sanctified relationship with Him through Jesus Christ to give radically so that among us there shall be no poor. It is not the role of the government to take our money. No, rather, I say to you that the role of each believer is to give generously so that we can take care of the poor, the destitute, and all those who are needy, because our government will never do it.
This, my friends, is radical reliance. Radical reliance is taking the first fruits of our labors, giving with all our hearts with all our ability, pooling those resources, and truly helping those in our community – both our church community and in our greater North Idaho communities.
So, I want to ask you today, how are you doing with that? Where is your heart at today? Is your heart saying, “What’s mine is mine, and what’s mine is not yours?” Or, is your heart saying, I want to be a part of something totally radical? Is your heart saying, I want to continue on like I always have as a typical American? Because if it is, we’re going to end up with the government coming in and doing a forced redistribution of wealth.
My brothers and sisters, we have a charge by our Lord. Our charge is to look deeply in our hearts and consider living in a new, radical, powerfully Spirit-filled paradigm where the Church takes care of all those in need, and not the government. We have a choice…. We can either live for self and let Caesar take from us; or, we can live for God in the Power of the Holy Spirit, allow him to take our selfish nature from us, and live for others with Radical Reliance.
Before we come together to take communion, I want to implore you, search your heart; search your soul. Consider the ways in which you live – consider the ways in which we live – and let’s all make a change. For we can either live radically with one another and help those who are truly in need, lest Cesar come in and radically take from us to do the same. I submit to you, let’s do the former before the later happens. Let’s live radically for God and together watch how God transforms our community. Let us pray……
