Important Relationships Within The Church
(Part 2)
Acts 4:32-37
(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, October 8th, 2025)
Some of the most important relationships in my life have been cultivated inside the local church. My greatest friends, confidants, mentors, and encouragers are people that I am connected with through the local church. While that is true, in over forty years of involvement in church life, some of the most disloyal, deceitful, destructive, and despicable acts I have ever witnessed have occurred withing the context of the local church.
Tragically, the actions and attitudes of many “professing Christians” does great harm to the cause of Christ. Blaming the actions of others will not be a justifiable excuse for those unbelievers who stand before Christ at the Great White Throne. However, we must live in such a way that we point people to Jesus rather than pushing them away.
In part one of this study we saw that our relationship with the Lord is the most important relationship that we will ever possess. Those who have been born again: belong to the Lord, they love Him, worship Him, serve Him, tell others about Him, and abide in Him. These attributes are essential to having a right relationship with God and they lead to a right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
There was an amazing spirit of unity, compassion, benevolence, encouragement, and love among those in the early Church. I would like for us to examine their example as we conclude our study of “Important Relationships In The Church”.
We have examined in great detail “Our Relationship With The Lord”, as we move further into the text I would like for us to consider:
OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS
This short passage shows us that when it comes to our relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ: we must be unified, selfless, evangelistic, compassionate, benevolent, and loving. Let’s begin with the fact that:
WE MUST BE UNIFIED
v32 says that the Believers “were of one heart and one soul”
You will find the phrase “in one accord” eleven times in the Book of Acts. This phrase is made up of two words that mean “same” and “mind.” Here, Luke says that the Saints “were of one heart and one soul”; this does not mean that they thought and felt the same way about everything, however, they were able to aside their personal feelings and differences and commit themselves to one task; that task was sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unity was an important part of the success of the early church and it is vital to the success of the church today. Psalm 133:1 says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!” God is pleased when the members of a church are unified, furthermore, this is something that He expects from His people.
If we are to be successful in Christian ministry, we must possess unity. Unity within the Church is something that the Enemy is constantly seeking to destroy. If Satan can sow seeds of discord within this assembly, he certainly will. When we become distracted from our true purpose and become focused on our own wants, desires, and pet projects trouble is imminent. Like the Apostles and the other Christians in the early church, we must make certain the Jesus Christ is our only focus.
If there is to be unity in the church, selflessness is essential. The members of the early church show us that:
WE MUST BE SELFLESS
v32 neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
The members of the early Church were so overwhelmed by the love of God and their new life in Christ that they were not focused on themselves. Moreover, they were not concerned with attaining or retaining material possessions or earthly wealth. They were focused on the spiritual and physical well-being of their fellow Saints. There was a beautiful attitude of self-sacrifice that was prevalent in the early church.
Intertwined with the selflessness of the early Christians was compassion; their actions and attitudes show us that:
WE MUST BE COMPASSIONATE
v34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked;
In modern English, “compassion” is defined as “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. However, compassion is more than feeling pity or concern for the circumstances or situations of others; it is being motivated enough to do something about it. Simply put, compassion is love in action! Genuine faith is expressed through good works, and sharing resources is a way to demonstrate that faith in practical ways.
God is compassionate and gracious, and as His followers, we are to mirror His character by showing compassion and mercy to others. 1 John 3:17 asks, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need, but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” James said, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? (James 2:15-16) When we possess genuine compassion for our brothers and sisters we will respond with benevolence.
Let’s consider the reality that:
WE MUST BE BENEVOLENT
v34 for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
If there was any physical, financial, or spiritual need within the church, the Saints were willing to sell their own possessions and give the proceeds to the Apostles who would then distribute the profits accordingly. It is important to note that this was voluntary giving. This gracious act of benevolence was not mandated by the government or even some church hierarchy. The people within the Church retained personal possessions such as houses and lands and they were under no obligation to sacrifice what they had for the benefit of others. The fact that their giving was voluntary and sacrificial makes this act all the more beautiful.
“Many argue that this sharing of goods was a temporary phase of life in the early church and was not intended to be an example to us. Such reasoning only exposes our own spiritual poverty. If we had the power of Pentecost in our hearts, we would have the fruits of Pentecost in our lives.” (Source: MacDonald, William. Believer's Bible Commentary. Thomas Nelson Publishers)
Those early Christians knew that everything that they possessed ultimately belonged to God. Therefore, if a fellow Believer was in need, they felt obligated to meet that need. This was not done out of a sense of legalism or compulsion; it was with a compassionate heart that they took care of one another. Their actions illustrate the fact that they had an eternal mindset, not a temporal (earthly) one. The Saints of God were not concerned with laying up treasures here on earth; instead, they took very serious Jesus’ command to store up treasurers in Heaven.
(Matthew 6:19 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.)
This kind of benevolent giving would not have been possible if these Christians had not been filled with the Spirit. The flesh wants to keep and attain more and more; the Sprit will lead us to give to help those in need. When we are spirit led, we will be selfless, compassionate and benevolent.
There is another attribute that we should possess as Christians and it is one that doesn’t cost a dime; however, it is one that can have an eternal impact; I am referring to being an encourager. Let’s consider the fact that:
WE MUST BE ENCOURAGING
v36 And Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, 37 having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
Luke tells the story of a man named Barnabas who had a heart of compassion and possessed a benevolent spirit. Barnabas will become a prominent figure in later chapters of Acts. He was Paul’s traveling companion and fellow laborer during his first missionary journey. He was instrumental in the beginning of Paul’s walk with Jesus and a vital part of his ministry.
Barnabas was a member of the priestly tribe of the Levites and his name means “son of encouragement”. Barnabas was certainly an encourager to the former adversary of the Church, Saul of Tarsus. Jesus confronted Saul on Damascus Road, saved his soul, changed his life and called him to be an apostle. However, after his conversion the other followers of Jesus were skeptical and understandably afraid of him.
Acts 9:26 says that “when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.” Barnabas took a chance on this man when no one else would. Verse 27 of that chapter says that “Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.” There is no way to know how different church history would have been without this compassionate servant named Barnabas.
Later in Acts, we will see where Barnabas ministered to a young man named John Mark. Mark had abandoned Barnabas & Paul and left the ministry. Barnabas was determined to see him restored. This desire led to a conflict between Paul & Barnabas that ended with Paul choosing to move forward with Silas and Barnabas taking Mark and continuing on in his service to the Lord. I believe that it is because of Barnabas, that Paul was able to write at the end of his life “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).
There is much that we can learn from this wonderful servant of Christ named Barnabas. The first mention of him in the Bible we are told that he “having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.” He did more than donate a portion of his income, he selflessly sold his valuable possessions and gave the proceeds to assist his brothers and sisters in need. This shows us that not only was he an encourager, he was selfless! He was not concerned with the treasures of this world; he invested in eternity. We should follow his example.
Throughout my time in ministry I have received a few unexpected and very generous financial gifts. I am so thankful for people who have observed needs in my life and been willing to go out of their way to bless me and my family. With that being said, there are times when a simple word of encouragement is worth more than any amount of money. Ministry is difficult, distressing, and often discouraging. Later this month I will celebrate 20 years of vocational ministry; this would not have been possible if it were not for the encouragers that the Lord has placed in my life.
You may not be in a position where you can provide financial support to a missionary, minister, or ministry, but there is nothing preventing you from being an encourager. You will never know how an encouraging call, text, email, or personal conversation can motivate a servant of Christ to press on just a little farther. We all need to be encouraged and we all can (and should) be an encourager.
There is one final attribute that I would like to consider concerning our relationship with others, I am referring to the fact that:
WE MUST BE LOVING
All of the amazing attributes that we see in those members of the early church were motivated by love. Without love they would never have been unified, compassionate, selfless, benevolent, evangelistic, or encouraging. However, the Church was comprised of people who loved the Lord, and their love for Him caused them to love others as they loved themselves.
Acts chapter four contains numerous actions that we should emulate. We should have the courage of Peter & John and boldly declare the Gospel even though we may face great opposition for doing so. We should follow the example of the new converts to Christ and spend time in worship, praise & prayer. We should share their same desire that God would grant us great boldness as we seek to be His witnesses. We should be like Barnabas (and many others) and be encouraging, selfless, compassionate, and benevolent toward our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In Matthew 22:38-40, Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to “love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. He went on to say, “And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' When Christians love God like they should, they will love their neighbor as themselves.
This kind of love and visible evidence of a relationship with Jesus was apparent in the lives of the early Christians. If we are genuine followers of Christ, these attributes will be apparent in our lives as well. If these actions and attitudes do not describe you, then you seriously need to examine whether you truly belong to Jesus. For He said in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
The Christian life is summed up with the command of Jesus to love God and love each other. When these relationships are in order God can use us to reach those outside of the Church with the hope that they will become part of the Church. Let us heed the words of Jesus and follow the example of the early church and nurture those “Important Relationships In The Church”
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