Live It!
Acts 4:32-5:11
Introduction
Jesus lived, died, was resurrected, and left the mission of the Gospel in the hands of the disciples. He told them to Tell It! - starting in Jerusalem, into Judea, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. He told them to Give It! - give the healing message of the Gospel to everyone who would receive it. He told them to Live it! - that has been a challenge for us all. Living out the Gospel is a serious part of our calling, the Gospel should make a huge difference in our lives. In how we: love God, love one another in the church, love the world around us.
In our text today we see the impact of the gospel on the earliest Christians and two examples of how this was demonstrated.
Acts 4:32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
This community was made up of those who believed - their common bond was their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This community was united.Paul encouraged the Ephesians to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3). This community regarded caring for those without means as a primary mission.They had a perspective of their possessions that we do not always have. NLT vs 32 “They felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.”
Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
There was a powerful testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus (the core message of the Gospel) and “great grace was upon them all” (ESV).
Acts 4:34-35 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
This was an amazing testimony to the world around them - faith in the resurrected Christ makes a difference. The culture of care that developed here was vivid and powerful. The perspective on possessions as they related to concern for those without was amazing. This is the earliest church doing what Jesus asked of them
John 13:35 “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Luke follows this up with two examples, one positive, one negative.
1. Positive Example: Barnabas (Acts 4:36,37)
Acts 4:36,37
Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.)
Joseph (his Hebrew name) was given a nickname by the Apostles: Barnabas (son of ‘encouragement’, ‘comfort’, or ‘exhortation’). His concern for others is demonstrated in these actions. He knows that what he owns is not something to hold on to. He brings the entire value of his land. If the land Barnabas owns is back in his home area of Cyprus, then selling that piece of property may involve a round trip of about 500 miles over land and sea to complete the transaction. Barnabas does not make a spectacle, think of himself as special because he gave something big - He merely lays his gift at the apostles’ feet as does everyone else.
Generosity to the church enables us to be generous in helping others who are in need. When we give, we provide opportunity to share with our brothers and sisters - which we joyfully do. This is a Spirit-filled community, committed to living out the teachings of Christ. We are not here only to be nice or even to be supportive, but to journey together in spiritual life. Things sometimes go haywire when we forget that.
2. Negative Example: Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)
Acts 5:1-11
But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife's knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.
Here we see two of the same actions we saw regarding Barnabas: a piece of property is sold and money from the sale subsequently is placed at the apostles’ feet. But the similarities end there.
Ananias & Sapphira made three big mistakes:
-Disconnected their personal lives from the life of the church. Envied Barnabas, lied to get recognition.
-Deceived by Satan rather than enlightened by God’s truth. They lied to the Holy Spirit – to the spirit-filled church - he attempted to manipulate for his own good.
-Desired to win the approval of humans more than they were interested in God’s approval.
Vs 11 - First reference in Acts to the body of Christians as the “church” … This term is used in secular Greek to describe citizen assemblies… Their corporate identity was to claim to be the true people of God, the rightful heirs of God’s promised salvation blessings. …Christians must realize that the selfless, transparent fellowship of the church must never be violated by selfish hypocrisy. - Larkin
3. What does it mean to “Live out the Gospel”?
Live As Part of A Spirit-Filled Community. You are not just going through life, dropping in on the church for an hour a week. Your life is a reflection of your participation in this community that is committed to living out the teachings of Jesus.
Live in Love for Brothers & Sisters reflects your Love for God. If I do not love the community of faith, then I cannot love God.
Live in an effort to do God’s will and seek His approval. Our greatest goal must be to seek God’s approval through obedience rather than trying to please people.
Conclusion
Christians believe that they are a part of something bigger than their own abilities and assets … that there is something supernatural about their life that was not there before they gave their life to Christ.
In this gathering of people, there is much more going on than we may detect. God has promised to be here. We are all at different places in our spiritual journey. Decisions are being made. Broken hearts are being touched. Encouragement is given. Prayers are being heard and answered.
This is far more than just coming to be at a gathering. This is God-worshiping, God-honoring, God-participating event.
Acts 2:38-39 “…Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
The church is a spirit-filled family of believers. Today are you ready to become a part of a spirit-filled church by
becoming a spirit-filled believer – repenting of your sins and being baptized into Jesus Christ.
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QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. As you read 4:42-5:11 think about how our church is like and unlike the one described here, as you see it.
2. The church is described as being “one heart and soul”. How would you express what that means? What can we do to grow in this kind of unity?
3. Barnabas takes a major role in the text for today. Recount some of the things you know about Barnabas from Scripture. What way would you most like to be like Barnabas?
4. The concept of sharing is a big theme in our text and a characteristic of the early church. What is difficult about
sharing the things we have? Look at these passages on that subject and talk about what they mean to us today:
Romans 12:13; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 6:18.
5. Ananias and Saphira being struck dead is surprising. What other stories of the Bible end in death that make us wonder what’s really going on? What questions do you have about this? What are we to learn from this episode?
6. In what ways can you help your Christian leaders meet practical needs of people in the community? Where does generosity need to become more evident in the life of your church?
7. Here are three verses from 1 John that relate to the principles in today’s lesson. Read and reflect on each of them, searching or applications: 1 John 2:15-17; 1 John 3:23-24; 1 John 4:20-21.
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RESOURCES
Larkin, William J. Jr. The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Acts. IVP, 1995
The Navigators, LifeChange: Acts, ed. Karen Lee-Thorp, The LifeChange Bible Study Series, (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2012), 65.
