The characteristics of the early church (v 44-47)

“And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need” (v 44-45). (1) One characteristic of the early church was the sharing of possessions. (a) Wealthier members sold their possessions to convert them into money, which was then distributed to the brothers that were poor. (b) This act was a practice of the Law of Moses (ref. Deut. 15:4). (c) It is believed that the anticipation of Christ’s imminent return influenced the practice of sharing possessions. (2) The above account is a record of an actual historical event and is not meant to be universally applied. (a) This practice was specific to the Jerusalem church. There is no record in the Acts of the Apostles of other churches adopting this practice. (b) This practice ended within the first few years. When famine struck, the Jerusalem church quickly became impoverished (ref. Acts 11:28-29, 24:17, Rom. 15:26-27, Gal. 2:10). (c) However, there still are applicable lessons that we must learn from this practice today. One way to practice neighborly love is through the sharing of wealth. “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved” (v 46-47). (1) They went up to the temple during the daily hours of prayer and during festive times. For the devout Jews living in Jerusalem, it was customary to go up to the temple. The faith in Jesus as the Messiah had not yet been separated from Judaism. (2) They broke bread in their homes, shared meals together, and praised God. They conducted both the Communion and love-feasts as they moved from house to house. (3) They had “favor with all the people.” At this stage, the Jewish community did not yet see the church as a threat. However, this peaceful situation quickly dissipated because darkness hates the light. (4) “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Responding to the gospel is a human responsibility, but at the same time, the salvation of individuals is the work of God. During the first 200 years of church history, the focus was not on church buildings (cathedrals) but on house churches. Let’s learn a lesson from this. The church is not a building; it is a gathering of believers. If we accept this truth, evangelism is possible in all situations. We should not limit the possibilities for evangelism by our own judgments.