May 18: Giving unselfishly to god's work

Acts 4:32-5:11

Apr 29, 2003

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

If we lived in an ideal world, sermons would bear little resemblance to what one hears today. Sermons exhorting to pray, minister, forgive and attend worship would be unnecessary. Once saved, the new believer would mature and perform all these acts-and others-without having to be guided or exhorted to higher levels of performance. The matter of financial responsibility is an especially sensitive subject. Most of us are very protective of our checkbooks.

Selfless giving necessarily has to be unconstrained (4:32- 34). To meet that standard, at least two biblical principles are involved. The first is illustrated by the actions of the brand new church formed at Pentecost. The members had met Christ in a dynamic, life-changing experience. He had given everything for them and they could do nothing less than give their all to Him. Biblical love is always extravagant.

Even so, biblical love is guided by moral principles. Love never lapses into lust. Similarly, contributing to the Lord's work is not entirely unguided spontaneity. The early believers were Jews and as such reacted in the characteristic spirit of community. They experienced a sense of unity other nations found hard to understand.

As they exhibited by their actions, unselfish giving was storehouse giving (vv. 35-36). They began a practice which established a method for the blossoming church. How was it to carry on its benevolent ministries? Twice the Bible tells us the worshipers laid the money at the apostles' feet. Individuals may have met the needs of other persons, but those in more dire straits could have been overlooked.

By the time Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians, the practice of sharing resources had been established. He commanded the members to lay up in store on the first day of the week according as God had prospered them (1 Cor. 16:2). Sunday, the first day of the week, quickly because the day to honor our Lord's resurrection (Acts 20:7). The fact the Christians abandoned Saturday in favor of Sunday powerfully witnesses to the transforming power of Christ in their lives.

The tragic moral failure of Ananias and his wife Sapphira marred the unity of the church, but it also let the believers and the surrounding community know that the Holy Spirit demands honesty in giving (5:1-4, 6-10). Their desire for a public recognition they did not deserve opened the way for Satan to take possession of their hearts in a sordid scheme. Seeing how much the church apparently honored Barnabas for selling some land and presenting it to the apostles (4:37), they concocted a story to tell the church they had sold a possession and announced they were giving the total amount when in fact they held back part of the money (v. 2).

The Holy Spirit guided Peter in his interrogation. Ananias died when confronted with his lie. Later, Sapphira confirmed his story and also died. The Holy Spirit marked this presence of evil in the fellowship.

The death and burial of the dishonored pair emphasized that Christian worship ought to be reverent (vv. 5, 11). Their deaths brought great fear on all those who heard about them, even in the surrounding community. That same kind of fear followed the casting out of an evil spirit by Paul at Ephesus (19:17) with the result that the name of the Lord was magnified.

Going back to 4:33, we see more clearly the examples of the great power given first to the twelve apostles and then to Paul. God's great grace and power authenticated the truth of Jesus' resurrection.

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