Meditate: Acts 2:44
This also isn’t an image of what we now call socialism. (Stand by-a pastor’s going to try and explain economics and political science in a 300 word blog post.) Socialism calls for cooperation between individuals and expects everyone to suck it up for the greater good of the community.
And you may read that and think, “So far, so good.”
But the image the Bible gives here is not truly socialist. Socialism isn’t content to sit back and wait for people’s hearts to be changed so that they willingly cooperate. (These are the same people that can’t sleep at night thinking that somewhere, someone might have painted their front door the wrong color.)
And don’t worry; they’ll decide for you what your “contribution” to “cooperation” needs to look like. We spent several years living in a socialist country and it never once made me think of Acts chapter 2.
In this early Church, cooperation came out of the individual believers’ changed hearts flowing into the entire congregation. It wasn’t imposed. There were no assessments. No one decided how much was “enough” for you and your family to have.
And there was no tax system to ensure that anything more than “enough” went to the “greater good.”
And this is the lesson for us:
Where people are determined to follow God, they will find a way to cooperate. And, as they cooperate, the whole Church will be well served.
Do I cooperate in a way that contributes to the good of the Church?
Any contributions I should be making?
Pray:
Praise: You are the Everlasting Father. You give good gifts to Your children.
Confess: In my heart I have held back from Your Church.
Thank: You have given Your Church to strengthen, encourage, and teach.
Ask: Show me my part in Your Church. Give me Your generous Spirit.
Digging Deeper: II Thessalonians 3
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