Acts  Sermon Series

Wheelersburg Baptist Church 4/1/01 Brad Brandt

Acts 4:32-37 "Evidence That God Is Real in a Church"**

Red Rover, Red Rover, send Johnny right over. Remember that game? I used to love to play it as a young child. You had two teams, situated in two lines with participants holding hands. When you heard your name, you left your team, ran as hard as you could toward the other team, and sought to break through their chain. If you succeeded, you took one of their team members with you back to your team. If you failed, you were captured by the opposing team. The game ended when all contestants had been held and formed one large team.

Red Rover, Red Rover is a fun game to play as a child. It’s also a pretty decent illustration of life in the church. One of Satan’s tactics is to seek to break through the lines of the church.

The Lord places a premium on unity in His church. Satan loves to attack the unity. That’s one of the reason Paul urged the Christians in Corinth to practice forgiveness, as 2 Corinthians 2:11 states, "In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

How can you tell if God is real in a church? There really are two primary tests, and we examined the first last week in our study of Acts 4:23-31. First of all, if God is real in a church, you’ll see people who are serious about God. Namely, they’ll be a praying church, as was the first church.

But there’s another test. This test has to do with how the members of the church relate to each other. If God is real in a church, the members will not only be serious about God, but about each other. And that’s exactly what we observe when we move to the text before us.

In Acts 4:32-37 we discover three evidences that God is real in a church. All three have to do with this second dynamic.

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all."

It almost sounds too good to be true. All the believers were one in heart and mind. It was kind of like heaven on earth. The believers were one in heart—that is, they had one purpose that knit them together with strong emotional ties. And they were one in mind [perhaps better translated "soul," from the Greek psuka]—they thought along the same lines, with a common theology that bonded them.

Unity is such a precious thing. The world doesn’t understand what unity is, let alone have the ability to achieve it. But in the church, unity is not only possible, but required.

The first church grew rapidly during the early months of its existence. It went from 120 to 3,000 on day one, the day of Pentecost. Not long after this the believers passed the 5,000 mark (Acts 4:4). Yet despite its size, the church was unified.

In fact, they were of "one heart and soul." Unity has little to do with size. Sometimes people will complain when a church begins to grow, "I just don’t know everybody any more. We don’t have the unity we used to."

Those are two different issues—knowing everybody and unity. I’m quite confident the believers in Acts 4 didn’t "know everybody." But they did have unity.

How? There are three perspectives that make biblical unity a reality, each of which are demonstrated in the text before us. To have biblical unity we must develop and maintain these same perspectives.

A. Unity occurs when we look up (32a). Dr. Luke records, "All the believers were one in heart and mind." To belong to the church you must be a "believer." That’s a key term. A "believer" is a Christian, and a Christian is a "believer." The terms are synonymous. The Greek term in verse 32 is pisteusantone. Luke refers to the church members as "believing ones," or "ones having faith," hence, believers. It could even be translated "faithful ones."

Don’t miss this. In order to have unity, there must be a group of people who have done the same thing, namely, they’ve all looked up. They’re not clones, but they’ve all humbled themselves before God and believed in Jesus Christ.

Unity is not uniformity. To have unity, you don’t need to squeeze everybody into the same mold. There’s been a loud cry by some in the past decade to get rid of denominations and "bring God’s people together."

Granted, we need to get rid of pettiness over non-biblical issues. But the basis of true fellowship is what we believe.

James Boice offers this valuable insight, "The worst times in the history of the church have been when everyone has been part of one large organization…There are things that divide us—different points of view on secondary issues, for instance. We will always have those. We have different ministries, and there are different talents and different gifts. We work differently. There is nothing wrong with many of these differences. Indeed, they are given to us by God."

Kent Hughes offers a similar thought, "It is wrong to suppose, as sadly some do, that when believers dwell in unity they will carry the same Bible, read the same books, promote the same styles, educate their children the same way, have the same likes and dislikes—that they will become Christian clones. The fact is, the insistence that others be just like us is one of the most disunifying mind-sets a church can have because it instills a judgmental inflexibility that hurls people away from the church with lethal force. One of the wonders of Christ is that he honors our individuality while bringing us into unity."

Perhaps no one has said it better than A. W. Tozer did years ago, "Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow."

To experience biblical unity, then, we must look up. That’s the basis for true unity.

B. Unity occurs when we look at each other (32b). That’s the expression of true unity. Talk is often cheap, but action speaks volumes. As you consider verse 32, it’s pretty obvious that the first church members possessed two characteristics.

1. The first church members were selfless. "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own." I don’t need to remind you that this is a very unnatural perspective. The fact is, it’s supernatural. If any person is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). When these people came to know Christ, He changed the way they looked at their possessions. They became selfless.

2. The first church members were gracious. "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had."

Some have suggested this was communism. I disagree. Communism says, "What’s yours is mine; If I want it I’ll take it." That’s not what happened in Acts 4. In Acts 4 we see koinonia, the Greek term for fellowship or partnership. Koinonia says, "What’s mine is yours; If you need it I’ll share it."

Isn’t it risky to share? Sure it is. When you share something it might not come back as when it left. Or it might not come back at all!

What, then, would have motivated these early believers to be so gracious? The very question indicates how easily we forget. God has been gracious to us, hasn’t He? When we had nothing but spiritual debt, God gave something to us, didn’t He? He could have turned His back on us and let us go to hell. But He didn’t.

He gave the most priceless gift of all, His own Son. "When we were without strength, Christ died for the ungodly (Rom 5:8)." There’s no way a person can receive God’s gracious gift and remain in the stingy state he was before receiving the gift. A person who’s received grace must share grace.

Indeed, if a person says he’s been born again but lives every bit as selfish of a life as before his so-called conversion, that person is deceiving himself. A person who has tasted the grace of God will exhibit a new nature, a gracious nature.

Christ changed the way the first church members looked at each other. And that’s the point. Unity occurs when we look at each other instead of ourselves. The purpose of life isn’t to stockpile, but to be a steward. Jesus taught us to share with those in need (Matt 25:34ff.). There’s a third perspective that’s vital…

C. Unity occurs when we look out (33). The early church was not ingrown. They looked out and saw the world. They lived in light of their mission as seen in verse 33, "With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all."

It was a strategic moment for the young church. The Sanhedrin said, "Don’t talk about Jesus any more." But the believers chose to obey God rather than man.

Notice the word "great" appears twice in verse 33. The church’s witness was characterized by two things.

1. There was great power. "With great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus," as the KJV states.

Didn’t others preach, too? According to verse 31, yes, but the apostles led the way. They were eyewitnesses of the Risen Christ and testified boldly to the fact of His resurrection.

The doctrine of the resurrection is absolutely critical in our preaching. A dead Messiah can do nothing. But One that could conquer the grave can do anything, and the world needs to hear about Him! As the apostles preached there was great power.

2. There was great grace. "Much grace was upon them all." Not just grace, but much grace. There was mega-power, and there was mega-grace.

How can you tell if grace is on you? You see its effects. There will be loving relationships and bold evangelism.

Do you see the balance here between human responsibility and divine sovereignty? Our part is to witness. God’s part is to give grace. We tell others about Christ. God in His grace opens eyes and changes lives.

Beloved, show me a group of people who are working together to reach their community for Christ, and I’ll show you a unified church. If we want to experience true unity, we must look up—there can be no true unity between people unless they believe in the same Savior; we must look at each other—and be willing to get involved in each other’s lives; and we must look out—there is a world of people who need the Savior, and it’s our mission to tell them.

No one of us can do it alone. It is our mission. And when God is real in a church, there will be a partnership.

"There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

The first words of verse 34 are staggering, "There were no needy persons among them." That’s amazing. Not one needy person among them. It doesn’t say in the world, but among them. They didn’t eliminate poverty from the world, but they did make sure every person in the church had their needs met.

How’d they do it? To be sure, they did more than just "pray about it." They took action in joint participation. Luke mentions three steps in the benevolent process.

A. Step #1: The people gave gifts. Verse 34, "From time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales." Again, this wasn’t communism for the giving was voluntary, not legislated.

A real test of a Christian’s love is how much he’s willing to sacrifice financially. The apostle John put it bluntly, "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 (1 John 3:17)?"

We don’t have to be wealthy to give, either. Just willing. Case in point, the poor believers in Macedonia. Paul holds them up as a role model in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5:

"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will."

Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Native American warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, "What are we going to do?" Tonto replied, "What you mean 'we,' White man?"

In the world, it’s every man for himself. Not so in the church. We are brothers and sisters, so if you have a need, I have a responsibility. Here’s how it worked in the first church. Step #1—the people gave gifts.

B. Step #2: The leaders received the gifts. Don’t miss what the church members did with their gifts. Verse 35 says they were "put at the apostles’ feet." Why? Who were the apostles? They were the God-appointed leaders of the early church.

There are two key implications here for us when it comes to giving. If we’re going to give in a way that honors God, first of all…

1. We must have a biblical view of authority. Are all equal in the church? It depends what we mean by equal. Is there equality of worth? Certainly. In fact, we are all equally unworthy! But is there equality of function? No.

God has given delegated authority to certain positions in the church. The early church members recognized this. They put their gifts "at the apostles’ feet." I read of one commentator who suggested the apostles sat on high chairs, the prototypes of later ecclesiastical thrones! That interpretation is certainly far-fetched, but the existence of delegated, biblical authority is not. God gives leaders to His church. He holds leaders responsible to lead. And He holds non-leaders responsible to support.

2. We must have a biblical view of accountability. Laying the money at the apostles’ feet was safeguard against abuse. The church leaders could insure that no true need would be neglected, yet also that no abuse tolerated.

In fact, as time passed the benevolent ministries of the church mushroomed so much that the apostles became swamped. So as not to detract from their priority ministries in prayer and teaching the Word, the apostles delegated the direction of the compassion ministries to a team of spiritually qualified men (later to be known as deacons). We’ll see this in a future study when we come to Acts 6.

A comment by John MacArthur is helpful, "This passage illustrates an important pattern concerning giving in the local church. The donations are to be placed in the control of the spiritual leaders, who are then responsible before God for their use. Too often, people want to give only if they can specify how the money is to be used. That kind of self-serving giving fails to understand the delegated spiritual authority of God-ordained leaders and may often merely seek the applause of men. Giving is to be so selfless that Jesus said in Matthew 6:3-4, ‘When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’ Then He added, ‘Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.’"

Let’s look at step three in the benevolent process. First, the people gave gifts. Second, the leaders received the gifts. Then…

C. Step #3: The church distributed the gifts. As verse 35 concludes, "And it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

Just who were these needy people anyway? Perhaps some of them were converted Jews who had come from other countries to Jerusalem for Pentecost. Once they came to know Christ, however, they wanted to stick around and get grounded in the apostles’ teaching.

But they had no jobs in Jerusalem. They needed temporary help. So did others who were residents of Jerusalem, and lost their jobs when they became Christians. The persecution that began in Acts 4:3 only got worse as time passed.

The text doesn’t tell us who the needy people were, but it does highlight how the church responded. The people gave. The leaders received. The church distributed. Two things were true of the distribution.

1. There was generosity. They gave "to anyone" in the church who had need.

2. There was a guideline: they met needs, not wants. Again, they gave to anyone as he had need. Not greed, but need. They met needs, not wants. And it was a beautiful thing to behold.

Know this. If God is real in a church, there will be participation.

Let that sink in. It’s so easy to play the "church game." Many people today who profess to know Christ have a low view of Christ’s body, the church. I read of one survey that showed that belief that Jesus is divine is growing and stands at an all-time high of 84 percent. However, of those surveyed, only 44 percent believe that the church has any relevance today.

Who needs the church? You do. I do. Participation is vital.

Yet there’s an alarming problem. In his book, The Official Rule Book for the New Church Game, Ken Hemphill identifies what it is: "Over half the people on the rolls of our churches are no longer active. Of those we consider to be active, we fully anticipate that nearly half of them will be absent on a given Sunday. Finally, the most disturbing statistic is that only 20 percent of those who attend regularly contribute in terms of money and time."

May I offer you a challenge? Don’t be a statistic. Be a participant. The first evidence that God is real in a church is partnership. The second is participation.

Like the man we meet in verses 36-37, "Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet."

There are four main bones in every organization. The wish-bones: Wishing somebody would do something about the problem. The jaw-bones: Doing all the talking but very little else. The knuckle-bones: Those who knock everything. The back-bones: Those who carry the brunt of the load and do most of the work.

Barnabas was a backbone kind of guy. He was a pacesetter.

A. We learn who Barnabas was (36). He was a Jew from the tribe of Levi. He was also a native of the island of Cyprus. Apparently, there was a sizeable Jewish population at Cyprus. Later, Barnabas and Paul would go there on the first missionary journey.

Though his birth name was Joseph, for some reason the apostles called him Barnabas. The Living Bible calls him, "Barny the Preacher." Actually, the nickname meant "Son of Encouragement." That gives us a pretty good idea the kind of person Barnabas was. We’ll certainly be seeing more of him later in Acts. Luke mentions him at least twenty-five times in the book of Acts—and we find his name another five times in the epistles.

Barnabas was the kind of person every church needs. Anybody can talk. The godly will walk. Barnabas certainly did.

B. We learn what Barnabas did (37). Three things…

1. He took action. How? He sold a piece of property and put the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. In so doing, secondly…

2. He practiced submission. F. F. Bruce comments, "We do not know whether Barnabas’s property was a farm or merely a burial-ground [the word used here is argos, which appears nowhere else in Acts]; whatever it was, he sold it and gave the purchase-price to the apostles for the use of the community."

Later in Acts Barnabas will function as a leader, but first he demonstrated he knew how to follow. There’s no place for a loose canon in the church.

3. He developed a reputation. Barnabas was a giver. He took His relationship with the Lord so seriously that he gave sacrificially.

There are lots of ways we can give. Money is just one way. We can give our time, our possessions, even our attention to show love to people. When we invite a family or two to our home for a meal, we’re doing what Barnabas did. We’re using our resources for the glory of God and the good of His people.

To put it simply, in Barnabas we see Jesus, don’t we? Jesus gave His life for us, and now we’re rich. He didn’t give us what we deserve. He gave according to His grace.

When God is real in a church, there will be pacesetters like Barnabas. Will you avail yourself today?

First of all, as we saw last week…

1. We’ll exhibit devotion to the Lord. We’ll be a people of prayer. And secondly…

2. We’ll exhibit devotion to each other. We can have great buildings, high tech programs, well oiled machinery, and flat out be kidding ourselves as a church. The early church had something we desperately need. They functioned as a partnership, exhibited participation, and had pacesetters like Barnabas.

Acts  Sermon Series