FROM CONVENIENCE TO SACRIFICE
All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
Acts 2:44-45 (NIV)
These two verses offer a glimpse into the heartbeat of the early church—a community infused with the Spirit of God, marked by radical unity and sacrificial love. At a time when personal wealth and property were measures of status and security, the believers in Acts 2 turned the world’s values upside down. Their response to the gospel was more than internal transformation. It included external generosity. They held nothing back from each other, not even their possessions.
The worldly community says what’s mine is mine. Godly community says what’s mine is yours. And to take it one step further, this passage also teaches that what’s mine is OURS. In other words, a growing community shares with each other almost without even thinking about it. The early church knew this so well that it became a natural description of how the people lived together. They moved from only giving when it was convenient (or self-serving) to a place where sacrifice was common. People sold things so they could give to others in need. Just imagine a community like this!
This is more than a historical account. It is an invitation.
What would it look like today if more churches embraced this same posture of shared life and radical generosity? Connecting and community are buzzwords these days, but Acts 2 challenges us to consider whether our relationships truly reflect the self-giving love of Christ. The believers didn’t give out of excess. They gave out of devotion to God and each other. Their unity was so deep that someone else’s need became their own personal responsibility.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.
1 John 3:16 (NIV)
APPLICATION: Perhaps God is inviting you to take a fresh look at your resources—not just money, but time, talents and presence. Who around you has a need? How might God be calling you to meet it?
PRAYER: Lord, make my heart generous like Yours. Teach me to see others not as burdens, but as family. Help me hold loosely to the things of this world, and tightly to the people You’ve placed in my life. Let Your love flow through me freely. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?