Acts 4:32-5:13

Acts 4:32-5:13

Characteristics of the Early Church
The Early Church had a tremendous sense of UNITY
The Early Church had a tremendous sense of STEWARDSHIP
The Early Church had a tremendous sense of POWER
The Early Church had a tremendous sense of HISTORY
The Early Church had a tremendous sense of GRACE

Economics within the Early Church
This was not the same as communism
--Forced production Free Will giving
--Want-based Need-based
--Led by humans Led by Spirit
This was more like a selfless free market
Some had good reason to sell their homes
--Many were foreigners who decided not to go home
--Many were from Jerusalem and knew it would be destroyed
--Many wanted to show their kids what was most important
Not everyone gave everything
--Barnabas is an example of one who gave everything

Fear in the Early Church
They weren’t obligated to sell the piece of land
We don’t exactly know their motive for selling their land
--Perhaps they wanted to be seen as generous
--Perhaps the Holy Spirit led them to do so
We do have some indication of why they kept part back
--They were greedy
--They succumbed to temptation from Satan
The church learned a great lesson in God’s omniscience
Joining the church was seen as a major decision