Impacting Your Community
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (Acts 2:45)
As you read about the Early Church in the opening chapters of Acts, you will see that those who were following Christ at the time had a tremendous impact on their local community. The Church was making a difference in the lives of others.
In verses 44 and 45 of the second chapter of Acts, the text says, “…and they had all things in common.” No one felt that any among them was better than anyone else. No one was too big or too important to lend a helping hand. Instead, these people did whatever they could to meet the material needs of those in the church and in the community.
This is a first century depiction of Christian stewardship at its finest. People gave so their church could have an impact in the lives of those who were without. People gave so that the social, economic, and physical needs of those who praised God on Sunday, but suffered on Monday, could be met. That is what the Church is all about.
People had great respect for church because it was a place where people could go and get help. Church was just as committed to outreach as it was to inreach. They put into practice the words of the prophet Micah: What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. These people saw their faith as a call for community action, engagement, and ownership. They had a moral obligation to take care of the people who needed them, and we would be wise to follow the example the Early Church set for us.
With that in mind, consider this question: If the church closed its doors today, will the community surrounding the church notice or even care?
As you read about the Early Church in the opening chapters of Acts, you will see that those who were following Christ at the time had a tremendous impact on their local community. The Church was making a difference in the lives of others.
In verses 44 and 45 of the second chapter of Acts, the text says, “…and they had all things in common.” No one felt that any among them was better than anyone else. No one was too big or too important to lend a helping hand. Instead, these people did whatever they could to meet the material needs of those in the church and in the community.
This is a first century depiction of Christian stewardship at its finest. People gave so their church could have an impact in the lives of those who were without. People gave so that the social, economic, and physical needs of those who praised God on Sunday, but suffered on Monday, could be met. That is what the Church is all about.
People had great respect for church because it was a place where people could go and get help. Church was just as committed to outreach as it was to inreach. They put into practice the words of the prophet Micah: What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. These people saw their faith as a call for community action, engagement, and ownership. They had a moral obligation to take care of the people who needed them, and we would be wise to follow the example the Early Church set for us.
With that in mind, consider this question: If the church closed its doors today, will the community surrounding the church notice or even care?
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