ALL THINGS IN COMMON In the second half of Acts chapter 4 Peter and John were set free from custody by the council of Jewish leaders for preaching in the power of the name of Jesus and miraculously healing the crippled man at the temple. This had caused thousands of people to join themselves to the Church, and the religious and the secular power base of the Jewish leaders was now even more threatened, but they had no option to letting them go because of the fervour of the crowd’s re...
ALL THINGS IN COMMON
In the second half of Acts chapter 4 Peter and John were set free from custody by the council of Jewish leaders for preaching in the power of the name of Jesus and miraculously healing the crippled man at the temple. This had caused thousands of people to join themselves to the Church, and the religious and the secular power base of the Jewish leaders was now even more threatened, but they had no option to letting them go because of the fervour of the crowd’s recognition of the power of God.
Reading on in chapter four.
Acts 4:23. When they were released, they went back to their friends and told them everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When their fellow disciples heard that, they began to speak out with one voice to God. They prayed ‘Lord you are God, who has made the Heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything that exists. This is who David was talking about when he said ‘Why do people get into such an uproar and fill their minds with useless ideas?’ World leaders give themselves a high and mighty place and plan together to outdo God and outshine his anointed Christ. The same way that Herod and Pontius Pilate, with both Israel and all the unbelievers opposed the holy child, Jesus when he did what you Lord, had decided to achieve through him, according to your own will and purpose.
And Lord, look at what they are doing now. Give us, who want to serve you, courage and confidence to speak out your word. And confirm your word by stretching out your hand to heal, and let signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy child Jesus.
When they finished that prayer the place where they were praying began to shake.
Vs.31. They were all filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and they went from there speaking out the word of God with great confidence.
The disciples were ecstatic to realize that God was in charge of everything that happened in the world and that no secular power could stand against God and topple the power of his Kingdom. This new Kingdom was not reliant upon political power or money to influence or to overcome the power of the world – only the power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers would win that victory. They knew that the plans of world leaders to outdo God and outshine his anointed Christ’ would eventually fail. After they prayed for the power of God to come upon them they went out confidently speaking the anointed word of God that the Holy Spirit spoke into their hearts and minds - by direct revelation of the living words to them either from Jesus directly, or words that were written in the Law and the Prophets that were revelations of the life of Jesus as the Christ (As yet there was no New Testament narrative).
Three hundred years after this mighty explosion of the power of the Kingdom of God the Church became a secular power under the rule of the Roman emperor Constantine and from then on a secular and political Papal power ruled that kingdom/empire alongside other secular political powers. However, there has always been a river of life flowing through believers whose faith has lifted them into living in the power of the Kingdom of God. The reformation brought great spiritual change but did nothing to change the political status of the Church and simply divided believers up into other existing secular states and regions.
Let our prayer be like those of the disciples in the Book of Acts. ‘And Lord, look at what they are doing now. Give us, who want to serve you, courage and confidence to speak out your word. And confirm your word by stretching out your hand to heal, and let signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy child Jesus. They were all filled with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and they went from there speaking out the word of God with great confidence.
We read in the next verse about another phenomenon of the power of God in their midst which was the loving care that believers demonstrated towards those who were in need.
Vs.32. All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing. And the apostles preached powerful sermons about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was warm fellowship among all the believers, and no poverty—for all who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money to the apostles to give to others in need. This was the fruit of the Spirit of faith that worked through love – there was no legalism involved.
The only attempt in history to establish a system of economic equity or egalitarianism was Marxist Communism which tried to create a classless society and abolish private ownership of property and private businesses and production. Its ideological slogan was ‘from each according to their ability, to each according to their needs’. It swept up millions of people in the 20th century in Russia and eastern Europe and China and other parts of Asia and it was born out of the anger and resentment of oppressed people against a powerful wealthy class – not out of love and compassion.
This revolution led to bloodshed and war and failed in every aspect of its ideological slogan. Over 100 million lives were lost during that time because of tyrannical State leadership. Forms of this kind of social justice are tragically imposing themselves upon our present culture as neo Marxism which has expanded the categories of victims of oppression that that the so called ruling class exercises - making everyone a victim including whatever the ruling class is.
There is only one other place in the Bible that depicts the kind of unity and Godly equity of sharing that is seen in Acts chapter 4. It is seen in the Book of Nehemiah. It portrays the caring and sharing of our God given giftings and anointings that bring grace and blessing instead of resentment and coercion. And it is not just about money.
When God’s people were released from their seventy-year oppressive bondage in Babylon many returned to Jerusalem over a period of some years, to rebuild the city and the temple. Ninety years after the first migration back a prophet named Nehemiah who was still living in Babylon/Persia received news from his Jewish brothers back in Jerusalem that the city was still in ruins and its walls still broken down. He grieves and weeps over this and prays to God for guidance and favour. God gives him favour in the eyes of King Artaxerxes where he held a high position in the king’s court, and the king sends him back to rebuild the city, appointing him as the Persian/Jewish Governor of Judah.
But when Nehemiah first arrived and did a thorough survey of what was going on he became disappointed and angry when he saw some unfair treatment to the poor and the vulnerable where many of the poorer families in Judah had to mortgage fields and vineyards and borrow money at high interest from their Jewish brothers who were nobles and officials.
So Nehemiah took action, and he admonished the nobles and officials and told them that what they were doing was not good in the eyes of God. The people changed their hearts in the fear of the Lord and began to share together in caring for one another in each other’s needs.
Nehemiah was then able to inspire the Jewish people to work together with a new kind of spiritual unity where families and groups were assigned to sections of the wall and everyone gave of their energy and their different skills, with a sword by their side and ready to defend each other against enemy attacks. And this brought great blessing from God upon them all.
That story of the rebuilding of the city and the walls of Jerusalem and God’s house, the temple, speaks to us today of God wanting to build us together as his spiritual Jerusalem and spiritual temple, not just the timber and stones and building materials. The Bible says that you yourselves are like living stones being built up as his spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4). So let that temple be rebuilt – yours first – you are the temple of the Holy Spirit and he wants to tell you what Jesus wants you to hear in the temple - your temple - your house of prayer (1Corinthians 6:19). This is what those early disciples expected to hear, and they heard God speak to them and they spoke it out and God confirmed.
One feature of Nehemiah’s rebuilding process was the re-using of the rubble as repurposed building material instead of discarding it as damaged useless debris. For us this represents the Holy Spirit putting back together the fragmented parts of ourselves that were damaged because of affliction and loss and are now being transformed into something valuable and meaningful through the healing power of the Holy Spirit. I see this healing and salvation of the soul happening in people’s lives. God restores lost and damaged things and transforms them into new things that hold a future and a hope.
Let us be God’s temple individually and as God’s gathered people today as we sit in his presence.
2Chronicles 6:29 whatever prayer or plea is made by anyone or by all your people, each knowing their own affliction and their own sorrow and stretching out their hands in this temple, then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to their own pathways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind. AMEN.
