One Church. One Heart.

Intro

• In a paragraph reminiscent of Acts 2:43–47, Luke again emphasizes the unity of the church and, this time, adds a note about its generosity. 

• What were these early Christians like? 

  • They were clearly united. 

  • They not only prayed together but were one in heart and mind.

    • Perhaps because of the way they prayed together.

Acts 4:32-37

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 

• Full number = 5,000 (Acts 4:4)

• Christianity contains clear-cut social implications, and sharing with others is one of them 

• John 13:35

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 

• Grace = Power (dunamis in Greek)

THE CHURCH WAS OF ONE HEART

• Together they characterize the community life as marked by four things:

  • Their unity in mind and heart (v. 32a)

  • Their sharing of their possessions (v. 32b)

  • The power and witness of the apostles (v. 33a)

  • The grace (power) of God, which rested upon them (v. 33b)

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 

• This passage shows us a distinctly Christian view of possessions which centers not in ownership, but stewardship

  • 4 But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess - Deuteronomy 15:4

36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.

Barnabas demonstrated a surrendered heart

• His actions aligned with his profession and encouraged the church.

Markings of the Early Church

• They were united, unselfish, and unafraid. 

• There was is a combo of boldness and surrender 

• Christians with holy boldness and surrender to God know how to take care of each other.

Applications

• Philippians 2:4

• I Timothy 5:8

• Galatians 6:9-10

Acts 5:1-4

1 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 

• Kept back = to embezzle

3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 

• Filled, but not with the Spirit, but with evil (contrast Acts 2:4, Acts 4:8, Acts 4:31)

• They were the community of the Holy Spirit, and in this community they placed all their trust, found their identity and their security. 

  • But this was not so with Ananias. His heart was divided. 

  • He had one foot in the community and the other still groping for a toehold on the worldly security of earthly possessions. 

Lying

• To lie with regard to the sharing was to contrive against the unity of the community, to belie the Spirit that undergirded that unity.

• The Greek expression is even stronger than that—he “belied,” he “falsified” the Spirit. 

  • His action was in effect a denial, a falsification of the Spirit’s presence in the community. 

• Satan “filled” Ananias’s heart just as he had Judas’s (cf. Luke 22:3). 

  • Like Judas, Ananias was motived by money (cf. Luke 22:5). 

• But in filling the heart of one of its members, Satan had now entered for the first time into the young Christian community as well.

  • We are amazed to discover that Satan can fill the heart of a Christian, especially since Luke uses a verb for fill which also appears in Ephesians 5:18.

• The basic issue here was lying, not only to the church but to the Spirit.

  • Above all, the church had to maintain integrity in its alien surroundings, and this behavior could quickly erode the shields of that credibility.

  • Integrity describes those standards of moral and intellectual honesty on which we base our conduct and from which we cannot swerve without cheapening ourselves.

 Ananias demonstrated a divided heart

Acts 5:5-11

5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him. 7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 

• Note that it wasn’t her land that was sold, but she was complicit with the embezzlement

God exposed what threatened the heart of the church

• God protected the integrity of the new community by confronting the deception within it.

11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

• Same as verse 5

  • The repetition is not by chance; it is the whole point of the story. 

  • The church is a holy body, the realm of the Spirit. 

    • 1 Pet. 4:17

Markings of the Early Church

• The church can only thrive as the people of God if it lives within the total trust of all its members.

  • Where there is that unity of trust, that oneness of heart and mind, the church flourishes in the power of the Spirit.

  • Where there is duplicity and distrust, its witness fails.

Application

What does this reveal about the Church?

• The church requires trust among its members. Its life together depends upon people being honest about their commitments, needs, and actions.

• The church is a holy community inhabited by the Holy Spirit. Sin within the church is serious because it violates the community in which God’s Spirit dwells.

• The church is a holy community inhabited by the Holy Spirit. Sin within the church is serious because it violates the community in which God’s Spirit dwells.

What should this look like in Cornerstone Church?

• We should know one another well enough to recognize spiritual, emotional, and practical needs.

• We should make honesty safer than pretending.

• We should allow the Holy Spirit to confront sin that threatens the trust and unity of the church.

What does this require of me?

• I must allow others to know when I need help.

• I must protect the trust and unity of the church through personal integrity.

• I must receive correction when my choices threaten the spiritual health of the community.