Church Life

The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own – Acts 4:32

This picture of the early Christian church shows, in a nutshell, the source of their power to impact the world around them. First, they are described as believers. Only those who have a common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can enjoy the unity of spirit and purpose that is described here.

Second, because of their common faith in Jesus Christ, they were of one heart and soul; they were singular and focused in their objective. They knew the reason for their existence as a church was not to entertain, or even to do good in the community. Their single intention was to exalt the name of Jesus Christ.

Finally, their unanimous endeavor to glorify Christ resulted in practical implications for their daily lives. Although they had personal possessions, they did not see these things as their own.

Likewise, we show that we have finally comprehended the nature of our role as stewards when we can truly say that nothing we have is our own. It is not my car, my house, my money, or my time. It is God’s car, house, money, and time that he has loaned to me…and he expects a return on his investment (Matthew 25:14-27).

Are you striving in your church, with fellow believers in Christ, to exalt the name of Jesus together? Are you together laying all that you have and all that you are on his altar, to be used in his Kingdom as he sees fit? This was the source of the New Testament church’s power.