EXPOSITION:
In the quest to possessing the nations, the church of Jesus must go for the real brotherly love and kindness that existed in the early church. The communal spirit exhibited by the early church should however not be misconstrued for “early communism” because their giving was voluntary and not compelled by a government. Furthermore, people still had personal possessions because they still met in their homes (Acts 2:46, Acts 12:12, Romans 16:5).
The early church saw themselves first as “believers” who had one heart and one soul and not as ethnic groups with different hearts and souls. This was the beginning of their understanding of real brotherly love and kindness towards one another. Hence, they did not find it difficult selling some of their possessions and giving to meet the needs of others.
This spirit of sharing and giving distinctively set them above the unbelievers such that it attracted them to come to this refreshing environment of believers. No wonder the Lord added some of these unbelievers to the church daily (Acts 2:47).
LIFE APPLICATION
The church becomes attractive to the world only when they see true love and brotherly kindness being exhibited among the saints and the congregations. The fastest way of measuring the love among congregants is by observing the social interactions among members before and after the main church service.
It is common to see members rushing to get into their cars or walking home immediately after the service. The spirit of individualism has caught up with the church. Today, in most churches, the members are loved based on their social status and social class, ethnic backgrounds and political affiliations. This is a recipe for disaster and destruction to the true love that must be exhibited among the saints.