I would imagine if we could take a trip back in time and actually experience what Christians in the 1st century did, how they related to each other, how they treated each other, maybe even how their worship services were organized compared to today that we might be surprised. While I fully believe that the fundamental teachings of the New Testament are fully present among New Testament Christians today, I just imagine there are some things, so far removed from the 1st century, that we do differently, at least most of us.
Among those differences between the church of the 1st century and the 21st century seems to be our attitude toward generosity. I love reading through the life of Jesus because when you read through the life of Jesus you get not only see Jesus’ commitment to truth and His redemptive mission, you see Jesus’ compassion. But the interesting thing is that those are not mutually exclusive. Jesus utilized His compassion and His generosity as a tool to advance truth and His redemptive mission.
One example of that is found early in Jesus’ ministry. In Matthew 4:23,24 it’s said that “Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. And the report of him went forth into all Syria: and they brought unto him all that were sick, holden with divers diseases and torments, possessed with demons, and epileptic, and palsied; and he healed them.” Jesus’ compassion was on full display as He ministered to the needs of everyone who came seeking. But notice that His compassion had a natural reaction. Because His love for them was so obvious, so real, so widely experienced it says that “there followed him great multitudes from Galilee and Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judaea and from beyond the Jordan” (vs. 25) and when they came He spoke (Matthew 5-7). So in a very real sense you could say that every soul positively impacted by the Sermon on the Mount can be directly linked back to the compassion He showed them.
That same mentality flows throughout Jesus’ ministry and conspicuously makes an appearance in the life of the early church. In Acts 2 it’s said that after the church began those early Christians “sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need” (vs. 45). In Acts 4 ”the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and soul: and not one of them said that aught of the thing which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common” (vs. 32) and “neither was there among them any that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostle’s feet: and distribution was made unto each, according as any one had need” (vs. 34-35). And the result? “The Lord added to them day by day those that were saved” (Acts 2:47). The church experienced daily growth.
What’s the point? The 21st century church has a lesson to learn from the 1st century. We need to take a journey to generosity. Regardless of where we live there are people all around us who are hurting, people who have needs. There are people who need to see and experience the love of God displayed through His people. And as they experience God’s love displayed toward them through His people then like the freshly tilled soil, their hearts are that much more likely to hear and receive the word of God (Luke 8:1ff). “So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all men…” (Galatians 6:10). Let’s follow the example of the early Christians and take a journey to generosity.
-Andy
Generosity can make or break the influence of a local congregation – great thoughts!