Read Acts 4:32-37
Key Verse: “With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all of them. For there was not a needy person among them because all those who owned lands and houses sold them, brought the proceeds of what was sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet. This was then distributed to each person as any had need.” (Acts 4:33-35 CSB)
In 2010, multi-billionaires Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates made news when they started “The Giving Pledge”, a shared commitment to give away most of their respective fortunes to charity either during their lifetime or upon their death. To date, they have already donated billions of dollars toward philanthropic efforts across the globe to improve healthcare and overcome poverty. Their generosity continues to be a powerful tool that is transforming lives.
One of the ways that the early church was powerfully giving testimony to the reality of the good news of Jesus Christ was through their acts of generosity toward one another. Among the thousands of people who now made up the church, there wasn’t a single person who lacked the basic necessities of life. Pause on that for a moment. Every person among them had clothes to wear, enough food to eat and shelter over their heads. Incredible.
How were these needs being met so effectively? The text tells us that these people were so committed to Christ and to one another that they were selling their properties or homes and giving the money to the apostles so that their brothers and sisters in Christ could have their basic needs met. It wasn’t just a handful of generous people doing this. Everyone was in on it. People were making whatever sacrifices were necessary to meet the needs around them.
In the book of James we read, “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, stay warm and be well fed,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is that?” (James 2:15). Similarly, the Apostle John wrote, “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him – how does God’s love reside in him?” (1 John 3:17).
There’s no way around this. As followers of Jesus, we have the God-given responsibility to put our faith into action and actually be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to those in need. We are to be radical in our sacrifice and generosity to do whatever is necessary to meet the needs of people. As we do this, God will use it as a powerful testimony to help advance His kingdom.
Generosity isn’t so much about who gives the most. God sees past all that. What God is most concerned with is the heart of the giver. He is looking to see if people are faithful, whether they’re being sacrificial, whether they are doing it out of a heart that is pure and filled with joy.
As Christ-followers, no matter where we are at in life, God has called us to a life of generosity. He has called us to be open-handed with the things that He has entrusted to us, to be willing to make whatever sacrifice is necessary in order to meet the needs of people around us. Generosity is a powerful way to demonstrate the reality of God’s grace and power in our lives.
Who are the people around you that are in need? What might generosity look like in your life today as a testimony to the powerful love of Jesus Christ within you? What sacrifices can you make to ensure that you are doing your part to meet the needs around you? Invite God to direct you in your next steps.
Prayer: God, everything I have is because of your generous grace toward me in Christ Jesus. Grow in me a heart of compassion and generosity to care for those in need around me. Show me what sacrifices I can joyfully make for the sake of others. Be glorified in this, I pray. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
