In my last blog, we discovered that Peter and John were thrown into jail after preaching about Jesus’ death and resurrection. But their jail time did not last long, as the next morning they were released, with the “command” that they no longer speak the name of Jesus. But Peter and John had other plans:  

“Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).

Threats and intimidation could not deter them from their calling — to speak the name of Jesus to all who would listen. And when they rejoined the other disciples, they prayed together, with the result that:

“The place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).

The confidence that they needed came from the Holy Spirit who gave them boldness to speak the word of God to all who would listen, just like He does for us today. But then, some amazing things began to happen in this early first-century church:

“And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them….For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each to the extent that any had need” (Acts 4:32-34).

Of course, a lot has been written about this verse, some suggesting that an incipient form of communism in the early church should be the norm in today’s church. But, we have no command in Scripture that this is to be the norm, and in fact, we have no record of this being practiced in any other first-century church. It was simply the practice of the Jerusalem church at that particular time in history, that is, AD 30. However, we must all keep in mind that the early church set the pattern for sharing with all those in need, and that pattern of sharing is to  be the norm in today’s church.  

Luke then turns his attention to a particular individual in the church who was more than generous in his giving:

“Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), owned a tract of land. So, he sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet” (Acts 4:36).

Let’s talk about Joseph for a moment. First of all, he was from the Island of Cyprus, not too far from the city of Antioch in Syria. Second, he was a Levite, that is, a descendant of Levi, the priestly tribe of Israel. And third, the apostles recognized his God-given bent of encouragement, and so they changed his name to Barnabas (Son of Encouragement). Fourth, have you considered the fact that as a priest, he was not supposed to own land? But, apparently he did, and immediately sold it in order to provide funds for those in need. And finally, being of the priestly class, as well as a very prominent individual in the early church and a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul on the first Missionary Journey, Barnabas would be a good candidate to be the author of the “unsigned” Book of Hebrews. Because Hebrews is filled with Old Testament references to the practices of the priesthood, and because Barnabas undoubtedly picked up a lot of the language used by the apostle Paul during their travels together, Barnabas is my first choice for the author of the “unsigned” Book of Hebrews.

Speaking of the Book of Hebrews, the writer (whom I believe was Barnabas) told his readers that they should:

“…not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:16).

Did you notice that the author said that “doing good” and “sharing” were actually sacrifices, spiritual sacrifices that we are called to offer? Let’s be reminded that every sacrifice costs us something, or else it would not be a sacrifice. So, “doing good” to others costs us time that we could have spent on ourselves, and “sharing” costs us personal financial resources that we could have used on ourselves. The early church was known for its generosity and sharing, and that should be a hallmark of our own lives. Yes, “sharing” is a sacrifice, but it is also “pleasing to God,” and that’s how each one of us should be living our lives, that is, pleasing to God.

May the Lord bless each one of you as we learn to share with others, just as those in the early church did with one another.