No needy among them
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. Acts 4:32-35
This week as a family we have been touched by the generosity of a friend from Wall Heath Evangelical Church. He commented yesterday that when he went into his line of work that he would never be able to use it to benefit and help believers in ministry or other needy situations. However over the years he has been able to bless others and as a result God’s blessing has been on him. Throughout my life I have seen from both perspectives the joy and privilege of giving and receiving from others. On some occasions it seems the more that I have given the more God has showered his blessing on us as a family in one way or another. This should not be our motivation for sharing or giving, but instead this desire should arise out of a willing and loving heart for God and his people.
We are living in difficult days here in Brierley Hill and many of us are feeling the pinch with some of us out of work and others facing redundancy. It is in times like this that those of us who are in a better place can support and help others. The reality is, that those who may have been in a better place a few months back are now the ones who find themselves in difficult times. The above verses are talking specifically about possessions and money, but this principal goes much deeper. This can be about giving of our time, our intellect, our knowledge and our spiritual maturity. Whatever way we can be a blessing to someone else let us be generous, so that we communicate strongly to each other that we are children of a mighty God.
If we would call ourselves a follower of Christ I want us to consider how we can give to the church and how we can give to each other and those in our community. They say charity starts at home, with this in mind I am proposing that we start collecting tins and packets of food that we can give as food parcels to those in our church family who are in need. If there comes a time when there is no need, we can give to others who need it or to the local food bank. Let us care for each other, let us do this out of love and show the world by our actions that we are devoted to Christ and lets see the blessing that God would pours out on us his church and our community