Read: Acts 4:31-35
They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they… were of one heart and one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common (Acts 4:31-32).
Concern For The Needs Of Others
Our scripture for today describes the continuing work of God in the lives of His people. This outpouring of the Spirit was not the baptism with the Holy Spirit in the same sense that it had occurred on the Day of Pentecost. It was rather a fresh anointing, and with it came a fresh realization of what it meant to live the Spirit-filled life.
When I am filled with the Holy Spirit, will I sell my property and give the money to the poor? Maybe yes, maybe no. Let us ask the question in another way. If my child whom I love needs an education would I mortgage my home to make it possible? If my wife needs an expensive operation to save her life, would I sell the house to save her? The answers are clearly Yes. The needs of those whom I love mean more to me than money in the bank.
Can God help me always to live so that the needs of people and the concerns of His work are more important than my bank balance? This is the spirit that took possession of these Christians in Jerusalem. This is the urge that moved a friend to forego a new car in order to do his part on a new church building. This is the spirit of the Holy Spirit. When we are sanctified, self-seeking gives place to concern for others. Not because of our own goodness, but because “the love of Christ constraineth us.”
Thought For Today
Bible holiness will make us dead to our property; it puts it on God’s altar. — M. W. Knapp