Does the Bible teach us to combine our goods and means as did the early Christians in the Book of Acts did? How do we rightly apply such occurrences with modern day practices by Christians?
My son is a new Christian that is very interested in becoming a teacher of the gospel. However, he believes that the church should come together in all things just as the early Christians did. Is this right?
Acts 2:1 - 47
ESV - 1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
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Asked April 10 2017
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Tina Pratt
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Tim Maas
I would say that the Bible presents such communal ownership of goods and resources as a Christian ideal, which (according to Luke) the early church apparently achieved. However, even Christians remain subject in this life to temptations or sins such as greed, covetousness, or idleness. It seems to me that, while smaller Christian fellowships might possibly strive for such a practice, the larger a group became, the more difficult such a genuine communal spirit would be to achieve and sustain. Also, Jesus said that the worker is worthy of his wages (Luke 10:7), and Paul cautioned that if anyone would not contribute work to the group, that person should not eat (2 Thessalonians 3:10). This implies to me that God recognizes the imperfect conditions under which even Christians co-exist, and that unequal distribution of resources according to effort does not necessarily violate His will, as long as there is a willingness on the part of those possessing greater resources to extend help to those who are in genuine material need, or who are less fortunate, when the occasion calls for it.
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