Radical Generosity
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
–Acts 4:32
In this passage from Acts, a scene unfolds that describes a community that has experienced new life and a new sense of purpose and calling. There was a keen awareness that they were part of a bigger story, a redemptive story. What resulted was a collective engagement in kingdom advancement and radical generosity.
Does the description of the early church match what we see in our own community of faith? Our challenge today is to recognize that we too are a part of this same unfolding drama and to experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Spirit, working in and through us.
This early church community was of “one heart and one soul.” What does this mean? The radical generosity we see in Acts is grounded on the understanding that we are all one body. Our Christian faith was never meant to be individualistic. When we are in Christ, we are not only connected to Jesus, but we are connected to one another—as messy as that can be. This is not only true for believers in our home church, but those across the globe.
Being of “one heart and one soul” not only describes our identity, but also our purpose. The disciples were of one heart and one soul in their mission to bear witness to Jesus. And so the radical giving to meet the needs of the saints was not simple charity, but served to free those in need to also engage in kingdom witness. The sharing of resources was ultimately to increase the number of those who would bear witness and advance Christ’s kingdom, unhindered by concerns for daily bread.
Our identity as the body of Christ means that Jesus’ vision is our vision: We want to see the gospel of the kingdom advancing throughout the world. How does that happen? It happens when we invest generously in kingdom initiatives that bear witness to our King Jesus—when we send part of us, part of our body, to reach out into the darkness and shine the light of Christ.
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SEE MOREPray that God would call people to go and reach unreached people groups around the globe.
Pray for the new believers God is drawing to Himself in Ukraine, and for those returning to faith in the wake of war.
Pray today for the unreached living in Central Asia, as well as for the local believers and missionaries hoping to reach them. Pray for relationships and conversations of faith.
Pray for Ukrainian pastors and church members who remain in dangerous areas, and for those transporting supplies across enemy lines.
Pray for our partner churches in Ukraine, and especially for the pastors, trying to care for church members who've stayed and those who've left.
Please pray for Dominican church leaders to be trained and equipped to start new churches in the DR.
Pray for MTW's work in the Pacific Islands and the Island to Island partnership including church leaders from Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
Pray for pastors in Ukraine as they seek to pastor those who have stayed and those who have fled while enduring stress themselves.
Pray for relationships between believers and non-believers to flourish throughout Japan, and that those relationships would lead to life-changing conversations about Christ.
Pray for refugees all around the world and for God to provide for their needs and draw them to Himself.
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