New Life Daily

The book of Acts is a book of transition. It explains the history of the early church as it moved from a body of believers in Jesus Christ dominated by Jewish converts to a church dominated by Gentiles (everyone who is not a Jew). Acts also serves as a bridge between the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which focused on the life and work of Jesus) to the Epistles (letters to churches and individuals that established the doctrines of the church). Though the writings of Acts are historical in nature, one theme emerges from the beginning to the end of the book – the generosity of the early believers. 

The Jewish converts to the early church were accustomed to a culture of giving. Giving a tithe for the upkeep of the Temple in Jerusalem (and, ultimately, the local synagogues) was mandated by God in the law given to Moses. Additionally, weekly contributions were collected to provide financial assistance to those in need in the Jewish community (widows, those who were unable to work, and so forth). The concept of giving (money, food, clothing, and household items) to help those in need was an accepted practice in the Jewish culture. So, when some Jews heard the Gospel message, accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and started meeting together, thereby becoming the early church, the concept of giving naturally followed. 

The concept of giving, however, was not as ingrained in the Gentile culture. So when Gentiles decided to follow Jesus, why did they become generous in giving to others? Basically, it was due to the change in heart that comes with following Jesus. The Apostle Paul presented a consistent message when he preached the Gospel on his missionary journeys. First, a person had to repent, which literally means “to change one’s mind.” To repent means to realize that the kind of life you are living is wrong and that a new set of values needs to be adopted. This involves sorrow for what has been done and a resolve to change by the grace of God. Second, a person needs to turn to God and let Him be everything in their life. And third, a person needs to behave in a way that matches their repentance (for example, having a spirit of generosity.) Proof of genuine repentance is a certain kind of life, not in response to a set of laws, but in response to a new kind of love. The love of Jesus translates to a love for others. Generosity is a fruit of this love. 

The book of Acts has many examples of generosity to others. In Acts 4:32-37, we get a glimpse of how the early church believed that everyone’s possessions were for the common good.  There was an intense sense of responsibility for each other and a genuine desire to share.  This sharing was not a requirement; it was a spontaneous response to the love, joy, and peace that had been given to them by God.  A prime example: a man named Barnabus sold a field he owned and gave all the proceeds of the sale to the church. Such was the generosity of the early followers of Jesus. 

Toward the end of his third, and last, missionary journey recorded in Acts, Paul had a desire to return to Jerusalem to visit the other Apostles and deliver a monetary gift from some of the churches he had planted during his missionary trips, including churches in Corinth, Philippi, Ephesus, and others. These churches were located in Asia Minor and Europe, and were predominantly made up of Gentiles who had decided to believe in Jesus. Paul had great concern for the church in Jerusalem because the church there mainly consisted of Jews who believed in Jesus and had left the Jewish faith. They suffered tremendous persecution from the Jews who had not accepted Jesus. This resulted in the church being poor and in need of financial assistance. 

Paul had two other reasons for wanting these Asian and European congregations to share with a church located in Jerusalem. First, Paul desired to demonstrate in a practical way the unity of the body of believers. All churches throughout the world belong to the body of Christ, and when one part of the body suffers, the other parts of the body need to help. He wanted these churches to look beyond the walls of their own congregations. Second, Paul wanted to teach the churches practical Christian charity. He wanted them to see that sympathy necessitated action. These two reasons are still valid today. 

The amount of money contributed by the churches was probably significant. The Scriptures do not state a specific amount, but it was large enough that most, if not all, of the individual churches sent a representative to accompany Paul on the long journey to Jerusalem. The men traveled with Paul to protect him and the money from robbers and any other potential mishap. 

Some of the Gentile-dominated churches were wealthy, but others were near poverty levels themselves. Yet they all gave money to help their poor, persecuted brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. They sent money joyfully, knowing that they would probably never visit Jerusalem or know what a great difference their generosity would make in the lives of people they would never meet. 

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