Devoted Ministry
Acts 2:44-45, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”
Acts 2:47, “praising God and having favor with all the people…”
We opened our Bibles on January 5, to Acts 2:42-47, and I began to lead us to consider seven fundamentals of the Church: Evangelism, Discipleship, Fellowship, Ministry, Worship, Prayer, and Stewardship. As a way to keep these ideas fresh in my mind, and before your minds and hearts, I am using our weekly newsletter article to highlight one of those fundamentals each week.
Sunday is Superbowl LIX, that is fifty-nine, for those who do not normally count with Roman numerals. Prior to the Superbowl, the NFL hosted a championship game. In 1961, the Green Bay Packers gathered for the first week of training camp, after having lost the previous season championship game to none other than the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers led into the fourth quarter and then squandered their lead and now they had lived the entire offseason with the weight of that devastating loss.
As they gathered for the first meeting of the new year, the famous, Vince Lombardi, stood before his team, the Green Bay Packers, he held up a football, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” The rest of that meeting he explained the fundamentals of the game to these professional athletes. The Packers won that year’s championship game 37-0 over the New York Giants.
Fundamentals matter. The verses of Acts 2:42-47 are fundamentals that we dare not outgrow. I have highlighted vv. 44-45, “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”
This is a radical and scary verse to people like us who hold deep convictions about the right to hold private property, who are rightly concerned about coercion in the taking of our goods. We should apply these verses carefully, but we should apply them, nonetheless.
It is fundamental to Christian ministry that we are devoted to ministry, to the loving of others as ourselves, to treating others as more important than ourselves, to the care of orphans and widows in their distress, to ministry to the poor, and in praying give us this day, our daily bread.
The verses we have before us are not a command to own nothing. It is an example that Christians hold loosely what is of this world, and tightly to that which will be in the next world. The goods and possessions of this world are passing away, the people we win to Christ and share Christian community with will be part of our eternal home.
No wonder the early church was “praising God and having favor with all the people,” because they lived with such love and care. Their approach was different than their worldly-minded neighbors. Ministry brought dependence on God and therefore praise for His name. Ministry brought a good name to the name of Christ and to the people who followed Him.
What will being devoted to ministry look like for you? I am not sure, but I know it means fighting selfishness, fighting greed, fighting pride, showing love, having empathy, and being generous with your time, your money, and your abilities. Is there a brother or sister in Christ who you can help? Do you have a lost friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative who could use your help? Devotion to ministry is not being devoted to them and their needs, but being devoted to Christ, and following the lead of His Spirit. So, when you hear about a need, or see a need, pray, and ask the Spirit to direct how you might be able to be used to care for others in such a way that Jesus would be seen, and God would be glorified.
Practice the fundamentals: be aware; pray; be willing; and obey.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
