THE DEMAND FOR INTEGRITY (PART 5 OF 10)
by Tony Nester
Scripture: ACTS 4:32-37, ACTS 5:1-11
This content is part of a series.
The Demand for Integrity
Title: Rediscovering Church, Part 5 of 10
Text: Acts 4:32-37; Acts 5:1-11
Tony R. Nester
Today's Scripture reading contains one of my favorite
descriptions of the church. It's found in Acts, Chapter 4,
verses 32-37. Every time I read this description of the
church my eyes light up and I find myself saying, "Yes,
that's what the church is supposed to be like!" Let's see
if you agree with me.
(Acts 4:32-37 NRSV) "Now the whole group of those who
believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed
private ownership of any possessions, but everything they
owned was held in common. {33} With great power the
apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. {34} There
was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned
lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what
was sold. {35} They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it
was distributed to each as any had need. {36} There was a
Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles
gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of
encouragement"). {37} He sold a field that belonged to him,
then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet."
Let me repeat the first part of verse 32 because it's the
key to the rest of this passage: "Now the whole group of
those who believed were of one heart and soul." Wouldn't it
be great to be able to say that about this Congregation!
What if we could honestly claim that every member of this
church possessed a oneness of spirit with every other
member?
Imagine that while we're having our own personal worship
experience with God that, at the same time, we're also
feeling a strong spiritual connection with everyone else?
What would it be like if our souls were all tuned by the
Spirit of God to the same key, so that whenever God touched
one of us we all felt the vibration? Imagine that we're so
filled with lov ...
Title: Rediscovering Church, Part 5 of 10
Text: Acts 4:32-37; Acts 5:1-11
Tony R. Nester
Today's Scripture reading contains one of my favorite
descriptions of the church. It's found in Acts, Chapter 4,
verses 32-37. Every time I read this description of the
church my eyes light up and I find myself saying, "Yes,
that's what the church is supposed to be like!" Let's see
if you agree with me.
(Acts 4:32-37 NRSV) "Now the whole group of those who
believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed
private ownership of any possessions, but everything they
owned was held in common. {33} With great power the
apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. {34} There
was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned
lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what
was sold. {35} They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it
was distributed to each as any had need. {36} There was a
Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles
gave the name Barnabas (which means "son of
encouragement"). {37} He sold a field that belonged to him,
then brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet."
Let me repeat the first part of verse 32 because it's the
key to the rest of this passage: "Now the whole group of
those who believed were of one heart and soul." Wouldn't it
be great to be able to say that about this Congregation!
What if we could honestly claim that every member of this
church possessed a oneness of spirit with every other
member?
Imagine that while we're having our own personal worship
experience with God that, at the same time, we're also
feeling a strong spiritual connection with everyone else?
What would it be like if our souls were all tuned by the
Spirit of God to the same key, so that whenever God touched
one of us we all felt the vibration? Imagine that we're so
filled with lov ...
There are 15057 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
