Acts 2:42-47
Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Last winter when I helped my grandmother move into an assisted living facility, I found a journal at her house in which she had written down some accounts of her life and recalled several experiences through the years. One account went like this… “We did some silly things, but they were fun. We had some friends, the Tounzens, who had moved to Kansas City, so we decided to visit them.” She lists who went… she and my grandfather, my dad, and some cousins and their two girls. This was probably in the early 1940s.
My grandmother continues… “We loaded the car with everything we could find to eat. That is… we had canned foods, potatoes, cooked food…and after the football game, we took off. Drove the rest of the night and got there in time to go to the big parade. I mean BIG! Then we went to the horse show… back to the Tounzens’. And we had a ball. There was seven of us and seven of them. We sure had lots of pallets on the floor, but we had a real family get-together.”
In case you missed it… my grandparents were nowhere near wealthy. They worked very hard - especially in the early years of their marriage and my dad’s childhood. They lived in what was virtually a one-room shack with newspaper for wallpaper, and my dad didn’t have his own crib or bed until he was probably three or four. Both my grandmother and my grandfather physically worked very hard every single day just to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Yet they found joy in the simple fellowship of being with others… many of whom were just like them. They pooled what they had and “made do” – and experienced joy and fun in the process! They lived out the message of Acts 2 in so many ways… because they also celebrated their relationship with God and shared His love with others.
We are so spoiled nowadays. We think we have to have well-planned and executed meals, a nice cozy bed for sleeping, and plenty of “stuff” to be happy. Get-togethers are carefully organized “events” – not a spontaneous gathering of family and friends to share whatever is in the fridge. And in our desire to appear to have it so together, we miss out on the blessings of “making do.” We won’t go to an event because we think our clothes aren’t right. We don’t invite others to our dorm room, apartment, or church because we feel it’s not neat or pretty enough… or we don’t have the latest gadgets, the biggest TV screen, or the most up-to-date sound system. We would never think of asking someone to come home from church with us for a meal without days of planning, shopping, cleaning and preparation beforehand.
Can I tell you something? God wants us to be spontaneous… to live in the moment – HIS moment! He wants us to seize opportunities to fellowship with others and further His Kingdom. He wants us to “jump in the car and drive to Kansas City.” Where are you limiting God and His ability to work in and through you? How appearance conscious – or lazy – are you about this? We need to get up and get going – to seek opportunities to share God’s love with others at any time or place… and to recognize His nudge in this direction.
The biggest witness for the Good News of Jesus Christ will not come in our invitation to others to come to church and worship with us… it will be a result of how we treat others outside the walls of the sanctuary. Are you sharing God’s love with others, pooling your resources to meet their needs, and making even the smallest events an opportunity for celebration? Do people like what they see in your example? Do they feel the miracles and wonders of God in your day-to-day behavior and treatment of them? Are you a “jump-in-the-car” disciple… or are you stuck in Neutral? What is God nudging you to do for Him today? Are you really listening?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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