The Spiritual and the Practical in Community Life

Acts 4:32-35

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. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

N. T. Wright, Acts for Everyone (Part One)

No wonder they were able to give such powerful testimony to the resurrection of Jesus. They were demonstrating that it was a reality in ways that many Christian today, who often sadly balk at even giving a tithe of their income to the church, can only dream of.

In particular, this paragraph shows us what is meant when . . . people talk about being of one heart and mind. No doubt there is always a call to try to think alike with one another, to reach a deep, heart-level agreement on all key matters. But the early Christians, being Jewish, did not make as sharp a distinction as we do between heart and mind on the one hand and practical life on the other. “Being of one heart and soul” in this passage seems to mean not just “agreeing on all disputed matters” but also “ready to regard each other’s needs as one’s own” (76-7).

Aaron Orendorff

One of the most challenging themes found throughout the book of Acts—especially if we take the text seriously—is how deeply interwoven the practical elements of life are with what we often regard as spiritual. It would be nice to let v. 34 stand alone: “And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” Yet in context, sandwiched as it is between two of the most powerfully communal texts in Scripture, we are shown that great power, the testimony of the resurrection and great grace are not merely spiritual principles abstracted from real life. Instead they are inexorably linked to outlandishly practical things like common ownership, the selling of property and mutual trust.