WITH ONE HEART AND ONE SOUL

Acts 4:31-33 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

The Christians assembled here, lifted up their voice to God with one accord (Vs. 24), and prayed for boldness to speak and teach His message of salvation through Jesus Christ. Their prayer, offered in perfect unity, was heard and answered by God. This was evidenced when the house,where they were assembled together,shook much like it did on the Day of Pentecost (See Acts 2:1-2). The results were the same as they were on that magnificent occasion. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, which allowed them to speak the word of God with boldness. Indeed, the power of a unified prayer of Christians, offered to their Heavenly Father, is demonstrated in these verses. God heard and answered their prayer.

When Christians act together with one accord, discord and dissension cannot be found. Such was the case here. The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. Where the common bonds of faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ, exists within His church, harmony, hope, and love will serve to bind them together in perfect unity. This is exactly what was found in these five thousand or more Christians that were assembled here in Jerusalem. It is this oneness of heart and soul that should exist within every congregation of the church of Christ - a oneness that results in a common affection and desire for the well-being of the entire body of Christ as it should exist among all children of God.

Being filled with the Holy Spirit of God, the apostles were given great power, that is, the spiritual ability to give first-hand testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. This not only established the fact that He was the Son of God, the Savior of the world, but also gave all faithful followers of Christ assurance of a spiritual life after death. This was the very basic foundation on which the church of Christ was established on the Day of Pentecost, and continues to be the fundamental truth for all believing Christians today. Being endowed with the blessings of the Holy Spirit, the entire unified assembly was blessed. Indeed, great grace was upon them all and Christian unity demonstrated itself with spiritual boldness. Even in the face of ridicule and persecution from anti-Christian "religions" and governmental leaders, the members of the body of Christ continued to preach God's plan of salvation through Christ Jesus. With fearless confidence they stood up for the cause of Christ, teaching the Holy Spirit-inspired revelation of God to all men and women that feared Him, had open and receptive hearts, and were searching for the hope of eternal life in Heaven. Unity was required by these newly baptized children of God in order to boldly continue this wonderful labor of love.

No doubt these newly converted Christians came from all parts of the world (See Acts 2:9-11). The verses following the lesson text tell us that, since many were probably far from their homeland, and lacked sufficient provisions for an extended stay in Jerusalem, this presented a serious problem. Under these circumstances, and in order for the work of the Lord to continue, it was necessary that the supply of physical needs of this entire assembly, numbering over five thousand, be sufficiently provided for. This need was satisfied in this unique way: all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. All that were possessors of lands or houses sold them, including Barnabas ...a Levite ...of Cyprus. Having sold their possessions, they all brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

This being done, all necessities of life were available to all Christians that were in need. None were lacking in anything. Having done this, all of these assembled Christians that came from distant lands were able to remain in Jerusalem to carry out the will of God by spreading the gospel message of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. The church of Christ was in its infancy. It had been only a few days since it had been founded by the Holy Spirit-inspired teaching of the apostles in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. This form of communal living was necessary in order to sustain all Christians that were assembled at this place and were dedicated to carrying out the will of the Savior - teaching men and women of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19).

From this we must know that this spontaneous act of selling their possessions in order to sustain all assembled in this place was an act of Christian love. Nowhere in God's word do we find that this act was required of them. Likewise, we find no law of God given in the inspired writings of the New Testament that communal living was commanded by God to be observed by members of Christ's church. With one heart and one soul, members of the first church of Christ founded in Jerusalem exemplified Christian benevolence in its finest hour. True Christian love occurred at this time, in this place, and by this first congregation of God's people - the first church of Christ.