Americans are greedy and self-absorbed. And it's unChristian. And that behavior manifests more frequently in the Republican flavor of Americans today, but it is readily apparent across party lines, class lines, ethnicities, races, gender and religions. The following is the outline of a sermon I preached this morning on part of the fourth chapter of the book of Acts. It will also be part of the appropriate chapter in the book I'm working on.
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WHAT PART OF ‘IN
COMMON’ DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?
ACTS 4:32-35
32 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.
Five fallacies and/or myths that
we believe regarding how the Disciples behaved in Acts:
1. It’s easier to give up more when you
don’t have much
- The rich young ruler, versus
Zaccheaus, versus the Widow’s mite
2. I shouldn’t have to give up
possessions if it doesn’t make enough of a difference
- We want to be in control of giving
and the results
- We think it was perfectly natural
for the boy on the hillside to give up his five loaves and two fish
3. Interpretation is ok, if we don’t
necessarily agree with the scripture
- Hating homosexuals is ok (Hebrew
Scripture), but sharing our possessions is communism and we shouldn’t have to
do that (New Testament)
- The multitude of times that Jesus
says ‘divest’ aren’t given any credence
4. It’s more important to preach the
gospel than to give away possessions
- But we preach the gospel in our
works
- If someone asks for your jacket,
give him your coat also
- Whatever you’ve done to the least of
these…
5. God is in control and God divides,
so what I have, I deserve to keep
- Although I think that God really
wants me to have more
- If we believe this myth, we ought to
be content, no matter what we have (and how many are?)
·
Jesus
either meant what he said or not.
·
If
we’re Christian, doesn’t that imply that we take the Christ at his word?
·
What
are the ramifications on modern, real world problems and decisions?
- Minimum wage; Universal Health Care;
Unemployment Compensation; Charitable giving
·
How
much of the Gospel do we miss, when we let the world influence how we read and
perceive the Scriptures?
·
You
are invited this Easter season, to be open to the Scripture in a way that is
God’s way, not the world’s
