G I V E R S    &    T A K E R S

W E E K    F O U R  –  G O D’ S    G L A D
H E A R T E D    P E O P L E
By Rob Peterman

Monday
Acts 2:41-45

It is easy to be impressed by the numbers of those who were becoming Christ-followers in the book of Acts. What is more interesting about the early church is that they did not see their new life in Christ as something to fit into the rest of their lives. Instead, they immediately reshaped everything about themselves to be centered around Christ. Christ became the foremost important thing in their schedules, in their budgets, in everything! They did not do this independently either; instead, they collectively made this shift together as a community. This type of community proved to be fertile soil that gave life to generous living among themselves where they “had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need” (2:44-45). The transformation from self-centered to Christ-centered took them from seeing what they had as theirs, to see it as God’s, freeing them to have a lasting impact by serving other Christians and the community around them.