Welcome to another brain dump. This one comes after reading John chapters 14-17 leading into the first six chapters of Acts. I always get stirred up in my thoughts and my soul when reading the Bible. It’s certainly powerful evidence that we each ought to be doing it more frequently. God speaks through His Word.
I used to have difficulty with the part in Acts where it says that the early church had all things in common. They sold everything they had and no one had any need. Then they were about the business of spreading the gospel.
In our modern, individualistic world, that concept can be quite difficult. And for those of us in countries like the USA, it feels downright communistic. There is always some humanity running the show and getting more than their fair share. Or there are always those who cheat the system. That’s the world we live in. That’s the taint of sin.
But is it really that different from the time of the Acts of the Apostles? Were people not self centered then? Were many jealous of their power, ranking, or riches? Of course, we know that was handled severely in the fifth chapter of Acts. Ananias and Sapphira sold some land and brought some of the proceeds to the disciples while holding some back. They lied and said that they were giving it all. Such a needless lie. There is so much to unpack with that which could shake some of us to our own cores. That’s for another time. But in this case, lying to the Holy Spirit resulted in their deaths.
Today, as I read this passage, I am struck by a different take. All of these people who sold everything and joined with that early church had just greatly unburdened themselves.
The more I draw near to the Lord, the more He draws near to me. And in those moments, I find myself realizing how nothing else holds this kind of value. Everything else dies, including me. I have minutes here on the earth that God has determined. How long will I waste them in acquiring goods and then being beholden to them? What happened in that first church allowed these new and old disciples a singular focus on the business of the Gospel. They had no need. That’s what the Bible said.
My brain can be a beehive. And if I get some difficult medical news that could threaten my way of life, that brain goes into overdrive trying to figure out how to manage my personal, individual empire and my day to day life. I cannot help but think that life would be a billion times easier with just the singular focus of Jesus and declaring His name to the world.
Am I telling you that God wants you to sell everything and follow Him? I am not. Because I’m not the Holy Spirit.
Yet, in my prayer time lately, I am often wishing that I could have been there and walked with Jesus and the 12. I wrote a blog a while ago about whether or not I’d have been chosen by Jesus if I were just sitting there running my little abacus repair shop. Would I have had the faith? Oh it’s easy to say yes to that now. But I marvel at those disciples just dropping their nets and saying yes.
As I sit here today, I just want to say yes. I want the security of being in His hands and in His care. I want the simplicity of the singularity of focus and of purpose. It seems a lot harder in this modern world where we are focused on income, career growth, skills, health insurance, retirement funding, mortgages, car payments, utility bills, life insurance, dependents, our own health upkeep, and anything in this list we don’t have… Maybe we have too much information now. How many items in that list were factors in the preJesus lives of the disciples?
It takes a focused mind to rise above what can be a slavery to our own empires. I’m finding it a moment by moment decision. I remind myself that I am focusing too hard on those things that moths and rust will eventually destroy… and not enough time declaring Jesus to the world. I spend too much time worrying about things I cannot control, and not enough time using my precious remaining minutes for His Kingdom.
I ask for your prayers in this. That I, no WE, can be about our Father’s business as the priority. That we can learn to let go of the treasures, thoughts, worries, and earthly pursuits when they become larger than the pursuit of His Kingdom.
Matthew 6:19-21
19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Not sure which treasures are the earthly ones? I think they are the heaviest ones.
More to come…