ACTS 2:41-47
“Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing
which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph.4:28).
“And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all
men, even as we do toward you” (1 Th.3:12).
“Let your conversation [life, behavior] be without covetousness; and be content with such things
as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb.13:5).

A final matter is this: Christ demands that we give all we are and have if we are to follow Him. Any attempt to water
down what He often said fails miserably before an honest heart reading His Word (see Master Subject Index, Stewardship;
Rewards).

Thought 1. Just imagine how long ago the world would have been reached with the gospel if professing believers had
been honestly committing their total lives to Christ, giving all they were and had to His cause of world evangelization!


DEEPER STUDY # 6
(2:44-45) Stewardship—Commitment—Self-denial—Possessions: Christ demands that we give Him all we are and have
to enter heaven. This is the reason the early believers gave what they had to meet the needs of the world. Christ had de-
manded it of the rich young ruler and of His disciples.
In our struggle to protect the glorious truth that man is saved by grace and grace alone, we often forget and neglect another
great truth: to follow Christ is to serve and minister to our neighbor. To follow Christ is to deny self completely, all that we are as
well as all that we. When we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we show that we truly love God. If we do not love and minis-
ter to our neighbor (above self), then we do not love God.
When we deny self by giving all we are and have (1 Jn.4:20), then and only then do we receive heaven and the treasure of
heaven. To deny self, to give all we are and have is a hard saying, but Christ demands it. Our attempts to soften it do not an-
nul His demand.
It is love of the world that makes us unwilling to give up the possessions we have obtained (comfort, esteem, recognition,
power, position). By refusing to take and give what we have, we make the fatal mistake of showing (demonstrating)...
• that we love the things of the world more than we love people; that we prefer hoarding and extravagance,
living sumptuously and comfortably to helping those who are so needful, so desperately needful. (See note—
Lk.16:19-21 for a discussion of what happened to the rich man who lived sumptuously.)
• that we love the world more than we love the hope of eternal life.
• that we love the position, recognition, esteem, and power of the world’s possessions more than we love Christ.
Now note a critical fact that we must heed: this subject is often made a matter of controversy. Men use every explanation
possible to ease their consciences and to keep from having to give everything. There is a reason for this, and it is this that is
so critical. Possessions pull a person away from God. It is difficult for a person who has possessions to enter into the King-
dom of Heaven. Why? There is a lure, an attraction, a force, a power, a pull that reaches out and draws any of us who look at
or possess wealth. There are pulls so forceful that they will enslave and doom any man who banks and hoards and fails to
turn and embrace God.
1. Possessions create the big “I” (cp. Mt.19:16, 20). The man who has possessions is usually looked up to, esteemed,
honored, and envied. Possessions bring position, power, recognition. They boost ego, and make a person self-sufficient and
independent in this world. As a result there is a tendency for the rich person to feel independent and self-sufficient, that he
needs nothing. And in such an atmosphere and world of thought, God is forgotten. It is forgotten that there are things that
money cannot buy and events from which money cannot save. Peace, love, joy—all that really matters within the spirit of
man—can never be bought. Neither can money save a person from disaster, disease, accident, or death—the trials that are
sure to come upon all.
2. Possessions tend to make one hoard (cp. Mt.19:21). The Bible lays down the principle of handling money for all
men, even for the poor:

“Let him labor...that he may have to give to him that needeth” (Eph.4:28).
“Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself “ (Mt.19:19; 22:39).

The world reels in desperate need. People are starving, sick, unhoused, and unclothed by the millions. Teeming millions are
spiritually lost and without God in this world, and they are doomed to die without ever knowing Him. When any of us sit still
and objectively look at the world in its desperate plight, we ask: “How in this world can any man hoard and not help—even to
the last available penny? Why would any man keep more than what he needs for himself and his family?”
As God looks at any man who banks and hoards, He is bound to ask the same question. In fact, His questions are bound to
be more pointed and forceful. This is exactly what Christ said to the rich young ruler:

“Go and sell [all] that thou hast; and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven:
and come and follow me” (Mt.19:21).

Riches tend to make a man selfish. For some unexplainable reason, the more we get, the more we want. When we taste the
things of this world and become comfortable, we tend to fear losing our possessions. We struggle to keep what we have and
to get more. True, many are willing to make contributions, but only a certain amount, an amount that will not lower their
overall estate or standing or level of comfort and possessions. There are few who give all to Christ, all they are and all they
have to meet the needs of the world.
As Christ said, it is very difficult for the rich (meaning those who have anything in comparison with most of the world) to en-
ter heaven. If we do not have compassion and take care of our brothers (fellow man) when they are in desperate need,
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