Acts 4:32-35

I heard a preacher say that he pastored two churches. One church taught Sunday School and paid the bills. The other church was spiritually illiterate and physically needy. The problem, he said, was that the two churches met at the same time in the same building. Is this the way it was meant to be — “haves” and “have-nots” in the same church? The church Luke describes in our text indicates something better.

The people of First Church (and I do mean the first church) of Jerusalem displayed the common life. What is the common life? The Greek word for "common" is koina, a variation on koinonia, usually translated “fellowship.” Those who are share fellowship share a common life. “No man is an island, entire of itself.” What John Donne wrote about humanity should most truly describe the church of Christ. The common life is God's design for His church. Neither isolated individuals nor exclusive cliques fulfill His purpose for the church. Rather, we are to function as one body (cf. 1 Corinthians 12). No part of the human body pursues its own agenda. Rather, each part supports all the other parts in the service of the whole.

What is the common life worth? "We share our mutual woes, our mutual burdens bear, and often for each other flows the sympathizing tear." Recently, a woman in our church became quite ill and was rushed to the hospital. There she underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from her brain. In no time at all, the woman she lives with found herself surrounded by Christian sisters who stayed with her throughout those anxious hours. They not only prayed with her but in the days that followed, put themselves at her complete disposal. None of her needs were overlooked. This is but one benefit of the common life. I've been privileged not only to see other benefits, but to receive them as well. When my family moved to our present ministry, we were under a great financial strain. We were astonished to see how generous the people of our new congregation were. They helped us pay for car repairs, helped my wife find much-needed employment, and, best of all, helped us become better stewards of our resources. Does your church want to know whether its struggling single mothers have food in their refrigerators? Do people care when an ailing brother's roof leaks? Are the needs of "the least of these my brethren" being taken care of? If the answer to these questions is yes, you truly know the worth of the common life! How Do We Get The Common Life?

We must realize that the common life isn't built on what we have. It's built on what we lack! Why did these people sell property and lay the proceeds at the apostles' feet? Where did such cheerful generosity come from? The answer lies in Luke's wonderful statement, "great grace was upon them all." Only those who have received bounty they don't deserve can freely open their hands to help others. In my more sanguine moments, I’m tempted to change the name of our church to First Church of The Drowned Rat. (Fortunately, I’m surrounded by less sanguine leaders!) The idea is, the grace of God pulled us from the drink and deposited on a life raft like so many nearly drowned rats. In such circumstances, what sense would it make to toss someone overboard? What sense would it make to sniff with disdain at a fellow survivor: “He’s all wet!” We’re all in the same boat! We share a common life based not on a common strength but on a common and miserable need! The sooner the church sees the wonder of God’s mercy upon her, the sooner she will see the necessity of showing such mercy to all her members. God’s grace is the key to the common life. (Gary Robinson) Third Sunday of Easter (B) April 30, 2006 The Road to Reality 1 John 3:1-7 Once again, his hand wanders over to the mouse. Once again, he clicks onto a website. He knows it's wrong. He knows he's distancing himself not only from his wife but also from his God. He knows gray guilt is waiting for him in the wings. He knows the pleasure of the moment will soon melt under a rain of reality. But he thinks, "It'll be okay. He'll forgive me . . . again. I hope." If God is so willing to forgive us our debts, why not run up an enormous bill? If God is so good as to forgive us, why not be as bad as we want to be? In reply to a similar question, the apostle John wrote of the road to reality and the necessity of taking it.