Unit 3: Godly Love Among Believers ❤
Sharing Love | Bible Background • ACTS 4:32–5:11 Printed Text • ACTS 4:32–5:11 | Devotional Reading • 2 CORINTHIANS 6:1-10
AIM FOR CHANGE
By the end of this lesson, we will EXPLORE the Jerusalem church’s practice and witness of communal sharing, REPENT of any idolatrous attachment to material goods, and CREATE a plan to increase our giving for the common good.
IN FOCUS
Ann had grown up in a family with little money, but in college, she met Jim, a man from a well-off family. Ann and Jim got engaged a couple of years after they graduated and planned a modest wedding in Ann’s home church. The night before the wedding, Ann and Jim held a dinner for their families following the rehearsal. The food was fine, everyone got along just fine and it looked like the start of a great relationship between two families. When it came time for the parents to give speeches toasting the bride and groom, Jim’s father ended his speech saying, “It’s so wonderful to see our two very different families joined—one rich, one poor—through the great love of Ann and Jim. To Ann and Jim, may you have a long and happy life together.” As Jim’s father sat down, Ann smiled and said to her father-in-law-to-be, “That was a wonderful speech—but I have to say, I’ve never considered my family poor.” Jim’s father immediately apologized, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Ann’s mother chimed in, “Here at this church, none of us had a lot of money, but we always shared what we had. When twenty different families come in and share what they have, everyone feels rich.” Jim’s parents left the rehearsal dinner that night with a new understanding, that wealth could mean something more than money, and to rethink their biased beliefs about people.
How does your church family share its resources?