Escaping Ordinary Week 5: Monday

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. Acts 4:32

We read in Acts 4 about the beautiful generosity of the early church. When the early church came together after a time of prayer, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, sharing the message of Christ boldly (verse 31). After their prayer, all believers were unified and “felt like what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had” (verse 32). Their generosity was so extravagant that “there were no needy people among them” (verse 34). Everyone in the church shared all they owned. Can you imagine this?

Of all the people who were a part of the generosity of the early church, only one person gets mentioned for his incredible generosity, and that is Barnabas. Barnabas’ real name was Joseph, but he was nicknamed Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. Can you imagine how encouraging Barnabas must have been to earn that nickname? We learn in these verses that Barnabas sold a field he owned and gave all the money he earned from selling that land to the apostles. This was an act of extraordinary generosity.

Of course, the son of encouragement was extraordinarily generous. Generosity, after all, is a form of encouragement. When Barnabas gave his money to the apostles, he showed them that he believed in their mission so firmly he was willing to contribute financially to their ministry. This generosity offered both financial support and emotional support through his encouragement.

Let’s follow the example of Barnabas and encourage the people around us through extraordinary generosity. There are numerous ways for us to be generous. Yes, we can be generous financially, but we can also be generous with our time, talents, and resources. So how can you encourage people through your extraordinary generosity today?

Moving toward action

If we want to encourage others through our extraordinary generosity, we must know what we have to be generous. Has God blessed you financially? If so, you have an excellent opportunity to be generous. Has God given you extra margin in your schedule? If so, you have the opportunity to be generous with your time. Maybe you have one-too-many extra pairs of shoes sitting in your closet. Can you give a pair to someone you know in need? As you think about how you have been blessed, commit to showing extraordinary generosity today.

Going Deeper

Acts 4:32-37 (NLT)