A study of the New Testament Congregations

#1 The church at Jerusalem

When conducting a study of Restoration churches/people, it’s often asked: which of the New Testament churches are we seeking to restore? The answer is clear: none of them. They were all human and had their strengths and weaknesses. We seek to restore the ideal of what Christ and the apostles taught regarding the church.

This study is an effort to study the different congregations (churches) in the New Testament, to discuss their strengths and weaknesses in light of today’s efforts to “be more what God wants us to be.” Let’s especially see their problems and understand how God through the apostles addressed these issues…and make certain we are also addressing them today.

Strengths of the First Christian Fellowship (Acts 2:42-47)

This is the first look at the early church. It shows us the traits that characterized the daily lives of believers. It should prick the conscience of the modern-day church.

     1.  A people who received the Word—gladly (v.41).

     2.  A people who continued—stedfastly (v.42).

     3.  A people who stirred souls with a godly fear (v.43).

     4.  A people who were together—sharing in ministry (v.44-45).

     5.  A people who were unified (v.46).

     6.  A people who worshipped and praised God—daily (v.46-47).

The epistles of the New Testament shape the doctrine for the life of the church. Acts traces the application of that doctrine in the history of the early church. This passage describes the historical outworking of God’s ideal in the first local church. It describes the new-born church in its prime, when it possessed a purity of devotion to the risen Lord unmatched in succeeding generations.

The church was unified (Acts 2:44), magnified (Acts 2:47a), and multiplied (Acts 2:47b). It had a powerful testimony among the unsaved Jews, not only because of the miracles done by the Apostles (Acts 2:43), but also because of the way the members of the fellowship loved each other and served the Lord. The risen Lord continued to work with them (Mark 16:20) and people continued to be saved. What a church!

The Christians you meet in the Book of Acts were not content to meet once a week for “services as usual.” They

met daily (Acts 2:46), cared daily (Acts 6:1), won souls daily (Acts 2:47), searched the Scriptures daily (Acts 17:11), and increased in number daily (Acts 16:5). Their Christian faith was a day-to-day reality, not a once-a-week routine. Why? Because the risen Christ was a living reality to them, and His resurrection power was at work in their lives through the Spirit.

In this brief cameo of life in the early church, three distinguishing dimensions emerge that reveal this to be a remarkable assembly. They manifested spiritual duties and spiritual attitudes, and the result was spiritual impact.

(2:41) Word of God: the early believers were a people who received the Word gladly.

1.  This is the basic trait, the very first trait of a true church. It actually defines a church. A church is a people, a body of people who have received the Word of God. They were not receiving...

They were receiving the Word of God, the very revelation of God Himself. God had revealed Himself in Jesus Christ to His disciples. And Peter, the spokesman for the disciples, was proclaiming the Word about Jesus Christ. God had spoken to the world through His Son Jesus Christ, and the early believers had received His Word.

2.  Note the word “received.” A true church, a true body of believers, does not just hear and listen to the Word. They are not just present to join the crowd and see what is going on. They do not sit with wandering minds and closed hearts. A true church receives the Word of God; they...

3.  Note the statement: “They that gladly received his word.” Not everyone present received it. Some were there for the wrong reasons and others were closed-minded and disinterested. Still others simply refused to believe and rejected the Word. But they who received God’s Word became the very first body of believers, the first church.

The response to Peter’s sermon was tremendous. Such impressive growth in the number of believers created additional needs and responsibilities. The apostles had the duty of training this large group and bringing them into fellowship with the other believers. This was a four-step process: (1) The new believers were to be trained in the apostles’ doctrine. Uniformity of belief concerning the person of Jesus Christ—based on the eyewitness testimony of His followers—was essential. (2) The new believers were to be trained in the fellowship of the church. The Greek word translated fellowship means sharing in the lives of other believers. (3) The new believers were to be trained in the breaking of bread, probably a reference to the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:23, 24). Some believe this is a broader reference to the “love feast,” a meal of fellowship in the early church. (4) The new believers were to be trained in the discipline of prayer. Corporate prayers were viewed as an essential part of the spiritual growth of the church. Wonders and signs apparently were given by the Lord to the apostles to validate their divinely ordained position and to verify the truthfulness of their witness in the establishment of the early church (Heb. 2:3, 4).^[1]

Spiritual Duties

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (2:42)

(2:42) Continued stedfastly (proskarterountes): to continue, persevere, endure, stick, persist. A person does not quit, back off, fade away, or slip back. He continues on stedfastly.

This was really a church, nothing more and nothing less. Its life was completely defined by the devotion to those spiritual duties which make up the unique identity of the church. Nothing outside the living Lord, the Spirit, and the Word define life for the church. This church, though not having any cultural elements of success, no worldly strategies, was still endowed with every necessary component for accomplishing the purposes of its Lord. The church will still be effective in bringing sinners to Christ when it manifests the same key elements of spiritual duty that marked this first fellowship.

It Was a Saved Church -- they were continually devoting themselves (2:42a)

The three thousand who confessed faith in Christ and were baptized in verse 41 are the they who showed the genuineness of their faith by continuing. Despite the hate, ridicule, and persecution they suffered, they remained faithful. That is a mark of genuine salvation. Jesus said in John 8:31, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.”

The true branch will abide in the vine (John 15:1–4). The good seed will not wither and die under persecution (Matt. 13:3–9, 21). In contrast, the apostle John writes of false believers, “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).

That the church should be composed of saved individuals seems axiomatic. Sadly, however, many churches today are made up largely of unsaved individuals. Amazingly, some even try to design a church where non-Christians can feel comfortable. This can’t be the goal in a church that is devoted to holiness and right-eousness in all areas of life. Such a church will be unpopular with sinners. In this first fellowship, all the professors were possessors.

That is not to say that unbelievers are not welcome to attend the preaching of the truth and the worship. They are welcome to hear the gospel preached and the Word of God expounded. They are welcome to hear the prayers of confession, the anthems of praise, and the calls to holiness. They are welcome to witness the corporate love and devotion of the church to Jesus Christ and the eternal God. All of that should make them uncomfortable with their spiritual condition.

Membership and service in the church, however, are restricted to believers. God’s people and Satan’s people cannot work together to achieve God’s goals. “Do not be bound together with unbelievers,” Paul warned the Corinthians, “for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14–15).

Paul commended the Thessalonians in terms that leave no doubt that they were saved:

Paul and Silvanus and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace. We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers; constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father, knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you; for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thess. 1:1–10)

In that passage, Paul described the people in the Thessalonian church as in the Father, Christ (v. 1), and the Holy Spirit (v. 5). He noted that they possessed the great triad of Christian virtues, faith, hope, and love (v. 3). He was confident of God’s choice of them for salvation (v. 4). They were imitators of Paul and Christ (v. 6), so much so that they were an example to the other believers in their region (vv. 7–9). Clearly it was a congregation of saved people.

Conversely, the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the church at Pergamum for allowing itself to be infiltrated by unbelievers, thus being influenced by Satan:

But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit acts of immorality. Thus you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Repent therefore; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth. (Rev. 2:14–16)

They had those who compromised with the world, as Balaam and Balak caused Israel to intermingle with Moab. The error of the Nicolaitans apparently involved sexual immorality. Christ’s stern rebuke of them shows His concern for the purity of the church.

To fail to exclude unbelievers from the fellowship of the church is a grave error. Only disunity and dissension can result when those who serve Christ try to work in harmony with those who serve Satan. Additionally, to design the activities of the church to appeal to unbelievers, or to allow them to play a major role in the life of the church, is to give them a false sense of security. The result for them may be eternal tragedy. The church must reach out in love to those who do not know Christ. It must never, however, let them feel that they are a part of the fellowship until they come to faith in Christ. And no evangelistic purpose should ever be undertaken that alters what the church is by divine design—an assembly of saved worshipers pursuing holiness and spiritual service.

The first fellowship passed the initial test of spiritual duty; it encompassed only those who knew and loved Jesus Christ. Luke later points out that while many were drawn by the Lord to salvation, unbelievers were actually afraid to go near the church in Jerusalem because sin was being dealt with so severely (Acts 5:13–14).

It Was a Scriptural Church -- to the apostles’ teaching (2:42b)

(2:42) In doctrine (didache): the teaching, the instruction of the apostles. This would include both what Christ taught and His death and resurrection and ascension or exaltation. It would be the same teaching and instructions...

·    that are shared in the New Testament.

·    that the disciples wrote to various churches and bodies of believers.

The teaching would be no different. There is only one message, only one Word that saves and roots and grounds people in the Lord—the Word of God Himself, the message of the New Testament. On the day of Pentecost, the persons who were saved needed to be grounded in the faith. And the only message that could ground them was the message found in the New Testament. It was that message, that doctrine they were taught.

The content for the church is clearly to be revealed truth. God designed the church to be a place where His Word is proclaimed and explained. Paul mandates such a priority all through the Ministeral Epistles, where he described the ongoing process to Timothy when he wrote, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2).

A commitment to the apostles’ teaching is foundational to the growth and spiritual health of every church. Peter wrote, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). To the Romans Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom. 12:2).

Paul’s letters to his protégés Timothy and Titus also reflect the priority of preaching the Word. “In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following” (1 Tim. 4:6).

“Prescribe and teach these things” (1 Tim. 4:11). “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching” (1 Tim. 4:13). “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16). “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction” (2 Tim. 4:1–2).

An elder must be one who holds “fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

A believer should count it a wasted day when he does not learn something new from, or is not more deeply enriched, by the truth of God’s Word. The early church sat under the teaching ministry of the apostles, whose teaching, now written on the pages of the New Testament Scriptures, is to be taught by all ministers.

Scripture is food for the believer’s growth and power—and there is no other. The church today ignores the exposition and application of Scripture at its peril, as the warning of Hosea to Israel suggests: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught; believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. The most noble are still those who search the Scriptures daily (cf. Acts 17:11). They contain the apostles’ teaching.

IT WAS A FELLOWSHIPPING CHURCH  -- and to fellowship (2:42c)

Fellowship is the spiritual duty of believers to stimulate each other to holiness and faithfulness. It is most specifically expressed through the “one anothers” of the New Testament (cf. Rom. 12:10, 16; 13:8; 14:19; 15:5, 7, 14; 16:16; Gal. 5:13; Eph. 4:2, 25, 32; 5:21; Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:9, 13, 16; 1 Thess. 4:9, 18, 5:11, 13; Heb. 3:13; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:9, 10; 5:5, etc.). The basic meaning of fellowship is “partnership,” or “sharing.” Those who receive Jesus Christ become partners with Him and with all other believers (1 John 1:3). That
fellowship is permanent, because our shared eternal life is forever. The joy associated with it, however, may be lost through sinful neglect of its duties.

(2:42) Fellowship: the fellowship wrought by the Spirit of God means more than the association existing in secular groups such as civic clubs and community bodies. There is a vast difference between community participation and spiritual participation. Community participation is based upon neighborly association. Spiritual participation is based upon a spiritual union wrought by the Spirit of God.

The distinctiveness is this: the Holy Spirit is within the Christian believer. The Holy Spirit creates a spiritual union by melting and molding the heart of the Christian believer to the hearts of other believers. He attaches the life of one believer to the lives of other believers. Through the Spirit of God, believers become one in life and purpose. They have a joint life sharing their blessings and needs and gifts together. Note several things about fellowship that are taught by this passage.

1.  Fellowship is being experienced by the new believers because they join other Christians in learning the Scriptures (apostles’ teachings) and in worship (prayers and celebrating the Lord’s Supper, Acts 2:41-42).

2.  Fellowship forbids an unattached Christian life. Their fellowship is maintained because they “continue stedfastly” in the Scriptures and in worship. An unattached Christian life is just impossible.

a.  Christianity is first an individual matter, but then it becomes a social matter. The Christian is attached to Christ individually, but he is also attached to other believers. He walks with other believers in the Scriptures and in worship.

b.  Christianity is first a spiritual organism, but then it becomes a spiritual organization. The Christian has an inward life, but he also takes on an outward form of life. He becomes a living organization with other Christian believers. He sits at the feet of the apostles’ teaching and joins right in with other Christians as they worship together.

c.  Christianity makes the true believer a saint (one who is set apart unto God), but Christianity is made up of saints—plural. Christianity is not just one person; Christianity is many persons—saints. The word is often used in the New Testament, but it is never used in the singular. Christianity is Christianity because the saints study the Scriptures together and worship together.

d.  Christianity demands that a believer personally live out such virtues as kindness, longsuffering, and love; but the believer can do this only in association with others.

e.  Christianity means that the Spirit of God has entered the believer’s life, but it also means that the Spirit of God has placed the believer into a corporate body (the church), into Christian society itself. The Spirit of God indwells the corporate body of believers as well as the individual.

     3.   Spiritual fellowship faces two dangers.

a.  Fellowship and society can be over-emphasized—to the point that individual salvation is missed. An individual must “receive His word” (Acts 2:41).

b.  Individual salvation and individual worship, whether through nature or by any other means, can be overly stressed—to the point that Christian fellowship and society can be missed.

For a Christian to fail to participate in the life of a local church is inexcusable. In fact, those who choose to isolate themselves are disobedient to the direct command of Scripture. Hebrews 10:24–25 charges believers to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

The Bible does not envision the Christian life as one lived apart from other believers. All members of the universal church, the body of Christ, are to be actively and intimately involved in local assemblies.

It Was a Christ-Centered Church -- to the breaking of bread (2:42d)

Their fellowship was symbolized by obedience to the spiritual duty of the breaking of bread, a reference to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion. This duty is not optional, since our Lord commanded it of every believer (cf. 1 Cor. 11:24–29).

In Communion, all believers meet on common ground at the foot of the cross (Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20), since all are sinners saved by the grace of God in Christ. Communion acknowledges the wondrous work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. Communion further exemplifies the unity of believers, since in it all partake together symbolically of the same Lord (Eph. 4:5).

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”

Communion calls for self-examination and purging of sin, thus purifying the church. Nothing is more vital to the church’s ongoing, regular confrontation of sins in the lives of its people than the thoughtful expression of devotion to the remembrance of the cross.

It Was a Praying Church -- to prayer (2:42e)

The first fellowship was eagerly and persistently engaged in the critical duty of prayer. Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence. Understanding the sense of loss His disciples were feeling as they anticipated His leaving, the Lord Jesus Christ had promised in John 14:13–14 that “whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.”

The early church took that promise as the source of God’s provision for all their needs, and they relentlessly pursued divine help. The prayer in view here is not only that of individual believers but of the church corporately (cf. 1:14, 24; 4:24–31).

Sadly, prayer is much neglected in the church today. Most everything the church does can draw more people than a prayer meetings. That is undoubtedly the reason for much of the weakness in the contemporary church. Unlike the early church, we have forgotten the Bible’s commands to pray at all times (Luke 18:1; Eph. 6:11), and to be devoted to prayer (Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2).

The first fellowship knew the critical importance of pursuing spiritual duties. They knew the church must be made up of saved individuals, devoted to studying the Word, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Those elements are the unique expressions of the life of the church. They are the means of grace by which the church becomes what God wants it to be.

Spiritual Character

And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God (2:43–47a)

A church that fulfills the spiritual duties will find that those duties produce spiritual character. Four aspects of the first fellowship’s character may be discerned in this passage.

IT WAS AN AWE-INSPIRING CHURCH  -- And everyone kept feeling a sense of awe (2:43a)

Awe refers to fear or holy terror related to the sense of divine presence, to the attitude of reverence. It describes the feeling produced when one realizes God is at hand. It is used in Acts 5:5 and 11 to describe the reaction to the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts 19:17 it depicts the reaction of the citizens of Ephesus to the attack on some Jewish exorcists by a demon-possessed man.

Luke 7:16 uses it to portray the reaction to our Lord’s raising of the widow’s son. The life of this first fellowship was so genuine and spiritually powerful that everyone, whether inside or outside the church, kept feeling a sense of awe. They weren’t awed by the church because of its buildings, programs, or anything reflecting human ability, but by the supernatural character of its life. Such an effect should be produced when the spiritual gifts are properly operative (1 Cor. 14:24, 25).

It Was a Miraculous Church -- and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. (2:43b)

One reason for the awe the first fellowship inspired was the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles (cf. Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:4). Some of those miracles are described in the succeeding chapters (cf. 3:1–10; 5:12, 15–16; 9:32–35, 40–42). As noted in the discussion of Acts 2:22 in chapter 5, wonders and signs were designed to attract attention and point to spiritual truth.

The response to Peter’s healing of the paralyzed man in Lydda (Acts 9:32–34) shows that purpose clearly. The people of that region, after witnessing the healing, “turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35). Peter’s raising of Dorcas elicited the same response in Joppa (Acts 9:42).

Our Lord did His miracles for the same reason. In John 14:10–12 He said, Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; otherwise believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

The ability to perform miracles was not given to all, but was limited to the apostles and their close associates (such as Philip; cf. Acts 8:13). The writer of Hebrews said, How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will. (Heb. 2:3–4; cf. 2 Cor. 12:12)

God attended the preaching of the apostles with miracles to confirm that they were indeed His messengers. With the passing of the apostolic age, and the completion of the canon of Scripture, the need for such confirmatory signs ended. Today we can determine who speaks for God by comparing their teaching with God’s revelation in Scripture.

Although the sign gift of miracles is no longer extant, God still performs miracles in response to the prayers of His people. They are not, however, public signs like those in the apostolic era. The greatest of all miracles God performs today is the transformation of rebellious sinners into His beloved children, who are becoming like His Son. Such miracles occur in the life of the church that is committed to the fulfillment of its spiritual duties.

It Was a Sharing Church -- And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together (2:44–46a)

In these early days, before strife and divisions affected the church, all those who had believed were together. They possessed not only a spiritual unity but also a practical oneness. That they had all things in common does not, as some imagine, indicate communal living. The first Christian fellowship was not a commune, nor does the passage offer support for such a notion. The family, not the commune, is the basic social unit in God’s design.

Such sharing and mutual meeting of the needs of pilgrims was a long-standing tradition in Israel during the great religious feasts. The inns could not accommodate the vast influx of people to Jerusalem during those feast times. As a result, the common people opened their homes and shared their resources with the visitors. Many members of the early church were such pilgrims, saved while visiting Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. They now stayed to be a part of the new work of God. It was only basic Christian love for those who lived in the city to share with them. Additionally, some in the fellowship had no doubt lost their livelihoods due to their profession of faith in Christ. The rest of the fellowship met their needs. And others were just the poor believers who always needed help.

The disposal and distribution of possessions in the early church was directed among all, as anyone had need. When a physical or spiritual need became known in the church, action was taken to address it (1 John 3:17). The NT believers demonstrated their love for one another by giving self-sacrificially. Was this a form of early communism? Most definitely not. Communism teaches that possessions should be distributed to everybody equally, so that nobody will have more than anyone else. Here, the disposal and distribution of the possessions of the early church was based on need. In communism the state uses the police power to accomplish the desired result. Here, the pooling of resources was not obligatory but a free expression of love to those who were poor and hurting. Communism desires a permanent restructuring of society, while the distribution in this case was limited and temporary until the severe crisis was dealt with because of the great influx of Christian converts.^[2]

That this was not a primitive form of communism is evident from the imperfect tense (denoting continuous past action) of the verbs translated selling and sharing (cf. 4:34). They did not at any point sell everything and pool the proceeds into a common pot. Such a principle for Christian living would have obviated the responsibility of each believer to give in response to the Spirit’s prompting (cf. 1 Cor. 16:1–2).

Further, it is clear from verse 46 that individuals still owned homes. What actually happened was that personal property was sold as anyone might have need. It was an indication of immense generosity, as people gave not only their present cash or goods, but also their future in acts of sacrificial love to those in need.

And it is clear from Peter’s words to Ananias in Acts 5:4 that such selling was purely voluntary. Ananias and Sapphira sinned not by refusing to part with their possessions but by lying to the Holy Spirit. Finally, in no other church described in Acts was this pattern of selling property repeated. Second Corinthians 8:13–14 describes a similar kind of generosity to the Jerusalem poor.

Sharing was not limited to material things but included spiritual benefits and ministry as well. Day by day they continued with one mind to meet in the temple. They went to the Temple for the hours of prayer (cf. 3:1), and, no doubt, to witness. They had every right to continue to use the Temple, since Jesus had claimed it as His Father’s house. They are still found going to the Temple in Acts 21:26 and probably continued until it was destroyed in a.d. 70. Nor had the hostility of the Jewish leaders reached the point where the believers were put out of the Temple. The phrase with one mind again expresses the unity the first fellowship experienced.

Their times of fellowship were not limited to the Temple, however. They also were breaking bread from house to house, and taking their meals together. Breaking bread refers to the Communion service, the taking of meals together to the love feast that accompanied the Lord’s Supper. They modeled the principles laid down by Peter, “Be hospitable to one another without complaint” (1 Peter 4:9), and Paul, “At this present time your abundance being a supply for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want, that there may be equality; as it is written, ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack’” (2 Cor. 8:14–15).

The apostle John extends this command to all believers: We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth. (1 John 3:16–18)

(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 demanded 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 have. When we love our neighbor as ourselves, then we show that we truly love God. If we do not love and minister to our neighbor (above self), then we do not love God.

When we deny self by giving all we are and have (1 John 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 annul 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.

·    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 point is often made a point 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 Kingdom 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. Matthew 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. Matthew 19:21). The Bible lays down the principle of handling money for all men, even for the poor:

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:

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 enter heaven. If we do not have compassion and take care of our brothers (fellow man) when they are in desperate need, how can we expect God to have compassion and take care of us when we face the desperate need for heaven? It is foolish to think that a loving and just God will meet our need for eternal life when we would not meet the need of our fellow man for physical life. The rich (all of us who have anything in comparison with the rest of the world) have the means to help and to save human life, if we only would.

3.  Possessions attach a person to the world (cp. Matthew 19:22). Possessions enable a person to buy things that...

If a man centers his life upon the things of the world, his attention is on the world and not on God. He tends to become wrapped up in securing more and in protecting what he has. Too often, he gives little if any time and thought to heavenly matters. Wealth and the things it can provide within this world can and usually do consume the rich.

IT WAS A JOYFUL CHURCH --with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God (2:46b–47a)

It comes as no surprise that a unified, miraculous, sharing church was also a joyful church. Gladness is the noun form of a verb which means “to rejoice.” One of the key reasons for that joy was the sincerity of heart they manifested. Sincerity appears only here in the New Testament. It literally means “simplicity” and derives from a root word meaning “free from rocks,” or “smooth” (A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament [1930; reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker, n.d.], 3:39–40). There were no stones of selfishness in their hearts.

Praising God also produced joy. To praise God is to recite His wonderful works and attributes. The goal of the first fellowship was to exalt the Lord, and that produced true happiness. Those who glorify themselves and seek the preeminence will never know lasting joy. Joy comes to those who give God glory. Paul expressed that truth to the Philippians when he wrote, “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Phil. 2:1–2).

Spiritual Impact-- and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (2:47b)

The dynamic corporate life and spiritual character of the church had great impact. Two features of that impact appear in this verse.

They Were an Attractive Church -- and having favor with all the people (2:47b)

Their duties and character granted them favor with all the people. They were still going to the Temple and being open about their faith, so that all could see and experience their transformed lives. Later came the intense persecution by the Jews.

They proved true the words of Jesus in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Their unity was an answer to our Lord’s high priestly prayer “that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:21).

Some of the reasons the early church found favor with the common people can be discerned from the apology written by the philosopher Aristides early in the second century:

   “Now the Christians, O King, by going about and seeking, have found the truth. For they know and trust in God, the Maker of heaven and earth, who has no fellow. From him they received those commandments which they have engraved on their minds, and which they observe in the hope and expectation of the world to come. For this reason they do not commit adultery or immorality; they do not bear false witness, or embezzle, nor do they covet what is not theirs. They honor father and mother, and do good to those who are their neighbors. Whenever they are judges, they judge uprightly. They do not worship idols made in the image of man. Whatever they do not wish that others should do to them, they in turn do not do; and they do not eat the food sacrificed to idols. Those who oppress them they exhort and make them their friends. They do good to their enemies. Their wives, O King, are pure as virgins, and their daughters are modest. Their men abstain from all unlawful sexual contact and from impurity, in the hope of recompense that is to come in another world.

   “As for their bondmen and bondwomen, and their children, if there are any, they persuade them to become Christians; and when they have done so, they call them brethren without distinction.  They refuse to worship strange gods; and they go their way in all humility and cheerfulness. Falsehood is not found among them. They love one another; the widow’s needs are not ignored, and they rescue the orphan from the person who does him violence. He who has gives to him who has not, ungrudgingly and without boasting. When the Christians find a stranger, they bring him to their homes and rejoice over him as a true brother. They do not call brothers those who are bound by blood ties alone, but those who are brethren after the Spirit and in God.

   “When one of their poor passes away from the world, each provides for his burial according to his ability. If they hear of any of their number who are imprisoned or oppressed for the name of the Messiah, they all provide for his needs, and if it is possible to redeem him, they set him free. If they find poverty in their midst, and they do not have spare food, they fast two or three days in order that the needy might be supplied with the necessities. They observe scrupulously the commandments of their Messiah, living honestly and soberly as the Lord their God ordered them. Every morning and every hour they praise and thank God for his goodness to them; and for their food and drink they offer thanksgiving.

   “If any righteous person of their number passes away from the world, they rejoice and thank God, and escort his body as if he were setting out from one place to another nearby. When a child is born to one of them, they praise God. If it dies in infancy, they thank God the more, as for one who has passed through the world without sins. But if one of them dies in his iniquity or in his sins, they grieve bitterly and sorrow as over one who is about to meet his doom. Such, O King, is the commandment given to the Christians, and such is their conduct. (The Apology of Aristides, translated by Rendel Harris [London: Cambridge, 1893])

With all of that virtue to commend them it is small wonder they were an attractive church.

They Were a Growing Church -- And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (2:47c)

Effective evangelism was the ultimate impact of the first fellowship’s spiritual duties and character. That the Lord was adding to the church those who were being saved reminds one that God is sovereign in salvation (cf. 5:14). The imperfect tense of the verb translated was adding, along with the phrase day by day, indicates that people were continually being saved as they observed the daily conduct of the believers. So unified, joyful, and Spirit-filled were they that their very existence was a powerful testimony to the truth of the gospel. True evangelism flows from the life of a healthy church.

This brief glimpse of the first fellowship gives valuable insight into what makes a healthy, growing church worthy of the name. The proper devotion to the duties of the Spirit produces the proper character, which in turn produces a powerful and saving impact on sinners.

Satan had failed completely in his attempt to silence the witness of the church. However, the enemy never gives up; he simply changes his strategy. His first approach had been to attack the church from the outside, hoping that arrest and threats would frighten the leaders. When that failed, Satan decided to attack the church from the inside and use people who were a part of the fellowship.

We must face the fact that Satan is a clever foe. If he does not succeed as the “devouring lion” (1 Peter 5:8), then he attacks again as the “deceiving serpent” or an “angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:3, 13-14). Satan is both a murderer and a liar (John 8:44), and the church must be prepared for both attacks.

The Bible is brutally honest in its recording of redemptive history. It records the blemishes and faults of God’s people as well as their strengths. Moses’ righteous defiance of Pharaoh appears but so does his unrighteous defiance of God that barred him from entering the Promised Land. David’s glorious victories grace the pages of Scripture. But along with them, the Bible tells of his abject cowardice before the Philistine king of Gath. The Psalms reveal David the saint; in 2 Samuel 12 Nathan the prophet confronts David the adulterer and murderer. Proverbs records the heights of Solomon’s wisdom; Ecclesiastes the depths of his folly. The inspired record never glosses over the truth, though it may be painful and ugly.

So far in Acts, Luke’s portrayal of the church has been totally positive. From its dramatic birth on the Day of Pentecost to its joyous, dynamic fellowship and explosive growth, the faithful writer has portrayed the church in all its pristine beauty, freshness, and vitality. Even Satan’s attempt to thwart the church through the external pressure applied to its leaders was a failure.

Such a picture is not complete, however. No church is perfect, since all are made up of sinners, and the early church was no exception. This section of Acts chronicles a negative milestone in the church’s history: the first recorded instance of sin. Of all the firsts in Acts, this is certainly the saddest.

Satan’s purpose is to oppose the work of God. In doing that he is living up to his name, which means “adversary.” Where God is at work, he will be active. His initial attack on the church, the persecution of the apostles by the Sanhedrin, backfired. Not only did it fail to silence the apostles, but also Acts 4:4 records that “many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

Further, it gave Peter and John the opportunity to preach the gospel to the Sanhedrin. Faced with that defeat, Satan changed his tactics. Realizing that external pressure only tended to fan the flames, he decided to get at the base of the fire. To do so, he infiltrated the church to attack it with corruption from within. Through the centuries, that tactic has proven to be far more effective than external persecution.

The sins of the saints were a greater burden to Paul than all the opposition he faced from unbelievers. In 2 Corinthians 11:23–27, he catalogs a horrifying list of the physical persecutions he had endured:

“Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if insane) I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

All that paled into insignificance, however, in light of his burden for the churches: “Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?” (2 Cor. 11:28–29).

Paul expressed that “intense concern” when he urged the Romans to keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting. (Rom. 16:17–18)

He lamented that the Galatians were “so quickly deserting Him who called [them] by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another,” and warned them of “some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6–7).

To the Philippians he wrote, “If therefore there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose” (Phil. 2:1–2).

The greatest burden any minister carries, the thing that grieves his heart the most, is the sin of his people. Peter was the first to have to deal with that problem, one every succeeding minister has faced. Acts 5:1–11 records how he handled it. Before showing us the ugliness of the impurity of the church, however, Luke provides a backdrop with a last look at the purity of the church in 4:32–37. This background makes the sin appear all the more vivid, showing that a church at its noblest and purest is only one act away from spiritual tragedy. The passage thus falls into two sections: the sharing of the saints and the sins of the saints.

The Sharing of the Saints

And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need. And Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means, Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (4:32–37)

This concise passage forms the positive backdrop against which the negative portrait of sin in the church is portrayed. From it four features emerge that illustrate the richness of the fellowship and sharing experienced in the early church.

Spiritual Participation -- And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; (4:32a)

The congregation of those who believed had grown so rapidly that they were no longer numbered. That startling growth was the direct result of the action recorded in verse 31, when those who were “filled with the Holy Spirit … began to speak the word of God with boldness.” The unity of the believers, who were of one heart and soul, was also a powerful testimony. Jesus said in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

In His high-priestly prayer, Jesus prayed that “they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me” (John 17:21). The first fellowship was an answer to that prayer both in position and practice.

The basis of their shared life was twofold.

First, they were preoccupied with ministering to each other. So intent were they on meeting each other’s needs that they had no concern for gratifying their own desires. Theirs was a humility stemming from seeing themselves in relation to Jesus Christ, and others as more important than themselves (Phil. 2:3).

Second, they were focused beyond themselves to reaching the lost world with the truth of the gospel. That left them little time to bother with trivial personal matters. Their unity stemmed from focusing on those priorities Jesus had left them: selflessly loving each other, and reaching the lost world.

Strong Preaching -- And with great power the apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. (4:33)

The great power of the apostles came from the filling of the Spirit (Acts 1:8). It was in His power that they were giving witness to the resurrection—the very thing the Sanhedrin had forbidden them to do. The imperfect tense of the verb translated were giving shows that was their continual practice. As Peter expressed it to the Sanhedrin, “We cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Like Paul, they felt keenly their obligation to proclaim the gospel (cf. Rom. 1:14–15).

As noted in chapter 2 and chapter 5 of this commentary, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus was the major emphasis of apostolic preaching (cf. Acts 2:24, 32; 3:15; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30, 33, 34, 37). Although they knew that such an emphasis greatly offended the Jewish authorities, the apostles never suppressed the truth to avoid that offense. Such an uncompromising attitude stands in stark contrast to the church’s practice today. In the name of “contextualization” (a more palatable term for worldliness), the gospel message is stripped of anything deemed offensive. But unbelievers must be offended at the point of their sin, or they will never come to Christ.

In Romans 9:33, Paul applied to Jesus Christ the words of Isaiah (cf. Isa. 8:14; 28:16): “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.” Peter also quotes Isaiah and adds that those who stumble do so “because they are disobedient to the word” (1 Peter 2:8). Unbelievers’ very existence is an affront to God; certainly we must risk affronting them to let them know that.

Because of the apostles’ powerful preaching, abundant grace was upon them all. Grace (favor) can be understood in two ways. First, as in 2:47, it can refer to the approval of the people. Although the leaders opposed them, the common people had not yet turned against them. On the contrary, they were impressed by the believers’ love and unity. Second, and more important, the early church had God’s favor. A fellowship characterized by loving unity and evangelistic zeal receives God’s blessings.

Sharing Practically --and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them.… For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet; and they would be distributed to each, as any had need. (4:32b, 34–35)

The loving, unselfish unity of the early church found a practical expression in the sharing of material possessions. Not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own; but all things were common property to them. The phrase not one of them shows that this attitude was characteristic of everyone inclusively. They all understood that everything they had belonged to God, and they possessed it in trust for Him. Since all belonged to God, when someone had a need, they were obligated to use the divine resources to meet that need. A very practical test of a Christian’s love is how much he or she is willing to sacrifice financially.

James asks, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?” (James 2:15–16).

The apostle John expressed it even more bluntly: “But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17).

Second Corinthians 8 demonstrates the sacrificial spirit of the poor believers in Macedonia:

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. (vv. 1–5)

The result of this practical demonstration of love in Jerusalem was that there was not a needy person among them. As noted in the discussion of Acts 2:44–46 in chapter 7, thousands of pilgrims flocked into Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost. Undoubtedly, many in the early church came from the ranks of those pilgrims. They understandably decided to remain in Jerusalem under the apostles’ teaching rather than return home. Further, some believers who lived in Jerusalem no doubt lost their jobs because of their faith.

That the church met all these needs showed the depth of believers’ love for each other. Such care and sharing was a powerful testimony to their community.

More specifically, Luke reports that to meet the needs of others, all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales, and lay them at the apostles’ feet. Selling houses and land was far more sacrificial than sharing part of one’s income. It meant liquidating capital assets that could be irreplaceable, thus reducing one’s personal security. Some have seen in this passage a primitive form of communism or communal living. As noted in the discussion of Acts 2:44–46 in chapter 7, however, that is not true. As in 2:45, the imperfect tense of the verbs indicates continuous action. They did not at any point pool all their possessions.

Also, it is clear from Acts 12:12 that individual believers still owned houses. Further, Peter’s words to Ananias in 5:4 show that such selling of property was strictly voluntary. The singling out of Barnabas also implies that the selling was voluntary. If it were compulsory there would have been nothing commendatory about his actions. Finally, Acts does not record that any other church followed this pattern of selling property.

The proceeds would be distributed to each, as any had need. That was done by the apostles, who (at least temporarily, cf. 6:1ff.) were in charge of distributing funds to the poor. The imperfect verb denotes the continuous nature of the distribution. It was a continuous way of life for those with property periodically to sell it as needed on behalf of others.

This passage illustrates an important pattern concerning giving in the local church. The donations are to be placed in the control of the spiritual teachers, who are then responsible before God for their use. Too often, people want to give only if they can specify how the money is to be used. That kind of self-serving giving fails to understand the delegated spiritual authority of God-ordained leaders and may often merely seek the applause of men.

Giving is to be so selfless that Jesus said in Matthew 6:3–4, “When you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” Then He added, “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

A Sample Person-- And Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means, Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. (4:36–37)

Luke now singles out one man as an example from among those who were donating property. Joseph, better known as Barnabas, becomes a prominent figure in Acts. He introduced Paul to the suspicious Jerusalem congregation, reassuring them that his conversion was genuine (Acts 9:26–27).

In Acts 11:22–24, he undertook a mission to minister to the Greek converts in Antioch. He was Paul’s personal companion during the early years of the great apostle’s ministry. He accompanied him to Jerusalem with the contributions sent from Antioch to help the poor there (Acts 11:30). After serving alongside him as one of the coministers in Antioch (Acts 13:1), he accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:2ff.). At the conclusion of that journey, Barnabas and Paul represented the Antioch church at the crucial Jerusalem council (Acts 15).

Sadly, his close association with Paul ended in the dispute over taking John Mark on the second missionary journey (Acts 15:36–41).

Because this is the first time Barnabas appears in Acts, Luke provides some background information on him. He was a Levite, a member of the priestly tribe. Not all those connected with the temple were enemies of Jesus and the apostles. Like Paul, he was not a native of the land of Israel, but was of Cyprian birth. The fact that he was from the island of Cyprus may indicate why the first missionary trip with Paul began with that island. He was given the name Barnabas by the apostles, which translated, Luke notes, means Son of Encouragement. He was related to Mark (Col. 4:10), and his sister’s house was the meeting place of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:12). Despite his falling out with Paul, he certainly lived up to his name. Luke describes him in Acts 11:24 as “a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith.”

How it was possible for a Levite to have owned a tract of land is not stated. The Old Testament prohibited the Levites from owning property (Num. 18:20, 24; Deut. 10:9), though they did own houses (Lev. 25:32–33). That prohibition was apparently not enforced in New Testament times. Whether the property Barnabas sold was located in Palestine or his native Cyprus is also not stated.

Luke is not concerned with how he obtained the property or where it was located. What is important is the loving heart of Barnabas, who sold the land and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. He gave out of a pure love, not to call attention to himself but for the simple blessedness of giving (cf. Acts 20:35). He represents many others who also gave sacrificially and is an example for us to follow.