Meeting Physical Needs

In Acts 2 and 4 we read how the believers in the early Church shared everything in common and sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Acts 4:33-34 states that “God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.” As Acts 5:4 and other scriptures make clear the Bible is not calling for the abolishing of personal property or the centralized distribution of wealth. However, the example of the early Church is a necessary prompt for the Church today to actively engage in compassionate care of those in need.