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This past Sunday as our faith community sang the confessional worship song “Is He Worthy?” (lyrics below), i found myself pondering, “Do i really believe what i am singing? Is God truly worthy of all blessing, honor, and glory? And if He is, am i really living out my life as if He is?”
Those questions caused me to think about the early believers we read about in the Book of Acts.(1) Because they truly believed God is worthy, there was a conspicuous transformation that occurred in their lives. It changed the way they thought about everything – themselves, their priorities, their relationships, their time, and their possessions. They immediately recognized something that appears to be more difficult for us today.
“They felt that what they owned was not their own.”(1) The hearts of the believers had disconnected from their “stuff” and their own ambitions; instead they “connected” with the Spirit of God. They no longer felt entitled. They now felt blessed. They were no longer possessed by their belongings. That which they had in their possession was now seen as a means with which to minister to others. Luke writes that the believers were “united in heart and mind.”(1) They were no longer united with their personal possessions; rather, they were united with one another. They were united in Christ. They were “believers” in every sense of the word. They not only believed in Jesus for their salvation; they believed in Him and trusted Him for all that they needed. Their satisfaction and worth no longer came from what they possessed; rather, their complete satisfaction was in God through Christ.
Today as twenty-first century believers, we read that passage and immediately want to issue disclaimers. “Surely God does not intend for me to give away all that i have!” That statement, in and of itself, reflects the condition of our hearts, our trust and our belief. The passage doesn’t tell us that they all sold all of their possessions all at once. It says that they shared everything they had so that no need went unmet. Needs were met as they arose through the provision that God placed within the body of believers. The issue wasn’t the possessions; rather, it was the ownership of those possessions. They didn’t all immediately sell everything that they had; rather, they immediately surrendered the “deed” to all that they had to the One who had provided it. Through that transaction of “surrender,” they were acknowledging that they were no longer the owners. Their possessions were no longer theirs to keep – or even to give. That decision rested solely with the Owner. The possessions were His to use as He saw fit.
As an example, there are many today who want to debate whether or not we are to tithe a percentage of our income to God through His local storehouse – the church. We see the tithe established in the Old Testament as early as Genesis 14 as a starting point for giving to the Lord. Additionally, we see a multitude of offerings that were to be given over and above the tithe. The debate today surrounds whether those commands that were given to God’s people under the Law still apply to those of us who are now under grace. i have heard many who profess to be followers of Christ use “grace” as a justification that we are no longer to give a tithe because we are no longer under the Law. They are using “grace” to justify their refusal to honor God with the provisions He has given.
The early believers clearly demonstrated that we are no longer to return a portion of what God has provided back to Him; rather, we are to return it ALL. He does not own one-tenth of what we have. Grace shows us that He owns ALL that we have! If we are giving a tithe of our income through the local church – that’s only the beginning point – not a point of debate.
Those early believers knew that giving – whether it was of their possessions or time – had nothing to do with percentages or amounts; rather, it had everything to do with their hearts. Many of them had been eyewitnesses to Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross. Their hearts were now gripped by Him and for one another, and they had loosened their grasp on their own ambitions and “things”. Faith in Christ creates a bond of love with people, and cuts the bond of love with possessions. We are to be freed from the love of things and firm in our love for others.
Over the years, i have heard pastors and teachers (myself included) talk about “giving sacrificially”. But, in light of God’s worthiness and the example of those early believers, i think we get that wrong. i can only sacrifice something i own. If i no longer own it, it is no longer mine to sacrifice. i have “abandoned” all that i am and all that i have to the Master. i no longer have any rights or say over its disposition. i am simply the caretaker for the Owner, carrying out His directive, trusting that as i do, He will also provide for my needs.
One of those early believers, Joseph, or as we better know him – Barnabas – was a great picture of abandonment.(1) As a Levite, Barnabas would have been far from being affluent. His act of selling a field and bringing the proceeds to the apostles was tantamount to the widow who gave the mite. He wasn’t giving from his plenty; he was basically giving all that he had. Because he had surrendered it to God long before any money was ever received from a buyer! His abandonment was not only seen in the property that was sold, it was also seen through his other actions as well. In Acts we see that Barnabas was abandoned to His Lord in his willingness and obedience to reach out to a new convert by the name of Saul when all the rest of the believers in Jerusalem were afraid of him.(2) Through his abandonment, God led Barnabas, a Jew, to leave his home in Cypress to go to Antioch and co-shepherd the new Gentile church.(3) From there, Barnabas and Paul were led by the Spirit of God to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles throughout modern-day Turkey, Syria and Cypress.(4) But it all began with a demonstrated freedom from the love of “stuff” and an overwhelming love for Jesus.
They gave it all – not at the point that they sold their property – they gave it all long before that. They gave it all when they surrendered their lives to Jesus. The sale of property, the giving of all that they owned, was merely evidence of their surrender and abandonment. Like Barnabas or the widow who only had the mite, it doesn’t matter how much or how little we have. The question before every one of us is – have we given it ALL? What are we continuing to hold onto tightly? What are we refusing to let go of? The old saying is still true – “Jesus is not Lord at all, if He is not Lord over all!” Is He worthy? Or are those words just something we sing?
Is He worthy of all? He is!
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This post is adapted from Until He Returns chapter 14, entitled “They Gave It All.” This sixth book in the Lessons Learned In The Wilderness series is available through Amazon in print or for your e-reader. Click HERE for more information on how you can obtain your copy of the book.
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(1) Acts 4:32-37 (NLT)
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. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
(2) Acts 9:26-27
(3) Acts 11:22
(4) Acts 13-14
Copyright © 2022 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
Photo by Andrew Maranta on Unsplash
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Is He Worthy?
Do you feel the world is broken? (We do)
Do you feel the shadows deepen? (We do)
But do you know that all the dark won't stop the light from getting through? (We do)
Do you wish that you could see it all made new? (We do)
Is all creation groaning? (It is)
Is a new creation coming? (It is)
Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? (It is)
Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? (It is)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this?
He is
Does the Father truly love us? (He does)
Does the Spirit move among us? (He does)
And does Jesus, our Messiah hold forever those He loves? (He does)
Does our God intend to dwell again with us? (He does)
Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole?
Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?
The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave
He is David's root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave
From every people and tribe
Every nation and tongue
He has made us a kingdom and priests to God
To reign with the Son
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Is He worthy of this?
He is! He is!
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
He is! He is!
He is worthy! He is worthy!
He is!
Written by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive