In our first post on they subject we looked at the importance of unity among believers.  In this post we are looking at the power that comes with unity in the body of believers.

The Power of Unity

Because of the unity and conviction that the early disciples have they have great power.  The question for us is what did they use that power for?  What does the Bible say they did with their power?

As we reflect on Acts 4:32-27 the first thing that we see the early believers using their power for is to continue to testify to the resurrection of Jesus.  Remember, they have constantly been under pressure from authorities, been jailed, threatened with punishment, etc.  so it would have been understandable had they used their power in other ways.  Despite the pressure, they continued to testify to the resurrection of Christ and talk about how it has impacted their lives.  They went on proclaiming the truth of Christ to everyone around them.

The second areas where they used their power was to meet needs.  God was using them to be gracious and bless others.  Quite simply, they were blessed to be a blessing.  They were using what they had to meet the needs of others (no doubt meeting the request of the Law that there be no poor among them - Deut. 15:4).  We are told that they exercise their power to such a degree that there was "no needy person among them."  What we are to understand is that because of first century Christians there were none the were hungry or in need of anything.  Now let's be clear - it doesn't say that they met all wants.  No, they met needs.  Everyone had their basic needs met.  

Because of their unity the church is able to exercise power in a huge way.  This power doesn't go wasted on political or ideological practices.  The city expanded the church, both by PROCLAIMING the Word of God and PRACTICING the Word of God in their life by blessing others.

​In our last installment on the unity seen in Acts 4:32-47 we'll look at the results of unity.

This passage has always inspired the church to be better and to make a difference in the community around them.  What is inspiring is not just the generosity that is seen, but the unity that sets the table for the generosity.  Simply put: no unity, no generosity.  It should lead us to ask the question: what would the church today look like if it was unified?  Over the next few posts I'd like to examine the issue of unity and bring out some keys aspects of unity for the church and for society in general. Today we look at the IMPORTANCE of unity

The Importance of Unity

Perhaps the best example of the importance of unity is the United States military.  Unity is an indispensable characteristic of the military.  The success of one is tied up in the success of the group and vice versa.  Where there is no unity, people's lives are at risk.

Whether we like it or not, it is the same way with the church - we all sink or swim with each other, no exceptions.  In the passage above we see that Luke goes to a lot of trouble to make it clear that these early Christians were unified. Their unification led them to be generous with their material possessions.  My first reaction, having read this passage countless times, is that this is no big deal; their generosity is what we SHOULD expect from them.  But there is something more important going on here - something deeper going on here.  There must be in order to get people to give stuff away.  Remember, consumerism and idolatry over money is alive and well in the 1st century.  What they shared here was a conviction of Christ, His significance, and His meaning to the created world.  It wasn't just about money and stuff, it goes much deeper than this.

What happened is that Christ transformed the categories in their lives.  Perhaps we need to go a step further: He didn't just transform them, He destroyed them and created new categories for us to follow.  Here's an example:  money and material stuff is often looked at as a "horizontal" category.  This means that these things concern us and people around us - hence a horizontal category.  It is a concern for here and now.  When Christ comes he moves money, material things, etc. from merely a horizontal category to a vertical category.  What this means is the everything that we have, do, think, etc. is now funneled through the truth of the Gospel.  What can't be lost is that this only happens because the church is unified in its conviction about Christ and His work.

Next post we'll be looking at the power of unity.