Are Christians called to follow this example?

[durangodawood]

Acts 2:42-47 (New International Version)


The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
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Do Christians benefit from living this way? Does communal property help one get close to God? Is the example of the apostles considered a model for Christians generally? Should their communal lifestyle be encouraged?
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[ebia]

Acts 2:42-47 (New International Version)


The Fellowship of the Believers

42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
.
.
Do Christians benefit from living this way? Does communal property help one get close to God? Is the example of the apostles considered a model for Christians generally? Should their communal lifestyle be encouraged?
.

It tells us something about the depth of our responsibility towards each other - that when the earliest church talked about being brothers and sisters they really meant it in a world where family meant serious levels of responsibility.

But the actual almost communal (it seems from reading the wider passage more carefully that we read this a little too simplistically and absolutely sometimes) way of Acts 2 isn't played out even in the rest of Acts or in the churches like Corinth or Colossae when Paul writes to them. There doesn't seem to be, in the rest of the New Testament, a feeling that the church should live as a commune, but there is definitely a feeling that the church must live as a family with all the mutual responsibilities of care and equality that go with that.

 

[durangodawood]

It tells us something about the depth of our responsibility towards each other - that when the earliest church talked about being brothers and sisters they really meant it in a world where family meant serious levels of responsibility.

But the actual almost communal (it seems from reading the wider passage more carefully that we read this a little too simplistically and absolutely sometimes) way of Acts 2 isn't played out even in the rest of Acts or in the churches like Corinth or Colossae when Paul writes to them. There doesn't seem to be, in the rest of the New Testament, a feeling that the church should live as a commune, but there is definitely a feeling that the church must live as a family with all the mutual responsibilities of care and equality that go with that.

I see. After thinking about it a bit more, it does seem like the monastic model. But I'm a little surprised more Christians havent picked up on it, or at least tried it, as its quite a prominent example of spirit focused living.
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[ephraimanesti]

I see. After thinking about it a bit more, it does seem like the monastic model. But I'm a little surprised more Christians havent picked up on it, or at least tried it, as its quite a prominent example of spirit focused living.

MY FRIEND,

Actually, there are many examples of Christian communal living in the present. Below are a couple you might want to check out:

Church Communities

L'Arche USA - L'Arche USA Home

ENJOY!

ABBA'S FOOL,
ephraim

 

[salida]

This example is great if God calls a christian to do that. Not everyone is called to live like that-it depends on ones ministry.

 

[98cwitr]

^^^God calls all those that should be Christian to do just that, Sister.

Pure Christianity would have to equate to Socialism. If you dont like that idea you might want to look into how Jesus wants us to live our lives and look at the definition of socialism...they are the same. The only thing you remove from the equation entirely is money or wages. Each person subsequently working for the commonwealth of other persons without regard to themselves or their own personal gain(s). No currency, no greed, only "brotherly love" and selflessness (if such a thing ever could exist in a person).

I believe that the short answer is yes. The long answer being that many of us, myself included are blinded in the socioeconomic status that we try to live by and in which we are accepted.

We would all be a strict socialist economy if we are to follow the literal meaning of this passage and the way Jesus lived by in a Christian society. Many believe that Jesus took on his father's occupation because that was the customary socioeconomic state of the society that Jesus lived in, but no where in the Bible am I able to find concert evidence of such.

There are many sects of Christianity, such as the Amish, that may uphold this biblical instruction much better than those of us (myself included) that live in mainstream society. We are conditioned to go to school, go to college, and get a good paying job so we can sustain a family. I believe Jesus would rather have us sustain ourselves as a community of believers than ourselves as socialite individuals.

Are most of doing it wrong? yes. Are most of us unable to accept the literal meaning of scripture because it would circumvent our economic comfort zone? yes. Are we unwilling to accept the fact that our parents and grandparents did not follow the Biblical instruction emphatically? yes. I am inclusive in all of these things....