Are we really New Testament Church???

[Michael The Disciple]

Let us not be to quick to write off having "all things common".

42: And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43: And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44: And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45: And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:42-45

Isnt this Acts 2? Is this not a very foundational chapter? Dont people try to change the meaning of the plan of salvation in the very verses just before this?

Is it not worth considering?

Its not the only time its mentioned.

32: And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33: And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34: Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35: And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36: And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37: Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4:32-37

What did Paul mean when he wrote this?

9: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
10: And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
11: Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
12: For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13: For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
15: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Cor. 8:9-15

This looks like its in the mouth of two or three witnesses dont it?

Is there any interpretation besides it was a temporary thing in Jerusalem to feed those coming for the feast?

[A.W. Bowman]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

This looks like its in the mouth of two or three witnesses dont it?

Is there any interpretation besides it was a temporary thing in Jerusalem to feed those coming for the feast?

Short answer: Yes. But to get to the additional interpretation(s) must take all of the N.T. writings and place them in the context of the first century church history, and why the church in Jerusalem was notability different from all of the rest of the established churches.

When, where, why, and how was this church established?
What was its purpose and how did it accomplish that purpose?
Who were the members of the church? Its leaders?
What was the relationship of this church to the rest of the assemblies?
What happened to the church in Jerusalem?
What was its role in God's plan for the salvation of mankind?

Now, take all of the N.T. writings and evaluate them with these questions in mind.

What picture emerges from this mixture?

For those who would like to push there studies further - what was it about the history of Jerusalem and its Hebrew church that the Gentile church of the Romans found so intolerable?

[Aquila]

Originally Posted by Michael The Disciple

Let us not be to quick to write off having "all things common".

42: And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43: And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44: And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45: And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. Acts 2:42-45

Isnt this Acts 2? Is this not a very foundational chapter? Dont people try to change the meaning of the plan of salvation in the very verses just before this?

Is it not worth considering?

Its not the only time its mentioned.

32: And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
33: And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
34: Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,
35: And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.
36: And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
37: Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. Acts 4:32-37

What did Paul mean when he wrote this?

9: For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
10: And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
11: Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
12: For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13: For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
15: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Cor. 8:9-15

This looks like its in the mouth of two or three witnesses dont it?

Is there any interpretation besides it was a temporary thing in Jerusalem to feed those coming for the feast?

The book of Acts is essentially a historical document. It expresses historical events as they unfolded. We see that the Jerusalem church had all things common and combined all that they owned to stabilize the early church by seeing to it that the needs of the people were adequately addressed, not to mention the needs of the ministry (my assumption here). We don't see this happening everywhere a church was established.

Now the reference in I Corinthians needs to be in context. The Epistles are not "creeds" or generalized list of "how to's". They are letters written to certain audiences to address specific issues. There was a famine in Judea. Paul was telling the Corinthian church that by giving relief offerings during this famine they were blessing the body of Christ. Notice what Paul says....

14: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
15: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Cor. 8:14-15

This principle came into play because "now at this time" the church in Jerusalem faced a famine. Notice that Paul had to give these instructions in the wake of this famine...illustrating that the idea of relief was something they weren't practicing prior to this.

We do the same thing today. When churches were hit hard by Katrina we took up offerings to help them in time of need, establishing an equality by bearing each others burdens, allowing our abundance to be a supply for their want. So that in the future their abundance might become supply for our want when we are in need.