We're All in This Together

"All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." 

(Acts 2:  44-45, NIV) 

Every time I read these verses, I think of a commune.  Wikipedia describes a commune as "an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, work and income.  Remember the communes of the 60's?  The hippie villages?  A group of hippies, living together on one piece of property, just free to be, "love not war", etc.  I was young at the time, but I remember hearing about them and seeing them on television.  Now, a group of people living closely together with a sense of unity would be considered a community, such as the Amish.  

Three thousand people have just been saved and baptized.  Peter preached a message and they responded.  The believers devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship and prayer.  They ate together; they worshiped together.  Many signs and wonders were being done by the apostles.  The Lord was adding daily to their number.  Their slogan must have been "All together now.  All for one---one for all".       

We, as Americans, are very independent, and in many ways, selfish.  We have been taught to work hard to achieve the "American dream".  And, the success we accomplish mainly stays with "self".  There are those who become a philanthropist once they have achieved great wealth, but what about the average Joe?  Would we be willing to sell our possessions and give it to the poor?  After all, we worked for it, right? 

God wants us to work together as a community of believers to reach the lost and advance His kingdom.  He doesn't want us to go 'solo'.  I have often heard it said that 20% of the people in a church congregation do 80% of the work.  And, the percentages for financial support are probably not much better or could be worse.  Whatever the case, the church body as a whole is not 'all in it together'.  The load is being carried by a few.  Isn't it time for Christians to join together, just as they did in the book of Acts, and be committed to one another and work together for the greater good?