I GOT IT!!!

Ever had one of those moments where you are talking, you make a claim or comment only to be SHOT OUT OF THE SKY by a well meaning but cynical person in your group, church, class etc.. Then that night while you are stewing over it thinking I should have said...

Well, tonight I just had one of those moments. What is most ironic about it is that it was almost 4 years in the making. So I am a bit slow.

Seriously. 3 to 4 years ago after one of my trips to Mexico I came back talking about the ACTS church and how they sold all they had and gave to the poor. I talked to them about the Rich Young Ruler who refused one element and so we leave him not knowing who he was or would be. He couldn't do it.

I was emboldened and challenged up the church I was at to do just that, to look into downsizing in our personal lives and selling what we had to make a difference in our community, the East side of Des Moines, Iowa.

One well meaning christian in our group took huge offense to that and in her nicest way told me I was a naive ignor-amous. "We have houses to pay for and bills to pay. God wouldn't expect us to just live as a homeless bum in order for someone in Africa to have a house." I was blown over at the time.

Little by little I understood, she hadn't seen what I saw. She hadn't walked hand in hand with a child who wanted to experience love in their garbage dump home. She hadn't had a mentally handicapped child CLING TO ME only to after an entire day, 5 hours of my holding him, have to have him PRIED screaming from my arms so that my group could leave. "IF Love were food, they would be starved" was my journal that day.

This well meaning, AMERICAN 'Christian' had not experienced this or any other poverty. Just the poverty of her own heart and compassion.

Well, tonight I finally found the comeback. I was reading and it was like a GOD SIZED LIGHT BULB! In this woman's mind set it was all singular.

I would sell all I had and give to the poor. I would live in poverty. I would take on the world...

YET that is NOT at all what ACTS says... Read the following:
ACTS 2:42-47 (NLT)

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper[i]), and to prayer.
43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity[j]—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Did you read what I read? THEY!!! THEY DID IT!!! Not I, Not ME, not one person... They did it as a group! No singularity. No one left out to dry. No one left on their own. THEY worked together.

So to my past church family member in Iowa I say this... YOU WERE RIGHT!!! You can't do it. You can't sell it and give all you have. WE MUST DO IT TOGETHER!

Imagine, 3 or 4 families decide to sell their homes, give up their lavish possessions, DOWNSIZE, and rent a duplex or apartments. Between their incomes or $50,000 each they now have $200,000. They now work together to meet needs at their church, pooling their resources.

What could happen if an entire church decided to downsize their spending? To quit living the AMERICAN DREAM and start living the CHRIST LIKE LIFE?

I LONG FOR THAT DAY!!!!


Do you?