Many and Yet One: The Necessity of Unity
We are immediately faced with this amazing and almost miraculous image of oneness: in mind, heart, and in possessions.
With all of our differences in upbringing, experience, and genetics how do you imagine such a unity be possible? In heart? In mind? In possession? What would each unity look like?
Why is this unity important?
In a world where our difference seems more divisive than ever, this unity we read about feels like one of the greatest miracles in the book of Acts. In the world, it might feel like an impossible reality, well, because it is. This unity doesn’t come from nowhere. It has a root, source, and direction. God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as a powerfully united God in difference is the grounding for all of our unity. 3 in 1 and yet 1 in 3.
The whole book of Acts starts with the disciple's united eyes as they all look up at Jesus’ ascension. Then they share in prayer and space as they sit together waiting for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Then at Pentecost, they find a shared voice, even though somehow in different voices. They have a shared message inspired by the Spirit. As 3,000 are added to their numbers they have united meals, united in learning, united in praise, and united in work.
Far before today when they found unity of desire, emotions, and thinking, they had a united purpose, focus, and practice centered around God’s very character and person. Two things work hand in hand: the Holy Spirit works on their outward and inward being as they practice their faith coming closer to one another and God. It is the Holy Spirit who is above us all, bigger than all of our differences that connects us and brings us closer together. And as we practice our faith life in community, we participate in that journey towards unity in him.
A common image used for this idea of unity in God is a wheel with spokes. Imagine each spoke is an individual’s journey towards or away from God. There are those people you are born beside or who have similar interests that seem closer to you, but there is always a big space between them. Then there are those who are very different, who seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. As we move closer to God we can actually meet in an unknown kind of unity, in mind, body, spirit, and heart. This unity and belonging is beautiful and I have seen it at least work in moments.
The scary thing about this reality is that as we move closer to Christ and one another, we can actually move farther away from people who aren’t moving towards God. This actually makes sense because as our hearts and minds are changed, we can’t care as much about winning a sport, or a video game, about clothes, or the new tech, because we know something far more important and life-changing. So an interesting reality is that as we invite someone into our faith or community, we are inviting them into a closer and deeper relationship with us and others.
This might not always feel it but it is immensely practical.
In todays world, where we feel the strong necessity towards unity, we need to know what unity actually looks like. It is not always the shortest distance between two points. Accepting people and being present is an important place to start, but if we leave it there it is a very shallow idea of unity. In fact, it isn’t unity at all. If you leave it there, acceptance is saying you are alright, but I don’t need to encounter you in any way. The reality of acceptance in today’s world is that it usually means we say to others, it doesn’t matter what direction you are going, what you think, even if it leads to pain and death, but you are okay. This is almost worse and less caring than not accepting. It definitely isn’t looking to actual unity. Think about unity simply, if we aren’t going in the same direction, then we will be increasing our distance and pulling the world or community in different directions.
We have gotten so scared of the violence and hostility that difference created in the past, that we usually don’t actually dig into what difference means, but God would rather empower us in our difference to come closer together. God wants to unite our difference in Him and become more together. It is the Holy Spirit who crosses the divide not inspite of our difference, but through our difference. This unity becomes an important symbol for the hope of Christ for this world.
That brings us to our difficult second reading. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to give to this unity. They want to give to the hope and life they see, but they aren’t willing to give everything. I would guess that almost all of us are in the same situation. It is hard and scary to give everything to God, because he could do anything with it, even ask us to change.
So, when we hear that they died because they keep back some money for themselves, I want to push back and say this is unjust and too harsh, but lets look at it a little closer. Keeping back money for themselves was the start. It does show distrust in God and unwillingness to put their lives in his hands, but this isn’t what Peter comments on. Peter says that Ananias has let the devil fill his heart, that they have lied, attempted to deceive the Holy Spirit, or later in vs. 9 that they tested the Spirit. In this, we see that even in a good act, they have let corruption consume them. What does this say about what we perceive as a good act and what can carry just as much evil? In this, we see that even as they attempt to help the apostles, they are dividing themselves from the Holy Spirit who is their life, and tempting God to accept a lie. What does this tell us about when we often think we are helping? The property and money already belonged to them, so why do we deceive or lie, test or give evil a foothold?
In the context of the disciples’ unity, work, and proclamation this falsity is immensely important as it is to our unity too. I think God could have worked with the distrust of not giving all the money. Through the other disciples, work, conversation, and prayer God could help them to increase their faith and trust. Mistrust like this can already be bad because it is like standing at the top of the grand canyon and trusting the air to support your weight more than the earth. But it was worse than just mistrust: the attempt to deceive and make themselves look good, to divide themselves from God, and to make the Holy Spirit settle for an evil/good that is a whole different reality with monstrous potential consequences, especially for this virginal united community in Christ. Think of how that could have consumed their work and identity.
Death always seems intense to me, but then again I have physically only experienced death as an end. What their death tells me though, is that unity means so much to God. God wants to protect, uphold and build up unity. We also see what this unity means for others as they are fed, invited in, healed, and given purpose and life. We have experienced this a bit in our life too. We also see it throughout Paul’s writing as he sees it as his purpose to unite the middle-eastern churches in a gift to Jerusalem. It makes me wonder if our disunity in the church might be one of our greatest evils. Not that we have different denominations, but that we have different purposes, work and often through our distance we present a different God. We need to work, rejoice, learn together, and more, bound by the Holy Spirit.
God is showing us at this moment what real unity can look like. It doesn’t start with good intentions, it starts with a shared purpose and identity in Jesus Christ. Then through a connection with the Holy Spirit, it leads us to a singular voice, message, mind, heart, and work. We will still be different in ways and that is important, but there is a lot of difference we hold onto which actually separates us from one another, so we need the Holy Spirit to change our hearts and mind. Let us trust and follow the work of the Holy Spirit in us.
Bible Study: Acts 4:32-37, Acts 5:1-10
Acts 4:32-37
What kind of unity have we seen up to this point in the book of Acts?
Vs. 32 Is it significant that unity was only created amidst the believers?
How would unity of heart be possible? What would it look like?
How would unity of mind be possible? What would it look like?
What does it mean that they didn’t claim any of their possessions were their own?
What would you be resistant to sharing? Why? Is there a way that you would be more comfortable with it?
Vs. 33 Do you think their work had anything to do with their unity?
What were all the ways they were testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? Why were these impactful signs
What is God’s grace? How was it “powerfully” at work in them?
Vs. 34 How are people in need? How would this community provide for all the needy?
Why is it so significant that people sold land or housing to support others and the ministry? What would this mean for them? How does this show trust and faith?
Vs. 35 Why is it an important detail that they put it at the apostles’ feet? What did the apostles do with it?
Vs. 36-7 Why is it important that Joseph was a Levite? Or that he was called Barnabas?
Is it important that we are actually given an example of someone doing this?
Acts 5:1-10
Vs. 5.1-2 Why was the positive example important, especially now that we see a negative example?
Why is it important that they both knew?
Why would they keep some money for themselves? What does this show about their relationship with God and this community?
What does their giving some of it show about their feelings for this community and God?
Vs. 2 How does Peter describe this act? What does this tell us about the Spiritual reality?
How is it possible to do a good thing and yet to allow Satan to fill your heart? What does this mean about our good intentions or seemingly good acts?
How was he trying to lie to the Spirit? What does this do to his relationship with the Spirit?
Vs. 4 What does Peter mean by telling him the property and money always belonged to him? What is Peter angry about?
Vs. 5 Why do you think Ananias fell dead? Think of as many reasons as possible. What does this tell us about what he did and why it was disastrously important in this context?
Vs. 5, 11 What do you think this fear looked like? What do you think this fear led to, within the disciples and outside?
Vs. 6, 10 Why is this detail about his burial important?
Vs. 7 Why would he come later?
Vs. 8 How did Peter test her? What did this testing in this context tell him about her?
Vs. 9 How is she trying to test the Holy Spirit? What would the Holy Spirit’s unjudged acceptance of this gift mean?
“How could you”, Peter always starts with this. What does this tell us about the drasticness of their actions?
Vs. 10 She falls down at Peter’s feet as a parallel to laying the money at his feet. What does this parallel tell us about their actions and consequences?
