May the mumbling commence!
I have been watching some of the Democratic National Convention. Many people are talking about the “American Dream”. What is the “American Dream”? From what I’ve been hearing, the “American Dream” is about everyone having a fair opportunity to succeed.
But who defines what is fair? The wealthy or the middle class or the poor? The answer will be vastly different depending on who you ask the question to.
And who defines what success is? The American definition of success is having things better than our parents and grandparents did. Success is more education. Success is more influence. Success is more knowledge. Success is having more things – more than the majority of those around us.
If we go to the Bible and ask these same questions, what will we find? I look to a couple of passages from Acts. Read from Acts chapter two:
Then those who welcomed his message were baptized, and on that day alone about three thousand souls were added to the number of disciples. They continued steadily learning the teaching of the apostles, and joined in their fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer.
Everyone felt a deep sense of awe, while many miracles and signs took place through the apostles. All the believers shared everything in common; they sold their possessions and goods and divided the proceeds among the fellowship according to individual need. Day after day they met by common consent in the Temple; they broke bread together in their homes, sharing meals with simple joy. They praised God continually and all the people respected them. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were finding salvation. (Verses 41-47)
Where did the first church finds its definitions of fairness and comfort? Their definitions were built upon continual study of the teachings of the apostles, which were grounded upon the teachings of Jesus – seeing the Scriptures through the eyes of Jesus. This teaching and learning happened in the context of fellowship around the table and in the context of prayer. And everyone was in awe at what the Holy Spirit was doing through the apostles.
What was the response to the teachings? All believes shared everything in common. All the community’s possessions were invested in the needs of the community and the individuals that comprised it. Why, that’s un-American! That’s communistic!
Well, it is also the practice of the followers of Jesus’ way at the very beginning. They who knew Jesus the best knew success and fairness was based upon communal living – not upon a dog-eat-dog world where it is survival of the fittest. Fairness takes into account all the members of a community and the thoughts, wishes and dreams of everyone. Success means being able to lend a helping hand to someone who desperately needs it. Read some more about this community from Acts chapter four:
Among the large number who had become believers there was complete agreement of heart and soul. Not one of them claimed any of his possessions as his own but everything was common property. The apostles continued to give their witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great force, and a wonderful spirit of generosity pervaded the whole fellowship. Indeed, there was not a single person in need among them. For those who owned land or property would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and place them at the apostles' feet. They would distribute to each one according to his need. (Verses 32-35)
All possession were not personal in this Christian community they were communal. Those wealthy enough to own property would sell off their property to lie at the apostles’ feet. And the apostles would decide how to best distribute it. Did you get that? The apostles decided, with the help of the community and the Holy Spirit, how to use the proceeds from a sale of property – NOT the person who owned it.
This is a revolutionary way to live in community. It is not communism. It is not democracy. It is not a republic. It is not a dictatorship. It is a theocracy at its best. This is the great “Christian Dream”. It has much more truth and substance than any vestige of the “American Dream” that is left – or ever was.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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