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Radical Generosity

The early Church had a keen awareness that they were part of a bigger story, a redemptive story. What resulted was a radical generosity.
Lloyd Kim|08 Jan 2019
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Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 
–Acts 4:32

In this passage from Acts, a scene unfolds that describes a community that has experienced new life and a new sense of purpose and calling. There was a keen awareness that they were part of a bigger story, a redemptive story. What resulted was a collective engagement in kingdom advancement and radical generosity.

Does the description of the early church match what we see in our own community of faith? Our challenge today is to recognize that we too are a part of this same unfolding drama and to experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ Spirit, working in and through us.

This early church community was of “one heart and one soul.” What does this mean? The radical generosity we see in Acts is grounded on the understanding that we are all one body. Our Christian faith was never meant to be individualistic. When we are in Christ, we are not only connected to Jesus, but we are connected to one another—as messy as that can be. This is not only true for believers in our home church, but those across the globe.

Being of “one heart and one soul” not only describes our identity, but also our purpose. The disciples were of one heart and one soul in their mission to bear witness to Jesus. And so the radical giving to meet the needs of the saints was not simple charity, but served to free those in need to also engage in kingdom witness. The sharing of resources was ultimately to increase the number of those who would bear witness and advance Christ’s kingdom, unhindered by concerns for daily bread.

Our identity as the body of Christ means that Jesus’ vision is our vision: We want to see the gospel of the kingdom advancing throughout the world. How does that happen? It happens when we invest generously in kingdom initiatives that bear witness to our King Jesus—when we send part of us, part of our body, to reach out into the darkness and shine the light of Christ.

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Lloyd Kim

Lloyd Kim is coordinator of Mission to the World. He is a former PCA pastor and a former missionary with MTW in the Philippines and Cambodia. He holds an M.Div. from Westminster Seminary in California and a Ph.D. in New Testament studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. Lloyd and his wife, Eda, are the parents of Kaelyn, Christian, and Katy.

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Join an Expanding Team in Occidental Mindoro

Longer More right-arrow
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In Cambodia, as in other MTW fields around the world, planting churches and establishing ministries of mercy and justice go hand-in-hand.

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Some perceived barriers are just weaknesses God can use. While others can be easily developed.

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See More right-arrow

Pray that God would remove perceived obstacles people have to serving in missions, and that those He is calling would take steps to explore service.

Related Story right-arrow

Pray that those who experience God's grace through mercy ministry would be drawn into the local church and accept the truth of the gospel.

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Pray for missionary kids growing up overseas, and for missionary parents with concerns about the impact of missionary life on their kids.

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mtw logo
Mission to the World
1600 North Brown Rd
Lawrenceville, GA 30043
United States
Donor-Advised Fund Portal
Circle Portal
About arrow-down
    • Who We Are
    • Where We Work
    • US Regional Reps
    • Our History
    • MTW Staff Careers
    • Contact Us
Pray
Stories & More
Events
My Account arrow-dwn
    • My Account
      • My Giving
      • My Profile
      • Giving FAQs
Go arrow-dwn
    • Search Opportunities
    • Mission Trips
    • Summer Internships
    • 1–11 Months
    • Longer Term
    • Join the Story
    • Specialized Ministries
      • Medical
      • Workplace Ministries
      • Arts, Music & Media
      • RUF Mentored Internships
    • Multicultural Mobilization
Give arrow-dwn
    • Donations Hub
    • Missionaries
    • Projects
    • Estate & Gift Planning
    • Disaster Response/Compassion Fund
Resources arrow-dwn
    • All Resources
    • Cultivate
    • Videos
    • 1% Challenge
    • Resources for Kids
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