Digging Deeper – All of Us Giving All of Us
42 All the believers devoted themselves…
Acts 2:42a (NLT)
ALL OF US GIVING ALL OF US
Have you ever played tug-of-war? You know, where two teams pull on opposite ends of a rope, trying to drag the other team across a marked center line. I’ve been on some winning teams, as well as some losing teams. Do you know what the one common denominator has been on those winning occasions? It wasn’t because we had one incredibly strong ox on the team; it was because every team member was pulling the rope with all his or her might.
So it was in the early church, as each man and woman was “all in” when it came to learning about Jesus, worship, fellowship, prayer, serving others, and giving as much as was needed to support those who couldn’t support themselves. Not only that, but Luke also makes a point to say they experienced joy as a result!
For 25 years I have watched the reality show Survivor (it debuted in 2000—crazy, I know). The goal of the game is to Outwit, Outplay, and Outlast all your fellow competitors to be the last one standing and win the $1 million prize. It’s always so interesting to see how certain tribes respond when they face adversity. In the earlier years of the show, tribes would almost always eliminate the weakest players early—the ones who didn’t contribute, couldn’t pull their weight, or were social liabilities.
This was truly a Darwinian mindset—“survival of the fittest.” Couldn’t solve the puzzle? Didn’t help build the shelter? Didn’t catch a fish? Didn’t swallow that disgusting bug in the challenge? You’re gone. The tribe recognized that, at least for a time, they were only as strong as their weakest members. And winning challenges was key to advancing in the game and avoiding Tribal Council!
Strangely, this is almost the antithesis of the early church. They showed compassion for the weak. They provided for those who had nothing to eat. They shared everything and looked for ways to help others. They also understood they could only be as strong as their weakest link. But instead of voting them off the island, they built them up, strengthened them, and encouraged them.
But it took ALL of them—not just the strongest, wealthiest, or most influential. ALL.
When we all begin to pull the rope, it’s amazing what we can accomplish, and who we can reach with the love of Jesus.
C.A. Phillips serves as Communications Pastor and Director of Men’s Groups at NorthStar Church. He is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia, and he loves the Dawgs and the Atlanta Braves. He has two (grown) boys and lives in Kennesaw with his wife, Amy, and their German Shepherd, Abby.
