Sunday Worship Service August 3, 2025

Prelude
Call to Worship Jeremiah 32:39
Hymn JBC# 27 Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, Our blessed Redeemer!
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 510 When we walk with the Lord
The Prayer Time
Offering
Scripture Acts 4:32~5:11
Prayer
Sermon “One in heart and mind”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 1234 Great is Thy faithfulness
Doxology JBC # 672
Benediction
Postlude
Welcome & Announcements


Today’s bible passage begins with the statement [All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions were their own, but they shared everything they had]
After Jesus Christ has resurrected from death and ascended to heaven, the early Christian believers who received the power of the Holy Spirit that is the Spirit of God, formed the flock of faith that way with one heart and mind.
What does it mean by [one heart and mind]?
It doesn’t mean that they shared the same opinion or perspective, or even their preferences agreed regarding anything.
Like us now, even the early Christians must have been a gathering of people with various opinions and different preferences, diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

　Our church (Beppu International Baptist Church) cherishes the fact [to rejoice in the richness found within diversity.] Particularly, people from various countries and regions gather at our church.
I hope that we will always keep in mind to recognize (find) the richness found in diversity where each one is different from one another, rejoice of that matter, and practice it in a faith-based way.
Although there are differences between us, we can agree through the same heart and mind, for there is One who makes that thing possible.
And that is Jesus Christ. Since He is with us, we are bonded together in unity of heart and mind through Christ.

Since we believe in the same God, Jesus Christ, and are guided by Him, we can say that we are one flock, a family of faith.
　It is not because there is a wonderful, attractive leader or because the church is vigorously engaged in various activities that we are united as one.
It is Jesus Christ who unites us.
The believers that have experienced spiritual rebirth through the resurrected Christ were made to be children of God, one family through Christ. In such sense, certainly [we are one in Christ (the Lord)]
It is written in today’s passage that the flock of believers of the early church [shared everything they had]
It is also written that no one among them claimed that any of their possessions was their own.
We at present consider that the individual’s owning of things or property is one important right.

However, although a Christian owns various things as personal, it is taught in the Word of God not to get strong attachment on them.
If we are over strongly attached on something like “this is mine”, we become disappointed or even feel enraged when we lose it.
However, the Christian receives the faith that [all things are given from God]
In another passage of the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 4:7 is written as follows.
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
We are urged by this word to try not to think too strongly [This is mine. I got this through my effort]

The various things that are given to us, abundant spiritual gifts, and even the good fortunes of being blessed with talents or various opportunities (chance) and others are all given to us from the Lord God.
If we think that it’s our own, we become conceited and arrogant. I wish that we always continue to stand in faith that blessings are all given from God.
In today’s passage, chap. 4:34～35 is written as follows.

34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

What could have made the believers at that time help each other so that not even one person be in need as that?
The One who made them as people that support each other as such was the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ that they testified (proclaimed) as well.
They must have had the firm belief that “they are also made to live by the resurrected Christ”.
Christ gave up His life on the cross before He resurrected. That literally means that on the cross, Christ had given everything to us human beings.
The gratefulness and joy that [Christ had given everything to us] was their motivating power.
The joy and thankfulness to have received a new life through Christ and all things has made their way of living to support one another.

With one in mind, they have made that desire come true where everyone be filled with the love of Christ, that not even one be in poverty, all people’s life be supported and that everyone be prosperous.
It’s a wonderful figure of a family of faith, and I am made to think of the desire also for us to build such a faith community.
However, it’s pictured in today’s passage a cold hard truth that the flock of the early Christian believers was never a perfect community in terms of faith.

Reading through the story about Ananias and Sapphira from chap. 5:1 is a dreadful passage.
How should we listen to God’s message from the event that happened to the man and wife Ananias and Sapphira who cheated the amount of their offering?
Amid the fact that “those who believed sold their own properties and distributed to one another as they needed”, the man and wife Ananias and Sapphira submitted it to the apostles while they told lies concerning its amount.
We need to know here that with regards to offering, it was based on the believers’ free-will (was not compulsory) even in today’s passage.

Let’s look at Peter’s words in chap.5:4.
Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?
As we can see from Peter’s remark, no one was compelled to sacrifice or financial offering. It is because what God wants to the believer is a voluntary and joyful offering.
However, Ananias talks it over with his wife Sapphira, probably says [this is the amount sold for our land], and submitted a price that was different from selling the land. And it wasn’t the truth.
Why have Ananias and Sapphira told such a lie that was different from the truth? They might have had the feeling of being concerned about how others see them and wanted to take pride in themselves.

　Didn't they want to say, “We gave the total amount”?
　We are prompted to reflect on ourselves amid such figures as Ananias and Sapphira.
Don’t we tend to care about people’s appraisal, how people perceive us, how others evaluate even our own faith?
However, faith is not something that is to be shown. It’s not even something that is to be evaluated.
Faith depends on how much we can acknowledge the spiritual gift and grace that we received from God. And on how spontaneously we are responding to that blessing is important.

　If we say that we are not filled with God’s blessing, it is necessary that we reconnect with Jesus Christ who certainly fills us with grace and joy.
By honestly confronting our own heart (particularly the dark, sinful part within us) through God’s Word of the Bible, prayer, and personal fellowship with God, let us find again our self as one that is forgiven through Christ.
And let us be filled with the grace and joy of being forgiven by the Lord Christ.
Ananias and Sapphira were married man and wife. A man and wife can work for God by cooperating and in agreement through that intimate relationship.
However, just like today’s passage, we are taught that we can even deceive God through the intimacy (which should be a good thing) as man and wife.
Let us turn once again to Peter’s words in chap. 5:4.

　You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
We don’t know whether Ananias and Sapphira were aware that they have “deceived God”. They probably must not have been aware to that extent until Peter pointed it out.
Maybe Ananias and Sapphira thought [this kind of matter should be allowed]
However, we should seriously take the message that what Ananias and Sapphira did (their way of life) in today’s passage is not deceiving man but have deceived God.
If we are dishonest towards people, that means we are also dishonest towards God and that is deceiving Him.
Don’t we think that little dishonesty can deceive people?

However, today’s passage tells us that if we think that our dishonesty can cheat even before God, it’s an extremely large critical problem.
If we deceive God (dishonest against God) who is the One that should never be deceived, we should seriously take (understand) the fact that it’s an issue that has to do with our life.
Why has God given us human beings freedom to this extent? Or should I say, even the “freedom to live deceiving God” (though hesitant to call it freedom) is given to us.
It’s to that extent that God desires to truly establish a personal relationship with us, live spontaneously and become one who joyfully dedicates himself voluntarily as a response to the love of God.
God created each one of us as such a person.
Each one of us is weak, greedy and dishonest man. I believe that such as we, are filled by the love of Christ, united in mind and heart, and by encouraging one another, we can grow little by little together to a sincere believer.
As we keep in mind the extremely strict message of today’s Bible passage, let us live justly embracing fear towards God who is the Ruler of life as we give thanks for the abundant spiritual gifts that are given to us from Him.