How seriously can we be taken?
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” –Acts 2:38
All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. –Acts 2:44-45
We can believe one with such passion and vigor while barely recognizing the other at all. That, of course, is the way of Christ, right? I think we could preach Christ better with the second set of verses than we ever could with the first one.
For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need. –Acts 4:34-35
These men, because they had been very near to spiritual things (for even in the temporal and carnal offerings and types, though they did not clearly apprehend their spiritual meaning, they had learnt to adore the One Eternal God,) were filled with such a measure of the Holy Spirit that they sold all their goods, and laid their price at the apostles’ feet to be distributed among the needy,and consecrated themselves wholly to God as a new temple, of which the old temple they were serving was but the earthly type. Now it is not recorded that any of the Gentile churches did this, because men who had for their gods idols made with hands had not been so near to spiritual things. –On Christian Doctrine, Book 3, Chapter 6, Augustine
How near are we to spiritual things now?