“What I am trying to express is that these people {in Acts 2} were being taken over by the life of the Spirit, which transformed them at every point.  They were living on a new level of experience…The power of the Holy Spirit was felt and seen.  And in the context of that wonderful outpouring of God’s life, the sharing of resources was free and generous…To be quite honest about it, sharing is not difficult when the power of God is manifest in the midst of his people…

By now you may be wondering, ‘Why all this talk about miracles, divine power, and spiritual preparation?  Can’t we just get on with the business of simplifying our lifestyles without all the God-talk?’  I answer that you are welcome to try, and God help you – because you will sorely need it.  Although I deeply empathize with this ‘holy impatience’ to get on with the task, the clear witness of Scripture is that something beyond good intentions and willpower is needed to transform our egocentric, greed-captivated personalities into an all-inclusive community of loving, sharing persons…

Perhaps out of concern for the terrible inequities in the world, you have sought to open your heart and pocketbook to needy brothers and sisters.  Perhaps you’ve led the fight for certain causes of compassion in your church and community…But somehow, deep down inside, it all seems so dry and artificial…Could it be that we need to follow the lead of the disciples, who through bitter experience were taught that their first priority was to seek hard after the kingdom of God, and who found that once baptized into its life and power they were liberated to care for one another in unprecedented ways?”

Richard Foster