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Contributions That Make the Heart HappyThe Watchtower—1986 | December 1
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On the first day of the birth of the Christian congregation in the year 33 C.E., a ‘sharing with one another, taking of meals, and prayers’ were practiced by the 3,000 newly baptized converts. For what good reason? To make it possible for them to bolster their fledgling faith by ‘continuing to devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles.’—Acts 2:41, 42.
Jews and proselytes had come to Jerusalem planning to stay only for the period of the Pentecost Festival. But those that became Christians desired to remain longer and learn more to strengthen their new faith. This created an emergency food and housing problem. Some of the visitors did not have sufficient funds with them, while others had a surplus. So there was a temporary pooling and a distribution of material things to those in need.—Acts 2:43-47.
How was their feeding and housing managed? The apostles, acting as a governing body, orchestrated the collecting and distributing of contributed goods. Thus, the first pictures of the Christian congregation show members not regarding their material things as their own but as something to be used for the benefit of the whole congregation. (Acts 2:44; 4:32) In addition, “all those who were possessors of fields or houses would sell them and bring the values of the things sold and they would deposit them at the feet of the apostles. In turn distribution would be made to each one, just as he would have the need.”—Acts 4:34, 35.
The sale of real estate and the common sharing of all things was strictly voluntary. No one was obligated to sell or donate; neither was this a promotion of poverty. The idea expressed is not that the richer members sold all their property and thus became poor. Rather, out of compassion for fellow believers under the circumstances at that time, they sold property and contributed all the proceeds in order to provide what was needed to advance Kingdom interests.—Compare 2 Corinthians 8:12-15.
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Contributions That Make the Heart HappyThe Watchtower—1986 | December 1
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Regularity Is the Key
Some 20 years after Pentecost of 33 C.E., the apostle Paul reminds the Corinth congregation about the need for a certain contribution. “Now concerning the collection that is for the holy ones, just as I gave orders to the congregations of Galatia, do that way also yourselves,” he writes. Then he adds a piece of advice: “Every first day of the week let each of you at his own house set something aside in store as he may be prospering, so that when I arrive collections will not take place then. But when I get there, whatever men you approve of by letters, these I shall send to carry your kind gift to Jerusalem.” The resolving of how much to give appears to have included the whole family, whether rich or poor, because it was to take place at their “own house.”—1 Corinthians 16:1-3.
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