In a world that constantly divides us into categories—social, economic, political, generational—the early church offers a radical alternative. Over and over, Acts 4 describes the first Christians as a community “of one heart and soul” (Acts4 4), where “there was not a needy person among them.”

What made this possible? Not an ideal political system or a wise ruler, as ancient philosophers hoped and many folks still hope in our day, but the resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Our culture teaches us we belong to ourselves, our immediate families, our social groups—but not fundamentally to one another as human beings created in God’s image. And some Christian voices today attempt to tame this radical vision by arguing that our care should flow in concentric circles: family first, then neighbors, then tribe, and only if anything remains, to strangers.

That’s not what we see in Acts, or in Jesus. Jesus rejected this hierarchy in the parable of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan didn’t calculate whether the wounded man fell within his primary circle of responsibility. Instead, Jesus said that loving your neighbor means responding to the need of whoever crosses your path.

What we see in Acts is not simply charity, but a deeper recognition of mutual belonging. This wasn’t simply charity. When believers like Barnabas sold property and “laid it at the apostles’ feet,” they weren’t just giving money—they were surrendering status, privilege, and security.

The question Acts leaves us with, in story after story, is this: Can we allow our encounter with the risen Christ to lead us into this kind of life together? Can we repent of our old ways of thinking, so often shaped by status or financial calculations or personal ambitions, and embrace a way of living that flows from our shared identity in Christ?

As Matt Skinner, New Testament scholar, says, “Easter has a way of doing things to people.” The risen Jesus is ready to do things with us, and the Spirit of Jesus is ready to make us of one heart and soul. May it be so!