Thursday 23, July 2026

There have been days when all I’ve wanted is my personal sandbox. By that, I mean I’d like to have my own everything and not share. On those days, I probably don’t wish to be fully included in community, because that isn’t usually the case there. As we reflect on Today’s Holy Nougat, let’s see whether there’s a message for us as individuals (let’s allow God to address the others).

Acts 4:32 CEVDCI

[32] The group of followers all felt the same way about everything. None of them claimed that their possessions were their own, and they shared everything they had with each other.

Unity in Community

Two little words. They rhyme and share some element of commonality, but with slightly different tones. Unity refers to how we act and think about issues within a community. Its basis is an assumption that we are in pleasant consensus on an issue – no one was forced into agreement. A community refers to a group of people. The group may have things in common, like their living, working or praying environment, or they can have shared goals. A community can comprise relatives, friends, students, colleagues, believers, neighbours, or other people with common contexts.

Based on the wide cross-section of commonality, there may be disunity in community. In a school, for example, we cannot assume that every student is passionate about all subjects. We cannot assume that everyone agrees with every aspect of the rules. A glance at the community would probably reveal that not everyone agrees about the dress code – there are often violations. This suggests that communication, intentionality, and effort are required for unity to thrive in community.

Self-Check

Are we intentional about creating unity in community? What are some things we do?

Deeper Dive

The early church grew and remained united. They had common goals – like living and worshipping together – and this fostered unity among them. Although their original economic status may have been dissimilar, their common vision led to them being a community that intentionally shared possessions and food. This is similar in approach to the first post-Pentecost believers (see Acts 2:42-46).

Interestingly, we don’t see much of this lifestyle among regular believers. This is normally the behaviour of those we believe are separatists. In some instances, murder-suicides and other questionable activities have defined those separatist groups. This has caused many believers to shun such communal lifestyles. We also justify our argument using Y’shua’s lifestyle – this wasn’t how He and the disciples lived.

That is indeed true. Yet, we note that Jesus’ finance team included women who also followed Him. They may have been the only financiers of the ministry – they’re the ones named by Luke. We recall that Simon, Mary and Martha (along with their brother Lazarus), the unnamed owner of the Upper Room, and several others also shared their homes with Y’shua. The child’s loaves and fish were used to feed the multitude. Those actions suggest that some people didn’t hoard their assets/monies in Y’shua’s time. They chose to share their sandbox with others.

It assures us that the premise of using/withholding monies to control the actions of others in community is wrong.

At every level.

That’s not how we achieve unity in community.

If, however, we choose to interpret Psalm 24:1 as a message to the believers then and now, we may find it easier to share our sandbox or to receive from others in the sandbox. Unity in community requires more than just sharing; it must be rooted in love – God’s love. Let’s try to be more intentional in practising unity God’s way.

Point to Ponder

What gift can I offer to God through my believing community?

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May all we seek be found in Christ