There are three main ways we try to practice sharing and live into the economy of the kingdom of God together:
- We share our money through regular giving to the church and our benevolence fund.
- We share our stuff and our skills through our Library of Things.
- We share our wants and needs through our GroupMe Chat. To join, email Ryan Donoho [ryan at thetableindy dot org].
Scriptural foundations
Jesus and his disciples practiced sharing a common purse. Beyond the example of his practice, Jesus also had a lot to say about how the economy of the kingdom of God is supposed to work. He warned against the love of money and encouraged people to share their resources with those in need (Matthew 6:19-34; 19:16-30; 25:31-46; Luke 6:20-31, 38; 12:15-34; 16:9-15; 19:1-10; 21:1-4).
John the Baptist taught “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11)
The New Testament church practiced sharing a common purse. Acts 2:44-45 tells us, “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” And in Acts 4:32-35 it is written:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
It is clear that sharing possessions was an important practice and teaching of the New Testament church ( Acts 20:33-35; Romans 12:9-21; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1-9:15; Galatians 6:2-10; Ephesians 4:28; Philippians 4:10-19; 1 Timothy 5:3-8; 6:6-19; Hebrews 13:1-2, 5-6, 16; James 2:14-26; 5:1-6; 1 John 3:16-17; Revelation 3:17-20).
We as the church today are to be the embodiment of the kingdom of God here on Earth. That means, we’re supposed to practice the type of economics that Jesus and the New Testament church made clear were at work within the kingdom of God.
More than just praying for each other
It is natural that as we grow in our love for one another that we pray for each other and share together. Sharing our resources is a natural outflow of love and prayer. We are a family, and families love each other (most of the time) and share.
Intentional effort
As Americans, we live under the hegemony of an exploitative market economy of consumption and accumulation. Our impulses and tendencies in regards to how we use our money and resources have been malformed, and we seek a renewing of our mind and practices.
We are committed to putting forth the intentional effort to practice the loving economy of God’s kingdom. Our practices help form us into a different way of seeing and using our resources.
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