During those days,
the entire community of believers was deeply united in heart and soul
to such an extent that they stopped claiming private ownership of their
possessions. Instead, they held everything in common. 33 The
apostles with great power gave their eyewitness reports of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Everyone was surrounded by an
extraordinary grace. 34 Not
a single person in the community was in need because those who had been
affluent sold their houses or lands and brought the proceeds 35 to the emissaries[a] of the Lord. They then distributed the funds to individuals according to their needs. 36-37 One fellow, a Cyprian Levite named Joseph, earned a nickname because of his generosity in selling a field and bringing the money to the apostles in this way. From that time on, they called him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.” |
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