Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:44-47

Consider the fourth of eight aspects of Christian fellowship in the church from Acts 2:44-47:

4. Church members did all “with gladness and simplicity of heart” (v.46). Two things:

(1) The Christian heart is to be glad, or cheerful. Proverbs 15:13 says: “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.” Do all things make us happy? Certainly not. But our sins are forgiven, and that truth is better than all the bad things combined. Believe me when I say, the day is coming when everything else will disappear in importance compared to having God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. May we have that perspective.

And may that perspective be especially evident in the church. Let us do all with gladness, not because everything is so easy or pleasurable, not because we always get our way. But because we are forgiven and because we are the company of the redeemed.

(2) The Christian heart should seek simplicity. Life is complicated enough as it comes. Let us do all we can not to complicate it more! 1 Thessalonians 4:11 calls each of us to “also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business…” This is true not only for our individual lives, but in the church. At Grace Bible Church we conscientiously seek to keep things simple.

May we, and may our church, do all “with gladness and simplicity of heart” (v.46).

Next Time: Church members “praised God” (v.47).