False Full Pt 1. An Empty Volkswagon

(This is the first in a three part series on being satisfied in God. Today's passage is from Acts 2:42-47)

I grew up driving a Volkswagon. My budget for transportation was low and my uncle was a VW mechanic which meant that I had a resident expert to keep my... 'vintage' cars on the road. I'm not sure if you know this but "farfegnugen" is German for "very old car, very kind uncle". In my late twenties, I drove a dark blue, convertible VW Rabbit with a few minor problems.

The top failed to keep out the rain, the muffler no longer muffled, the radiator only radiated excess heat and the gas gauge could have given its daily report alongside the morning weather, "Good morning folks! There's a 50% chance that you will not have enough gas to make it to your destination today."

Unfortunately, I learned about the gas gauge the hard way. A few days after I bought the car, I sputtered to a stop in a slim emergency lane on the side of a crowded interstate with traffic whizzing by so close that I felt a semi shave my leg hairs as it passed. After calling for help and checking multiple suspects under the hood, we came to the shocking conclusion that the car was out of gas... even though the gas gauge read over a quarter of a tank. I feel like this would have been useful information at the time I purchased the vehicle. I soon found out that a quarter tank did not always mean empty either. More wisdom acquired on the side of the road. In fact, you could run out of gas with the gauge reading over half a tank. It became apparent that the odometer, not the fuel gauge, would be the best way to gauge trips between refills. After learning a new way to measure full and empty, I was prepared for the journey ahead.

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The early believers in the first Christian church seemed to share a similar philosophy. After years of living what constituted as a "full life", they soon learned a new way to measure empty and full. Their new way of life would never be able to be measured by the old gauges that used to measure happiness. Indicators like wealth accumulation, social status and reputation suddenly seemed like inadequate gauges. Acts 2:42-27 provides a snapshot of the new life.:

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Acts 2:42-47

We know that some of the original disciples had been successful, respected members of society and we have to believe that a number of the nearly 3,000 new believers that responded to Peter's sermon that day (Acts 2:41) were also successful and respected members of society. They were part of the normal culture in the synagogue, voices in local politics, leaders in the community. They provided for their families and they spent time and effort engaged in society, minding the cultural and religious rules so that they would not rock the boat or embarrass their families. They were successful. They were respected. They were comfortable. Can I say it another way? By all measures of the day, their lives were full.

But all of the things that used to push the gauge to full became meaningless. An apostle named Paul would later have a similar thought, "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ." (Phil. 3:7). This would really become a rallying cry for the early church.

"Do you know what made the early Christians so dangerous? The world's power over them (ecclesiastical, political, cultural) had been taken away. They were free. That's why they turned the world upside down. They didn't have anything to protect and very little about which to fight." -Steve Brown, "A Scandalous Freedom"

Do you see it? They were free to worship. They were free to serve. I am not under the impression that the early Christians traded in their white collars and neckties for grateful dead stickers and hippie communes. (Sorry Deadheads.) The change went so much deeper than material possessions. The change was never about how much or how little someone owned. The change was about Christ. He called them to something deeper. Deeper than respect and admiration among your peers, of greater impact than a front row seat at the synagogue, and to a broader significance than the security of wealth or even comfort.

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So if that is true, how do we unload the unnecessary? How do we discern the important from the unimportant. Here's the interesting part. Ready? Peter did not show up and give the early church a ten-step process on how to unload your life of unnecessary things. He didn't produce a Netflix Original documentary on the freedom of organizing and prioritizing your messy life. You know why?

Because the critical part is not knowing what to subtract. The critical part is knowing who to add.

My son is one of the messiest human beings on the planet. When he eats, he literally leaves a trail of food from the table to the chair, from the chair to the floor, from the floor back to his room and then I'm pretty sure it follows him to school the next morning. Hansel and Gretel think he leaves too many crumbs behind. On the rare occasion that we go out for fast food, he always makes a mess getting his drink. In his infinite, disorganized wisdom, he puts the soda in before he puts the ice in. He fills it up to the brim with root beer or sprite and then he goes for the ice. The ice comes barreling down into the full cup and the drink catapults upward and outward, covering everything except the cup. The ice has a home, the drink... not so much.

Want to know what happens to the unimportant and the unnecessary when you begin spending time with Jesus? When Jesus is home, the other things... not so much. Our God is a very big God and He requires room to work.

When you spend time with Jesus, when you surrender your life to Him, it will soon become obvious what is important and necessary and what is not.

As we move deeper into a relationship with God, He will begin to empty us, and in that emptying we will begin to realize that we are full. Are you prepared to lose everything to gain the one thing? (Mark 8:36) If so, ask Him in to your life right now.