Look how we have been taught since childhood.  Finish High School; go to college in order for you to get a good job.  A good job will bring more money!  Our parents tell us, “We want you to have the things we didn’t have”!  Get ahead!  We are taught to lie, cheat and steal if necessary to get ahead.  Why?  To make more money where we can get more of the world!  Things!  You gotta have more stuff, bigger and better!  It’s the gospel of get!  You can have your cake and eat it too!  Never satisfied with what we have, forever wanting more and better!  It’s the way of life in our society.  But it is not the way of life for a born‑again, blood‑bought Christian!

The worldly, carnal preachers and lay persons alike, tell us to “go for more out of life, enjoy the world”.  They believe that God is a God of materialism rather than a God of the Spirit!  God’s Word tells us to be content with food and raiment; yet most professing Christians have little contentment in their lives!  As a matter of fact, we are commanded to withdraw from those that suppose worldly gain (material prosperity) is godliness!  (See 1Tim. 6:5-8).

Children of God, the church has been sold out and deceived by these worldly ministries!  We have been lied to!  They have convinced millions into believing that it is God’s will for us to have as much of the world as we want!  They have tickled our ears and appeased our flesh.  And we are paying the penalty for our love of the flesh and the penalty has been severe!

What has the penalty been?  If we don’t wake up, worldliness, will cost us our very souls!  Look what’s happened in just a few short years: no real gifts of God are operating as the early church experienced.  No move of God, in a real Holy Ghost revival!  Carnal man today has become threefold more a child of hell than ever before, because revival fires no longer burn in the hearts of believers.  The church no longer has a burden for souls.

It seems prayers offered for material possessions are answered while prayers for the sick, the diseased, the possessed and the lost are not answered.  Are you really being blessed by God? There is something definitely wrong with this picture!

Is there an escape for the children of God?  Can we get back to the faith once delivered?  Yes, we must contend for it!

There was something that happened back at Pentecost!  Something very special happened to those precious souls.  The Gift of God came!  The fullness of God’s Spirit came!  The Bible says that they were all filled with the Holy Ghost!

Why did they sell their goods and homes and lands?  Because the same God that gave His only Son took up residence in their hearts! The Holy Ghost of God burned the old carnal sin nature out of them!  The fire of the Holy Ghost burned out the greed!  It burned out the selfish pride of life that was in them!     

Praise God, they became new creatures. They were born again!  God’s Spirit created a brand new creature! They were different!                           

They no longer looked at their possessions as their own!  They were the first to become the family of God.  They were the first fruits in their generation.  A real family shares everything in common!

No doubt they looked about them and many were poor as to this world’s goods.  Having the love of God, they immediately felt compassion for their brethren and freely sold what they had in order that none would lack for anything.  After all, this was the command!  To love your neighbor as yourself!  This was true Godly love being exhibited.  Their love for one another was in deed, and in truth, not just in words!

How did they know to do this?  Who told them about such love?

Let me say without fear or compromise that they did what they did because it was the teaching of Jesus and the apostles!  However, having all things common takes more than a command; it takes a love only God can give!  The Apostles had received the doctrine from the lips of Jesus, himself!  Peter stated in one place, “Lord, we have left all!” Jesus warned over and over of the evils of money and materialism!  His people were to come out of the world!  And the Apostles were faithful in proclaiming His message!

Let us look at one of the commands of Jesus that few will obey.  “So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” [Luke 14:33].

The Apostles were told to observe and teach to all nations what Jesus taught.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen”  [Matthew 28:18-20].

I want you to know that love conquers all evil!  Love will subdue all your adversaries! Love will cast down the flesh and cast out Satan!  Perfect love casts out fear, and it is the “bond of perfectness!”  Love will cover a multitude of sins.  Praise God!  This is God’s love and we desperately need it!

Look what love did!  It took over 3000 carnal men and women and transformed them into loving, giving, children of heaven!  Love was greater than the flesh.  They denied themselves of the very things they had been taught to love.

Jesus taught that no one could follow Him unless he first denied himself.  (See Mat. 16:24; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:23).  Folks today deny themselves of nothing!  I can safely assure you of this; you will not find self-denial taught on television!  Oh my friend, do you deny yourself or do you pamper and give to yourself?

The Word of God is powerful, line upon line and precept upon precept (Isa. 28:10).  Turn with me now for even more witnesses in the Word, and we will see that not only the original three thousand sold everything they had, but we shall see another group of believers that also did the same thing.  Acts chapter four, verse four states that these new Christian concerts numbered five thousand men

“And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need”  [Acts 4:31-35].

Here again we see the love of God manifested among His people!  Also let me point out that they were all filled with the Holy Ghost!  You see, to be filled with the Holy Ghost is to be filled with God.  And to be filled with God is to be filled with love, for God is love!  This is the true evidence of the Holy Ghost.       

Children, it was because of love!  They truly loved one another more than they loved themselves or their own possessions!  God’s power radically transformed therm.

Another thing that happened here is that the Power of God was manifested with great miracles, signs and wonders.  Believe me, love activates the Power, and when we are finally one ‑ in all things ‑ look for the power to be manifested!

Have you ever wondered why it seems that the Lord moved greater 50-100 years ago?  Stop and think. First of all, back then there was little materialism or worldliness among God’s people. There was certainly more love demonstrated.  For example, years ago if a neighbor’s barn burned to the ground all the neighbors would band together and build him a new one.  If the breadwinner of a household became sick and couldn’t work his job, or get his crop in, his neighbors would come together and provide or harvest his crop for him.  If your neighbor was sick, you visited him and prayed for him.  If you saw there was anything he needed, you supplied it.  Do you remember?  Probably not!  Today, folks don’t even know their neighbor’s name, much less their needs!

What was being manifested back then was love.  Where is it today?  I am afraid that the love that people have today is not directed to helping others but rather in helping themselves to more of the world!  Their love is now directed toward carnal things.  When true love is manifested, God will be present!  There is no revival today because people do not love one another!  How much longer will we be just hearers of the Word and not doers?!

It is easy to say, “I love you,” but few prove their love one to another.  May God help us to see how far we have fallen from the original teachings of Jesus and the Twelve!

What we need today is a real life‑changing experience with our Lord!  What we need is a real, old fashioned, Holy Ghost revival that will restore us to the “faith once delivered”. 

I have heard the old timers say, “We’ve got to get back to the old landmark”!  Well, what about this landmark of true Godly love!  The early church was born from above and became as little children, giving, caring and loving one another, just as Jesus had told them to!  We need it!  We’ve got to have it!  The old landmark is “living separated from the world!”  Did the Word not tell us: especially as we see the end approach, not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is?!  We need each other!  And the much more so, in this end time.

The bride of Christ will be perfected in the last days, and this is a word of perfection!  The false ministries of this age will refuse this message and hate it, for they will not live as Peter or Paul lived!  You remember how they laid all their money at the feet of the Apostles (Acts 4:34-35).  But the Apostles distributed the offering instead of keeping it for themselves.  The Apostles could have been very rich men. Maybe as rich as some of the preachers today?!  But no, they knew a better way!  Praise God, they knew Jesus! They distributed to every man according as he had need (Acts 4:35).  They had the same Spirit which was in the people!

A question we should all ponder is this: If the same Spirit that was poured out on the day of Pentecost is in people today, why doesn’t it manifest itself the same way?

How do I know the Apostles didn’t keep the money for themselves?  Because when Apostle’s Peter and John came to the gate called Beautiful, Peter said, “Silver and gold have I none”!  Because he forsook all that the world offered, he possessed the Power to heal the lame man!  He possessed something more precious than gold!

Peter was sold out and he stayed sold out.  He could have had anything money could buy.  But he chose to live for others and not for himself!

When you have the time, please read the entire fifth chapter of Acts.  You will see in this chapter just how serious this matter of selling one’s possessions was.  So serious, in fact, that our God of love killed a man and his wife for cheating in their giving!  And do you know what?  Neither Peter, nor the other Apostles, nor any of the present congregation tried to warn them!  As a matter of fact, Peter encouraged the man’s wife to confirm the lie that her husband had told!  It truly is a dangerous, fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God!  Judgement surely begins at the house of God.

What shall we say of all these things?  Do we dare go back to the foundation which was delivered at Pentecost?!  Do we have what it takes to do what they did?  Have we gone too far into the world?  Are we trapped in the system?  Or, do we possess the God given desire to love others as we love ourselves?

These questions must be asked and answered by everyone that reads this message!

Why cannot we be one people?  Why cannot we love one another?  Is it because the god of this world has blinded our eyes and turned our hearts to stone? 

The god of this world has robbed many of the Power of Pentecost!  Let me show you how wise the serpent is.  He has given the world into the hands of lukewarm ministers and Christians.  He has sent a false message of prosperity that has enslaved millions to worldliness and indebtedness.  Jesus refused the kingdoms of this world!  The Apostles refused it and the early church refused it!  But this Laodicean church age has swallowed it hook, line and sinker!  They say, we are rich and have need of nothing!  (See Rev. 3:17).   The ministers of Satan have cast an attractive bait, “Name it and claim it!  Send me a $1,000.00 seed offering and God will give you a new Cadillac; the sky’s the limit!  Send me $100.00 and God will renew your love life or give you a new wife.  Send a hundred, God will give you back a thousand!”  And the lies go on and on and on!  A total perversion of God’s true prosperity plan!

Jesus cried, “Forsake all”; “Deny yourself”; “Take up the cross”; “Sell out”; “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”!  The Apostles cried, ”Come out from among the world”!  “If you love the world or the things that are in the world, you don’t love God”!  “Offer up your body as a living sacrifice”!

Quite a contrast to what the television evangelist teaches, isn’t it?!  Don’t be deceived; this world is not your home if you are born of His Spirit!  God will bless you financially and materially, but His blessings come when you seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not when you seek after the things of this world!  (See Luke 12:28-31). 

The wisdom of God is speaking from heaven, “Return to the old paths wherein is the good way!  This is the faith once delivered!  Return to my holy Apostles’ teachings and the lifestyle they proclaimed”!

Now is the time children of God.  I believe the elect of God will hear His Voice and respond to the call.  The time is now for us to separate ourselves from the carnal systems of the world!  We must now begin to live like real Christians! 

The Bible says, “Owe no man anything but love” (Romans 13:8).  We must get out of debt, for indebtedness will be a snare to all Christians.  The Word tells us in 2Corinthians 6:14: “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” [2Corinthians 6:14].

It is evident from this scripture that God wants us to be separated from the world. 

Godliness with contentment is indeed great gain.  It is a true saying, “that we brought nothing into this world and we can certainly carry nothing out!”