The gift of unity

The devotions for this week are featured in LCA International Mission’s 2026 ‘Pentecost Devotional and Prayer Guide’ and are written by mission partners from around the world. LCA International Mission invites you to pray during Pentecost for the connections and ministries of our international partners. An electronic copy of the full devotional is available to download at the LCA International Mission website. Please email lcaim@lca.org.au or phone 08 8267 7317 to request a printed copy.

by Renny Khoo

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Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul (Acts 4:32a).

Read Acts 4:32–37

The people gathered in Acts 4 weren’t a naturally uniform or harmonious group. They were ordinary men and women from varied social, cultural and economic backgrounds, drawn together through Jesus Christ and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Among them were fishermen from Galilee like Peter and John, tax collectors such as Matthew, zealots like Simon the Zealot, widows, families, pilgrims from many regions and wealthy landowners who possessed houses or fields. Acts 2 also tells us that Jews from across the Roman world, speaking different languages and shaped by different cultures, were present in Jerusalem during Pentecost. Many of the natural barriers that normally divide people were still present. Yet something deeper had happened among them. They had encountered the crucified and risen Christ.

The disciples themselves had previously struggled with rivalry, fear, misunderstanding and self-interest. Before the resurrection, they argued about who was greatest. At Jesus’ arrest, many fled in fear. Peter denied even knowing Jesus. The unity described in Acts was, therefore, not evidence of unusually virtuous people finally getting along. It resulted from God’s gracious work among broken people.

Several things reshaped and reoriented them.

Firstly, they were gathered by a shared dependence on Christ. They knew they had received mercy, forgiveness and new life not because they deserved it, but because of God’s grace. Standing together at the foot of the cross humbled them all equally.

Secondly, they were formed through waiting and prayer. After Jesus’ ascension, the believers gathered continually in prayer and expectation (Acts 1:14). Their unity was cultivated not through strategy, but through shared attentiveness to God.

Thirdly, the coming of the Holy Spirit gave them a new identity. At Pentecost, the Spirit didn’t erase their differences but created a new community in which those differences no longer defined their primary belonging. They became one body in Christ.

Finally, the resurrection reoriented their understanding of possessions, security and neighbour. If Christ had conquered death and inaugurated God’s kingdom, then material goods no longer needed to be clutched tightly. Their confidence rested in God’s provision and in their shared life together. Generosity became possible because fear began to lose its hold.

This is why Acts describes such remarkable unity. It wasn’t uniformity, nor was it human idealism. It was a Spirit-created fellowship shaped by grace, prayer, resurrection hope and a new understanding of belonging in Christ.

How has God’s grace changed the way you view your possessions, your time and the people around you? What opportunity do you have to share his generosity?

Pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to strengthen the Basel Christian Church of Malaysia congregations in faith, prayer and unity. Pray that through their shared life in Christ, the church would be a powerful witness to God’s grace and a source of hope and encouragement to the communities they serve.

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