And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. -- Acts 4:33 (KJV)
A believer in Jerusalem needs help. Luke does not tell us the person's name or explain the hardship. He tells us that distribution reached each person according to need. In this church, another believer's possessions could become the means of answering that need.
Witness of the Resurrection
The account begins with prayer answered. The believers are filled with the Holy Ghost and speak God's word boldly. Then Luke describes their unity, the apostles' witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the grace upon them all.
Keep the resurrection in view as you read about their sharing. The apostles proclaim that Jesus lives. The believers who hear that proclamation belong to one another, "of one heart and of one soul." They regard what they possess as available for the common good.
Luke does not give us a formula in which speaking boldly automatically makes a person generous. He shows these things together in the life of this company: the Spirit's filling, the word spoken, the risen Lord proclaimed, and believers caring for one another.
According as He Had Need
Owners sell lands or houses and bring the proceeds to the apostles. The money is distributed "unto every man according as he had need." The recipient's need governs the distribution. Luke reports that none among them lacked.
This is costly sharing, freely offered. The account does not command every Christian to dispose of every possession. Neither does it authorize measuring someone's standing with God by the size of a gift. A believer who needs assistance belongs to this company as surely as one who has property to sell.
Consider someone in your congregation whose needs you might otherwise pass by. Is there a way to learn what would help without making that person explain the hardship in public? A grocery delivery may help; so might covering a necessary expense through the church. Ask before deciding, and give without requiring gratitude in front of others.
The apostles continue telling people that Jesus has risen. Among those who believe, someone who lacked receives enough. By the end of Luke's account, the help has reached the person who needed it.
