July 1st, 2025
The Potluck Mentality
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” –Acts 4:32
Christians often say that they want to go to a church that looks and behaves like the early church. In many ways, this desire is admirable. As our time in ministry together ends, I want to share with you just one way that I hope Christ Presbyterian will grow increasingly like the early church in Acts.
On Sunday, we had a potluck at CPC. My son Knox was sitting in his high chair happily eating a man-sized plate of food when one of our deacons, Mary Platt, walked by. Knox scanned her plate and said to Mary, “I want that.” Mary smiled and stopped. “You want what?” she asked. “That,” Knox replied. After a little back and forth, Mary ascertained that Knox wanted the slice of tomato on her plate, so she gave it to him. Mary is a good deacon.
Acts 4 recounts that in the early church, “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own.” This phrase is often taken in a material sense, and I’m sure that the early church did share many of their material possessions with one another. But the preceding phrase gives important context: “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” This phrase suggests that the early church was open-handed not only with their material possessions, but with many other things as well.
My hope and prayer for Christ Presbyterian is that you adopt what I am going to call a potluck mentality to all things church-related. If you like the music one way, but someone else likes it a different way, imagine that you’re Mary Platt at the potluck and Knox is asking for your tomato. Just give it up. Give in. Submit to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t insist on your own way. Hand over the tomato. If you don’t like the floor plan or finances of the new building, give up the tomato. If you don’t agree with the elders on some decision or another, let them have the tomato. Be of one heart and mind.
Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster
“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” –Acts 4:32
Christians often say that they want to go to a church that looks and behaves like the early church. In many ways, this desire is admirable. As our time in ministry together ends, I want to share with you just one way that I hope Christ Presbyterian will grow increasingly like the early church in Acts.
On Sunday, we had a potluck at CPC. My son Knox was sitting in his high chair happily eating a man-sized plate of food when one of our deacons, Mary Platt, walked by. Knox scanned her plate and said to Mary, “I want that.” Mary smiled and stopped. “You want what?” she asked. “That,” Knox replied. After a little back and forth, Mary ascertained that Knox wanted the slice of tomato on her plate, so she gave it to him. Mary is a good deacon.
Acts 4 recounts that in the early church, “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own.” This phrase is often taken in a material sense, and I’m sure that the early church did share many of their material possessions with one another. But the preceding phrase gives important context: “the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” This phrase suggests that the early church was open-handed not only with their material possessions, but with many other things as well.
My hope and prayer for Christ Presbyterian is that you adopt what I am going to call a potluck mentality to all things church-related. If you like the music one way, but someone else likes it a different way, imagine that you’re Mary Platt at the potluck and Knox is asking for your tomato. Just give it up. Give in. Submit to your brothers and sisters in Christ. Don’t insist on your own way. Hand over the tomato. If you don’t like the floor plan or finances of the new building, give up the tomato. If you don’t agree with the elders on some decision or another, let them have the tomato. Be of one heart and mind.
Your Pastor and Friend,
John Knox Foster
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