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Curated Sermon Illustrations from Acts 4

Explore powerful illustrations to bring Acts 4 to life. Discover stories, analogies, humor and more as you illustrate the timeless truths from scripture.

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The Bruderhof: A Radical Christian Community

Author

Fleming Rutledge

The Bruderhof is one such Christian community with many locations around the world. Unlike most such attempts to build radical communities, the Bruderhof has not only survived, it is thriving. In 2021 they celebrated their hundredth anniversary. Its members are committed to live according to the Sermon on the Mount and, significantly, to personify the description of the earliest Christian communities in Acts 4:32-37.8

Their openness to society at large (“in” it but not “of” it) is remarkable; many of them are out in the world from time to time, serving among unaffiliated others with a surprising level of comfort; they are exceptionally affirming of those not similarly committed, with a minimum of self-righteousness—making them attractive to seekers.

Unlike monastic orders and the all-but-vanished Shakers, they are more often than not married, with families of (typically) more than two children who are lovingly raised and educated within the community. Unlike the Amish, they are at home on social media and make good use of it.

They earn enough money from their shared businesses of making beautifully crafted wooden toys and sophisticated medical equipment to have a presence in the world at large, but there is no private ownership; all is shared within the community. The Bruderhof is proof that the Sermon on the Mount can actually be lived, and far from being a rebuke to the rest of us, they are a great encouragement.

Not many are called to their radical way of life, but their effect on those who encounter them is considerable. It goes without saying that they are not perfect, and have their struggles, but their continuing existence, their influence, and their strength are a powerful witness to the rest of us that the person and teachings of Jesus Christ are not only within reach but also the source of a rich and sustainable life.

In their low-key witness, there is a quiet power. The hidden glory of the vine and the branches is manifested in a way that embraces us all with the hope that we, also, are the blessed. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied” when the Lord comes again in “the glory of his righteousness and wonders of his love.”