We have nearly lost the whole concept of community. Community meant sharing. It meant living on the same street; being there for a cup of flour, or a family tragedy. It meant sitting on the porch and watching the sun go down with your neighbors, while the kids played together in the yard. Families were not isolated, they were part of a communal village that shared life. In the church we have lost the idea of community as well. The early church was not perfect, but it was a community of faith. They shared life. They shared tears and joy. They invested deeply and sacrificially in each others lives. In the early church chronicles there are stories of people, "selling possessions and goods," or "those who owned lands or houses sold them... and the money from the sales... was distributed to anyone who had need(Acts 4:32-35)." It is almost like they felt like individual success was less important that they success of the entire community. My good blessings could not be enjoyed until everyone had at least the minimal blessings that they needed to survive.
