Preachers and the apostles.

[W2L]

When i think of the apostle Paul who commanded that the person who steals should not steal anymore, (Ephesians 4:28) i wonder where this message is in today's Church? I dont listen to preachers anymore but when i did i never heard one preaching against stealing. Why is that? We have all kinds of messages on grace and faith, but not one preacher preaches against stealing. Surely its still relevant today. Correct?

 

[Call me Nic]

When i think of the apostle Paul who commanded that the person who steals should not steal anymore, (Ephesians 4:28) i wonder where this message is in today's Church? I dont listen to preachers anymore but when i did i never heard one preaching against stealing. Why is that? We have all kinds of messages on grace and faith, but not one preacher preaches against stealing. Surely its still relevant today. Correct?

Agreed, it is very much still relevant, but I think in the minds of most pastors these days, they have bigger fish to fry than to preach against stealing. Although, I agree, the whole counsel of God must be preached.

 

[Albion]

Possibly they think that this commandment is so well known and recognized by the members of the congregation that they would do better to sermonize on a less well understood matter. However, I would agree with you that there is a lot of stealing going on that the people involved do not think of as stealing since they aren't using a gun to hold up a gas station, etc.

 

[W2L]

Agreed, it is very much still relevant, but I think in the minds of most pastors these days, they have bigger fish to fry than to preach against stealing. Although, I agree, the whole counsel of God must be preached.

I know people who justify their theft by saying that they steal only from rich folks who deserve it. I know Christians who steal things. Surely thats a big fish to fry.

 

[W2L]

Possibly they think that this commandment is so well known and recognized by the members of the congregation that they would do better to sermonize on a less well understood matter. However, I would agree with you that there is a lot of stealing going on that the people involved do not think of as stealing since they aren't using a gun to hold up a gas station, etc.

Yes, there is a problem with theft, even in the church.

 

[Call me Nic]

I know people who justify their theft by saying that they steal only from rich folks who deserve it. I know Christians who steal things. Surely thats a big fish to fry.

It is a big deal, especially Christians who steal, who are supposed to be the salt of the earth and are supposed to let their light shine forth before men. I'm just saying that pastors tend to be short-sighted, or grandiose. Rarely is it ever in between. One may preach spiritual milk such as love and grace, and another may preach spiritual meat like on Melchizidek, but who preaches simple truth?

They also might assume that Christians "know" not to steal. Who knows.

 

[A_Thinker]

However, I would agree with you that there is a lot of stealing going on that the people involved do not think of as stealing since they aren't using a gun to hold up a gas station, etc.

What type of "stealing" are you speaking of ?

 

[W2L]

It is a big deal, especially Christians who steal, who are supposed to be the salt of the earth and are supposed to let their light shine forth before men. I'm just saying that pastors tend to be short-sighted, or grandiose. Rarely is it ever in between. One may preach spiritual milk such as love and grace, and another may preach spiritual meat like on Melchizidek, but who preaches simple truth?

They also might assume that Christians "know" not to steal. Who knows.

Yes, who knows, i agree. None the less though, it needs to be preached.

 

[W2L]

What type of "stealing" are you speaking of ?

Stealing from stores.

 

[Call me Nic]

If churches did a better job of putting the fear of God into their congregation, this wouldn't be as big of a problem.

 

[W2L]

If churches did a better job of putting the fear of God into their congregation, this wouldn't be as big of a problem.

Perhaps you're right. Its almost as if the "shall not" commands are not even preached anymore.

 

[W2L]

Stealing from stores.

Sorry folks, i answered for another poster. I thought it was addressed to me.

 

[Albion]

What type of "stealing" are you speaking of ?

Chiseling on people you do business with, for example, taking tax credits to which you are not entitled, misrepresenting the condition of a house or something else that you are selling,..that sort of thing.

 

[W2L]

Chiseling on people you do business with, for example, taking tax credits to which you are not entitled, misrepresenting the condition of a house or something else that you are selling,..that sort of thing.

That type of theft is surely a huge problem.

 

[A_Thinker]

Stealing from stores.

Shoplifting ... ?

 

[Knee V]

Chiseling on people you do business with, for example, taking tax credits to which you are not entitled, misrepresenting the condition of a house or something else that you are selling,..that sort of thing.

I was thinking of things like pirating non-physical intellectual property, but yours are better examples of everyday occurences.

 

[Call me Nic]

I was thinking of things like pirating non-physical intellectual property, but yours are better examples of everyday occurences.

Interesting that in modern times, theft can be committed in the comfort of one's own home from half the world away.

 

[dzheremi]

I don't hear it very often in my Church -- that specific topic -- but that could be because we are more often the ones being stolen from, rather than committing the crime ourselves.

But I have a few Coptic saints' movies that were given to me by friends from church, and I noticed that when I put on the one about St. Bishoy, before the program itself actually started there was a little warning from Pope Shenouda III (the then-current Pope) reminding the viewer that it is a crime and a sin to steal others' works as by downloading them from the internet rather than purchasing them. So there is obviously that kind of stealing going on in our Church, which is a problem of the entire generation.

Here is one such example, before the Coptic movie of St. Anasimon the Anchorite, which must've been recorded when video cassette tapes were still a thing, as HH reminds us that it is wrong to simply dub off copies of something that the people involved put so much work and money into (and then it's actually followed by a statement by the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church -- the highest representative authority in the Church in terms of its government and organization -- that essentially says "We ban the copying of movies onto video tape because it causes a loss to the producers, and that isn't right"):

Strangely, most of the Coptic movies you will find uploaded to YouTube and other sites seem to omit this part of the presentation...

 

[dreadnought]

When i think of the apostle Paul who commanded that the person who steals should not steal anymore, (Ephesians 4:28) i wonder where this message is in today's Church? I dont listen to preachers anymore but when i did i never heard one preaching against stealing. Why is that? We have all kinds of messages on grace and faith, but not one preacher preaches against stealing. Surely its still relevant today. Correct?

And what about sexual immorality? Do they every preach about that?

 

[W2L]

Shoplifting ... ?

Yes, and ripping the stores off in other ways.

 

[W2L]

And what about sexual immorality? Do they every preach about that?

Nope, and thats another one they should be preaching.