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I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
There is a difference in giving people what they need and allowing everyone to have the same things.I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
With the fall of smaller communities in favour of mega cities the sense of community where people knew and cared for each other has been lost in favour of mistrust and greed. Conformity has gone from neighbourly good to being political in nature.It's a beautiful and holy way of life, but it's also ok to live in a town, marry, make shoes for a living, raise a family, and earn money, and own property and items.
I disagree, Tim. People can be supporting, selfless, loving, and kind in cities, too. And people in the countryside can be cold and heartless, too.With the fall of smaller communities in favour of mega cities the sense of community where people knew and cared for each other has been lost in favour of mistrust and greed. Conformity has gone from neighbourly good to political. God's system works perfectly for the further we stray from His ways the better the odds we will self destruct and be forced back to small community way of life and survival. It always was and always will be so.
Communities within communities yes, but that is where it gets political (even within churches). There are exceptions to every rule but the default setting stands no matter how many think their rights out-value their responsibilities.People can be supporting, selfless, loving, and kind in cities, too. And people in the countryside can be cold and heartless, too.
I like your toilet paper example of human foolishness. It shows how fear of scarcity pushes people away from the selflessness and love of neighbour we are called to.Even the remotest tribes that know noting of Jesus, God or the Kingdom practice this way of life as a natural means of survival within a selfless society. It is self interest first promoted by Eve that has lead mankind to collect possessions unto self thus encouraging division and a path as the Tempter said in the desert to Jesus where all this could be yours. At what ancient point in time did man first see the hoarding of food as a tool in the formulation of power? Today God uses toilet paper to show us our foolishness.
Things in common is the way of the Kingdom and of the Christ. What man and the most powerful nations encourage is anti-Christ in nature as it imprisons us in a world built upon protection of things rather than each other.
Which shows they never understood the concept of sharing in the first place. Lord, lords.It shows how fear of scarcity pushes people away from the selflessness and love of neighbour we are called to.
I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
I do not think so, since the church was growing rapidly and we have very public preaching going on.The earliest Christians separated themselves and lived communally much the way monastics live in modern times. As Christianity spread that communal life was gradually replaced by charity in general.
If you want to live communally you can.
It is a good question, but we always have to keep in mind the context of when, where and why this might have been done. Jews were in Jerusalem from all over the known world at the time of Pentecost, many who made their once in a life time journey to Jerusalem would tried to get there for Passover and stayed the 50 days to Pentecost, but would have had only funds for that time and the passage for the way home. But since just becoming Christian they would need to stay and become equipped to teach Christianity back home which would take intense daily learning for maybe a year or so. They would run out of money if the church did not help them. The need for money would be huge or these future missionaries would have to leave without training.I would be interested in your thoughts on this question: Should believers follow early Christians and hold all things in common?
The earliest Christians separated themselves and lived communally much the way monastics live in modern times.
No, they didn't. The earliest Christians would have been the 1st century congregations described in scripture, and they clearly were not cloistered.