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Todd

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  1. This isn't actually a question, but a friend and I wrote this and I wanted to post it. I would like to share with you the teachings of Jesus regarding money and possessions. I can guarantee most of you have never heard or considered these radical teachings even if you've been going to church for many years. This going to be very shocking once you begin to understand the full significance of what Jesus was getting at, so let's start in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6 verses 24 through 34. In these verses Jesus begins by telling us that no one can serve two masters. According to Jesus one master is God and the other master is money. Why would Jesus say that the opposite master of God is money. When you think about how much of our lives are spent working for money you'll begin to see why he said this. In verses 25 to 34 you'll notice the very next thing he says to us is not to worry about how we're going to take care of our most basic needs food and clothing. Why does he tell us not to worry about these things? When Jesus tells us that we can't serve two masters, He's getting us to see that we can either work for God or work for money. It's one or the other. To serve actually means to work for. In the context of what Jesus was trying to get across in these verses, just imagine if you were to quit working for money right now and to start working for God. The immediate concern you would have is how you would be able to take care of your basic needs for survival. This is exactly why Jesus tells us not to worry. If we stop working for money and start working for God, God will provide us with our needs. If you don't believe this is what Jesus actually meant in these verses, just think about how his first followers understood this teaching. The fishermen left their jobs, a tax-collector quit his job and so on. then Jesus sent up to 70 of his followers out to preach in different towns. Jesus told them they would be provided for as they went about preaching the gospel. Sharing the teachings of Jesus became their full-time job. Teaching others to obey his good news would now become their life's work. This kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about often was a way of life that would be different from every earthly Kingdom or government. His followers would become so different from the world around them, simply by practicing Jesus's teachings with regard to money and possessions. His first followers sold everything they owned, and began to live together and share everything among themselves.They put an end to private property and made sure everyone was taken care of equally.You can read more about this in the book of Acts chapters 2 and 4. So why is it that we don't follow these teachings of Jesus like his first followers did? We would say the answer is very simple. Money has become the god of this world, and money is what people really put their faith in. Money has achieved a god-like status. If you doubt this ask yourself if you could live without working for money. If you can't even imagine that, then you should be able to see why Jesus put God and money against each other as opposite masters. You've probably heard a lot of talk from the churches about love. The problem we see with all this talk about love is that it rarely ever addresses the very practical yet radical ways in which Christ taught his followers how to live. People are probably familiar by now with one of Jesus's most popular teachings to "love your neighbor as yourself". What few seem to realize is just how deeply radical and practical this command is! Think about it. Would you ever charge yourself money to meet your own needs like Food, Clothing or Shelter? That would be ridiculous. Jesus says that we need to learn how to love our neighbors in the same exact way we love and take care of ourselves, and to take care of the needs of our less fortunate neighbors. When we start looking at our neighbors in this light, whether they're nearby or separated from us by oceans. We begin to get a much better picture of the entirely unique love Jesus was pointing us towards. As much as we appreciate churches and other charities for all the ways in which they do help the less fortunate. Christ visionary love is way beyond these institutions. He wasn't simply asking us to share out of our abundance or excess, He's inspiring us to take care of our neighbors just as if they were us. Which also shows just how silly and insane any need for money would be in these situations. Would you ever think of charging yourself for anything oh you might need. You may thinking it sounds like communism or socialism, it is not. Isn't it strange how we've been so conditioned or even brainwashed to the point that such deep and selfless love frightens us. It's no wonder that the church and government conspired together to have Jesus killed for teaching these kinds of things. Things haven't really changed much since his time. Just about every church or church person we encounter then tries to tell us how unrealistic Christ's teachings are, and that the world would basically come to a grinding halt if we made money obsolete by practicing this economy of love. Most of us can see how greed is destroying the very planet which God freely provides with everything we need to live. Apple's don't ever fall from trees with price tags, or bar codes attached them. The same applies to every other resource on Earth. Why do we think it would be so strange to take Jesus's teaching at face value, especially when we can see the selfless love of God through nature and how it offers everything to us at no cost whatsoever. We would do well to consider how nature operates. The fact is that humans are the only species that pays to live on Earth. The economy of love is all around us. Do you have eyes to see and ears to hear? The churches and governments of today are absolutely afraid of this radical teaching of Jesus regarding money and possessions. The first Christians started to put this teaching about money in possessions into their everyday lives. Practicing such extreme love from the very beginning of Jesus's ministry. He called on his followers to leave their jobs, their possessions and even their families in order to help him teach about a new way of living, which he called the kingdom of God. For three and half years, his first followers traveled with him from city to city. Sharing about this radically new life and calling others to join him. A natural result of living and traveling with Jesus day after day was that the first Disciples shared everything they had with one another as an example of what this kingdom of God looked like. Up until his death, Jesus had gathered about 70 followers in this new way of life he prescribed. All who chose that joined him in his ministry shared all things in common as a true family. This spiritual family practiced what we would call the economy of love. So are we to assume that after his death and resurrection something changed dramatically and the teachings he told his first followers to live by had somehow become irrelevant? Not at all! To prove this very simple fact. His followers continued living the same way of life after Jesus's death and resurrection. Look at the very first time in the New Testament describing his followers after these events. It is found in what is called the book of Acts. In the second chapter of Acts we see an amazing description of the early Christians. Look at those verses, all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they sold their possessions and belongings and distributed the proceeds to all that had need. It is absolutely clear how these radical early Christians continue to live together and share everything. What if this was just a fluke? Some isolated passages that somehow made their way into the New Testament. It might be tempting for some to overlook these verses, but just two chapters later in Acts chapter 4 we see the same thing repeated about the disciples lifestyle. They believed they were of one heart and soul. No one said that any of the things belonged to them, but they shared everything in common.There was not a needy person among them. Those who were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the Apostles feet. It was distributed to each as any had need. Wow, there it is, No ignoring it or avoiding it now. Given that this is how the early Christians lived, shouldn't this cause us to seriously consider that the original blueprint for those first christians should be equally applied to those that claim to be following Jesus? Now think about it, wouldn't this be a profound testimony of love to the world if Christians still practice these things. Jesus said your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Today's churches love to talk about love, but if you ask the world if they have witnessed this radical kind of love in the modern church, The answer would NO. Those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus must get our own act together, and show the world that Jesus's teachings are a unique vision for Humanity. You can ignore it, or you can be luke warm, and your love will be hollow and easily dismissed by the world and God. Are you willing to be a revolutionary example of the true love? Please, I urge you, go sit down in a quiet place, alone. Open your heart, your mind and a Bible and ask, SINCERELY ask Jesus to show you the truth.
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