WHERE ARE THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCHES? : PART 1
Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net
Last Updated : July 23, 2006
The System Mold, Nimrod, Babel And Worldwide Babylon, Flesh
Versus Spirit, The Body Of Christ, Our Holy Calling And
Heavenly Rewards, The Nature Of Our Work, The Life Of Faith,
Commercializing The Word Of God, Cheerful Supporters Of The
Lord's Work, The Price And Conditions Of Discipleship, Faith
Of Gold, Paul The Tentmaker, Defining The True Church, The
Original Pattern, Logan's Run, Freedom, Persecution, God's
Separate Nation, Communal Living And Financial Plan, Ananias
And Sapphira, Faith To Obey, Fear, The Christian's Challenge
From the time that a child first enters grade school, he is
exposed to a barrage of carefully selected 'power words'
such as pride, leader, self-worth, achievement, reward,
accomplishment, failure, responsibility, winner, potential,
loser, etc. As he continues to grow, he is slowly introduced
to the idea that when he reaches a certain age, he will be
expected to accept without question, his place within the
ranks of the worldwide system of slavery controlled by the
rich and the powerful. Upon completing their formal
education, anyone who is of an able mind and body, and who
resists being placed in this plastic mold of humanity, is
quickly condemned, branded, and accused of being a rebel,
lazy, a deadhead, a renegade, a sponge, mentally-unbalanced,
a parasite, and an assortment of other derogatory terms.
For those sincere Christians seeking to live the Life of
Faith, this presents quite a problem. In fact, it places
them in direct conflict with those who blindly uphold and
defend the mottos of their masters. How ironic it is that
worldly men are so quick to honour those who dedicate some
fifty years or more of their lives to their company, or to
science, or to the arts, or to politics, or to military
service, or to some other 'noble' human cause, while at the
same time belittling and criticizing those who decide to
dedicate their lives in selfless service to God and to their
fellow man. For those who choose the ways of the world, the
system has all kinds of monetary rewards, certificates of
achievement, honorary degrees, statuettes, plaques, etc., to
'immortalize' that person's achievements. Sadly, these
people fail miserably to abide by the wise counsel found
within the pages of the Holy Bible. One example is the
following quote taken from Paul's letter to the Colossians:
"Set your affection on things above, not on things on the
earth." (Colossians 3:2)
The reason these people build their castles of sand upon the
Earth is because they don't have the Spirit of God; and thus
they cannot discern the true importance of the things of the
Spirit. They are just like the worldly followers of Nimrod
in the Old Testament who wanted to build an Earthly kingdom
and make a name for themselves, instead of honouring and
obeying the one true God. Thus began the Babylonian kingdom
at Babel:
"And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the
earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it
is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and
Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar...And the whole
earth was of one language, and of one speech. And it came to
pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a
plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they
said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them
throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they
for morter. And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and
a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us
a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the
whole earth." (Genesis 10:8-10, 11:1-4)
As we know, the Lord did not look favorably upon this blatant
defiance of His sovereignty; and thus He put a stop to their
foolish ways by dividing them with the confusion of tongues:
"And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which
the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the
people is one, and they have all one language; and this they
begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them,
which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and
there confound their language, that they may not understand
one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to
build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel;
because the LORD did there confound the language of all the
earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon
the face of all the earth." (Genesis 11:5-9)
Some four thousand years have passed since the above
incident occurred; and ever since then, man has continued to
go his own rebellious way by slowly building his worldwide
kingdom of violence and Babylonic confusion. I am reminded
of the following verses from Psalm Two:
"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us." (Psalms 2:1-3)
As I have pointed out in some of my Endtime articles, soon
man may realize his wish for a worldwide empire in the form
of the Kingdom of Darkness of the Beast; but as in times
past, the Lord will come down from Heaven and utterly smite
their towers, or skyscrapers, of sand:
"And there shall be upon every high mountain, and upon every
high hill, rivers and streams of waters in the day of the
great slaughter, when the towers fall." (Isaiah 30:25)
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)
So again, the reason evil man does this is because he lacks
spiritual depth. All he can see is what is here and now, the
temporal and carnal things of this Earth. He is totally
blinded to the realities of the Spirit World; either that,
or he knowingly rebels against his Maker. This is exactly
what Paul wrote to the fleshly Corinthians who were having
some serious problems in certain areas:
"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit
of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
(1 Corinthians 2:14)
While man has set up his own status system of recognition
and rewards upon the Earth, the Lord has done the same in
the Halls of Heaven; and it is very different from what most
people would expect. In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Paul
wrote the following:
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some,
evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for
the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the
unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fulness of Christ:" (Ephesians 4:11-13)
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul also made the
following remarks regarding the Body of Christ and the
diversity of members and positions which are found within
it. He points out that all are necessary for the edification
of the Body as a whole:
"Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be
more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body,
which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow
more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more
abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but
God hath tempered the body together, having given more
abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should
be no schism in the body; but that the members should have
the same care one for another. And whether one member
suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be
honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the
body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set
some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets,
thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of
healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
(1 Corinthians 12:22-28)
Regardless of what our personal calling may be, it should be
clear that the Lord esteems all of these as worthy
vocations, regardless of what worldly men may think or say:
"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good
profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12)
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye
walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,"
(Ephesians 4:1)
Thus, we should never doubt for a moment, that in God's
eyes, being a servant of the Lord in any capacity is indeed
a very honourable and legitimate profession. It is a job,
and it is a hard job usually with very little or no Earthly
recognition. While we may not be honoured by worldly men,
the Lord holds us in much higher regard than all of the rich
men and rulers of this current world. Consider the following
verses:
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:" (1 Peter 2:9)
"And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the
first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of
the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our
sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests
unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for
ever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:5-6)
"And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast
slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made
us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the
earth." (Revelation 5:9-10)
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but
they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign
with him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6)
While men of the world strive with each other for riches,
power and honour, as dedicated Christian servants of the
Lord, we already know that our rewards await us in Heaven,
and it is there where we should place our sights:
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth
and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and
steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where
neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:19-21)
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall
give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them
also that love his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:8)
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises,
but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them,
and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers
and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they
had been mindful of that country from whence they came out,
they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now
they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly:
wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he
hath prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:13-16)
"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write,
Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their
labours; and their works do follow them."
(Revelation 14:13)
In the final chapter of his second Epistle to the church at
Thessalonica, Paul made the following comments regarding
those who slacken in their work for the Lord:
"Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought
with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be
chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but
to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us. For
even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if
any would not work, neither should he eat. For we hear that
there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not
at all, but are busybodies. Now them that are such we
command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with
quietness they work, and eat their own bread. But ye,
brethren, be not weary in well doing."
(2 Thessalonians 3:8-13)
Some modern-day secular Christians have taken the above
verses and totally twisted their meaning. As can be seen by
previous verses, Paul is not talking about selfishly working
at a worldly job just to meet our own needs, and the needs
of our families. The work he is referring to is the holy
profession of being a servant of Jesus Christ. He is talking
about being a soul-winner, a preacher of the Word of God.
This is the true Labour of Love to which we are all called.
This is the 'well doing' that Paul is referring to when he
says 'be not weary in well doing'. This idea of living the
Life of Faith is further supported by Jesus' own words when
He said:
"Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither
shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his
meat." (Matthew 10:10)
"And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such
things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire.
Go not from house to house." (Luke 10:7)
"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat
which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man
shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."
(John 6:27)
In other words, if you are faithful to do God's Will and
Work, and not selfishly work for yourself at some worldly
job, He will provide your every need. He promised to. In
fact, according to Jesus' and Paul's own words, the Lord
will use those very same people to whom you are ministering.
to provide your needs. Here are two more examples from
Paul's writings which prove this point:
"It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are.
For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their
spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them
in carnal things." (Romans 15:27)
"If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great
thing if we shall reap your carnal things?"
(1 Corinthians 9:11)
Even in the Old Testament we find evidence that God will
provide for us through those we minister to, if we are
faithful to do the job which He has given us:
"A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's
children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the
just." (Proverbs 13:22)
At this point, some may be thinking that this means that we
are to ask for money for the spiritual services that we
provide; however, if we balance Scripture with Scripture, we
see that this is definitely not the case. I wrote an article
on this topic called 'Money-Making Bible Hucksters And
Mammon' in which I expose the worldly trap into which many
Christians fall by selling books, tapes, videos, and other
Christian-related materials. In my view, such practices are
no different than any other worldly business. In fact, it is
worse; because those who do this are selling the Word of
God, to which I strongly object. Those who make a business
out of God's business, are just as guilty as the money
changers and those who sold sheep, oxen and doves on the
steps of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. We are all already
aware of how Jesus dealt with that situation:
"And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove
them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and
poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;
And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence;
make not my Father's house an house of merchandise."
(John 2:15-16)
Let us not forget exactly what Jesus said to His Disciples
that day before He sent them out on the road on their first
journey of faith. Obviously, He knew exactly by what things
they would be tempted during their journey, so He warned
them ahead of time with the following words:
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out
devils: freely ye have received, freely give."
(Matthew 10:8)
Notice that the above verse is right before the one I shared
earlier regarding taking no 'scrip for your journey'. The
word 'scrip' is derived from the Greek 'pera', the primary
meaning of which is 'wallet'. So then, what we see is that
while God expects those to whom we minister to provide our
needs, just as both Jesus and Paul have said, we are by no
means supposed to force them to, or for that matter to even
ask them to directly, or to try to sell them something. Some
religious organizations sell things under the guise of
calling it a donation. This is absolute nonsense. Many of us
can testify to the fact that if you don't 'donate' to their
cause, or to their religion, or to their organization, you
usually aren't given the tape, video, book or whatever it is
that the person is trying to sell you. As Jesus clearly
states in the above verse, we are to minister freely to all
men. He said that we are merely to inquire who in a town is
worthy:
"And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire
who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence."
(Matthew 10:11)
The Apostle Paul basically said the very same thing in the
verses I shared earlier. The key to understanding this issue
is found in the word 'worthy'. It is derived from the Greek
word 'axios' which means to merit something. In other words,
what Jesus is saying is that when we enter a city or town as
travelling missionaries or evangelists, we are to inquire in
it who merits our presence, to seek out those who are hungry
for the Word of God. Those who are truly God's sheep will be
more than happy to provide you with a meal, a night's
lodging, or whatever your needs might happen to be; and yes,
some will even freely offer a monetary gift to help see you
on to your next town. I recall that when I lived the Life of
Faith in Mexico many years ago, sometimes those sweet humble
people would invite us into their homes for days, weeks, or
even months at a time while we ministered to them and the
people of their town or village. The Lord enjoys blessing
people like that because they are cheerful givers:
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let
him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a
cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Those people who only give, donate or share because they
feel obligated to do so due to peer pressure, or to save
themselves a moment of embarrassment when the collection
plate is being passed around, have very little reward in
Heaven. Likewise, those who only give of their abundance,
when it really doesn't hurt to give, also have very little
reward in Heaven. As Jesus said, it is those who give of
their own need who receive the greater Heavenly Rewards as
in the story of the widow's mite:
"And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the
people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich
cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she
threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called
unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say
unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all
they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did
cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in
all that she had, even all her living." (Mark 12:41-44)
As with the case of the Scribes and the Pharisees, some
people within organized religion may outwardly appear to be
pious and generous, but as the Lord told the Prophet Samuel
when he went to anoint David as the new king of Israel, He
looks upon the condition of one's heart:
"But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance,
or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him:
for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart."
(1 Samuel 16:7)
It is those people who truly give from their hearts without
any thought of reward, recognition or recompense, who will
truly be blessed of their Father in Heaven; for in
supporting the work of the ministry, they are doing it as
unto the Lord. Not only that, but we are told that it is
impossible for us to outgive God. He will give back more
every time:
"He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth
me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet
in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward;
and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a
righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And
whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones
a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I
say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
(Matthew 10:40-42)
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the
LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10)
On the other hand, Jesus also told His Disciples what to do
if they didn't happen to find any worthy sheep in a
particular town or village:
"And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house
be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not
worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall
not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of
that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet."
(Matthew 10:12-14)
If you can't find anyone in a town who is willing to receive
you and the words of Salvation that you bear, then it is
time to be on your way! Let God deal with them for their
selfish evil hearts; and He most certainly will! While those
who rejected you may consider it a light thing, the Lord
certainly does not see it that way. In rejecting you, they
are rejecting Him as well; and they will have to face the
consequences for such actions sooner or later:
"Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the
land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for
that city." (Matthew 10:15)
When the Lord does bless people with physical abundance, He
expects them to share it with those in need; particularly
with those who are doing His work. From the Scriptures I
have now presented, it should be evident that in order for
you personally to receive these blessings of provision from
the Lord, you must first meet His conditions and show your
worth as a true Disciple of Jesus Christ by expressing your
faith in, and your obedience to His Word. You must put your
faith into action, for as the Apostle James wrote:
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also." (James 2:26)
In order to receive the Lord's blessings of provision in
your life, you must do as Abraham did and first be willing
to give up everything and place it upon the altar of God's
service; and that includes your own life and will as well:
"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and
he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son," (Hebrews 11:17)
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And
be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good,
and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." (Romans 12:1-2)
In other words, you can't say, 'Okay Lord, I'll do this and
obey, if you do this for me first'. God might honour that
kind of arrangement as we do find examples of it in the Old
Testament. Such was the case with untrusting Jacob in the
Book of Genesis. The Lord had to prove Himself to Jacob
first before Jacob would declare Him to be his God:
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and
will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread
to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my
father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:"
(Genesis 28:20-21)
Once the Lord had proven Himself to Jacob, He held Jacob to
his word. As I bring out in my article 'The Children of God
And Politics', twenty years later, Jacob had become a very
rich man with two wives, two handmaidens, twelve children,
servants, and flocks, etc. In short, he had gone from having
nothing, to being extremely wealthy; and thus it was
impossible for him to deny the Lord's Hand in his life.
However, the kind of faith that really pleases the Lord is
blind faith; when you take a step out over the edge of that
cliff without really knowing what is going to happen to you.
You just have to believe that God's Hand will be there to
catch you when you fall; just like when Jesus called Peter
to walk out to Him on the choppy waves of the Sea of
Galilee:
"And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid
me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when
Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water,
to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save
me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and
caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith,
wherefore didst thou doubt?" (Matthew 14:28-31)
As the Apostle Paul wrote in his Epistle to the Hebrews, it
takes real faith of gold to please the Lord. We must believe
that He is who He says He is, and that He will reward us for
our utter trust in Him and in His Word. If people can make
agreements and worldly business transactions with worldly
men, then why do they have such a hard time trusting in the
Word of our Heavenly Father whom we know will never cheat or
betray us? As I said towards the beginning of this article,
it is because most people can only trust in the temporal
physical world of the here and now. They do not have the
faith to believe in what they cannot see or detect with
their five senses:
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6)
If you are willing to take that kind of a step of faith and
say, 'Okay Lord, I really want to serve you as a fulltime
Disciple living by faith', and if you put your faith into
action by leaving your job, or leaving your family, or
whatever it takes to free you to do the Lord's work, that is
when the Lord can begin to amaze you with His miracles of
Divine Provision. While Jesus was still on Earth, these are
the very requirements He set down for those who desire to
follow Him as fulltime Disciples. He did not make these
requirements easy. In fact, He purposely made them difficult
so that only those men and women of the highest calibre and
of the greatest faith would choose the road of Discipleship.
Some of the conditions which Jesus established can be found
in the following verses:
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. He
that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of
me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me."
(Matthew 10:36-38)
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let
him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow
me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but
whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall
save it." (Luke 9:23-24)
"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother,
and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever
doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my
disciple." (Luke 14:26-27)
"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all
that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)
As can be seen, Jesus set the standard very high. As I have
shown in other articles such as 'The Parable Of The Sower:
Salvation And Service', not everyone was able to make the
grade in Jesus' day. Some, like the rich young ruler,
thought that he had sufficient faith; but in the end,
through Jesus' careful leading, that young man discovered
that it was all a proud pretense on his part. It is for this
reason that the Lord also admonishes us to count the cost
before we make such a major decision in our lives:
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not
down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have
sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the
foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it
begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was
not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against
another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether
he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against
him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a
great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth
conditions of peace." (Luke 14:28-32)
For those who are willing to take the leap of faith, the
Lord promises to not only provide their every need, but even
in excess of their needs, as can be seen in the following
verses:
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto
you." (Matthew 6:33)
"And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or
sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or
lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and
shall inherit everlasting life." (Matthew 19:29)
"And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There
is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my
sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold
now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and
mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in
the world to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29-30)
"If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the
field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more
will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye
what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of
doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the
world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need
of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and
all these things shall be added unto you." (Luke 12:28-31)
The Apostle Paul reaffirmed Jesus' teachings when he wrote
in his Epistle to the Church at Philippi:
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his
riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)
Notice that Paul says that God will provide our needs, and
not that we will provide our own needs. Some Christians
within organized religion perpetuate the myth that Paul
continued working as a tentmaker after he began his Life of
Faith; but as all of the Scriptures in this article have
shown, this is not the case whatsoever. A closer reading of
Acts chapter eighteen reveals that Paul may have been in a
somewhat backslidden state while he lived with Aquila and
Priscilla. Notice in the following verses we are told that
Paul 'was pressed in the spirt' once Silas and Timotheus
arrived from Macedonia. In other words, it appears as if he
once again became more active for the Lord having been
convicted by the presence of Silas and Timotheus:
"After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to
Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in
Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla;
(because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from
Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same
craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their
occupation they were tentmakers. And he reasoned in the
synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the
Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from
Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to
the Jews that Jesus was Christ." (Acts 18:1-5)
Furthermore, it seems rather contradictory to me that Paul
would say that God will provide all of our needs, and then
turn around and spend so much time making tents instead of
preaching the Gospel and living the Life of Faith; which is
specifically what the Lord had called him to do. In my view,
it does not seem reasonable or fair that the Lord would lay
down all of the above rules for Discipleship, and then not
expect Paul to adhere to them. Now some might argue, 'Yes,
but didn't Paul just preach in the synagogue on the Sabbath?
Doesn't that mean that he worked the rest of the week at his
secular job as a tentmaker?' The answer to this question is
so simple that it is almost silly. The reason that Paul only
went to the synagogue every Sabbath, is because that is the
only day the Jewish people would gather there. Being as they
were of the world, yes, they did work the other six days of
the week; but in light of the Scriptural evidence I have
already presented in this article, I don't believe that this
is what Paul or any of the other Disciples were doing. I
will address this point further in a moment.
Another favorite verse used by those who try to justify
their selfish living one hundred and sixty-seven hours a
week, while still claiming to be Disciples of Jesus Christ
is the following:
"And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we
bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:"
(1 Corinthians 4:12)
Certain people will look at that verse and say, 'You see!
Paul continued to hold a secular job as a tentmaker to earn
his living even after he dedicated himself to the Lord! It
clearly says he worked with his hands!' As I have already
pointed out many times in my articles, to truly understand
the Word of God, we must compare Scripture with Scripture.
Earlier I quoted Jesus' own words when He said to labour not
for the meat which perishes. Are we to assume then that Paul
is contradicting his own Lord's words? I think not! Paul is
talking about labouring in the ministry of the Lord to
provide the spiritual needs of the flock. To further
convince you the reader that this is so, let's take a look
at the verse which comes right before the one above:
"Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and
are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain
dwellingplace;" (1 Corinthians 4:11)
If Paul was earning his way working as a tentmaker, how
could he possibly be hungry, thirsty, naked, or not have any
certain dwelling place? It doesn't seem to make any sense
whatsoever, does it? If he was making and selling tents,
surely he would at least have had food to eat and something
to drink. Thus again, we see that if we put all of these
Scriptures in their proper context, and accept all of the
conditions set down by Jesus Christ Himself, which included
forsaking all, leaving everything behind, then we see that
'working with our own hands' has absolutely nothing to do
with holding a secular job. When Jesus called His First
Disciples, they immediately left their former lives behind,
just as Paul did later. Surely Paul followed his own advice
when he said that we become new creatures in Christ Jesus;
and that old things are passed away. In addition, Jesus made
it very clear that you simply cannot serve two masters.
Following are a few verses to add weight to these ideas:
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you
fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and
followed him." (Matthew 4:19-20)
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature:
old things are passed away; behold, all things are become
new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the
one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one,
and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
(Matthew 6:24)
Following is a final verse written by Paul which is used by
those who compromise their faith, and who insist that they
can serve the Lord as modern-age Disciples, while at the
same time continuing to serve the worldly system of man:
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him
labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that
he may have to give to him that needeth." (Ephesians 4:28)
Everything I have said previously can be applied to this
verse as well. When Paul speaks of '...labour, working with
his hands the thing which is good', he is talking about
preaching the Good News, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What
better thing could there possibly be than that? That entire
phrase, 'the thing which is good' is derived from one Greek
word, 'agathos', and it is an exact translation. If there is
one good thing which everyone in the world needs, surely it
is the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that they might
obtain Eternal Salvation. In light of the preponderance of
Scriptural evidence I have provided, this clearly seems to
be the best interpretation of these verses to me. However,
let me also add that this does not mean that the First
Disciples did not use some of their God-given talents for
the benefit of the Church. This leads us into the next topic
of this discussion.
When the Apostles and Early Disciples weren't preaching in
the synagogue on the Sabbath, what were they doing? From
reading the four Gospels, the Book of Acts, and the
Epistles, it becomes clear that they were either travelling,
resting, or else they were preaching in other places. As I
have already shown in other articles such as 'Revelation's
Babylon The Great Whore', the True Church is not some
physical organization with thousands of church buildings
spread all over the world like the Roman Catholic church
hierarchy. The True Church is the universal Body of
Believers in Jesus Christ. Jesus clarified the universal
spiritual nature of His Church in the following words spoken
to the Samaritan woman at the well:
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh,
when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what:
we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall
worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father
seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
(John 4:21-24)
Our English word 'church' is derived from the Greek word
'ekklesia', which refers to an assembly of people. In fact,
it is a public assembly of people. This word is in no way
connected to a physical building. They didn't even have
church buildings in the First Century! In fact, they didn't
even want them! It was the Roman Catholic church which
started that whole business three or four hundred years
later when they began to build their Earthly physical
kingdom of power with the encouragement and support of Rome,
because they couldn't wait for the real Kingdom of God to
come! As Paul said, we are Christ's Body, and He is our
Head; and He is the only Head that we need:
"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is
the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."
(Ephesians 5:23)
"And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things
he might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18)
As I have shown in other articles, the only major religious
building erected in those days was the Temple in Jerusalem;
and God clearly showed His displeasure with such things by
destroying it twice. While the Jews did have their village
synagogues, it wasn't before long that Jesus and His
Disciples were no longer able to preach inside of them due
to their radical doctrine. In fact, Jesus was kicked out of
the very synagogue of Nazareth where He had spent His
boyhood:
"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and,
as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath
day, and stood up for to read...And all they in the
synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with
wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led
him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,
that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing
through the midst of them went his way,"
(Luke 4:16, 28-30)
So the questions which now must be answered are these:
Exactly where is this True Church located? Where did the
Early Disciples meet? Where did they preach besides in the
synagogue on weekends when it was still permissible? To find
the answers, let's take a direct look at the Scriptures to
see what they reveal to us. When Saul persecuted the Early
Church, did he go and drag them out of some Sunday church
meeting or mass? He certainly did not! He went right to
where the True Church was located:
"As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into
every house, and haling men and women committed them to
prison." (Acts 8:3)
Where did Saul go to make havoc of the Church? He entered
'into every house' because that is where the True Church was
located in those days! Now, if that doesn't convince you,
perhaps these following verses will. They will clearly show
you that those who build church buildings and attend them on
weekends are disobeying the Lord, and are not following the
Blueprint drawn out by the Lord and His Apostles in the Book
of Acts:
"Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my
wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto
Christ." (Romans 16:5)
"The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Priscilla
salute you much in the Lord, with the church that is in
their house." (1 Corinthians 16:19)
"Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and
the church which is in his house." (Colossians 4:15)
"And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier,
and to the church in thy house:" (Philemon 1:2)
There it is! Four more very clear examples which show us
exactly where the True Church was and is located: in the
homes of the Believers; and as you will see in a moment, it
was not always just one little family living by themselves
either! Undoubtedly, some people who resist this Biblical
Truth are going to try to justify their actions by saying
something like the following: 'Yes, but that was in those
days! The situation has changed a lot since then. We know
how to do it better today. We have improved on the original
methods of the Apostles. Now that Christianity has become
accepted in the eyes of the world, we build church buildings
where it is easy for people to come together to fellowship
and worship.'
If this is your attitude, I am sorry to have to disagree
with you, but my Bible tells me something very different.
The Original Apostles and Disciples lived in the very same
century as Jesus Christ. They sat at His very feet and
learned directly from Him. They received the Original Plan
and the Original Vision from the Master. How can anyone
possibly suggest that they didn't know how to do it right?
They were the very first ones to receive the giftof the Holy
Spirit which, among other things, helped them to remember
everything they had been taught by the Lord:
"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father
will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said
unto you." (John 14:26)
Another excuse often used is, 'Oh, yes, that may be true,
but you see, we are much bigger today. We couldn't possibly
meet in our homes or in some public place. We must have our
church buildings'. Again, this is not a valid excuse for not
following the Original Plan laid down in the Book of Acts.
The Apostles and Early Disciples were winning thousands of
new converts at a time! On two occasions alone they won at
least eight thousand new converts, and that only included
the men!:
"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and
the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls." (Acts 2:41)
"Howbeit many of them which heard the word believed; and the
number of the men was about five thousand." (Acts 4:4)
If we examine the Scriptures closely, following those two
incidents, we do not see anyone saying 'Hey guys, we are
getting too big to be doing this outside. Let's start a
building fund so we can build ourselves some big church
buildings. Let's give The Temple some competition.' Contrary
to this idea, here is exactly what the Apostles had their
new converts do:
"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat
with gladness and singleness of heart," (Acts 2:46)
"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,
but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and
from house to house," (Acts 20:20)
Even after the Disciples were finally kicked out of the
Temple because of their radical doctrine of Salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ alone, they didn't just
abandon their new-found Faith. Neither did they go out and
build their own temple even larger than the one on Mount
Moriah so that they could acommodate more people. The above
verses plainly tell us that they met both publicly, as well
as in the privacy of the homes of fellow Believers. This is
precisely what we saw in earlier verses as well. Even though
they may have lived in separate structures, we are told that
there was 'singleness of heart'. The word 'singleness' is
derived from the Greek word 'aphelotes' which also means
simplicity. In other words, the Early Disciples shared the
same doctrine as the Apostles, and there was unity of the
Spirit. This is precisely what the Apostle Paul exhorted the
Corinthians to do in the following verse:
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be
no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined
together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
(1 Corinthians 1:10)
In another sense, the phrase 'singleness of heart' can also
be interpreted as meaning with a simple sincere faith in
Jesus Christ. In other words, unlike the Scribes and the
Pharisees who had a very complicated religious system full
of all kinds of laws and oral traditions, the new Christian
faith was based upon one basic Truth; and that Truth was
Salvation through faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ
alone. As I have pointed out in other articles, it is this
one Truth which the unbelieving Jews unsuccessfully tried to
destroy. In order to accomplish this, they sent in spies and
false brethren, those who still followed the Mosaic Law, who
then tried to cause doctrinal division between the First
Disciples. In other words, they wanted to destroy the
simplicity of the Gospel by adding other conditions to
Salvation such as the need to be circumcised. Today, the big
issue is water baptism, which I have also written about.
This is why we find warnings such as the following in the
Epistles:
"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve
through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from
the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh
preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye
receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or
another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well
bear with him...For such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into
an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
(2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 13-15)
In the previous verses, the word 'simplicity' is derived
from the Greek word 'haplotes' which means singleness,
simplicity, sincerity, or mental honesty. You will notice
that it is very similar to the Greek word 'aphelotes' which
is translated as 'singleness' in the previous verse I
shared. With the Scriptural evidence which I have provided
thus far, I am personally convinced that the True Church is
in the home; because it does not consist of a building, but
rather of the Believers themselves. Even though the First
Disciples were winning literally thousands of new converts,
they still continued to meet in their homes, obviously in
small groups where they shared not only the Bread of Life,
the Word of God, but also their food and other necessary
items as well.
As you may have already concluded from the previous verses I
shared, once they converted to the new Faith, these early
Christians opened their homes for other Disciples to come
and live with them, providing they had room of course. In
short, some of the larger homes which weren't sold probably
became Christian communes of various sizes. I will be
exploring this concept further on in this article. The main
point I wish for you to consider at this time is this: In
light of the naked Truth of the Gospel which I have now
presented verse by verse, why is it that some people today
continue to build and attend their big fancy church
buildings? Has God changed the way He wants us to do things
today? I seriously doubt it; for as Paul wrote in his
Epistle to the Hebrews:
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
(Hebrews 13:8)
While our methods of preaching the Gospel have changed as
more modern means have become available to us such as radio,
television, Gospel tracts, the Internet, the World Wide Web,
etc., the basic Gospel message has not changed; and the
Original Plan for how to live the Gospel has not changed.
Applying all of these verses to our situation today, how can
anyone claim to be seeking first the Kingdom of God when
they dedicate most of the week to working to meet their own
needs, and to satisfying their personal pleasures? How many
of us have taken up the challenge to follow the pattern of
the Book of Acts by living and sharing together like the
First Century Church? This is one of the big lies taught by
modern Christianity. In my view, organized religion, or
'organized division' as I prefer to call it, is a religion
of convenience. The creed of the modern Christian is 'Seek
ye first the Kingdom of God after you have sought out your
own needs and pleasures first'. It is a religion of
compromise; it is a religion of selfish materialism; and it
conflicts directly with the admonition from the Apostle John
in his first Epistle:
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15-16)
Notice also that in the previous verses I shared on
Discipleship, Jesus attached one other item to the list of
things which we will inherit if we take the step of faith
and follow Him one hundred percent everyday of our lives as
true Disciples. I am not referring to Eternal Life, but
rather to His phrase 'with persecutions'. In other words, if
you are so bold as to drop out of the system of slavery of
man, you will be rewarded both in this life, as well as in
the next; but you need to be prepared to suffer persecution
for making such a bold choice. The New World Management Team
utterly hates anyone who can prove that they can live
outside of their established system. Those who do so show
that there is another way; a better way; a way which the
Controllers do not want people to know about. If you doubt
this, stop to think how many laws have now been passed to
basically make it illegal for people to live a communal
lifestyle. Satan has made sure that terms like 'free love',
'wild sex', 'dangerous cult', 'arms traffickers' and 'drug
traffickers' are associated with such communities.
I am reminded of a movie which came out several decades ago.
It was called 'Logan's Run' and starred British actor
Michael York. The movie revolved around a futuristic society
which was totally self-contained within a domed city. It has
been many years since I saw the movie, but I believe that
this city came about as the result of a nuclear war or some
other catastrophe. Because of limited resources within the
city, it was necessary to control the population. Thus,
using very strong deception, the Controllers of the city
passed a law and created a ritual whereby everyone who had
reached the age of thirty had to undergo a process to
rejuvenate themselves. To create these startling effects in
the movie, the producers used a ballet troupe suspended by
wires, and a series of laser beams. The gist of the movie
was that the protagonist, Michael York, eventually uncovered
the great lie; and that was that the laser beams were by no
means rejuvenating anyone, but rather they were destroying
them; thus keeping the city's population within the
necessary limits. Upon discovering this horrible truth, he
immediately began the quest to escape from the city.
The way that this movie relates to our current discussion is
that when the group of rebels finally gains their freedom,
they discover the natural outside world which has been
totally rejuvenated. They find out that they have been
needlessly living in a totally artificial environment for
years, because of the deception perpetrated by the evil
Controllers. Once the rebels discovered the truth, they only
had two choices; either they could continue living the lie;
or else they could follow the truth and be free. This is
what Jesus told the Jews who had believed on Him as well:
"...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples
indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall
make you free." (John 8:31b-32)
Notice that in order to be the Lord's Disciples, to know the
Truth, and to be truly free, we must first continue in His
Word; we must believe in it and live it to the best of our
ability. But you see, just like the Controllers in 'Logan's
Run', the false Jewish hierarchy did not want the Early
Disciples to be free from their system of bondage under the
Mosaic Law and Oral Tradition. In fact, as I mentioned
earlier, Paul tells us that the legalistic law-bound Jews
sent in spies to spy out the liberty of the Early Disciples:
"And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who
came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in
Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom
we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the
truth of the gospel might continue with you."
(Galatians 2:4-5)
This is the exact same situation we find in our world today.
There is another reality outside of the artificial world of
money and materialism; however, to survive in it, you must
be willing to forsake your faith in money, and place it in
the one true God. Likewise, as I have already pointed out,
you must be willing to suffer persecution, both verbal and
physical, for choosing to take a stand against the false
system of man which has enslaved you for so many years. In
particular, it is when you begin to tell others that such a
world exists, that you will begin to feel the wrath of the
New World Management Team. Consider some of the following
verses written by those who began this process of escape
several thousand years ago:
"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for my sake." (Matthew 5:11)
"But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into
another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone
over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come."
(Matthew 10:23)
"But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you,
and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and
into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my
name's sake." (Luke 21:12)
"Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not
greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will
also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will
keep yours also." (John 15:20)
"Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution." (2 Timothy 3:12)
Clearly then, being a fulltime Disciple of Jesus Christ does
have its price, but the rewards far exceed the persecutions
we may suffer in this life. When Paul was discussing the
sins of the fleshly Corinthians, he said something which
could easily apply to those who are today trapped within the
false system of worldwide Babylon the Great:
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will
receive you," (2 Corinthians 6:17)
Notice the Lord's promise in that verse. If we obey His
command to come out from among them, if we separate
ourselves from the filth and spiritual pollution of the
world, He will receive us. He will care for us. He will
provide for us. He will protect us. He will prosper us. This
idea of being separated, or sanctified, from the world is
exactly what being a Saint of God is all about. The word
'saint' is derived from the Greek word 'hagios' which means
a holy thing, or a holy one. The word 'holy' is likewise
derived from the Greek 'hagiazo' which means to be
separated, purified and dedicated to God. Thus the
'ekklesia', the true assembly of God, is comprised of His
Saints, those called out from the world. This act of being
separated from the world is what Jesus required of His First
Disciples, and it is what He still requires today of those
who wish to call themselves by His name. Consider the
following additional verses which clearly reveal God's plan
for His people to be separated from the false plastic world
of modern Babylon the Great:
"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in
the seat of the scornful." (Psalms 1:1)
"Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no
unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean,
that bear the vessels of the LORD." (Isaiah 52:11)
"Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and deliver every man his
soul: be not cut off in her iniquity; for this is the time
of the LORD'S vengeance; he will render unto her a
recompence." (Jeremiah 51:6)
"If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but
because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out
of the world, therefore the world hateth you." (John 15:19)
"I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest
me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them
me; and they have kept thy word...I have given them thy
word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of
the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that
thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through
thy truth: thy word is truth." (John 17:6, 14-17)
"And with many other words did he testify and exhort,
saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation."
(Acts 2:40)
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that
are freely given to us of God." (1 Corinthians 2:12)
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people
with his own blood, suffered without the gate."
(Hebrews 13:12)
"Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever
therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of
God." (James 4:4)
"For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter
end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been
better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,
than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy
commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto
them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his
own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her
wallowing in the mire." (2 Peter 2:20-22)
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is
not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the
flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is
not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2:15-16)
"And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of
her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues." (Revelation 18:4)
What we are basically being told by the above verses is that
in order to free others from the clutches of Satan and his
evil filthy world, we must first be free ourselves. In other
words, while we are indeed in the world because we live on
this Earth and are a part of society, we are not a part of
it in a spiritual sense; therefore we should not take
pleasure in the same things as worldlings, and we should not
act or think like worldlings. Instead, we should put the
Lord, His Word and His Kingdom first in our lives, and do
what we can to bring others into that Kingdom.
At this point, perhaps you might be wondering to yourself,
'Well, suppose that I really do want to try this out?
Suppose I want to really try to completely obey the Lord and
lead a Life of Faith? Exactly how would I go about doing it?
Where do I start?' As I have already shown, within the Book
of Acts we find the pattern of the Early Church, the Real
One founded by Jesus Christ, and not the false plastic rich
one you see today in many parts of the world. I have already
plainly stated and proven through many Scriptures that the
True Church is a called out Body of Believers who have
separated themselves from the world by forsaking jobs,
family, or any other obligations which would keep them from
serving the Lord fulltime. I have shown that these True
Believers meet and live in their own homes, and that they in
fact live communally when and where possible. One clear
example of this can be found in the very first chapter of
the Book of Acts:
"Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. And
when they were come in, they went up into an upper room,
where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew,
Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son
of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of
James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and
supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus,
and with his brethren. And in those days Peter stood up in
the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names
together were about an hundred and twenty,)" (Acts 1:12-15)
The above verses are a clear example of First Century
Christian communal living. Depending upon how you wish to
interpret them, these verses are saying that at least the
Eleven Apostles lived together, and quite possibly also
Jesus' flesh family which included Mary and His brethren,
plus the other women who followed Jesus. If we really want
to stretch it, it might even be saying that all one hundred
and twenty of them were living together; although I think
such a large number would have been viewed as a threat to
both the Romans and the Jewish hierarchy, and thus not
permitted. Regardless of the specific number, it is quite
clear that they were living communally. This then leads us
to another question: If all of these people dropped out of
the System and forsook their former lives and jobs, how did
they survive? As I have already shown in part, when they
went out on 'faith trips', they relied upon the goodness of
those to whom they ministered to provide their needs. This
is precisely what living the Life of Faith is all about. It
requires total faith in and dependence upon God. This faith
only comes when you know that you are pleasing Him and
fulfilling His Will for your life. I am reminded of the
following verse:
"Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee
the desires of thine heart." (Psalms 37:4)
This concept can also be applied to things I have described
in other articles regarding the waywardness of ancient
Israel. As long as they obeyed the Lord, they had peace with
their enemies round about; but the minute they began to
disobey, the Lord sent the heathen upon them to chastise
them. In short, if you really want to learn the fear of the
Lord, just begin living the Life of Faith. Believe me, you
will quickly find yourself on your knees in desperate prayer
a lot more than you probably do right now! However, there is
more to the New Testament Church Plan than what I have
described thus far. When these new converts to the Faith
forsook all, exactly what did they do with their money,
their properties, their possessions, etc.? The financial
plan for the New Testament Church is clearly explained in
the following verses:
"And all that believed were together, and had all things
common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted
them to all men, as every man had need." (Acts 2:44-45)
"Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many
as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought
the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down
at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every
man according as he had need." (Acts 4:34-35)
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content."
(Philippians 4:11)
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be
content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)
While this may shock a few, the Early Church was comprised
of Christian Communists! The primary difference between them
and Russian or Chinese communists is that they were
motivated by Divine Love, and not by some oppressive regime
of human origin. While modern communism is fueled by fear,
the Early Disciples shared their lives and their possessions
because of their common goal of furthering the Gospel of
Jesus Christ; and because of the Christian Love which bonded
them together. They shared everything according to each
man's need. They didn't live selfishly in their own homes
with their own possessions. They didn't say 'This is mine
because I worked hard for it, and you can't have it!'.
What a reproach modern so-called Christians are to the
Original Plan of Jesus Christ! Notice that it says that they
sold everything, including their houses! These people were
extremely serious about serving the Lord with all of their
hearts, souls and minds, exactly as Jesus had required of
them. They weren't namby-pamby go-to-church-on-Sunday
Christians. They didn't compromise their faith by working a
forty-hour week and then just fellowship on weekends when
they had time; or after the football game was over! They
fellowshipped every single day because they were living and
working together for the Lord all of the time in true
Christian unity and love! As I stated earlier, it seems
likely that they kept some of the larger homes which they
converted into Christian communes.
What is also interesting to note about this is that it was
just not poor people who became the First Century Disciples.
If they had homes and lands to sell, some of them, such as
Matthew for example, must have been rather affluent. Some of
them must have also been well-educated. In writing this, I
am reminded of how Moses was forced to leave his life of
wealth and fame in Egypt in order to become a flaming
Prophet of the Lord. This came about when he was forced to
flee for his life after Pharaoh discovered that he had
killed an Egyptian:
"Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses.
But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the
land of Midian: and he sat down by a well." (Exodus 2:15)
"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be
called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to
suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the
pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he
had respect unto the recompence of the reward. By faith he
forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he
endured, as seeing him who is invisible."
(Hebrews 11:24-27)
With so many Scriptures I have provided in this article, how
can anyone possibly doubt that this was and is the true New
Testament Plan for God's people? How can you the reader
doubt it? Our brethren of the First Century took things very
seriously, just as the ancient Israelites learned to take
things very seriously with Moses. Just as the Lord was quick
to deal with murmurers and complainers in the camp of the
Israelites, He also did not tolerate any nonsense or
dishonesty from the First Century Disciples. This can be
clearly seen in the account of Ananias and his wife Sapphira
in Acts chapter five:
"But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife,
sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife
also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid
it at the apostles' feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath
Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained,
was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in
thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine
heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And
Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the
ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these
things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried
him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three
hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came
in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the
land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter
said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to
tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which
have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry
thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and
yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found
her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her
husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon
as many as heard these things." (Acts 5:1-11)
Clearly, the Scriptures I have shared in this article
present a very tall order and a tremendous challenge for
anyone who claims to be a Christian, and who enjoys a
comfortable secure life in the societies of the Westernized
world. While some may argue that this style of Christian
living and fellowship is totally unfeasible in our modern
day, let me again remind you of what Paul said in his
Epistle to the Hebrews:
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
(Hebrews 13:8)
God hasn't changed, His plan hasn't changed, and His ability
to provide our needs hasn't changed. The only ones who have
changed are we ourselves. As I have pointed out in other
articles, it was only a few hundred years after those first
events in the Book of Acts that Christianity compromised and
solidified. They lost the Fire, and they lost the Love.
While I and other writers like me have exposed the lies and
sins of the Roman Catholic church, none of us can use this
as an excuse or as a red herring to try to avoid the fact
that we are all to blame. Compromise begins in the personal
life of each one of us. You can't blame the Roman Catholic
church, or even your own church for your failure to serve
the Lord as you know you should; and if you didn't know
before, you certainly do now. In my view, there are
basically three reasons why most Christians today do not
follow the Biblical example of the Book of Acts. These
reasons are a lack of faith, a lack of love, and a fear of
persecution. Many Christians today claim to have faith, but
it is for the most part a false, dead pretentious faith. As
James wrote in his epistle:
"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath
faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother
or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of
you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;
notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are
needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if
it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say,
Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without
thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works...For
as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is dead also." (James 2:14-18, 26)
If our faith was truly a living faith, then we would pattern
our lives according to the Book of Acts. In speaking of the
Endtime, Jesus said on one occasion:
"...Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find
faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8b)
One of the primary reasons why most people no longer have
the faith to believe in God's promises to supply their
needs, is simply because their lives are so taken up by
other things, that they have neglected His Word and their
time of daily communion with Him. In fact, many don't even
do the one-hour ritual every week! If you don't even spend
time in God's Word, how can you possibly expect to have a
living thriving faith which will motivate you to obey what
you find written within the Scriptures? Remember what Paul
wrote in his Epistle to the Romans:
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God." (Romans 10:17)
I have written on this very same issue in many other
articles, so I won't belabor the point here. Aside from our
lack of faith, our failure to obey God's Word is also due to
a lack of real Christian love. Just as Jesus said that faith
would be severely lacking in the Endtime, He also pointed
out that true spiritual love would be absent as well:
"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold." (Matthew 24:12)
That word 'wax' is not referring to paraffin, that is, the
substance which is used to make candles, but rather it is an
old English word which means to grow or to be made cool or
cold as by blowing. It is derived from the Greek word
'psucho'. So basically, Jesus is saying that the Endtime
would be characterized by a spiritual coldness in men's
hearts, a lack of warmth and brotherly love. We don't have
to look very far to see that this is certainly true. Most
people nowadays don't even know the people who live in their
same apartment building, or on their same neighborhood
block. Despite the fact that people living in cities are
crammed together like sardines, they are spiritually
separated by great distances. They don't even know each
other's names as they pass each other silently in the
hallways; and many even carry guns or knives to protect
themselves! This is an age of fear, and not one of love.
If people are no longer willing or unable to open up their
lives in a spiritual sense, they certainly are not going to
be able to open up their lives and share their possessions
in a physical sense. The past few decades of the 'me first'
generation surely testifies to the truth found in my words.
While some may not realize it, the fact that the Endtime is
characterized by selfishness is again another fulfillment of
an ancient prophecy. I discuss this same topic in another
article called 'Selfish Living: A Sign Of The Endtime'.
Several Scriptures related to this topic are the following:
"And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of
covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the
abundance of the things which he possesseth." (Luke 12:15)
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy,..." (2 Timothy 3:1-2)
Thus we see that unless we have true Faith and true
spiritual Love burning in our hearts, it is virtually
impossible to live the Original Pattern laid down by Jesus
and His First Disciples. In decades gone by, many attempted
to create such communities as described in the Book of Acts;
however, because the majority were lacking in the primary
ingredient, the cement required to mold them together, that
of course being faith in Jesus Christ, they were doomed to
failure from the start; and eventually they succumbed to
their own selfish passions. Because many were based on
physical human love, that is free sex, and drugs, it was
inevitable that they would result in dismal failure.
However, this was not the case with all of them. There have
been some communes which have managed to survive, despite a
great deal of harassment and persecution from Government
and/or church authorities who view them as a major threat to
their system of monetary and spiritual slavery. As I stated
earlier, it is this fear of persecution by the Government,
or by Organized Religion, or by people who have been
brainwashed into believing the lies of one or both of them,
which has prevented some Christian communes from ever
getting started, even though there was a sincere desire to
attempt this. As I have shown in other articles such as
'Dracula: Fight Fear With Faith', this same fear of
persecution was also experienced by the First Disciples and
the Early Church; and the source of that fear was the same
then as it is now: Government and Organized Religion.
Consider the following verses:
"Howbeit no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews."
(John 7:13)
"These words spake his parents, because they feared the
Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did
confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the
synagogue." (John 9:22)
"And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of
Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate
that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave
him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus."
(John 19:38)
"Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the
week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were
assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." (John 20:19)
The force that was behind the marriage of the Roman Imperial
Government and the leadership of Israel two thousand years
ago, is the very same force which works today to unite
modern Government and Organized Religion; and it has a name
and a face:
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your
father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.
When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a
liar, and the father of it." (John 8:44)
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as
a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"
(1 Peter 5:8)
The idea of Christian communes existing in our world today
is definitely a challenge. With mandatory school attendance
being enforced by truancy laws, the current steps being
taken to move away from a monetary system to a Smart Card
fully-computerized credit system, and other such factors
working against them, such communities would certainly have
to be totally withdrawn from society, and completely freed
from the shackles of having to depend upon any manmade
currency such as the American dollar. Such communes would
have to be founded upon a great deal of Faith, and a great
deal of unselfish Love and mutual cooperation and sharing
between all parties, exactly as is prescribed in the Book of
Acts. These Christian communes would have to be totally
self-sufficient producing their own food, making their own
clothes, building their own homes, providing the necessary
schooling for their children, etc.
Being as our primary calling as Christians is to be a
witness to the world, these communes would also have to have
some system of security implemented whereby they could
protect themselves from outsiders, possibly even keeping
their exact location a secret, while at the same time still
allowing themselves to be the Christian witnesses they are
supposed to be. As the forces of antichrist increase in the
world day by day and year by year, I don't see how such a
balance could be effectively maintained.
Let me clarify that I am not referring to certain churches
within organized religion who claim to be First Century
churches. I am referring to those who prove that they are
such by their words, by their deeds, and by their complete
Life of Faith as per all of the verses I have shared in this
article. Those who build church buildings, who attend
service one hour a week while they selfishly live their own
lives for the rest of the week, and who devote more time to
earning money than to serving God and being a Christian
witness, are not First Century churches according to the
Scriptures. They are lukewarm compromisers. They feign to
serve God, while they really serve themselves and the god of
this world. They are similar to the church of Laodicea in
the Book of Revelation which was described as being rich,
lazy, fat, self-satisfied and certainly not living the
message of the Gospel or following the First Century
pattern:
"And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write;
These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that
thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor
hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest,
I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to
buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the
shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes
with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I
rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent."
(Revelation 3:14-19)
Before closing part one of this article, allow me to state
that while this paper contains a power-packed message full
of Biblical truth, I realize that not everyone will be able
to accept it. We must all choose to live our lives according
to our own faith. Not everyone is called to be a fulltime
Disciple of Jesus Christ. As the Lord said Himself:
"For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matthew 22:14)
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your
fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
Father in my name, he may give it you." (John 15:16)
If we honestly feel that our hearts are right with the Lord,
then we should not allow anyone or anything to condemn us,
as we alone must answer to the Lord for our actions and
decisions in this life. This is clearly born out in the
following verses:
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit." (Romans 8:1)
"One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth
every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own
mind." (Romans 14:5)
"Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he
that condemneth not himself in that thing which he
alloweth." (Romans 14:22)
"For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart,
and knoweth all things." (1 John 3:20)
"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God." (1 John 3:21)
Thus again, while I have presented a strong challenge to
accept the calling of fulltime Discipleship, please do not
feel condemned if this goal is beyond your current reach. If
nothing else, I hope that the powerful Truths I have shared
here will at least cause you to reconsider your walk with
the Lord. Perhaps I have touched on some areas where you
need to make a few improvements. In addition, I hope that
this article will help those who hold an inflated image of
themselves or of their church, to realize that they are not
the high and mighty Christians that they believe themselves
to be. If this article sparks the Flame of Faith in the
hearts of a few so that they will dare to take God at His
Word, and to try to accomplish what I have described here, I
will be even more pleased. If you are such a person, I would
truly enjoy hearing from you regarding your successes for
the Lord. God is willing and able. Are you up to the task?
In part two, we will be taking a further look at some of the
themes covered in this article. We will also be examining
the leadership structure of the First Century church and
comparing it with what we have in the world today. I hope
you will join me. I pray that this current article has been
a blessing, an inspiration and a challenge in your life.
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