Selfishness, the silent #1 killer. There is an implied, nearly undetectable level of selfishness in the underlying principles of this society. Obviously I am not talking about the, you took the last piece of pizza, kinda selfishness. It can get a bit complicated, so, theres nothing like a story to illustrate it a little: Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira They were a married couple who became part of the early church. They also owned some property, which they sold to give the money to the church....which they stated to be the whole price. But, they did not give all the money And they are called-out by the apostles, who begin to say something that takes a bit of investigation to understand....they say, the money was yours to do as you desire, but you have lied to God. The story ends with that couple going to the grave. So, if their money was theirs to do what they please....and the Apostles should have been grateful for whatever they could give.....and it was such a little lie.....why the big consequences??? Big explanation required..... THE DIVIDING LINE! There is a line somewhere in our existence, it cannot necessarily be seen....but it can definitely be understood. Jesus kinda delves into it with this saying, (John 3:12) I have spoken to you about earthly things and you do not believe me, how will I speak to you about heavenly things? What would compel a person to sell their property and all their possessions? I can definitely tell you this....It doesnt originate from a worldly attitude. A worldly attitude only compels someone to keep their lives. Jesus spoke of this as well, if you keep your life, you will lose it, but if you give up your life for my sake, you will keep it for all eternity Let me rephrase this.....the worldly life that I lose (for heavens sake) IS the life I can keep. But, if I try to keep my earthly life, I will lose it....eventually, if not circumstantially. And so, the selling (losing) of worldly possessions is supposed to be US BEGINNING TO CROSS THE DIVIDING LINE....between worldly principality and heavenly communion with God and each other. There really is no way to explain this....because, if a person does not understand, or has fallen asleep to the fact, that what is going on in our culture is the anti-thesis of heaven.....what else can be said?...the grave is waiting for you. Jesus puts it this way, (Matthew 13) the parable of the sower.....as seeds which fell on rocky ground and in the thorns....and having shallow roots, and caring about worldly things, and fearful of persecution......kills the seeds The second problem was that Ananias and Sapphira knew....they knew..... What is God supposed to do?....When somebody knows that the church IS the ambassador of heaven.....that the church is supposed to stand against the powers of control and empire and greed and self.....and that is a fight which the believers persevere in day after day....how do I give to God what is Gods? How do I lay down my life? And for Ananias and Sapphira....to lie about that struggle..... It doesnt say exactly why they lied....maybe they were afraid of losing their place in society, maybe they were scared of being persecuted as extremists, maybe they simply couldnt live without a plan B? Whatever the reason was... To say that they gave their ALL....but not......is painting a picture of heaven, of Gods WAY....that is not true to his FULLNESS and glory. And when, other believers see someone getting-away with lying about Gods way.....keeping their worldly life, and giving their life to Christ....which is truly an impossibility....unless you lie.....THEY ARE DESTROYING THE POWER OF THE MUSTARD SEED....they are taking that little tiny place of truth and sanctuary....and saying it doesnt matter and is not a priority......which is the spirit of the anti-Christ, they are in effect, killing the church and setting a false example for other believers. So God had to kill them!!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 16:24:11 +0000
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