" SHARING "

Good Afternoon All, I wanted to share a word or two with you on the subject of " Sharing." It's truly sad that we don't share automatically from birth. Now the early Church was able to share possessions and property as a result of the unity brought by the Holy Spirit working in and through the believers lives. This way of living is different from communism because (1) The Sharing was voluntary; (2) It didn't involve all private property, but only as much as was needed; (3) It was not a membership requirement in order to be a part of the church. The spiritual unity and generosity of these early believers attracted others to them. This organizational structure is not a Biblical command, but it offers vital principles for us to follow. Do you remember the parable of the Lost Son? " The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me my SHARE of the estate that falls to me', so he divided his wealth between them. " OK listen to this: the younger son's share of the estate would have been one-third, with the older son receiving two-thirds (Deuteronomy 21:17). In most cases he would have received this act his Father's death, although fathers sometimes chose to divide up their inheritance early and retire from managing their estates. What is unusual here is that the younger one initiated the division of the estate. This showed arrogant disregard for his Fathers' authority as head of the family. LAST POINT: Another type of SHARING , Paul says, " Filling Up What Is Lacking In Christ's Afflictions, " he does not mean that Christ's suffering was inadequate to save him, nor does he mean that there is a predetermined amount of suffering that must be paid by all Believers, Paul, could be saying that suffering is unavoidable in bringing the Good News Of Christ to the World. It is called Christs' suffering, because all Christians are related to Christ. When we suffer, Christ feels it with us. But this suffering can be endured joyfully because it changes lives and brings people into God's Kingdom. Until Next Time... Jim,