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Taking care of the body
Personal blog posted by Scott Ledbetter on December 12, 2009 at 10:33pm
All one has to do is go and look at certain denominations, and you will see how that they claim to be from the original or go bak to the original first century Believers. The Pentecostal’s claim their heritage from the original day of Pentecost. The Churches of Christ, Disciples of Christ, and the Christian Church claim to be the original first century Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church of course claims to be the original first century Christianity as well. But the problem with all of these are that, while they may contain pieces of the original first century Christianity, they are lacking in a very big area.
This area comes from the corrupted notion that the Body of the Messiah and the Civil Government go hand in hand. This was not the case until the fourth century Common Era (AD), when Constantine claimed to have merged the two. Since then, the two have been almost inseparable. But even with the new math, the first and the fourth centuries are not the same thing. So when you just look at this from a common sense factor, how can you claim to be first century Christianity if you are acting, believing, and teaching fourth century Catholicism?
Now aside from the Roman Catholic Church - which doesn’t even follow many of the original teachings of the RCC - the other denominations that I mentioned all claim to be the polar opposite of Catholicism. So then, how does one, who claims to be the opposite of Catholicism, who refused to acknowledge that the Catholic Church is even true Christianity, who claims to be the pure unadulterated first century Christianity, end up teaching for a fact something that became a fact only in the fourth century?
The answer is so simple it amazes me that hardly anyone gets it. When you look at when the Protestant movement began to take hold, you are talking about over a thousand years of people being use to and accustom to the Body of the Messiah and the Civil Government being the same thing. Look at the Holy Roman Empire, the Monarch of England being the head of the Anglican church, and even until this year, the Church of Sweden and the Government of Sweden diverged. With such a history of the Christianity and Civil Government being one and the same, then it is easy to ignore the fact that in the beginning, this was not so.
Remember, it was the Civil Government that put Yeshua to death. Remember it was the same Civil Government that persecuted the believers in the first century. John was exiled because of the Civil Government. How many believers were fed to the lions or burned to light the streets of Rome because of the Civil Government? So when the Apostle’s were inspired to write the completion of Scripture, it was under the clear separation of the body of the Messiah and state that we find instructions and examples of how to live our lives.
In the second chapter of the book of Acts, we read, “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. 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 2:44-46) All of the believers shared all of the things that they had, including selling their possessions and goods, and partitioning thoroughly to everyone that had need.
It was not sending a person who was in need to the Civil Government, but the believers, who broke bread while fellow shipping together everyday, took care of one another. Now in the Greek, there is something here that is very interesting to look at, and when you see it, it will make a whole lot of sense. In verse 42, we read, “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” The word fellowship here is the Greek word koinonia (GSN 2842) meaning partnership and participation. The word common in verse 44 is the Greek word koinos (GSN 2839) meaning shared by all or several.
Koinos can be rendered defiled, because it is meaning common and not set apart. But it shows that there are several partakers and not just a few. Koinos is also the base word of koinoneo (GSN 2841) which is translated partakers of in Romans chapter 15 and verse 27 which reads, “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.” The idea is that those who had shared with or partook with those who were in need, without grumbling or complaining. The Body of the Messiah is our new family. Yeshua said this when He answered the person who told Him that His physical mother and brothers were wanting to talk to Him: “‘Who is My mother? And who are My brethren?’ And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, ‘Behold My mother and My brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of My Father which is in heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.’” (Matthew 12:48-50)
Now koinonos is talking about fellow shipping with or participating with others in something. First Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 16 translates this word as communion when it reads, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of the Messiah? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of the Messiah?” So this word also means a communion, since communion means sharing things with others. Also, koinonos means fellowship and society. “YHVH is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Yeshua the Messiah our Master.” (1 Corinthians 1:9) “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) It also means communication, which is how it is translated in Philemon verse 6, when it reads, “That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in the Messiah Yeshua.” Finally, it is translated contribution in Romans chapter 15 and verse 26, which reads, “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.”
Let us be really clear about all of this. Everything that is on this earth belongs to our Heavenly Father, and He gives those things to us, so as to not only take care of us, but also so that we can bless and take care of our fellow spiritual brothers and sisters in the Body of the Messiah. When we are jealous, covetous, or greedy, these are fruits of sin, that our flesh produces, and it is contrary to the Apostle’s doctrine. The story of the widows mite teaches us that even though we may have very little, when we willingly give it up for the benefit of others, we will be assured of being taken care of. When you stop thinking of things as your own, you can get past the hoarding and the bad feelings towards others. We are not to be keeping up with the Jones’, but rather are to be seeking first the kingdom of YHVH and His righteousness. As we find in Romans chapter 12 and verse 10, we are to prefer one another in the body of the Messiah.
And reading there in Romans chapters 12 and 15 brings me to the next part of this lesson. Ever since the fourth century, it is believed that, especially in chapter 13, that this is talking about the Civil Government and Society as a whole. The only way to get this is to take out of context one section of chapter 13. The fact is, when you look at the entire context, knowing that the so-called marriage of Christianity and Civil Government did not happen til the fourth century, that chapters 12 through 16 are discussing the Body of the Messiah and not those that are without the body.
By taking chapter 13 verses 1 through 7 out of context and declaring that “higher powers” is talking about Civil Government, then they teach you that you are subject to the laws of the heathens. If I said the word liturgical to you, would you ever in a million years this of Civil Government? How about if I said the word deacon, would you then associate this with a Civil Government? These words are exclusively used to describe functions within Christianity. However, if those that hold Romans 13 to be about Civil Government are correct, then those terms apply to the Civil Government as well. You see, in verses 4 and 6 of Romans chapter 13, the word minister is found. In verse 4, it is the Greek word diakonos (GSN 1249) which is where we get the word deacon, and in verse 6 you have the Greek word leitourgos (GSN 3011) which is where we get liturgical from and whose meaning is a functionary in the Temple or Gospel, or (genitive case) a worshiper (of YHVH) or benefactor. Neither of these words are used to describe those that work for the Civil Government.
When you are dealing with a passage that deals with how we are to treat one another in the Body of the Messiah, of which the chapters of 12 through 16 talk about, then to take a small passage out and say that it has to do with something other than the Body of the Messiah is to attempt to make Scripture conform to one’s beliefs, instead of the other way around. In fact, in the book of First Corinthians chapter 6, the same writer of Romans - Paul - chastises the Corinthians for going to the Civil Government to settle disputes between member of the Body of the Messiah.
If we are to submit to the Civil Government, then why not take our cases before them? Because the laws of the Civil Government do not come from YHVH neither from His Word, but from the wisdom of men. Sure, there are some laws the same - do not kill, do not steal, etc. - but on the whole, we are called to come out of the world and therefore not be apart of the world. We are to be in the world but not of the world. We are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers but we are to be daily fellow shipping, breaking bread, prayers, and studying the Word of YHVH with one another. The first century disciples lived in communities together, preferring one another to those not in the body, sharing everything with each other so that there was no jealousy, or coveting, or greed. Each person looked out for their fellow man or woman in YHVH.
Today, those espousing to be first century Christians are heaping up for themselves treasure here on earth, where they must worry about and hope the Civil Government will protect their treasure from thieves and from ruin. They give some of their money to a denomination so that they can claim it on their taxes as a write off, but the majority of their money goes into accumulating things for themselves. They take out loans to buy fancy houses and cars. They buy the entertainment systems so that they can buy the movies that are produced by this world. They buy the video game systems and games so that their children can play these games instead of studying the Word of YHVH. And in the end, all of this will burn up and they will carry none of it with them when they die.
And then they will give a little extra so that they can build a fancy place that they can call a Church building to where they can meet once, twice, or three times a week to study the Word of YHVH and to fellowship. Even though, twice in the book of Acts, Scripture says that “YHVH does not dwell in houses made by hands”; even though in Scripture, we are told that we are the “Church” (the Greek word for Church is ekklesia which literally means called out); and even though they do not fellowship daily, or break bread together daily, nor do they share all things in common.
What we have being practiced, whether people realize it or not, is fourth century Roman Catholicism instead of first century discipleship. This world means far too much to those that are in it than the Body of the Messiah. We are not to look to Governmental entities for anything, but rather we are to look to the Almighty to take care of us through the Body of the Messiah. We are to owe no man anything but love.
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This page was created on 2 January 2011
Updated on 2 January 2011
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