Death Toll Revised Down to 24 After Monstrous Oklahoma Tornado…100+ Injured…Children Among the Dead…Stunning Pictures…Woman Finds Dog During Interview!

Live BlazeCast at 2 pm ET: Oklahoma Tornado the day after

Faith

Was the early church communist?

Apr. 17, 2012 1:46pm

James Robison is the founder and president of Life Outreach International in Fort Worth, TX, which helps provide relief to the suffering around the globe. He […]

James Robison is the founder and president of Life Outreach International in Fort Worth, TX, which helps provide relief to the suffering around the globe. He co-hosts the “LIFE Today” syndicated television show, which reaches more than 300 million homes worldwide and has authored more than twenty books, including the New York Times best-selling INDIVISIBLE. He also wrote Living in Love with his wife of nearly 50 years, Betty. More than 20 million people have heard James speak in person, and many others have come to know him as one of America's most popular television talk-show hosts.

[ x ]

editor@jamesrobison.net

Author's Website

In an attempt to justify their ever-expanding socialist agenda in America and the free world, the secular progressives will misrepresent biblical truth. Isn’t it amazing how often anti-God, anti-Christian people use the Word of the God they reject in an attempt to legitimize their illegitimate goals? Of course Satan used this tactic in the Garden of Eden to deceive Adam and Eve (see Genesis 3). The father of lies also tricked Israel into selling their lives, souls, freedom, and future to Pharaoh, which resulted in bondage.

Even while living in the Promised Land of blessings and prosperity, Israel decided they needed a king to rule over them so they could be like other foolish nations. History has recorded the tragic results of not keeping God in first place. Unless true believers wake up and stand up fearlessly and faithfully, here we go again! Let’s address the assertion some liberals and secularists are making that the New Testament church was communist.

Look carefully at this text from the book of Acts:

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.…There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles‘ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32–35)

This was the first church to form after the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The church was formed in the city of Jerusalem. Acts says that these believers were “filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31). If this is communism, it would be a big deal. But “communism” is not just a big word for “sharing.” Communism in its modern form treats private property rights as a system that oppresses the poor. It is based on Karl Marx‘s theory of class warfare, in which the capitalists (bourgeoisie) slowly extract most of the wealth from the workers (proletarians), at which point the workers revolt against the capitalists—those who own the means of production—and forcibly take control of the means of production, that is, productive property. The state becomes the owner of all property on behalf of the workers, but eventually, this socialist state withers away and a communist utopia emerges where everyone is free and has everything he or she needs.

There‘s not one word about bourgeoisie or proletarians in Acts. Private property is not condemned for oppressing the poor. These early Christians are selling their possessions and sharing freely and spontaneously. The state isn‘t confiscating anything. No one is coercing or being coerced. The church in Jerusalem had no political or economic power. The early church in Jerusalem is nothing like the modern communist state. The New Testament believers were perfect illustrations of what it looks like to love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. Sharing was clearly voluntary, not compulsory. If you‘re being compelled to share, you‘re getting mugged.

Neither does what happens later in the book of Acts with Ananias and Sapphira confirm a communist reading of this text. At first glance, it appears that Peter condemns the couple for keeping back some of the money they got from selling their land. “Ananias,” Peter asks, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the lands?” A few seconds later, Ananias is dead on the floor, apparently struck dead by God. You might think Ananias was condemned because he didn’t give up everything he owned, that ownership was a violation of community rules; but study the rest of Peter‘s statement: “While [your lands] remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” (Acts 5:3-4).

Peter says outright that the property was rightfully theirs, and so was the money they got from selling it. Private property is clearly not the problem. Peter condemns Ananias and Sapphira not for keeping back part of the proceeds of the sale, but for lying about it.

The communal life of the early church in Jerusalem is never made the norm for all Christians everywhere. The early chapters of Acts describe a unique situation—the very beginning of the church in Jerusalem. Churches in other cities appeared after the gospel was preached by Paul or one of the other apostles. The church at Corinth was made up of Corinthians. The church at Galatia was made up, we can assume, of Galatians. The day of Pentecost in Jerusalem was quite different. On that occasion, Peter preached the gospel to thousands of Jews who had come to Jerusalem from all around the Roman Empire, speaking various languages. And this was no ordinary sermon. When Peter preached, the Holy Spirit descended with such power that flames of fire appeared on the heads of the gathered, and they began communicating in languages they didn’t know, while hearing foreigners speak meaningfully to them in their own language.

Thousands were added to the Church on this one day. Normally, Jews visiting Jerusalem would return home after the holiday since they were away from their jobs, extended families, and homes. Now suddenly they were part of a brand-new community. New Christians needed to stay in Jerusalem much longer than expected in order to be properly discipled; thus, the local believers began selling their property so they could share with these new, temporarily displaced brothers and sisters. They were in a unique and short-term situation. At some point, many of the new Jewish Christians returned to their homes, taking their faith with them.

Other churches in other cities did things differently. When some Thessalonian Christians took advantage of the generosity of fellow believers, Paul ordered them to earn their own living. He even laid down a stern rule: “Anyone unwilling to work should not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10, 12). The apostle was not for one moment implying that we should not help the helpless. He was warning people not to exploit the generosity of others and emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility.

In short, communism and training people to develop an entitlement mentality is not the Christian ideal. Every true believer and freedom loving person in America should diligently seek ways to effectively assist the poor, suffering, downtrodden and those challenged by aging. The answers will not be found in socialism, communism or any other program that destroys freedom, responsibility, accountability and expressions of genuine compassion. We can find realistic, sensible, effective answers for every challenge we face including health, energy, immigration, and the economy. But unless people who understand God’s truth begin to apply unshakable principles and work together, the blessings of freedom we have enjoyed will soon come to a screeching halt.

Much of this commentary was adapted from the book INDIVISIBLE which can be ordered through www.indivisiblebook.com or by www.lifetoday.org. The importance of working together to address common concerns was effectively discussed on Thursday’s “LIFE Today” program when special guests David Barton and Glenn Beck joined James and Betty. Under God INDIVISIBLE conferences will be held soon with James Robison, Jay Richards and other concerned leaders. See www.undergodindivisible.org for dates and locations.

James Robison and Glenn Beck will be speaking at Skyline Church in San Diego on Sunday, April 22. There is no charge to attend. See website for details: http://www.skylinechurch.org.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (18)

sbenard
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 12:59pm
Great article. Thanks, Pastor!

Obama’s “religion” is Marxism masquerading as Christianity. Redistribution of income is tyranny disguised as charity because it is based upon FORCE, not love. It is Satan’s counterfeit! Charity is the role of charities and churches, NOT government.

Satan wants to usurp that role. Jesus said, “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s.” Charity is God’s domain, and Satan inspires his earthly servants to usurp that role. That’s why he uses government, because government is all about COERCION rather than caring! Redistribution of the fruits of one person’s labor to another by force is the societal violation of “thou shalt not covet” and “thou shalt not steal”.

The Founders understood this, and take note of the consequences of its violation — tyranny and anarchy.

“The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence. If `Thou shalt not covet’ and `Thou shalt not steal’ were not commandments of Heaven, they must be made inviolable precepts in every society before it can be civilized or made free.” — John Adams (A Defense of the American Constitutions, 1787)

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
sbenard
Posted on April 30, 2012 at 12:44pm
Obama claims to be Christian, but he’s no follower of Christ. He’s too busy channeling Marx instead!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
RamonPreston
Posted on April 28, 2012 at 10:19pm
The members of the early church shared their belongings because they WANTED to. Under communism you are FORCED to. Big difference.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
judyaz
Posted on April 22, 2012 at 7:39pm
Jesus picked up a coin and said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.” It was a tax imposed by a foreign government. But it was not everything one had worked for or built. Caesar later came to be known as the anti-Christ, as he crucified Jesus and persecuted Jesus’ followers.
Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve God and money, for you will love the one and hate the other.”
This is not about communism, or atheism. It is about loving God above all else.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- RamonPreston
  Posted on April 28, 2012 at 10:25pm
  Ceasar was “an anti-Christ” not “the anti-Christ” Anti-Christ means “against Christ.” and applies to many. We voted “an anti-Christ” into office in 2008. He might be “THE anti-Christ.” Time will tell. He thinks he is God.
  
  Report this comment
CJohnWest
Posted on April 22, 2012 at 6:08pm
Also, to include in this extremely well made point by James; A community is comprised of individuals, these individuals are a fundamental nessecity for the community to exist, without the individual the community has no function and cannont exist. Communism has no value or concearn for the individuals needs and individuality therefore communism is the absence of community. The same thing goes for society and socialism. Communism destroys the community and socialism destroys the society.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
boyd9
Posted on April 21, 2012 at 11:40pm
A very good example of Christians living in accordance with what is described in Acts can be seen by watching the Amish. They seem to have it right, the right balance of work and acceptance of charity when it is needed. They have a basic belief in self-reliance, they don’t take any government money for anything and as a result are exempt from paying social security and medicaid taxes. The key is that it is a voluntary lifestyle, no government is involved and no one feels entitled to anything someone else has. Even Marx understood that the end result of his revolution would be the creation of a new ruling class. The minute force (the power of the state) is used to confiscate from some and redistribute to others a ruling class is created. We all know that power corrupts so even if the people who initially have power have good intentions, once they have the power the good intentions will be corrupted and two classes result, the ruling class and the rest of us dependent on the ruling class to hand out our monthly allowance.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
JimL
Posted on April 20, 2012 at 9:57am
By definition communists reject God, morals, history, and beauty.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
by faith
Posted on April 19, 2012 at 5:20pm
The difference is Jesus says we should take care of those in need, Communism says you will take care of those who want.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- boyd9
  Posted on April 21, 2012 at 11:46pm
  The difference is Jesus says we should take care of the poor directly as individuals, communism says that the state will take care of all of us based on the collective good, the individual does not really exist except as a part of the collective.
  
  Jesus didn’t say render unto Caesar so that Caesar could redistribute, Jesus said give directly to the poor. He also said render unto God that which is God’s. Obama a has NO right to interfere in our ability to give to God that which belongs to him or to give it directly to the poor in God’s name.
  
  Report this comment
2SENSEWORTH
Posted on April 18, 2012 at 6:16pm
“I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I’m in the wrong building.” …Charles Schulz

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
burnbabylon
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:56pm
I would like to add that you may not want to help those who are preaching contrary to G-ds word lest you become a partaker of their deeds.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- RamonPreston
  Posted on April 28, 2012 at 10:32pm
  Are you jewish by chance? I noticed you wouldn’t spell “God”. No offense intended, just wondering.
  
  I also have “problems” with giving money to individuals/organizations. Christ said to give to all that ask, a nice philosophy but not practical on what I have to live on.
  
  Report this comment
4areason
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 5:18pm
Nice timing, I just had this ‘discussion’ with a visiting Priest who used these exact verses to demonstrate that capitalism was evil and not embraced by the early church. He really wasn’t interested in ‘hearing’ anything I tried saying. I will be printing this and sharing it with him, maybe if he can read it in a quiet space the Holy Spirit will enlighten him. Please pray for our spiritual leaders who have been led astray by the lies of the evil one.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- NHwinter
  Posted on April 21, 2012 at 11:48am
  4areason – a lot of communist infiltrated the priesthood and are now promoting their agenda. I, too, pray for them and the church. If you have time, look up Bella Dodd on search and you will read her testimony on the infiltration of communists in the church and government. You might want to print that and give it to the priest also. Good luck.
  
  Report this comment
- wlsmythers
  Posted on April 21, 2012 at 2:34pm
  Praying his eyes of understanding are opened by the Holy Spirit
  
  Report this comment
DeHo
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:37pm
If it is “each according to his needs”, how can you be charitable if you only have enough for yourself? There would also be no need for charity, as everyone would be provided for. Faith and hope are for yourself, whereas charity/love is for others.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
mcsledge
Posted on April 17, 2012 at 2:18pm
The Church of Jesus Christ promoted agency along with the Law of Consecration. One had a choice in whether to participate. Plus, this was not a welfare program. All were expected to contribute that were able. All received according to their needs. Although their were those designated to manage that which was contributed, no one tried to dictate or rule over those participating outside of normal Church leadership. Those participating prospered and those who tried to cheat the system suffered. Individual worth is promoted.

Communism would eliminate God if it could. Communism is not voluntary. Communism claims to be for the collective whole while only a few dictators at the top actually benefit. Those participating barely made enough to live on. Communism enslaves the individual.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.