The Least of These ~ Socialism that Works

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the second book written by Luke, Acts, he explains that the early church held all things in common and that everyone was given freely whatever was needed.  When social welfare is based on the belief that God owns everything and that he will supply all that we need, it can work.  I have yet to see that enacted by anyone who claims to be a socialist in our society. 

The problem with modern day socialism is not the idea of social welfare.  It is trying to enforce it out of obligation or law instead of love motivating it that works.  I am not here, however, to rant against secular socialism.  I want to focus on the idea of being socially aware of the needs of others.

If I am going to really consider the needs of the poor then I must limit what I own.  It is not wrong to have things that I like.  It is not that the Father does not want me to have good things.  In fact, it is just the opposite.  He wants to give us what our heart desires.  He provided for this in the Law, mentions it in the proverbs, and promises in the epistles.

It is in seeking him first that it is conditional.  We are to pursue Christ and consider all “things” lost for the sake of doing that.  When I share freely and liberally with those who have need then the Father is free to give us what we desire that falls in line with following his Son. 

If we truly desire to follow Christ then we need to realize that all of mankind is our responsibility.   The church should be known for its generosity and provision for those in need.  Instead we build gold domes and crystal palaces.  If we hope to transform the world we need to get past the ideas of greed and possession.  We need to embrace the idea that if anyone is hungry we will sacrifice what is needed to feed them, even our enemies. 

What is the impact if we depend on the Father for all that we need and desire and consider all things available to those who need?  If we give to those in need no matter their station and status we lose nothing.  It is in this giving that we find freedom from things and the power of mobility to follow Christ.

I must approach the season of giving with the heart of one who only has Christ as a possession.  “With Jesus our only possession then giving becomes our delight.”  In a world that has lost respect for the church and sees it as callus and greedy, perhaps a dose of social welfare is exactly what is needed.  I know that I need to have that approach with everyone.  Perhaps we can talk together as we journey Dear Reader and discuss how we will lighten our burden by sharing with the poor. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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"Jesus was a Socialist Jew" – Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

So what is the answer?  In its purist form socialism is vital to the love we are to show to others.  I cannot say that I love someone and leave him in need.  I cannot claim to believe what Jesus teaches and ignore that he insisted I care for the needs of others. 

We must also not reject who Jesus claims to be if we are going to hold him up as a standard.  There are so many who claim a portion of the Gospel and do not embrace the Gospel as a whole.  I have to care about the needs of my family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and enemies.

My obligation is to see the needs of others as I go through my day.  My purpose is to see all their needs including their need for Jesus.  This does not mean that I can meet every need.  It does mean that I engage with the ones that I can.  It does mean that my mindset is to constantly realize that “mankind is my business.”  

From unborn babies to hungry refugees to homeless veterans every human is worthy of my love, respect, and care.  These things are to be given without judgment or hope of reward.  These things are the responsibility of everyone who follows Christ.

As the political climate pushes us to storm and rage at each other we need to be instruments of peace.  We can do that through caring for anyone with a need.  We can do that through putting love above tradition and preference.  We need to rise up as Christ followers and assure that this is what people think of when they think of us.  Until we do we need to be silent about almost everything else.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Jesus was a Socialist Jew – Bake Sales and Bombers

Greetings Dear Reader,

“It will be a great day when our schools have all the money they need, and our air force has to have a bake-sale to buy a bomber.”  Robert Fulghum

Long before the word meme was popular this quote made it way around the country in the name of peace.  I have heard this in many variations over the years.  It is a great vision.   

There is a core issue that I see with those who follow Christ and also lobby for war.  Please hear clearly that I love and respect those who serve in the military and protect our freedom.  Please also hear clearly that I hate war.  It is evil and violates the very heart of who Christ commands us to be as his followers.

Love your enemies.  This is impossible to do if you shoot, shell, or bomb them before you meet them.  Too many of our leaders are willing to go to war too quickly.  Violence against others is too high up on the list. 

This is such a hard line to hold if we speak circumstantially.  I cannot imagine a situation where I would not want to defend my family if needed.  I also cannot imagine a way to get around the commands of Christ to love and not resist our enemies.

I try not to get to mystical about my faith and following.  I have seen the power that exists when we use faith over violence.  I was young.  My Grandfather and I were leaving a Brave’s baseball game late on a Friday night.  We were walking along a street to the remote parking area where his car waited.

A man stepped out of the bushes brandishing a knife.  He looked at my Grandfather and said, “Give me your money.”   My Grandfather’s response was simple and direct.

In a calm voice he responded, “Jesus forbids you do to this.  I think he wants you to stay right there while I take my Grandson to the car.  You need to stop robbing people and find a good church.”

The man could not move.  He yelled epithets and threats as we walked the rest of the way to the car but he stood frozen where he had accosted us.  As we drove past him my Grandfather stopped, He did not address the man.  Instead he prayed out loud.  “Father I suppose you can release him.  Please send someone to him so that he finds you.”   The man bolted into the woods. 

Dear Reader I cannot prove this.  That is not why I relate the tale.  If we truly believe in the power of the God we follow then this should be our heart.  I often imagine what we could do if we embraced our faith over fighting back.  If we collectively prayed for our enemies instead of hating them the world could become a better place.

War and violence evolve out of need and greed.  We have a form of godliness but deny its power.  We allow there to be boundaries to our faith.  We choose to allow violence to be an answer. 

I realize that I write this under the freedom provided by every soldier that gave his life to provide it.  I will never disrespect those who fight to protect me whether military or civil.  I will always ask that those who follow Christ use their faith to find a better way.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Jesus was a Socialist Jew – Editing Jesus

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of the things that must be addressed is the sourcing of our materials in understanding who Jesus is.  As a reminder I say is because I believe that Jesus is the living Son of God.  The heart of the matter is that we cannot claim Jesus as an example and then edit out who he is.

This holds true for those who truly follow Christ and for those who use him for their own purposes.  If there is an imbalance in this it is toward those who follow Christ.  We cannot claim to do so and ignore our social obligations to every human life. 

We dare not claim to be following Christ and edit out his call for us to deliver social care to the world.  Our love for and care of others is required if we are to earn the right to address others on spiritual matters.  We cannot live the Gospel vertically if we do not live it horizontally.  If we edit out the social aspects of the Gospel because of other political agendas we are not following Christ.  Rather, we are editing him.

Those who do not follow Christ tend hold Jesus up as an example for their own purposes.  Either he was who he claimed to be or he was not.  If he was not then he was not an example to follow no matter what he said.  We cannot edit out the miracles, the claims of deity, and the requirement that we follow him.  To do so is to deny the person he is.

No matter which side of the discussion is yours, we cannot deny that Jesus had very serious social teachings.  We cannot ignore this and see Jesus wholly.  We cannot pick and choose what is true about him.  We accept the Gospels or we do not.  We believe the testimony of witnesses or we disbelieve. 

It always comes down to what we believe.  As my Grandfather used to say, “You do what you believe.  Everything else is just talk.”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Jesus was a Socialist Jew – The Early Church

Greetings Dear Reader,

In the early church we see Luke report that those following Christ were in harmony:

“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”

This is a form of socialism that works.  It rises from those following Christ being convinced that those in need would have their needs met.  It proceeds from an understanding that people are more important than possession.  It flows from love of ones we are traveling with over comfort on the journey.

If anything we see that those who knew Christ personally understood that the social welfare of others was more important than personal possessions.  The vital nature of this must not be missed.  The church has abdicated its role in assuring that the needs of others are met.  Why is it hard for us to embrace the idea that “if anyone ask\s you for something give it to him”? 

We immediately rationalize this not to mean our new coat.  We instantly put qualifiers on it.  Jesus is clear that when our enemy asks for something we are to give it to him.  We are to be generous and not possessive.  We are to lend with no hope of repayment.  We are to love and give without condition or clause. 

Once again Dear Reader I ask you to consider this without clause or quid pro quo.   I ask you to ponder a church where Jesus is our only possession.  I still have more than I need.  I still need to need less.   Jesus taught us to pursue the common welfare.  He taught us to follow him in laying down every single thing out of love.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

“Jesus was a Socialist Jew” - Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

Yesterday I took a long ride with my Son Maxim and we were talking about the current political spectrum of the country.  We both agree that political efforts need to focus on the social welfare of our world.

One of the phrases that I have seen resurrected in this year’s political meme storm is “Jesus was a socialist Jew”.  I think that we need to see that there are aspects of this that are true.  As a Christ follower the common welfare is my business.

I am going to dive deep into this as a barometer of where my thoughts go politically and socially.  I need to measure my own values against what Christ teaches about the common good.  I also need to see what the full import of the claim is.  Walk with me as I do Dear Reader.  I value your insights.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)