The Economy of the Early Church

Introduction

 

General Technical Background

 

An economy may represent any number of things, a nation, an industry, or just some group, say a church. Economics is essentially a scholarly study of economies, and it is very interested in production, the production of goods and services to satisfy the needs of a given economy’s members. It considers and tries to learn things like, how does an entity go about producing, how well does it produce, i.e., allocate resources for its production activities, how well does it move what it produced (consumption). And it is keenly interested in profit and loss metrics, where the object of the metrics depends on the thrust of the given economy. Hands-down that object is money in secular economies, and it is souls in the economy of God. The Christian Church is the economy of interest as concerns the production activity and investments of Jehovah God. This sermon will, in survey fashion, explore the predominant modern economic systems of capitalism and socialism, with an eye to the fallout attending their sharp divergence from the economy of God,

 

Early Christian Common-ism

 

Jeremiah 32:39, john 17:11, 21-23, Romans 12:5, 1Corinthians 12:13). The early Church had no structure, it was one body, at the head of which was the apostles, themselves moved by the Spirit of God (Acts 1:8, 10:19-20, 13:2-4, 16:7, John 14:26, 16:13, 2Peter 1:21, et al.). In this way it was authoritarian under the headship of a righteous Dictator, the Sovereign Jehovah God. The Spirit’s authoritarian oversight is clearly deduced from the Ananias and Sapphira account (Acts 5:1-6, 7-11). The role of the Spirit of God in these matters can be no different across the centuries. “Ananias and Sapphira” are scattered across the myriad battlefields of the wars that time and again were and are fought for mundane economic supremacy and the power that attends that wealth. Economics, as concocted by man, divergent from the economy of God, is at the root of much evil and inevitable bloodletting.

 

The economy of the early Christian Church was decidedly “common-ism” (Acts 2:44-46, 4:31-37). Immediately the kernel “common” jumps out of the term. This is entirely in keeping with the Jubilee Economy stipulated by Jehovah God long before the event of Christian Pentecost and the founding of the Church (“Jesus our Jubilee”).

 

Seek First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness

 

Early Christianity’s common-ism as here discussed was not specifically enjoined by our Lord Jesus, it is simply a manifestation of His righteousness, and is therefore common to His true Church past, present, and future, i.e., to His beloved Congregation of the Righteous. The Congregation of the Righteous, caring for its own, even as Jesus cares for them (John 21:15-17). That Congregation had added to it what it needed through Spirit-informed common-ism (Matthew 6:25-30, 31-33). That is, timely, Spirit-informed provisions of clothing, food, drink, shelter, care, fellowship, intercessory prayer, and so forth. As the brethren were led by the Spirit of God to give of their possessions, talents, and time, so they unreservedly laid them at the apostles’ feet for distribution. Selfless, greed-free, unreservedness out of love for the brethren and their Lord Jesus, thus honoring Him, wittingly, cheerfully, participating in His righteous, set apart economy.

 

The Salient Points of Early Church Common-ism

 

Christian common-ism begins with the common belief that Jesus is the Son of very God, the God-Man Jesus. That He ministered among His people the Jews the Good News of Salvation (Salvation through Himself), that He was rejected by the Jewish religious establishment of the day to the point of persecution and condemnation that ended in His death on a Roman cross according to the foreordained will of God (1Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8). That He rose from the dead, the Firstfruits of many believers in Him that will rise in His wake in due time (1Corinthians 15:20-23). All the above is the “salient of the salients.”

 

We move from the early brethren’s spiritual common-ism to their mundane, well-being common-ism, which spans the gamut from physical well-being to emotional well-being. These things were provided by the early brethren one to another as needed, under the supervision of the apostles, at no cost (Acts 4:32-37), without an eye to profit and gain. And that blessedness is our “jumping off point” into the degenerate economies of materialistic, secular man, economies that undergird and reflect his greed and cutthroat selfishness, his exploitative abuse of labor and resources, his waste, and pollution, and bloody wars fought time and again to secure his idolatrous slice of the pie. (The pie belongs to God by the way.)

Capitalism, A Primrose Path

 

Immediately the kernel “capital” jumps out of the term. Capitalism may be private capitalism, wherein private individuals or privately owned entities oversee the production and distribution of their goods and services—without interference from the state—or state capitalism, wherein the state engages in business activity by way of state-owned businesses responsible for the production of goods and services—it is the nationalization of production under the banner of capitalism.

 

The major capitalist centers of the modern world are North America, Western Europe, and Japan. It is hardly subjective to claim that these centers of capitalism are in economic decline, giving way to an ascendant Peoples Republic of China (PRC) economy[1].

 

Capitalism down through the ages has one thing in common, and that is the exploitation of a majority of working masses (serfs-slaves-employees), by a minority of so-called “bosses” (lords-owners/masters-employers), respectively—to secure and grow enormous profits for the elitist few at the top. The exploitation comes in the dress of greed-driven, disproportionate distribution of these enormous profits that largely the working masses are responsible for. The economy of the early Church, and Jehovah’s Jubilee Economy per se, over against this capitalism, are diametrically opposite to one another.

 

Socialism, A Narrower Path

 

Immediately the kernel “social” jumps out of the term. Socialism is a broad term[2]. Here the means for production of goods and services is a social enterprise (public, commune, cooperative, i.e., “co-op”). Not surprisingly, socialism has a philosophical and not least political twist to it as well. The economics of socialism comes much closer to the economy of the early Church than capitalism does, but as a state-run system, it can fast become devilish when in the hands of a (Jehovah) Godless authoritarian government. The twentieth century is a sad testament to just that sort of tragedy. It is noteworthy that China (PRC), and Russia of the former Soviet Union, the major socialist economies of the recent past (as per GDP), are no longer strictly socialist—both are market-based with state involvement.

 

All things Belong to God and Come from God

 

The heading for this section hardly holds in the capitalist centers of the world, and if it does to some extent, then it is no more than a cliché. That is precisely why these centers are in deep trouble. Their woe is spiritual, not domestic, not economic, not geopolitical, it is very much spiritual. They conveniently forget (deny) that the righteous Dictator Jehovah God shapes sacred history providentially, and their decline He let them bring upon themselves in lockstep with their decline spiritually (Galatians 6:7-8). God, it would seem, has moved out, has abandoned them. As is so often the case in Jehovah’s providential history, another will likely rise and maybe even put them under their heel as has been the case often before when God abandons a people. Following the precedent of biblical history here, they will no doubt send their sons and daughters off to war to prevent it, but for naught without God at their side, they will lose at a very high cost. Biblical and secular history is chock full of examples in that regard. Pride does go before a fall after all, and there can be no greater sign of pride than Godlessness, and that is the (completely overlooked and quite misunderstood) disease that is killing these “divergent economy capitalists.” that said, please notice, there seems to be a major paradigm shift afoot in the world (ultimately, God is responsible for worldwide paradigm shifts): what was once formerly strictly socialist and blatantly Godless, is trending away from strict socialism and forced Godlessness toward a mixed economy with at least nominal protection of religious freedom, and is ascendant today, whilst what was once formerly strictly capitalist and founded on the Word of God, is trending away from strict capitalism toward a mixed economy with increasing emphasis on the role of the state, and has all but removed the Word of God from that state, and is descendant today. Providential history, the transcript of God’s unalterable Program in the world, is yet again being reshaped here as we count down toward the End and Jesus’ return. Will the Ascendant trend ever more toward God to take the leading role for God in that transcript? How about the Descendant, is it too late for these divergent economy capitalists to turn from their Godlessness, back to God, to humble themselves in sackcloth and ashes with fasting, and supplications for mercy? God only knows how He would respond to such national humility and repentance. National humility and repentance? National humility and repentance, like a jigsaw piece, only fits snug in the economy of God one would think…

Concluding Comments

 

Down through the ages of recorded biblical and secular history resounds the oft overlooked bloody theme that threatened economic futures and power motivate war and all the evil and hurt that attends war. Jehovah God understood that, of course. He saw it coming, and provided a better economic model, His model, for a wayward world to follow. It was His Jubilee Economy, first enjoined to His covenant people Israel, and by way of Jesus’ ministry and by way of His Spirit the true essence of that Jubilee He made lucid to His covenant people the Church. The early Church dedicated itself to that selflessness and sharing and caring for others before self, knowing full well that the economy of God is not based on power and wealth, but rather on servitude and giving, on Salvation and heavenly treasure in the presence of very God, on brotherly love and caring and nurturing, selflessly, without cost, following in the steps of the Master. And so, by way of preaching the good news of Salvation through Jesus Christ came also to the world the knowledge of God’s economy as the Gospel spread near and far. In this way God lovingly has tried to guide humankind onto the right path economically. But His way here, indeed His ways per se, are not the way of the world, it is utter foolishness to the world, absurdity even. The world, egotistical, exploitative, greed-based, power-lusting, prone to laziness and sloth, concocts and embraces things like capitalism, feudalism, you-name-it-ism, anything but God’s economy. But the economy of God and the economy of man are diametrically opposite to one another as are many other things besides economics, it follows that the economies of the world, as flawed as they are, being so far removed from God’s Way, will continue to boil and froth and rage in war against each other over their little slice of God’s pie, until Jesus our Jubilee returns and institutes His perfect economy. Things will be good then friends. No more abuse, cheating, exploitation, freeloading; no more wars. No more Sin. Instead, love, and joy, and peace, goodness, and kindness, meekness. The beatific state going forward. One must not miss out on that blessedness (“A Letter of Invitation”). But until then, notwithstanding ethnic and religious divides, the God-divergent economies of man will continue to be the basis for untold havoc in every conceivable way and to all very sad to say. (Humankind’s chronic big killer-3 would seem to be, in no particular order, Economics, [greed, power, survival], Ethnicity [supreme-ism], and Religion [confusion, fanaticism], Fig. 1)

 

Praised be your Name righteous Dictator Jehovah, whom we love and adore. How good it is that we have you. Amen.

 

Illustrations and Tables

 

Figure 1. The Big Killer-3.

 

Works Cited and References


A Letter of Invitation.” (a standing invitation)

Jesus, Amen.

< https://development.jesusamen.org/a-letter-of-invitation-2/ >

Capitalism.”

Wikipedia.

< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalism >

Feudalism.”

Wikipedia.

< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/feudalism >

Jesus our Jubilee.”

Jesus, Amen.

< https://jesusamen.org/jesusourjubilee.html >

Socialism.”

Wikipedia.

< https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism >\

Wolff, Richard.

Democracy At Work.

< https://democracyatwork.info/ >

Notes


[1] Present-day China’s robust economy is a mixture of private capitalism and state capitalism overseen by a communist headship that endeavors to maintain equilibrium between the two economic legs (private capitalism, state capitalism) by way of lessons learned from the successes and failures of both the private capitalist systems (“collective West”) and state capitalist systems (Soviet Union). The PRC economy seeks the “best of both worlds” economically, and that experiment if we may call it such has been a stellar success so far, excepting some nonorganic challenges due to the Covid pandemic. A stellar success so much so that not a few countries around the world plan to adopt that PRC “hybrid” economy and of course the Chinese currency, the Yuan, or more likely a BRICS “basket currency,” in place of the U.S. dollar as international anchor and reserve currency. BRICS is on pace to dominate the world economy if growth—membership, total GDP—continues apace: fifty percent of global GDP by 2030? That would imply displacing the G7 currently in that spot. Except for God’s grace, it is almost inevitable that there will be great turmoil in the world over this because the U.S. is here motivated to do anything, including more bloodshed beyond the convenient proxy called Ukraine sad to say, to stop it from happening. This we believe is the real reason why there is a decidedly satanic bloodbath going on in Ukraine at this time, precisely because resource rich and militarily powerful Russia and economically ascendant China are cooperating and seen as very serious threats to the economic and geopolitical dominance of the U.S. led collective West. It could be argued that the U.S. and its allies are here “making a stand” at the exceeding expense of the convenient proxy Ukraine. There is much deceit and lying coming out of the collective West as to their real motivations in Ukraine and the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait.

[2] Communism—note the kernel “commune”—is a political and economic system that tries to replace private property and a profit-based economy with public ownership and communal control of, at least, the major means of production and the natural resources of a society. Communism is in this way a form of socialism.