[Biblemat] A) I'VE GOT MINE

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Monday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my recent files:

I'VE GOT MINE

     We had an interesting response from one of our online
students.  The lesson was from Acts 19.  Paul there is in Eph-
esus, where thery was a temple of the goddess Diana.  Paul
had preached against idolatry and his message had clearly 
been heard: "There are no gods that are made with hands."
This message was offensive to a man named Demetrius.  He
was a silversmith and made silver shrines of Diana.  He thus
called together his fellow craftsmen and warned, "Not only is
there danger that this our trade come into disrepute; but also
that the temple of the great goddess Diana be made of no
account."

     The question the student was answering was: "What was
the first concern Demetrius addressed, and what was second
(vs. 27)?"  Her answer was, "He was fearful of the demise of
his trade (profession - income) and that the Temple of Artemis (or Diana) 
would count for nothing.  It was Money --
livilihood first, then religion.  That is familiar territory.  I can't
come to church because I have to work -- I have so many bills
...I can't come to Bible study at night because I work a second job...I can't 
say anything on my job about being a be-
liever in Christ; they won't like me anymore."

     First, a caveat or two.  A second job is not necessarily
selfishness.  Nor is paying one's bills a bad thing.  But a second job which 
keeps me from more active service is wrong if motivated by greed.  That is 
covetousness, and Paul
calls it idolatry (Col. 3:5).  And unresponsibly acquiring more
bills than one can pay is carnal meterialism.  But our student'
s observations were apt.

     For many, their personal carnal concerns come before
everything else.  Ultimately that is the problem with democras-
ies.  People sharing a desire can combine to vote themselves
privilege.  And the more privilege people vote themselves, the
more it costs others to supply those privileges.  Then the
burden brings rebellion or collapse.  But the thinking is, as 
long as I get mine, I do not care what is best for the nation
overall.  When principled concerns take precedence, the
nation's days are numbered.  Demetrius was afflicted with a
common malady: My prosperity first.

     It is easy for this to be done in religion also.  Churches
may be well peopled and well financed.  They look first to
material trappings such as the building.  Then they look to
making things as comfortable and impressive as possible.  Of
course, there is nothing wrong with having a building.  Nor is
it wrong for it to be comfortable.  But when those things take
precedence over the spiritual, we share Demetrius' malady.
Paul urged Gentile churches to come to the relief of Jews in
Jerusalem.  The churches of Macedonia responded liberally,
though they themselves were in deep poverty (2 Cor. 8:2).
The Corinthians drug their feet and Paul admonished them, 
"Your abundance being at this present time a supply for their
want" (2 Cor. 8:14).  It is a selfish church that secures every-
thing for itself first, before giving thought to brethren else-
where in desperate circumstances.

     Paul's principle was used by Lenin to foster Dialectic Com-
munism: "From each according to his ability, to each accord-
ing to his need."  Of course this was a sham.  Those with 
much did not share with those who needed.  It was all confis-
cated and put in a pile and controlled by those in authority,
who took more than others.  As Orwell observed, in that sys-
tem some were more equal than others.

     One of the lessons of the 20th Century is that selfish think-
ing is a disastrous way of life.  The lesson comes from Nazi
Germany.  "The Nazi came for the communists.  I said nothing for I was not a 
communist.  They came for the Jews
and I said nothing for I was not a Jew.  They came for the
Catholics, again I said nothing for I was not a Catholic.  They
came for the Gypsies and once again I said nothing, I was not
a Gypsy.  Then they came for me, no one said anything, there
was no one left to speak."  Demetrius should have sought
truth, not just to secure his carnal well being.  --- Dale Smelser, via 
Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 5, Feb. 4, 2007.   </HTML>
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