wow - quite the video
the first 7 minutes was excellent
Hi TF. Thanks for watching the video and offering some feedback.
so what is wrong with point #3?
Jesus was not married and had no children - so if we take point #3 literally none of us should marry - that is not a teaching of Jesus
The 3 points listed are not laws. They are useful guidelines for interpreting the teachings of Jesus. For example, if a preacher tells you that what Jesus really wants is for us to be filthy rich, buy luxury cars and homes, buy designer labels, buy the best food etc, then when comparing this to the example of Jesus you can see the two are not consistent.
Some discernment is necessary when applying the concepts.
Jesus worked as a carpenter until He was 30 and then He went into full time ministry for 3.5 years until His crucifixion and resurrection - people supported Him and His ministry -
Luke 8:3
It is an assumption that Jesus worked for money until he was 30. Yes, he was born into a family in which the main source of income was carpentry, but there is nothing to indicate that Jesus himself charged anyone for his labor. However, there is ample evidence that he did not charge for whatever labor he may have supplied in helping the family business. In Luke 2:49 Joseph and Mary search frantically for Jesus and find him preaching at the temple. When they find him he tells them he's doing his father's buisness. Even from childhood, Jesus understood what his purpose was, and it had nothing to do with promoting the worldly system of demanding payment for his labor.
However, even IF Jesus worked for pay up until 30, his example shows that we are meant to leave the worldly system of wages for something better.
so if all christians stop working who will support them in ministry?
There is an important distinction here. Nowhere does either Jesus, or the video listed above say that we should stop working. It is part of the problem that we automatically associate work with money and are unable to separate the two. The implication is that if our labor is nor performed for money then it isn't really work.
The issue is always about
why we work. Do we work for the benefit of our brothers and sisters or do we work because we're afraid of starving to death?
Sharing is what the Kingdom of Heaven is based on, but working for money is not the same as sharing. This is why Jesus said we cannot work for two masters. He said the choice will be between God or money and then goes on to explain how we are meant to live by faith. Matthew 6:24-34
f we are all carpenters until we are 30 and then stop working and go into full time ministry for 3.5 years until we are crucified does that sound reasonable?
Only God knows how much time we have on the earth, but yes we are called on to take up our cross. Maybe there is a case where that will become literal, as it was for Jesus and Peter, but again, this is an area of discernment. The teaching does not need to be literal for one to get the essence of the lesson; we are called on to lay down our life for God and there's a good chance it will be difficult to do so, whether it's through decades of patient service to others or a suddenly physical confrontation.
If someone is teaching that we need never experience any unpleasantness or consider behavior which will result in persecution/death, then that would be inconsistent with Jesus' example.
he is using scripture to tell us that all christians need to stop working - stop getting married - sell everything you own - and go into full time ministry
Nah. At the risk of offending you (I hope you will consider that my comments are not personal) I would suggest that you are reacting to the extremity of what the video suggests. Following Jesus means huge changes in lifestyle and behavior. Obedience to him tends to rip us right out of our comfort zone and throw us into the deep end of spiritual growth. Like the rich young ruler who walked away sad, the teachings of Jesus force us to confront some hard truths about ourselves. The rich young ruler discovered that he wasn't really as committed to following God as he supposed himself to be. He was ready to follow any number of religious rules so long as it did not require him to let go of his possessions. This happens to many would-be followers of Jesus today especially in areas of money, possessions, family/friends, and self image; all of which are areas which the teachings of Jesus tell us to confront.
