Practicing God's Presence

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Practicing the Presence of God
Spiritual Mindfulness
Daniel Keeran, MSW
Victoria, Canada

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Practicing the Presence of God
Spiritual Mindfulness
by Daniel Keeran, MSW, College of Mental Health Counselling
Psalm 139:7-12
Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
(New International Version - NIV)
Spiritual Mindfulness definition: Focusing one’s conscious awareness
upon the attributes and thoughts of God as fully present in the current
moment.
“Where is God? I don’t see any God. Show me God, and I will
believe.”
How many times have you heard this? And maybe you are
hearing it more as time goes by. We all have friends or family
members who doubt that God exists, and sometimes you may
have doubts about God’s presence or sometimes you may feel
very distant from God or may simply not be aware of his
presence.

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Peter says our confidence is not about seeing Him but about
loving and believing in Him.
1 Peter 1:7-9 “Though you have not seen him, you love him;
and even though you do not see him now, you believe in
him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you
are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
The difference between a secular mindset and a sacred mindset
is that in the secular life, one engages in daily life disconnected
and without awareness of God. In the sacred life, one engages in
daily life with a strong awareness of God. In the sacred life, the
child of God sees everything and every moment in the context of
the spiritual and says, “The God of the universe who holds
everything together is fully and personally present right here,
right now.”
When you read sacred scripture, you are struck in every verse
by the writers’ constant awareness of God. This is in stark
contrast with the secular life in which one merely seeks the
good life in harmony with one’s neighbour but without any
awareness of God. When a child is very young she is aware of
God, then from pre-school to university, the secular worldview is
taught, and the secular media and the secular workplace prohibit
God, or place faith in a negative light. So the faith community is
an oasis where we fill up on God. Then we leave the community,
the secular chains go back on, and God is left behind. Is that
what happens?
To live spiritually and to break off the secular chains, believe
God is always present, always caring, always guiding and
directing and nurturing, always eager to hear from you,
always forgiving, always loving, always reaching out to you,
always watching and waiting for you to turn to him, and
when you do turn to God, he sings and rejoices over you.
Do you believe it?

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If you believe it, you can know it, then you can see God at work
everywhere and hear God’s constant reassurance and
encouragement.
Psalm 139:7-10 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I
flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are
there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on
the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even
there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”
God is present and near to you right here, right now. What
emotions do you feel? If you believe it you can see and feel God
with your heart right now.
God loves you and He is so proud of you.
Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to
save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with
his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
Listen to God singing and rejoicing over you. What do you feel?
Maybe you feel so loved, so accepted, so cared for by the
Creator of the universe that you think for a moment it could last
forever, and that is exactly what God wants for you.
Psalm 147:11 “The LORD delights in those who fear him, who
put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Believe the Lord is proud of you. What do you feel? Yes, God is
proud of you. Maybe you feel peaceful and happy, a sense of
deep contentment. This picture of delight the Father feels about
you is described in the story of the prodigal son.
Luke 15:20-23 “So he got up and went to his father. But while he
was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with
compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around
him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned
against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be

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called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring
the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and
sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have
a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is
alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to
celebrate.”
If you believe God delights in you, loves you, and rejoices in
song over you, then you can see and hear God with the eyes
and ears of your heart. Can you begin to see and hear God
and sense his constant presence and love for you?
Suppose God told someone to write a note and give it to
you and the note said, “You can’t see me, but I am very
close to you right now and I want you to know that I love
and care about you and that I am working in your life to
make good things happen.” How would you feel if you
received that note? Wouldn’t it be wonderful? Wouldn’t you
feel special and confident and have such peace that would
never fade away? God has written such a note. It’s called
the Bible...the holy scriptures. It’s a bit longer than a note.
Psalm 119:64 “The earth is filled with your love, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.” If you believe, you can know, and then
you can see the evidence of God’s love everywhere. Look
around the room. See those in whom the Spirit lives. See all the
gifts of God around you.
2 Corinthians 5:16 “So from now on we regard no one from a
worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this
way, we do so no longer.”
God works directly in your life.
to make everything work for your good and for his purposes.

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Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your
love, O LORD, endures forever....” God is making things happen
in your life to serve his purposes. You do believe God will fulfill
his purpose for you. You do feel his constant enduring love for
you.
Psalm 145:20 “The LORD watches over all who love him...” You
do believe God watches over you. God is looking at you right
now, right here. Do you know it? What emotion comes up inside
you right now as you sense God’s attention focused on you?
Does it make you want to smile?
Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for
good to them that love God, to them who are the called
according to his purpose.” You have the confidence that God
is working in your life and will make everything work out even
through suffering and tragedy. Look for ways God is working in
your life and give thanks in everything, knowing God is working
in all things for your good.
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the
LORD determines his steps.”
Ephesians 5:20 “always giving thanks to God the Father for
everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Remember the words of Job: “The Lord gives and the Lord takes
away. Blessed is the name of the Lord.” And “Even if the Lord
slays me, yet will I serve him.” You can have the faith of Job.
You can feel those chains of doubt and unbelief falling away.
God will always love you and nothing will ever change that. You
are surrounded by his love and that will never change.
God’s own love has been poured into our hearts.
Romans 5:5 “God has poured out his love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

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If you believe God’s love is in you, then you can love
everyone as God loves. Remember that God loves the world
so much that he gave Jesus to suffer and die and take away the
sins of the world. What a wonderful gift to have inside you! God’s
own love.
Romans 8:35-39 “Who shall separate us from the love of
Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or
nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake
we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be
slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that
neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the
present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from
the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Faith is how we enter into eternal
reality; how we come to God.
Today I want you to be aware of God’s presence and nearness.
God is Spirit, so you cannot see Him with your physical eyes, but
you can see God with the eyes of your heart, the eyes of faith.
You can believe and know that God is near you and in you. Then
knowing this, you can look at God and see God looking back at
you. You can speak to God and hear God speaking to you. God
is always speaking and saying more than you can hear. Your
mind and heart cannot possibly contain or hear all that God is
saying. Can your mind contain all that is written? His word is
living and active. Your heart must be selective because if you
heard all that God is saying to you, you would be overwhelmed.
The more of God’s word you know, the more you will be
able to hear what God is saying to you personally.

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2 Corinthians 4:18 “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen,
but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what
is unseen is eternal.”
Things that are seen are temporary but things unseen are
eternal. So through every word of God, that Jesus says we live
by, we know about God and about his relationship with us. So
when we read or hear God’s word, we believe it, and by this we
know God, see God, and hear God, not with physical eyes
and ears but by the eyes and ears of our hearts, the eyes
and ears of faith.
Jesus made this direct reference when he said, “Having eyes
they see not and ears they hear not”....he’s talking about
having the eyes and ears of faith.
Being aware of God requires engaging in certain kinds of
activity that encourage faith. Our physical eyes see material
things, and so God is often not in our minds. The saying “out of
sight out of mind” is true. Because we do not see God with our
physical eyes, God is not in our mind. Yet God is always
present, and so we must encourage one another to be aware
of God’s presence by talking about spiritual things and
listening to spiritual teaching, singing praises and spiritual
songs, and reading God’s word.
We are made alive.
Since we walk around and breathe in these bodies, we naturally
think we are alive. The following words must be taken to mean
we are made alive (with Christ) in a spiritual way and forgiven of
sins, and this is associated with the act of baptism (overwhelmed
with physical water) when it is done as a conscious act of faith:
Colossians 2:12-13 “….having been buried with him in
baptism, in which you were also raised with him through
your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

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When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of
your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all
our sins….”
Identical terms are used in Ephesians 2:4-6, but without a direct
mention of baptism:
“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in
transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God
raised us up with Christ….”
Why doesn’t God just show himself, or work a
miracle, or shout with a booming voice from the
sky?
1 Corinthians 1:22-24 “Jews demand miraculous signs and
Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a
stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those
whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power
of God and the wisdom of God.”
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please
God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he
exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
“The just shall live by faith” Romans 1:17, and by this faith we
know God, we know his presence, we know his love. If God’s
word says it, then we know it is real even if we do not see with
our physical eyes.
Faith says: James 4:8 “Come near to God and he will come
near to you.” Believe and know that God is near you right now.
What emotions are you feeling? Maybe a little anxious but also
loved and assured.
Faith says: Hebrews 10:22 “let us draw near to God with a
sincere heart in full assurance of faith...”

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Faith says: 1 John 4:12 “No one has ever seen God; but if we
love one another, God lives in us and his love is made
complete in us.”
Faith says: Acts 17:27-28 “...reach out for him and find him,
though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live
and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have
said, 'We are his offspring.' “ Your life depends upon God. God
gave us the spirit of life in each of us, and he is near you right
now. Know and feel the presence of God right now.
Faith says: John 14:23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will
come to him and make our home with him.” You follow his
teaching. You are living in the center of his will and trusting his
grace. Then you know God is with you right now, and when you
sleep, when you go about your daily activities, in every moment
God is present and living with you and in you because “your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God” 1 Corinthians 6:19.
Faith says: 2 Cor.1:3-7 “Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we
can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves
have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow
over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.”
Believe God cares about you so much that he is here right
now to comfort you, to reassure you, to let you know that he
is working everything out for your good. He is the God of all
comfort for every kind of trouble.
Faith says: Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

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Do you know Christ?
Paul says in Philippians 3:10 I want to know Christ and the
power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to Him in His death, so that I may somehow
attain to the resurrection from the dead.
In Hebrews 1:1-3 we find these wonderful words: After God
spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our
ancestors through the prophets, in these last days he has
spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom he created the world. The Son is the
radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and
he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had
accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of
the Majesty on high.
The Spirit of God can live within.
In order to have the Spirit of God living within, one must live
according to or bear the fruits of the Spirit.
Romans 8:5-11 Those who live according to the flesh have their
minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in
accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the
Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the
mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind
governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to
God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the
flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the realm of
the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of
God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of
Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then
even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the
Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of
him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who

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raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal
bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.
Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness
and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those
who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its
passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in
step with the Spirit.
Have you seen Jesus our Lord?
Matthew 25:39-41 ‘When did we see you sick or in prison and go
to visit you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did
for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me.'
I like this fictional version of the 4th wise man. The story is that
there was a 4th wise man but he became ill and could not go with
the other three to see the baby Jesus and to lay their gifts at his
feet. So they left without him. Then when he was feeling better
the wise man started out to take his precious jewel as a gift for
the new Saviour King of Israel. But on his way, he met a poor
dying beggar, so he sold the jewel to buy the beggar some food
shelter and clothing, then came a leper, then a man robbed and
left for dead, and after many years he had spent all he had on
caring for those in need. Many years later, he was in Jerusalem
and heard that Jesus was condemned to be crucified. The wise
man hurried to see Jesus carrying his cross. Jesus looked at the
wise man and smiled.
When you see the homeless or anyone in trouble, draw near to
them, attend to them, and then you will draw near to Jesus.
Don’t walk by on the other side.
Who is this God?

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John 1:3 “Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made.” The universe from the
smallest atom or single-cell organism to the vastness of space
and billions of galaxies...He made it all.
Colossians 1:17 “He is before all things, and in him all things
hold together.”
When you think about God being present, think about who God
is. Then think about his promise to be near you and words
of faith that this God is really present in you and with you.
This almighty all-powerful creator God who holds everything
together is sitting right next to you right now. Look at him
with the eyes of your heart.
Then listen with the ears of faith. God is always speaking to you
more than you can possibly hear.
Love Your Enemies as God Loved
Jesus taught his followers: “But I say to you who hear, Love your
enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse
you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on
the cheek, offer the other also…” – Luke 6:27-29
Jesus defined this love for enemies when he died for them rather
than destroy them for their sins as had occurred in Israel’s
history. We know God when we practice this non-violent love.
Jesus was mocked and killed by his enemies. This love is the
unique teaching of the Messianic king of Israel, and it is the good
news about Yeshua of Nazareth.
What is God saying?
I love you more than you can imagine. I care about you. I know
you better than you know yourself, and I will always give you

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what you need. I love you so much that I suffered and died and
took all your sins and punishment upon myself. I forgive you. I
forgave you when you were immersed into Jesus for the
forgiveness of your sins as my servant Peter spoke in Acts 2:38.
Psalm 139:1-4 “O LORD, you have searched me and you know
me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my
thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying
down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on
my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.” God knows you
personally and intimately. He knows you far better than you
know yourself.
Matthew 10:30 “And even the very hairs of your head are all
numbered.” Does anyone here know how many hairs are on
your head? That’s just a tiny example of how thoroughly God
knows you.
Matthew 6:8 “...for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.” You don’t have to worry about what you need. God
already knows what you need and what is best for you.
God says, I will make good things happen from suffering. I
will comfort and guide you when you trust me.
Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean
not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge
him, and he will direct your paths.”
God says, ask me for anything and I will do it when you
want to serve my purpose. When we ask God for something,
we need to humbly say, “Lord I ask this only if it serves your
purpose and gives you glory, because otherwise I don’t want it.”
God says, when you ask for my forgiveness, you know that I will
forgive you and will not be angry with you.
God is eager to hear from you.

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God is eagerly waiting for your conversation. Talk to him now
and often.
“I love you Lord, and I give my life to serve and worship you.
Thank you for always being here for me. Thank you for my life,
and for my health. I depend on you for everything. Help me to
always remember to talk to you and to serve you. Give me
wisdom to do great things for you my Lord. Open doors for me.
Make things happen and give me opportunities to share your
love and forgiveness with the lost and hurting around me.”
Psalm 42:8 “By day the LORD directs his love, at night his
song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.” Remember
God’s love directed toward you today.
1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and
his ears are attentive to their prayer...” Remember God is
present, watching and waiting for you to speak to him.
James 4:2 “You do not have, because you do not ask God.”
He is ready to answer your prayer.
1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears
us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we
know that we have what we asked of him.”
God says we can go to him with confidence that he will answer
when we ask anything to serve his purpose.
James 1:5-7” If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be
given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,
because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and
tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive
anything from the Lord.”

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Are you confused about what to do? Ask the Lord for wisdom,
and know that you will receive it.
Psalm 16:7 “I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at
night my heart instructs me.” When you lie awake at night, listen
for counsel from the Lord.
Spiritual Mindfulness Practice
Here is an example of what you can say to increase your
awareness of God in the moment.
First, remind yourself:
“God made the universe and holds everything together. Jesus
promised to make his home with me. God is always near and
present because I live and move in God who is all around me.
This God is here now, near me and seeing me, and eager to
hear from me. Now in faith believing and knowing God is as
close as my breath, I can hear his voice loving and forgiving me.
I know that I can tell him what I feel and what I want to do, and
he will do it if it will serve his purpose and glorify him.”
Then think something like:
“Thank you, God. I know you are here right now. Show me things
that will encourage others and serve your purpose. Thank you
for always being with me to guide me and make good things
happen. I will always trust and never doubt you, Lord. But if I do
doubt, I know you will still be there patiently and eagerly waiting
for me. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.”

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HOW TO BECOME A FOLLOWER OF YESHUA
This free download book has been used effectively in personal evangelism.
This link gives the pages in consecutive order for internet or email use.

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The Extraordinary Claims of Yeshua of
Nazareth*
“Who do you say I am?”
Legend, Liar, Lunatic, or Lord and Mashiach?
Corroborating contemporary biographers report that Yeshua of
Nazareth was conceived by an unwed mother, changed water to
wine, made the blind see, healed the lame, raised the dead, walked
on water, calmed a violent storm, fed 5,000 people with five loaves
and two fishes, lived again after his execution, and ascended into the
clouds. This Yeshua fulfilled ancient Hebrew prophecies of the
expected Hebrew Mashiach, and according to witnesses and
contemporary biographers, this Yeshua also made the following
extraordinary claims:
I have always existed. John 8:58; 17:5
I am the First and the Last. Revelation 1:17
I hold the keys to death. Revelation 1:18
I have never sinned. John 8:46
I have all authority on heaven and earth. Matthew 28:18
I and the Father are one. John 10:30
I must be placed above your family. Matthew 10:37
I have authority to forgive sins. Mark 2: 5-12
I am the light of the world. John 8:12
I am prophesied about in the Scriptures. Luke 24:25-27
I am from heaven. John 8:23
I will be resurrected. Mark 8:31
I am the bread of life. John 6:35
I will send the Spirit of God Almighty. John 16:7
I am coming again. Revelation 22:20
I am a king but not of this world. John 18:37
I came to give life. John 5:24; John 10:10
I am the one through whom you must pray. John 16:23-24
I raise the dead and heal diseases. John 11:38-44; Luke 13:32
I will judge the world on Judgment Day. John 5:22-30
The words I have spoken will condemn at the last day. John 12:47-48
I am the Son of God. Matthew 16:16-17
I will raise the dead at the end of time. John 5:28-29
I am the only way to God. John 14:6
My words will never pass away. Matthew 24:35
If you reject me, you reject God himself. Luke 10:16
Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! John 8:45
I became poor and bid you to follow. 2 Corinthians 8:9; Luke 14:33
I taught love for neighbour and even your enemies. Luke 6:27-29;
Mark 12:31
*adapted by permission from Douglas A. Jacoby,
Compelling Evidence for God and the Bible
How To Become A Christian

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When God Became
Poor
Daniel Keeran, MSW
Based on Radical Christianity: Peace and Justice in the New
Testament
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was
rich, yet for your sake he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich. – 2 Corinthians
8:9
Introduction
In my own life, I’m trying to move more in the direction
that God does act, than that God does not act. If asked
to speak again, I want to invite you to send me your
ideas to include in the message, because I believe God
gives ideas and thoughts to his people that can be
encouraging to the whole community of believers. So
as you hear these words today, listen for thoughts,
ideas, and feelings God may be bringing to your
conscious awareness.

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Some Christmas Stories
Anthony is about 35 years old staying in a homeless
shelter this Christmas. He is dressed in black clothes
with a hood pulled over his head. At age 11 he left the
foster home and began living on the street. He became
addicted to crack cocaine and speaks with a kind of
harsh voice because his vocal chords are damaged.
Anthony fathered several children over the years and
keeps contact with them. He has difficulty getting work
because of a criminal record. When I asked him what
people don’t know about him that he would like them to
know, he said through tears, “That I’m not as tough as I
look. I am really a very kind and caring person, and I
want to support my family.” When I asked him what he
wants for Christmas, he listed his children’s ages and
chose items for them. You can read his story and
hundreds of other homeless people and their Christmas
wishes at homelesspartners.com
As some of you know, our daughter Phoebe contracted
cerebral malaria in Mozambique and had a medical
debt of over $84,000. God answered prayers to save
her life. On Thursday, after many daily prayers since
June, we received word that the Aventura Hospital in
Miami has forgiven her debt. I remember the persistent
widow. "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show
them that they should always pray and not give up."
Luke 18:1

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Let’s pray.... God thank you for answering prayer. Help
me disappear so that you may appear to bless those
gathered here today. In Jesus name, Amen.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten Son............John 3:16
What are you aware of right now as you hear those
words? What ideas, thoughts, and feelings are coming
up inside you when you think that God loved you and
gave Jesus for you?
How Did God Love Us?
A favourite old song says, “Why did my Saviour come
to earth, and to the humble go? Why did He choose a
lowly birth? Because He loved me so!”
God saw that humanity is hurting....and so in love
reached out by first entering our existence as a
helpless unborn child in the belly of an impoverished
unwed mother living in the despised region of Galilee.
The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The one who made all things, the Lord of all Creation,
came into the body of an unmarried virgin teenage girl.
When we hear the words “unwed mother,” a part of you
may feel a sense of shame about it. Who wants their
own unmarried daughter to get pregnant?
Yet God chose this way to come into the world, and I
remember when Peter said, “Surely not, Lord!” the Lord

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replied, “Do not call anything impure that God has
made clean.”
The Angel Comes to Mary
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin
engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And
he approached her, and said, Be filled with joy, you
who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you. But she
was very upset by what was said, and wondered what
kind of message this might be. And the angel said to
her, Don’t be afraid, Mary: for you have found favour
with God. And now, you will conceive and deliver a son,
and you will call his name JESUS. He will be great, and
will be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord
God will give to him the throne of his father David:
and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and
of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said
to the angel, How will this happen, since I am a virgin?
And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy
Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you: and for this reason the holy
thing that is born will be called the Son of God. And
behold, Elisabeth your relative, she also has conceived
a son in her old age; and she who everyone thought
was infertile is six months pregnant. For no word from
God shall ever be without power. And Mary said, Now I
am the servant of the Lord; be it unto me according to
your word. And the angel left her. -Luke 1:26-38

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This divine holy miraculous conception was foretold by
the prophet Isaiah over 700 years before Jesus was
born.
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The
virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey
when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose
the right...... -Isaiah 7:14-15
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame
the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to
shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this
world and the despised things—and the things deemed
of little value—to bring to nothing the things that are. -1
Corinthians 1:27-28
up inside you when you hear that God came as a
helpless baby?
The Response of Mary
And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord, And my
spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he has
looked upon the low estate of his servant: For now,
from now on all generations will call me blessed. For
he who is mighty has done great things to me; And holy
is his name. And his mercy is for generations and
generations on those who fear him. He has showed
strength with his arm; He has scattered the proud in the

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imagination of their heart. He has put down princes
from their thrones, and has exalted the poor and
powerless. The hungry he has filled with good
things; and the rich he has sent away empty. He
has given help to Israel his servant, that he might
remember mercy as he spoke to our fathers: toward
Abraham and his seed for ever. - Luke 1:46-55
And in your seed will all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because you have obeyed my voice. -
Genesis 22:18
Mary remembers the obedience of Abraham, and she is
part of the promise, so she wants to be obedient too
and says, “Now I am the servant of the Lord. Be it unto
me according to your word.”
up inside you as you think that God entered humanity
inside a poor unmarried girl?
Mary Marvels That God Chose the
Poor
God chose a lowly, poor family to raise the Saviour of
the world. Yet Mary was rich in her love and devotion
to God, and she knew well the promise to bless Israel
and the world through the seed of Abraham, and she
rejoices in the fulfillment of those promises. The proud
and powerful imagined they would bring the Messiah to

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rule with armies, but Mary is full of praise because now
God has done the opposite.
When the angel went away, Mary praises God with all
her heart, and she declares the heart of God to attend
to the poor, to feed the poor, to favour the poor. The
day Mary conceived Jesus, is the day God became
poor. It is the day God became human flesh, born of
flesh, an innocent child as we all begin.
Throughout his life on earth and fully human, Jesus
would be subject to the same desires and temptations
as we are, yet he would remain without sin so that he
could be a pure sacrifice for our sins and for the sins of
the whole world. Holy God became sin for us that we
might become holy for God.
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that
in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2
Corinthians 5:21
This is the God we worship: the God who first became
poor and who chooses the poor; the God who was
conceived and lived in holiness and who became sin
that we might become rich.
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those
who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith
and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love
him? -James 2:5

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up inside you when you think that God chose the poor
and became poor when he was conceived in the virgin
Mary?
Amazing God
What amazing love....what a surprising God that he
would appear in the poor and lowly, things despised
and rejected. God was, and still is, determined to make
himself known through the humble and powerless. How
could poor shepherds come near to worship him if he
was born in a gated guarded palace? Yet in a stable, all
could come.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.
-2 Corinthians 8:9
God comforts the poor with true riches of forgiveness
and hope of life everlasting, and with caring gifts and
messages from his people.
The holidays are upon us....think of those who may be
hurting, and reach out in love by entering their troubled
lives. God entered our troubled lives. Now renewed by
God, we can reach out to those in trouble. Show your
caring and God’s caring through you.
You will be enriched in every way so that you can be
generous on every occasion, and through us your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. -2
Corinthians 9:11

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When we told people about Phoebe’s debt being
forgiven, praises and thanksgiving went up from scores
of people all over the world.
up inside you when you think that God became poor?
What Child Is This?
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the
government will be on his shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase
of his government and of peace there shall be no end,
upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to
establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with
righteousness from now on even forever. The zeal of
Jehovah of hosts will perform this. -Isaiah 9:6-8
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little
among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall
come to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose
origins are from of old, from everlasting. -Micah 5:2
When he (Herod) had called together all the people’s
chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in
Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has
written: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are
by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of

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you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people
Israel.’ ” -Matthew 2:4-6
Who Knew?
Who knew the Lord of Creation, the one called
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace, the Anointed King and Prophet of
Israel, the Saviour of the world would choose a lowly
birth among the poor?
The Hebrew prophets longed to know what we now
know. We can look back at his incredible life, death and
resurrection, and we can see clearly how the one
conceived inside Mary would go on to command the
wind and waves, to heal the sick, make the blind see,
the lame walk, and preach good news to the poor. His
conception and birth cry out mercy and compassion for
the poor and suffering, and this is the theme of his life.
Even in his death, this God joins all who suffer injustice,
wrongfully accused, executed in the most
dishonourable way by crucifixion.
He fulfills the message of the law and prophets who
said true worship is to care for the poor. Jesus brings
good news to the poor and he says we should lay up
treasure in heaven, not on earth. He says, “Whoever
does not forsake everything he has, cannot be my
disciple,” and “Whoever leaves lands and houses,
father and mother, brothers and sisters, shall receive a
hundred fold in this life and eternal life to come.”

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So Jesus said, “The foxes have holes, the birds have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head.” We celebrate this time of year in memory of the
birth of the most famous homeless man who ever lived.
He bids us to come and follow.
up inside you when you think God came as a homeless
man?
Is It A New Thing?
Is it a new thing that our God would side with the poor
and suffering? Remember Egypt, remember the cry of
God’s people in slavery for hundreds of years.
Remember Moses pleading God’s word that Pharaoh
should let the people go. Remember the parting of the
Sea and the people entering the promise land.
Remember the waters of baptism where we cross over
from death to life and are freed from slavery to sin, to
serve the living God.
God still reaches out to those in trouble.
A young man in prison shared that he was an atheist
when he was sentenced for heinous crimes. Then he
saw how others who follow Jesus’ teaching have happy
and stable lives. He now thinks there may be a superior
intelligence behind the teaching.
I told the story of this young man when talking to the
Humanist Association a few weeks ago. The topic was:

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“Are the teachings of Jesus relevant today?” I passed
around a handout and presented the teaching of Jesus
from the gospels, and during the discussion that
followed, one of the atheists spoke up and said: “We
cannot deny that the teachings of Jesus are relevant
today.”
Conclusion
The prophets foretold that Jesus would be a ruler on a
throne. So where is this throne and where does he
rule? Yes, he rules at the right hand of God. Where is
his kingdom? And what about the rod of iron?
Our God of surprises says to us, “The kingdom of God
is inside you.”
After 2000 years, Jesus still lives and rules in sincere
and open hearts. Jesus still transforms lives, reaching
out with words of life, calling people of all nations to
love one another, to love their enemies, to care for
those in trouble, to be forgiving, to be merciful,
understanding and compassionate, to not judge others.
The God we worship has overcome the world and
reigns and rules in the kingdom of the heart.
This mighty and powerful God who was laid in a
manger says, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from
me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my
burden is light.” -Matthew 11:29-30

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Jesus never wrote anything down, never owned
property or had a wife and kids, never had a mortgage,
walked everywhere he went except for one time this
King of Israel rode a donkey into Jerusalem. But look at
the result of this one life. Two thousand years later, the
multitudes are still pressing in to see him, to touch him,
to hear his amazing words that we still struggle to make
real in our lives.
“He will be called son of God, and they will call him
son of the Most High.... Until the people of God arises
and makes everyone rest from the sword. His
kingdom will be an eternal kingdom, and all his
paths in truth and uprigh[tness]. The earth (will be) in
truth and all will make peace. The sword will cease in
the earth...” Son of God Scroll 4Q246.
These words were found in a cave outside a settlement
destroyed by the Romans in 68 AD. They tell of one
who would be known as the son of God, Son of the
Most High, one who would bring peace and an eternal
kingdom. Yet he does not rule by force but by your free
voluntary choice to follow his teaching. Does he rule
and reign in your heart today?
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as
members of one body you were called to peace. And
be thankful. - Colossians 3:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there
were loud voices in heaven, that said: “The kingdom of
the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of

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his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”
- Revelation 11:15
And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, And my
spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he has
looked upon the low status of his servant. - Luke 1:46-
48
What thoughts and feelings come up inside as you
consider this God who became poor and calls you to
follow?

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Nonviolence in Early Christian Thought
Through the Fourth Century
If nonviolence is indeed the teaching of Jesus in the New Testament, we would expect
to find it in the earliest writings of Christians including and after the apostles and
prophets of the Lord. What do we find?
First Century
There is no example or teaching in the New Testament that Christians can or
should make a violent defense. Rather Christians were always victims of
violence and never employed violence in defense against wrong-doing or to
address evil. The teaching and example of Jesus in His death, was to do good
to one’s enemies.
Love your enemies – Luke 6:27-28 do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. – Matthew 5:38-39 If
anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek
also.
Stephen stoned – Acts 7:54-60 when stoned to death, Stephen says
“forgive them.”
Christians dragged to prison and death - Acts 8:1-3, Acts 22:3-5,
Acts 26:9-11, Galatians 1:13
James killed – Acts 12:1-3 was killed with the sword.
Paul threatened and arrested – Acts 28:19 had no charge to bring
against those who conspired to kill him.
Christians treated violently – Romans 12:17- 21 overcome evil with
good.
Christian slaves beaten for doing what is right – 1 Peter 2:18-25
suffer patiently as Christ did.
Do not fear suffering violent attack – 1 Peter 3:14-15, Rev.2:10 be
faithful unto death.

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Christians facing opposition were called to have their own blood
shed, not shed the blood of other people or of their enemies.
– Heb.12:3-4.
Do not war as the world does but use your spiritual weapons
– 2 Cor. 10:3-6, Eph.6:12-18.
The death of Jesus for His enemies (when He could have
destroyed them) defines a new kind of love. This love is the very
heart of the cross and of Christian faith. “This is love: not that we loved
God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for
our sins.” – 1 John 4:10
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still
sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his
blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through
him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him
through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life! – Romans 5:8-10
Christian Gnosticism emerged in part because of the inability of
some early Christians to reconcile the violent God portrayed in the Old
Testament with the nonviolent God of Jesus’ teachings in the New
Testament, so they concluded a heretical view that there were two
gods, deviating from Christian faith: an evil violent creator god who
created the material world, and a good nonviolent loving god.
Second Century
The rationale for nonviolence in second century writings was not idolatry but
the fulfillment of messianic expectations and obedience to the teachings of
Jesus passed on by the apostles and prophets of the Lord. Notice even the
refusal to go to court against anyone. One can read the writings of the
earliest self-identified Christians and learn whether they were either faithful
or unfaithful in their views.
The Way of Life: Didache 1:3 (80-120 A.D.) “Bless the ones who
curse you. Pray for your enemies. Fast for your persecuters. Do
you expect a great reward if you only love those who love you? Do the
Gentiles not conduct themselves accordingly? But if you practice
love to those who hate you, your enemies will vanish.”
Ignatius of Antioch (80-140 AD) in Epistle to the Ephesians: “And let
us imitate the Lord, who, when He was reviled, reviled not again ;

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when He was crucified, He answered not; when He suffered, He
threatened not ; but prayed for His enemies, Father, forgive them; they
know not what they do. If any one, the more he is injured, displays
the more patience, blessed is he.”
Justin Martyr (110-165 AD) in Dialogue with Trypho: “…we who were
filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have
each through the whole earth changed our warlike weapons,- our
swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage, -
and we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope…”
Irenaeus (120-202 AD) in Against Heresies: “But if the law of liberty,
that is, the word of God, preached by the apostles (who went forth
from Jerusalem) throughout all the earth, caused such a change in
the state of things, that these [nations] did form the swords and
war-lances into ploughshares, and changed them into pruning-
hooks for reaping the grain, [that is], into instruments used for
peaceful purposes, and that they are now unaccustomed to
fighting, but when smitten, offer also the other cheek…”
Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) in Justin Martyr (100-165
AD), First Apology, Ante-Nicene Fathers: “The Emperor Caesar
Marcus Aurelius, to the People of Rome, and to the sacred Senate… I
was surrounded by the enemy; and the enemy being at hand... there
was close on us a mass of a mixed multitude of 977,000 men, which
indeed we saw… Having then examined my own position, and my
host, with respect to… the enemy, I quickly betook myself to prayer to
the gods of my country. But being disregarded by them, I summoned
those who among us go by the name of Christians. And having
made inquiry, I discovered a great number and vast host of them, and
raged against them, which was by no means becoming; for afterwards
I learned their power. Wherefore they began the battle, not by
preparing weapons, nor arms, nor bugles; for such preparation is
hateful to them, on account of the God they bear about in their
conscience.” (Note: While perhaps referring to the Thundering
Legion, and allowing the authenticity of the letter is disputed, scholars
accept that even if it is a forgery, it was written in the latter part of the
second century and reflects the values and beliefs of Christians at that
early stage. Later Christians would embrace the just war theory of
Augustine who also advocated force by the church to correct heretical
Christians.)

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Athenagoras (about 170 AD) in A Plea for the Christians: “…for we
have learned, not only not to return blow for blow, nor to go to law
with those who plunder and rob us, but to those who smite us on
one side of the face to offer the other side also, and to those who take
away our coat to give likewise our cloak.”
Clement of Alexandria (150-215 AD) in Paedogogus: “In peace, not
in war, we are trained.”
Clement of Alexandria in Protrepticus: “If you enroll as one of God’s
people, heaven is your country and God your lawgiver. And what are
His laws? You shall not kill, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
To him that strikes you on the one cheek, turn to him the other
also.”
Tertullian (145-220 AD) in On Idolatry: “But how will a Christian man
war, nay, how will he serve even in peace, without a sword, which
the Lord has taken away? For albeit soldiers had come unto John, and
had received the formula of their rule; albeit, likewise, a centurion had
believed; still the Lord afterward, in disarming Peter, unbelted
every soldier.”
Third Century
Christians refused to bear arms in military service or to participate in civil
court as plaintiffs or judges, not because of idolatry but because of their
desire to follow the nonviolent gospel.
Hippolytus (170-235 AD) in Apostolic Tradition: "Persons who
possess authority to kill, or soldiers, should not kill at all, even
when it is commanded of them. Everyone who receives a distinctive
leading position, or a magisterial power, and does not clothe himself in
the weaponlessness of which is becoming to the Gospel, should be
separated from the flock."
Hippolytus in Canons: “No Christian should go and become a
soldier unless a commander who has a sword compels him; let him
not draw any guilt of blood shed upon himself.”
Origen (185-254 AD) in Against Celsus: “To those who inquire of us
from where we come, or who is our founder, we reply that we have
come agreeably to the counsels of Jesus. We have cut down our
hostile, insolent, and wearisome swords into plowshares. We have
converted into pruning hooks the spears that were formerly used in

37 | P a g e
war. For we no longer take up sword against nation, nor do we learn
war any more. That is because we have become children of peace
for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader.”
“We do not indeed fight under him, although he require it; but we
fight on his behalf, forming a special army -- an army of piety -- by
offering our prayers to God.”
Marinus in Cæsarea (262 A.D.)
Eusebius in his History of the Church up to his own time in the early 4th
century, records the process leading to the death of a soldier who became a
Christian and who chose the scripture over the sword, followed by his death.
“Marinus in Cæsarea in Palestine (died 262 A.D.), who was honored
for his military deeds, and illustrious by virtue of family and wealth, was
beheaded for his testimony to Christ, on the following account.
The vine-branch is a certain mark of honor among the Romans, and
those who obtain it become, they say, centurions. A place being
vacated, the order of succession called Marinus to this position. But
when he was about to receive the honor, another person came before
the tribunal and claimed that it was not legal, according to the ancient
laws, for him to receive the Roman dignity, as he was a Christian and
did not sacrifice to the emperors; but that the office belonged rather to
him.
Thereupon the judge, whose name was Achæus, being disturbed, first
asked what opinion Marinus held. And when he perceived that he
continually confessed himself a Christian, he gave him three hours for
reflection.
When he came out from the tribunal, Theotecnus, the bishop there,
took him aside and conversed with him, and taking his hand led him
into the church. And standing with him within, in the sanctuary, he
raised his cloak a little, and pointed to the sword that hung by his
side; and at the same time he placed before him the Scripture of
the divine Gospels, and told him to choose which of the two he
wished. And without hesitation he reached forth his right hand,
and took the divine Scripture. “Hold fast then,” says Theotecnus to
him, “hold fast to God, and strengthened by him mayest thou obtain
what thou hast chosen, and go in peace.”

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Immediately on his return the herald cried out calling him to the
tribunal, for the appointed time was already completed. And standing
before the tribunal, and manifesting greater zeal for the faith,
immediately, as he was, he was led away and finished his course by
death.”
Maximilian of Tebessa (295 A.D.)
Maximilian of Tebessa in 295 A.D. is recorded in Bastiaensan, A.A.R.
et al. (eds.), Atti e passioni dei martiri (1987), 238-45.
In this account the soldier clearly identifies military service as wrong for a
Christian, and for this belief he is executed.
“On the 12th day of March during the consulship of Tuscus and
Anolinus [295], when Fabius Victor had been brought into the forum at
Tebessa, together with Maximilianus, and their advocate Pompeianus
had been granted an audience, the last declared, "The temonarius
Fabius Victor is present, together with Valerianus Quintianus, the
praepositus Caesariensis, and the fine recruit Maximilianus, Victor's
son. Since he is acceptable, I ask that he be measured." The
proconsul Dion said, "What are you called?" Maximilianus replied,
"Why do you want to know my name? It is not permitted to me to
serve in the military since I am a Christian." The proconsul Dion
said, "Ready him". When he was being got ready, Maximilianus
replied, "I cannot serve in the military; I cannot do wrong; I am a
Christian." The proconsul Dion said, "Let him be measured". When he
had been measured, an official reported, "He is five feet ten inches
tall." Dion said to the official, "Let him be marked." And as
Maximilianus resisted, he replied, "I will not do it; I cannot serve in the
military."
Dion said, "Serve so that you do not perish." Maximilianus replied, "I
will not serve; cut off my head; I do not serve the world, but I do serve
my God."Dion the proconsul said, "Who has persuaded you of this?"
Maximilianus replied, "My soul and he who has called me." Dion said
to his father Victor, "Advise your son." Victor replied, "He himself
knows - he has his purpose - what is best for him." Dion said to
Maximilianus, "Serve and accept the seal." He replied, "I will not
accept the seal: I already have the seal of my Christ." Dion the
proconsul said, "I will send you to your Christ right now." He replied, "I
wish that you would do so. That is even my title to glory." Dion said to
his staff, "Let him be marked." And when he was resisting, he replied,

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"I do not accept the world's seal, and if you give it to me, I will break it,
since I value it at nought. I am a Christian. It is not permitted to me
to bear the lead upon my neck after [having received] the saving
seal of my Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, he whom
you do not know, who suffered for the life of the world, whom
God surrendered for our sins. All of us Christians serve Him. Him
we follow as the source of life and author of salvation." Dion said,
"Serve, and accept the seal, so that you do not suffer a terrible death."
Maximilianus replied, "I will not die. My name is already with my Lord; I
cannot serve in the military." Dion said, "Have regard to your youth
and serve; for this befits a young man." Maximilianus replied, "My
service is for my Lord; I cannot serve the world. I have already said: I
am a Christian." Dion the proconsul said, "There are Christian
soldiers in the sacred retinue of our lords Diocletian, Maximianus,
Constantius, and Maximus, and they serve." Maximilianus replied,
"They themselves know what is best for them. But I am a Christian,
and I cannot do wrong." Dio said, "What wrong do they who serve do?"
Maximilianus replied, "You know well what they do." Dion replied,
"Serve, lest, having scorned military service, you begin upon a terrible
death." Maximilianus replied, "I will not die; even if I do depart the
world, my spirit will live with my Lord Christ."
Dion said, "Strike out his name." And when it had been struck out,
Dion said, "Because you have disloyally refused military service, you
will receive the appropriate sentence in order to serve as an example
to others." And he read his decision from his tablet, "Maximilianus,
since you have disloyally refused the military oath, it has been
decided for you to be punished by the sword." Maximilianus
replied, "Thanks be to God." He was 21 years, 3 months, and 18 days
old. And when he was being led to the place [of execution], he spoke
as follows, "Dearest brothers, with an eager desire, hurry with as much
courage as you can so that it may befall you to see the Lord and that
he may reward you also with a similar crown." And with a joyous face,
he addressed his father as follows, "Give that guard the new clothing
which you had got ready for me during my military service, so that I
may welcome you with a hundredfold reward and we may glory with
the Lord together." And so he suffered death shortly afterwards. And
the matron Pompeiana obtained his body from the judge and, having
placed it in her carriage, she brought it to Carthage, and buried it
beneath a little hill near the martyr Cyprian and the palace. And so,
after the 13th day, the same woman died, and was buried there. But
his father Victor returned to his home with great joy, thanking God that

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he had sent on ahead such a gift to the Lord, he who was about to
follow shortly afterwards.”
Fourth Century
Into the fourth century, Christian writers and a Christian soldier oppose
bearing arms against the enemies of the state on grounds of obedience to
Christ, not to avoid idolatry.
Arnobius (died 326 AD) in Against the Heathen: “A numerous band of
men as we are, we have learned from his teaching and his laws that
evil should not be repaid with evil. Rather, it is better to suffer wrong
than to inflict it. We would rather shed our own blood than stain our
hands and our conscience with that of another.”
“Did He ever, in claiming for Himself power as king, fill the whole world
with bands of the fiercest soldiers; and of nations at peace from the
beginning, did He destroy and put an end to some, and compel others
to submit to His yoke and serve Him?”
Lactantius (220-330 AD, tutor for the emperor Constantine’s children)
in The Divine Institutes:
“For how can a man be just who injures, who hates, who despoils,
who puts to death? And they who strive to be serviceable to their
country do all these things…”
“For when God forbids us to kill, He not only prohibits us from open
violence, which is not even allowed by the public laws, but He warns
us against the commission of those things which are esteemed lawful
among men. Thus it will be neither lawful for a just man to engage
in warfare, since his warfare is justice itself, nor to accuse any one
of a capital charge, because it makes no difference whether you put a
man to death by word, or rather by the sword, since it is the act of
putting to death itself which is prohibited. Therefore, with regard to this
precept of God, there ought to be no exception at all; but that it is
always unlawful to put to death a man, whom God willed to be a
sacred animal.”
Martin of Tours (316-397 A.D.)
Martin of Tours (316-397 A.D.) in ON THE LIFE OF ST. MARTIN by
Sulpitius Severus (425 A.D.)

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“In the meantime, as the barbarians were rushing within the two
divisions of Gaul, Julian Cæsar, bringing an army together at the city of
the Vaugiones, began to distribute a donative to the soldiers. As was
the custom in such a case, they were called forward, one by one, until
it came to the turn of Martin. Then, indeed, judging it a suitable
opportunity for seeking his discharge--for he did not think it would be
proper for him, if he were not to continue in the service, to receive a
donative--he said to Cæsar, "Hitherto I have served you as a soldier:
allow me now to become a soldier to God: let the man who is to serve
thee receive thy donative: I am the soldier of Christ: it is not lawful
for me to fight." Then truly the tyrant stormed on hearing such words,
declaring that, from fear of the battle, which was to take place on the
morrow, and not from any religious feeling, Martin withdrew from the
service. But Martin, full of courage, yea all the more resolute from the
danger that had been set before him, exclaims, "If this conduct of mine
is ascribed to cowardice, and not to faith, I will take my stand
unarmed before the line of battle tomorrow, and in the name of the
Lord Jesus, protected by the sign of the cross, and not by shield or
helmet, I will safely penetrate the ranks of the enemy." He is ordered,
therefore, to be thrust back into prison, determined on proving his
words true by exposing himself unarmed to the barbarians. But, on the
following day, the enemy sent ambassadors to treat about peace and
surrendered both themselves and all their possessions.
In these circumstances who can doubt that this victory was due to the
saintly man? It was granted him that he should not be sent unarmed to
the fight. And although the good Lord could have preserved his own
soldier, even amid the swords and darts of the enemy, yet that his
blessed eyes might not be pained by witnessing the death of others,
he removed all necessity for fighting. For Christ did not require to
secure any other victory in behalf of his own soldier, than that, the
enemy being subdued without bloodshed, no one should suffer death.”
The Baptism of Constantine (337 A.D.) recorded by his friend and
teacher Eusebius of Cesarea
Constantine waited until the end of his life to be baptized because he shared
the common belief that military and political service were wrong and that
there is no forgiveness of sins after baptism.
“…convinced that his life was drawing to a close, he felt the time was
come at which he should seek purification from sins of his past
career, firmly believing that whatever errors he had committed as a

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mortal man, his soul would be purified from them through the efficacy
of the mystical words and the salutary waters of baptism.” (Eusebius,
Viti Constinati, Chap. LXI)
Constantine’s past career was general of the Imperial Roman army.
After his baptism, Constantine "refused to clothe himself with the
purple any more." Why? Because the "purple toga (was) usually
reserved to a triumphing general for the day of his triumph" (See
wikipedia article.), which he had been in his battle at Milvan bridge
against his rival Maxentius in 312 A.D. in which Constantine claimed
he saw a vision of the cross and the words “In this sign conquer,”
reversing the Christian ethic of nonviolence.
Change in the 4th
Century
Lactantius and Eusebius were Christian teachers and biographers of
Constantine who give credence to Constantine’s vision of the cross and
inscription “In this sign conquer.” Ambrose and his student Augustine
present ideas for the “just war” theory. Constantine defeats his rival
Maxentius in the year 312 A.D. at Milvian Bridge. This event changes the
Christian movement from nonviolent nonparticipation in government, to the
endorsement of Christian participation in military and political service.
(Years earlier, Constantine claimed to have had a vision of the god Apollo.)
Lactantius (see above) in On the Death of the Persecutors:
“Constantine was directed in a dream to cause the heavenly sign to
be delineated on the shields of his soldiers, and so to proceed to
battle.”
Eusebius (260-339 AD) in The Life of the Blessed Emperor
Constantine: “Then, in his sleep, the Christ of God appeared to him
with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens and commanded
him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens
and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies.”
Ambrose (340-397 AD, teacher of Augustine) in Duties of Ministers:
"For the fortitude which in war defends the fatherland from
barbarians or defends the weak at home, or companions from thieves
is full of justice."
Augustine (354-430 AD) in Letter 189, To Boniface, A Soldier: "Do not
think that no one can please God who is a soldier in military arms. Holy
David was among these, to whom the Lord gave such great witness
[see 1 Kings 14.7, where God says David, "followed me with all his

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heart, doing only what was right in my eyes:] and many just men of
that time among them. Among these was Cornelius [Acts 10] to whom
the angel was sent.... Among these were those who came to John for
baptism.... Surely he did not forbid them to serve in arms, to whom
he ordered to be content with their pay. ....Some therefore fight for you
by praying against invisible enemies; you work for them by fighting
against visible barbarians.... So think first of this, when you arm
yourself for battle, that even your bodily strength is a gift of God...."
Augustine even thought the Church should use violence, and he argues
against the pacifism of the Donatists:
“Where is what the Donatists were wont to cry: Man is at liberty to
believe or not believe? Towards whom did Christ use violence?
Whom did He compel? Here they have the Apostle Paul. Let them
recognize in his case Christ first compelling, and afterwards teaching;
first striking, and afterwards consoling. For it is wonderful how he who
entered the service of the gospel in the first instance under the
compulsion of bodily punishment, afterwards labored more in the
gospel than all they who were called by word only; 1 Corinthians 15:10
and he who was compelled by the greater influence of fear to love,
displayed that perfect love which casts out fear.
“Why, therefore, should not the Church use force in compelling
her lost sons (Donatists) to return, if the lost sons compelled others
to their destruction? Although even men who have not been
compelled, but only led astray, are received by their loving mother with
more affection if they are recalled to her bosom through the
enforcement of terrible but salutary laws, and are the objects of far
more deep congratulation than those whom she had never lost. Is it
not a part of the care of the shepherd, when any sheep have left the
flock, even though not violently forced away, but led astray by
tender words and coaxing blandishments, to bring them back to the
fold of his master when he has found them, by the fear or even the
pain of the whip, if they show symptoms of resistance…”
Although holding a heretical view that those who denied Christ could not
repent and be reconciled to the church, this statement from the their leader,
Donatus the Great, is evidence of a lingering pacifism.
“Rejoice and exult, holy mother Church. Instructed in heavenly
teachings, you struggle unsullied in a battle for which you cannot be
blamed. If you have to resist, you resist with the power of the soul,
not with arms; if you fight, it is with faith not force.” – quoted in

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Donatist Martyr Stories: The Church in Conflict in Roman North Africa
edited by Maureen A. Tilley.
A non-Donatist contemporary group known as Rogatists, emphasized absolute
pacifism which may indicate it had become a fading belief still shared by
some Donatists including their founder.
The suffering and death of Jesus of Nazareth was an act of
nonviolence in the face of violence, and to this we are called:
“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: “He
committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they
heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He
made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.” – 1
Peter 2:21-22.
In the Fifth Century, a monk wrote an account of what may have
occurred in the Third Century.
Theban Legion had converted as a group to Christianity and were
martyred, in 286 A.D. because they refused to worship the emperor.
The account was written by Eucherius of Lyon, ca. 443–450 and is
disputed by some scholars to be a fiction. Given the account
demonstrates Christians in the military, it may only show that a
minority of newly self-identified followers of Yeshua, did not have an
adequate understanding of their faith by splitting obedience to God
from service to the emperor. The majority of Christians rejected
violence as opposed to obedience to God..
“In the time of Diocletian, who died 313, part of the Roman army
consisted of a Theban legion, which was six thousand six hundred and
sixty-six men strong, all Christians, and noted for discipline and piety.
After marching towards Gaul on service against the Christians, they
encamped on the Lake of Geneva; and when ordered to join in the
sacrifices to the gods, the whole legion, with their commander Maurice,
refused to obey or to fight against their fellow-Christians. The Emperor,
being enraged, ordered them to be decimated, and they thought this
the highest honour, and vied with each other in being selected as
the first victims. Still refusing, they were ordered a second time to be
decimated, and then a third time, with like results. Maurice at the third
decimation spoke thus: "Noble Caesar, we are thy soldiers, but we are
also the soldiers of Jesus Christ. From thee we receive our pay; from
Him we receive eternal life. To thee we owe service, to Him obedience.
We are ready to follow thee against the barbarians, but we are also
ready to suffer death rather than renounce our faith or fight
against our brethren."

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Eusebius writes in 320 A.D. about an event under Marcus Aurelius in
about 170 A.D. in which the Melitene Legion (see also Thundering
Legion and the Imperial letter to the Roman senate), having many
Christians, prayed for rain which drove away the barbarians.
“It is reported that Marcus Aurelius Cæsar, brother of Antoninus, being
about to engage in battle with the Germans and Sarmatians, was in
great trouble on account of his army suffering from thirst. But the
soldiers of the so-called Melitene legion, through the faith which has
given strength from that time to the present, when they were drawn up
before the enemy, kneeled on the ground, as is our custom in prayer,
and engaged in supplications to God. This was indeed a strange sight
to the enemy, but it is reported that a stranger thing immediately
followed. The lightning drove the enemy to flight and destruction, but a
shower refreshed the army of those who had called on God, all of
whom had been on the point of perishing with thirst.”
Related
http://www.amazon.com/Concordance-Testament-Christian-Pacifism-
Nonviolence/dp/1499186436
http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Christianity-Peace-Justice-
Testament/dp/0973454652

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The Kingdom of God
as a Radical Social
Movement
Daniel Keeran, MSW

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Not Of The World
Reality as defined by Jesus was in conflict with the reality
defined by ancient society. Yet it was precisely because the early
church lived according to the divine definition that the kingdom
of God was a radical element in the world. Christians were not
products of society then and must not be so today, for society is
a human product. Its institutions, acceptable forms, and
attitudes are largely constructed by man, not God. That is why
the kingdom of God is a radical movement faithfully resisting
assimilation that otherwise occurs through the process of
socialization and acculturation whereby society tends to mold
and determine, however subtly at times, the values of groups
and individuals within its sphere of influence.
Secular culture brings about a certain conformity of values
through various pressures and structures such as public
education, the media, entertainment industry, civil law, patriotic
sentiment, technology and the politico-economic system. To be a
radical, one who casts doubt upon and challenges socially
constructed values, means to suffer loneliness and abuse.
Although this is their calling (II Tim. 3:12), many Christians have
found it much easier, with little or no cost emotionally and
psychologically, to conform to the world than to shape their lives
according to the divine construction of reality.
The Beginnings
That the kingdom of God would be characterized by a
radical social orientation is suggested as early as the conception
of Jesus by the virgin Mary who said in her magnification of
God, “He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the
rich away empty” (Lk. 1:53). Whether or not this was a prophetic
utterance, it summarizes Jesus’ ministry as far as His teachings
and personal instructions regarding the rich and poor are
concerned.
In fact, it would seem that the central purpose of Jesus’
ministry was to bring the gospel to the poor, for Jesus himself

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announced this as the purpose of His being “anointed” prophet,
high priest, and king (Lk. 4:18). Later when John the Baptist sent
messengers to inquire whether Jesus was the promised Messiah,
the proof for John was to be that the sick were being healed and
“the good news is preached to the poor” (Lk. 7:22).
John the Baptist himself realized this emphasis of the
coming kingdom, for as he prepared the people of Israel for the
new age, he said, “The man who has two coats should share
with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the
same” (Lk. 3:10,11). This was the “fruit worthy of repentance”
(Lk. 3:8) for those who were to accept the rulership of the
Messiah. In order to be a recipient of the kingdom, a beneficiary
of the gospel and blessed of God, one was called upon to
distribute his wealth among those who lacked.
The Distribution of Personal Wealth
The ministry of Jesus was also for the purpose of preparing a
people for the kingdom, and he required the same fruit as His
forerunner. To the rich young ruler he said, “You still lack one
thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you
will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Lk. 18:22).
When the wealthy tax collector Zaccheus had made his
commitment, Jesus declared, “Today salvation has come to this
house” (Lk. 19:8,9). It can be inferred that Zaccheus had given all
after he had restored four-fold to those from whom he had taken
by fraud, in addition to half his possessions to be given outright
to the poor. Zaccheus had an infamous reputation for exacting
more tax than was due, so that by the time he had kept his
promise he was indeed among the ranks of the poor for whom
the kingdom was prepared. The radical response of Zaccheus
indicates that Jesus’ proclamation of the gospel included a call
for radical commitment in terms of the distribution of one’s own
wealth.
The disciples closest to Jesus were given this same call, the
same “fruit worthy of repentance” required by John the Baptist.

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Jesus instructed his little flock, “Sell your possessions and give to
the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a
treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief
comes near and no moth destroys” (Lk. 12:33). The rich young
ruler, on the other hand, rejected this kingdom call and was
“sent away empty” (Lk. 1:53).
A Kingdom For The Poor
The gospel and the kingdom were for the poor, and in
order for the rich to enter, they were called upon to divest
themselves of their wealth by distributing it to the needy. That
the kingdom belongs to the poor is specifically mentioned by
Jesus in the sermon on the plain where it is written, “Blessed are
you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk. 6:20).
Later, James reminded his readers of this fact when he
wrote, “Listen, my dear brothers: has not God chosen those who
are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit
the kingdom he promised those who love him?” (Jas. 2:5). This
was James’ argument in correcting those in the church who
showed favoritism to rich visitors in the assembly. James says
that it is the poor, not the rich, who are the very heirs of the
kingdom. The rich may not receive it unless they bear the
required fruit and thereby join the ranks of the poor as Zaccheus,
the rich young ruler, and other disciples of Jesus and John the
Baptist were enjoined to do.
That both the kingdom and its ministry are for the poor is
expressed by Jesus in an interesting set of instructions
concerning the giving of a feast. “When you give a luncheon or
dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or
your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so
you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor,
the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.
Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous” (Lk. 14:12-14). Jesus continues in
the same passage by referring to the kingdom as a feast and

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explains that it is for the same kinds of people that his followers
are to invite to their fellowship suppers.
The rich and those preoccupied with worldly concerns are
not welcome to the feast of the kingdom (Lk. 14:15-24). Indeed
only the poor can be disciples of Christ, for the cost of being a
disciple requires that one sell all and distribute unto the poor:
“Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be
my disciple” (Lk. 14:33).
The Rich Must Become Poor
Unless the rich assume the same life style as the poor, in
terms of things possessed, they have no place at the feast. While
the poor are “filled with good things” in being promised the
kingdom and treasure in heaven, the rich are “sent empty away”
in being refused a place at the banquet table. In the midst of a
hungry, thirsty, crying world, the rich have chosen to be filled.
“You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You
have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter” (Jas. 5:5).
The rich cannot receive the kingdom while they comfort
themselves with luxury and abundance in a world of suffering
and want. The rich are truly “sent away empty” as Jesus says,
"But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received
your comfort” (Lk. 6:24). In the account of the rich man and
Lazarus, the former is condemned not for trusting in his wealth
but merely for keeping and enjoying it. This point is
summarized by Clement of Alexandria (190 A.D.) who wrote, “It
is wrong for one to live in luxury while others are in want”
(Instructor II.xiii.20.3 and 6).
Having sent the rich young ruler “empty away” after
setting before him the demands of the kingdom, Jesus explains
how utterly impossible it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom.
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of
a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God” (Mat.
19:24). The ensuing conversation seems, perhaps somewhat

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indirectly, to reveal how it is possible for the rich to be saved. “I
tell you the truth, no one who has left home or wife or brothers
or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will
fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to
come, eternal life” (Lk. 18:29,30). In order to find his life one
must lose it (Mat. 10:39). In order for the rich man to be saved
and find true wealth, he must lose his material wealth to those
who lack.
So far we have seen that the message of the kingdom from
the beginning of its proclamation demands a life style of poverty
or subsistence living, not as an end in itself but as the result of
selfless giving to those who lack. John instructed his people to
keep just enough for personal warmth and nourishment (Lk.
3:10.11), and Jesus required His followers to sell all and
distribute to the poor. This is consistent with the fact that the
gospel and the kingdom are for the poor according to Jesus’ own
statements (Lk. 4:18;6:20).
Abundant Giving Defined
The idea of a subsistence life style is also to be inferred from
Jesus’ definition of abundant giving. It is said that a certain poor
widow, who gave out of poverty, had given more than all those
who cast into the treasury out of their abundance (Lk. 21:1-4).
Only if the rich had given also to the point of subsistence could it
have been said that they had given as much as the widow.
Therefore, to “sow abundantly” (II Cor. 9:6) or to be liberal or
“rich in good works” (I Tim. 6:18) means to give all, thus
implying a poverty life style.
Food and Clothing
Paul also indicates that for themselves Christians are to be
concerned only with maintaining those possessions that provide
simple nourishment and warmth, life-supportive elements. “But
if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that” (I
Tim. 6:8). The writer of Hebrews also encourages his readers,
“Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content

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with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave
you; never will I forsake you" (Heb. 13:5). This emphasis stands
in opposition to attitudes ancient and modern that encourage
and justify the pursuit and accumulation of wealth. James speaks
of “needs” in terms of food and clothing, nourishment and
warmth (Jas. 2:15,16). This same pairing is found also in the
preaching of John the Baptist (Lk. 3:10,11) and the teaching of
Jesus (Mat. 6:25; 25:35-45). The poor are understood to be those
who live according to their needs, as defined above, rather than
according to their desires or above their needs.
The Imitation of Christ
Yet a certain material life style is not in itself the aim of
the Christian but is the actual result of abundant giving and of
perfect love for the lost and suffering. Paul suggests that a
poverty life style is in imitation of God’s own grace. As he urged
the Corinthians to give for the alleviation of want among the
Jerusalem saints, Paul wrote, “For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he
became poor, so that you through his poverty might become
rich” (II Cor. 8:9) In addition to this example of Christ, Paul held
up the example of the Macedonians who had given “beyond
their means” (vs.3).
The new Jerusalem church, having received God’s gracious
gift, could do no less than respond in imitation of that grace.
“There were no needy persons among them. For from time to
time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the
money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was
distributed to anyone as he had need” (Acts 4:34,35). Jesus in the
parable of the merciless servant teaches that he who is shown
God’s grace is expected to respond by extending grace to others
(Mat. 18:23-33). The New Testament church could do no less
than follow the example of Jesus in becoming poor that others
might be made rich.
The grace of Jesus therefore provides the rationale and the
motivation for a subsistence life style. The teaching that

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prepared a people for the coming kingdom, continued to be
applied after the kingdom had come and God’s grace had been
manifested in the death of Jesus. The kingdom life style then
received added impetus, for the precedent of giving all had been
set by Jesus himself, the king and the author of our salvation.
The apostle John explains that the love of God does not dwell in
the Christian whose material life style does not reflect the mercy
of our Lord in giving himself, his all upon the cross (I Jn. 3:16,
17).
The Purpose of Abundance
Paul writes that one’s abundance is a gift of God’s grace
that is given not to keep but to distribute in turn “unto every
good work” (II Cor. 9:8). God supplies and multiplies one’s seed
in order that it might be sown (II Cor. 9:10). He makes you “rich
in every way” for the purpose of liberal giving, not sumptuous
living (II Cor. 9:11). To live a life of luxury in the midst of human
misery is to embezzle God’s grace. The faithful use of God’s
abundance results in one’s having no more than enough “as it is
written: he who gathered much did not have too much, and he
who gathered little did not have too little” (II Cor. 8:15). The
abundance of one is to be the supply for another’s needs (II Cor.
8:14), and any other use of one’s abundance is in spite of the
grace God has shown to him.
The kingdom of Israel was promised to and established
among the poor of Israel, and the kingdom can be successful
today only as a poor people’s movement. When middle and
upper classes fill the kingdom without divesting themselves of
their class distinctions, in terms of their possessions, they defeat
the ministry of the church by a life style that mocks the grace of
God.
A Reversal Of Social Order
According to the scriptural evidence, it would seem the
kingdom of God on earth is intended to bring about a reversal of
the social order.1 Those who are of the lowest class, according to
socially constructed socio-economic values, are given an exalted

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place in the kingdom while those esteemed in the world in terms
of social status, are made low. In the kingdom the humble are
exalted, the exalted are made low; the poor are blessed, the rich
are cursed; the highest office is that of servant (Mk. 9:35; Mat.
23:12). The last are first and the first are last.
The middle and upper classes of worldly society can rejoice
in the kingdom only when they fulfill their role as servants in the
distribution of their wealth, for in being made low they too
acquire an exalted place with the poor. “The brother in humble
circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the
one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he
will pass away like a wild flower” (Jas. 1:9,10).
The Biblical Work Ethic
The very purpose of laboring is itself in order to permit
the labourer to exercise his servant role in providing for those
who are weak and in need. The former thief is enjoined to work
in order to be able to give to those in need (Eph. 4:28). If this is
the purpose of his labour, we who are not former thieves can do
no less. Paul also left us his own example in advocating that just
as “these hands served my own needs and those who were with
me… that by this kind of hard work you must help the weak”
(Acts 20:35). The biblical work ethic then does not give one the
right to enjoy everything he works for, but lays upon him the
obligation to serve and to distribute the fruits of his labor among
those who lack.
The New Testament church understood its servant role as
the called-out kingdom of God. Its life style reflected the
reception of God’s grace, and its ministry as the saved poor to
the lost poor was realized. The church remained faithful to this
mission for a time, and then like many radical movements, it
came to terms with the world and ceased to be an effective force
toward the continued realization of the kingdom of God.

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Second Century Radical Christianity
Into the second century Christians received the radical
calling of the Messianic community with Jesus’ definition of
reality with the child-like naiveté that Jesus requires of those
who would enter the kingdom (Mk. 10:13-16). Clement of Rome
(96 A.D.) said he knew of many who had sold themselves into
slavery in order to use the money to feed the hungry, and some
had sold themselves into bondage to purchase freedom for
others (Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, 55:2).
The Shepherd of Hermas (135 A.D.), alluding perhaps to
Jesus’ way of salvation for the rich man (Mat. 19:29), said to his
readers, “Therefore instead of fields, purchase afflicted souls, as
each is able. And visit widows and orphans and do not neglect
them. Spend your wealth and all your possessions on such
‘fields and houses’ which you receive from God. For the master
made you rich for this purpose that you might perform these
ministries for him” (Similitudes, I:8f). The Shepherd of Hermas
understood accurately the servant role of the rich, the purpose of
riches, and the cost of discipleship that have been discussed.
Another second-century document known as the
Preaching of Peter contains this admonition: “Understand then
you rich, that you are in duty bound to do service, having
received more than you yourselves need. Learn that to others is
lacking that wherein you superabound. Be ashamed of holding
fast what belongs to others. Imitate God’s equity and none shall
be poor.”2 Possessions in excess of that which one needs are said
to belong not to the holder but to others who lack.
Irenaeus (180 A.D.) did not believe Christians were obligated
to tithe but that Jesus made a more stringent demand. “And
instead of the tithes which the law commanded, the Lord said to
divide everything we have with the poor… and to be liberal
givers and sharers not only with the good but also to be liberal
givers toward those who take away our possessions” (Against

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Heresies, IV, xiv, 3). Irenaeus understood Jesus’ demand of the
rich young ruler to apply to all disciples.
Clement of Alexandria (190 A.D.) was outspoken in his
understanding of kingdom realities. “And it is not right for one
to live in luxury while others live in want. How much more
glorious is it to do good to many than to live sumptuously! How
much wiser to spend money on human beings than on jewels
and gold!” (Instructor II, xiii, 20.3 and 6). Many other references
from the writings of the early post-apostolic church show that
the social radicalism of the kingdom was still being adhered to
well into the second century.3
Jesus Calls The Church Today
The church today must become poor, and it must address
itself to the poor. It must live among the poor in the ghettos and
inner cities. The church must “spend its wealth and all its
possessions on such fields and houses.” For the gospel is for the
poor and the kingdom belongs to the oppressed, the sick, the
suffering, the lost, the humble, the hungry, the abased, those of
low social standing. Instead, the church has made its company
with the rich in the suburbs. It has said to the rich, “Sit thou here
in a good place,” while the poor are left far away in the inner city
and have not even the privilege of sitting at our feet. The charge
of James applies to the church today: “you have insulted the
poor” (Jas. 2:3,6).
Today the visible church is composed of a social class that
was never invited to the feast and that was not intended to
receive the kingdom. The rightful heirs of the kingdom and true
objects of the church’s ministry are shut out by distance and
“good taste.” The odours and filth of the poor are not
complimentary of the fine halls that give worldly status to the
church. The church has shut out the poor and is itself shut out of
the feast of the kingdom. The church lacks mercy and this
poverty condemns it. The church thanks God for her riches and

58 | P a g e
does not know that she is “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and
naked” (Rev. 3:17).
In order for Christians to realize the kingdom of God within
themselves, they must “produce fruit in keeping with
repentance.” Those who have two coats and more food than they
need must give to those who lack. If the church rejects this call,
the Christ will send it “away empty.” In turn, the demand Jesus
made of the rich young ruler and of Zaccheus is the demand the
church must make, and like those two, the rich must either
repent and distribute their wealth to the needy or be refused
entrance and fellowship.
Those who reject the kingdom call have trusted in their
riches, for they have coveted wealth and luxury above the souls
and lives of men. The accumulation of unnecessary material
possessions is done to the neglect of the needy who are “always
with us” (Jn. 12:8). The alternative to trusting in riches is to
distribute them to the poor. In so doing, one lays up for himself
true riches (Lk. 18:22; 12:33; 19:8,9). Paul in writing to Timothy
also relates abundant giving and sharing to “laying up treasure
for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that
they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (I Tim. 6:19).
Jesus instructs his followers not to lay up treasure on earth,
but to lay up for themselves these treasures in heaven (Mat.
6:19,20). Those who decide to keep His abundant material
trusts for their own selfish use are the objects of eternal woe (Lk.
16: 19-25) while those who give them for the alleviation of
human suffering receive God’s blessing and salvation (Lk.
19:8,9).
Jesus’ teaching to “sell all and distribute to the poor” is
considered by many to be an ideal, unattainable or unworkable
in real life socially constructed. The choice for us is whether to
follow the divine construction of reality viewed by society to be
radical, unrealistic, and impractical or to be socially constructed

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individuals whose life styles are mere recordings and playbacks
of socially acceptable forms and attitudes.
NOTES
1 See Richard Batey’s discussion of the “theology of reversal” in
Jesus and the Poor (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers,
1972), pp. 18-22
2 Arthur O. Lovejoy, The Journal of the History of Ideas (Oct.
1942), pp.461-462.
3 See the chapter entitled, “Early Christian Acts of Mercy,” in
Everett Ferguson’s Early Christian Speak (Austin: Sweet
Publishing, 1971), pp. 207-218.

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