When will Nazarenes start living like Acts 2 and Acts 4?

[Melinda]

The original Nazarenes gave up all their worldly possessions to live in common community like in Acts 2 and 4.

The Nazarene body today is very scattered and unfortunately, yoked with the goyim in their day to day life.

Where is the vision to live in common community out in the wilderness or on a farm to be a light for the world?

[Beau Beamesderfer]

When you live in a community, such as you describe, you are no longer a light to the world, but only to those around you. While I have a strong desire to live in a community as described in Acts 2 & 4, I have a stronger desire to be used by YHWH amongst the nations, such as the believers in Acts 2 & 4 when they were sent out to the nations.

While I'm sure we all have a desire to surround ourselves with Torah keeping people (as our lives would certainly be easier without the influence of the world around us), it is better to be dispersed, taking the Word unto the far reaches of the globe than for us to be in one location sharing only with those around us. Please reference Luke 24:49, as the disciples were told to "tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high." And of course there is also the command in Matthew 28:19-20.

In light of this, I think the better question would be, when will Nazarenes stand up and live as in Acts 6?

[Ellie Agee]

yes, interesting ideas and thoughts.
It would appear that our Father multiplies by division.

When a pioneering begins it is needed as:
the USA (forts)
Israel (Kibbutzim)
Survival against the enemy requires communal lifestyle.

We need to be able to function in each realm in its required time.
In communal life the group is tested.
In individual life, each person is tested.
Individual life requires the most courage to stand, as it is sometimes alone.
Like a family. As parent i want to know how well they do together but I want to know how each one stands alone.

[Melinda]

Wow, I am suprised by the opinion expressed by Beau Beamesderfer that "you are no longer a light to the world" when you live in common community.

If you actually read Acts 2, the Nazarene's MULTIPLIED BECAUSE THEY LIVED IN COMMON COMMUNITY.

1.They devoted themselves to the APOSTLES teacing
2.To fellowship
3.To the breaking of bread
4. To prayer
5.Miraculous signs and wonders were done by the apostles
6.ALL THE BELIEVERS WERE TOGETHER AND HAD EVERYTHING IN COMMONG
7.they sold their possessions
8.they gave to anyone as he had need
9.EVERY DAY the continued to meet together in the temple courts
10. the broke bread IN THEIR HOMES
11. ATE TOGETHER (with sincere and glad hearts)
12.praised God

(all that is in Acts 2)

THE LORD ADDED to their number daily those who were being saved.

WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED?

THE LORD ADDED to their number daily those who were being saved.
THE LORD ADDED to their number daily those who were being saved.
THE LORD ADDED to their number daily those who were being saved.
THE LORD ADDED to their number daily those who were being saved.


Acts 4 also paints the following picture

1. all the believers were one in heart and mind
2. no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own
3. they shared everything they had
4. with great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
5. there were no needy persons among them
6.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
7. the apostles performed many miraculous sings and wonders

WHAT WAS THE RESULT OF ALL THIS?

"More and more men and women believe in the Lord and were added to their number" Acts 4:14






YAH's original intention was to have His people be a HOLY (qodesh) people SEPARATED unto Him. That is why the great exodus from Egypt took place. Actually, to live among the goyim is a punishment for breaking Torah.

Its amazing actually, the Amish live a closed separated life from faithful convictions and yet nearly EVERYONE knows about them. Interesting specimen I think.

[Ellie Agee]

Yes, many people know of the Amish but they do not have people flocking to their doors to join.

How can you go into all the world if you all live in the same town?

If you have ever known and talked with people who have lived communally, it creates its own serious problems. over time.

Zechariah 14 speaks of every nation, in HIS reign, coming to Jerusalem for the Feast, not moving there, and not in a communal form.
multiplication by division.

[Carole Drake]

How can you be a light if you are hidden away? I think I am most aware of acts by people who do the things I am doing, unaware that I am watching.

I just read all the other replies, so I know I am not alone in thinking this, but probably wouldn't have written it. Still, can't you plan together times (like this forum) where you get recharged, and still be able to light the world?

[Bro. Isaac E. Kusuma]

I have a wonderful message on it. May I send you personally? If so I need your personal E-mail.
Bro. Isaac E. Kusuma
From India
www.aotle-india.org

[Bro. Isaac E. Kusuma]

Christian? From where it has come?
Bro. Isaac E. Kusuma., www.aotle-india.org E-mail: [e-mail]
There is no use of Christian in the entire New Testament except in three places. But if you go through the Sacred Name Bibles, you can get it’s real meaning and why that word was used. It was used by Romans in a derogatory sense.


No where in Apostles Shaul’s letters or any other letter written by apostles were addressed by Christians but saints and brethren in all those places.

So called Christian preachers used to say that the first church was started with 3000 on the day of Pentecost (Sunday). It is really wrong.

After the impalement of Yahshua Messiah, the early assembly rested on Sabbath day only.

Luke 23:56 And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

That was on Nisan 17th Saturday.

From there we have to count 7 Sabbaths for Pentecost.

That means:

1. Nisan 24 …………..Sabbath day
2. Ziv 1……………….Sabbath day

3.Ziv 8………………..Sabbath day

4.Ziv 15………………Sabbath day

5.Ziv 22………………Sabbath day

6.Ziv 29 ……………...Sabbath day

7.Sivan 7 …………….Sabbath day

Sivan 8th was ………...Pentecost [ This was an annual Sabbath day for Israelites ]


So the people there were Jews and Israelites. They were also called Messianic Jews
[ Jews that believed Yahshua as their Messsiah ]. They were not called Christians. Like that if you can keep on reading the word of YHWH in Acts, till the Gentiles were also believed the same gospel (Acts 8:5-17, 10:44-48) and filled with the same Holy Spirit

no one were called as Christians. Mainly there were Two groups.


Messianic Jews: Jews that believed Yahshua as their Messiah.

Messianic Gentiles: Gentiles that believed Yahshua as their Messiah.

They both worshiped Elohim in one synagogue only. There is no question of Church to them in 1st century.

Ac 13:42 ¶ And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

Ac 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of Elohim.


Bibles
Acts 11:26
Acts 26:28
1. Peter 4:16

01
The Sacred Scriptures
Refuse
Despised believer
Despised believer

02
Complete Jewish Bible
Messianic
Messianic
Messianic

03
Restoration Scriptures *1
Notsrim
Notsri
Notzri

04
The Book Of Yahweh *2
Contemptuously Christians
Christian
Christian

05
Holy Bible *3
Christian
Christian
Christian

06
Restoration of Original Sacred Name New Testament
Messianists
Follower of the Messiah
Follower of the Messiah

07
The Scriptures
Messianites
Messianite
Messianic

08
The Word of Yahweh *4
Christians
Christian
Messianic



*1 Restoration Scriptures: Acts 11:26

The term is “ Christian “ as it appears in both the Greek and Aramaic versions. This was a derogatory term, as those at Antioch made fun of the “ little moshiachs “. The fact that the Aramaic preserves this term through transliteration from the Greek and not translation, is further evidence that this was a title assigned “ by men to men “, and never by YHWH. For when YHWH speaks, such as in Galatians 6:16, or through the use of ekklessia, all believers in Yahshua are called and known as Yisrael. If one called “ Christian “, it is man’s terminology. If one is called Yisrael, he has adopted YHWH’s terminology and view point.

*2 The book of Yahweh: Acts 11:26

The word Christian comes from the Latin word Christianos, and was contemptuously given by the Romans to the believers in The House of Yahweh. The believers would never have accepted a Latin title; neither would they have referred to the Messiah “ Christos “. The term Christian is mentioned only three times in the Holy Scriptures
{ Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28 and 1.Kepha 4:16 ) and each time it is used in a contemptuous manner. Since the term Christian was a term of contempt, the followers of Yahweh through Yahshua Messiah would never have addressed each other by such an insulting term. Instead, they identified themselves as the Saints, the Believers, or the Brethren associated with the house of Yahweh. Biblico â€" Thelogical Lexicon of New Testament Greek by Hermann Cremer. Page 582, and a Greek and English Lexicon of the New Testament by John Parkhurst, Pages 747-748.


*3 Holy Bible [ The King James Study Bible ] Acts 11:26

Acts 11:26 The believers were called Christians first in Antioch. The name Christian was at first a derogatory term, referring to the people of the Christ. Obviously the Antiochenes, constantly hearing the name of Christ, name these people such. The Jews would never label them as Christians, because that would be tantamount to saying that these were the people of the Messiah. The term Christian occurs in two other biblical passages Acts 26:28; 1.Peter 4:16.

*4 The Word of Yahweh Acts 11:26
Messianic [ Jewish New Testament ]

Power Bible : Greek Version

Acts 11:26 And when he had found him , he brought him unto Antioch . And it came to pass , that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church , and taught much people . And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch . {with...: or, in the church}

Acts 26:28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul , Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian .

1. Peter 4:16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian , let him not be ashamed ; but let him glorify God on this behalf .

(KJV)

Bro. ISAAC E. KUSUMA
Assemblies Of The Living Elohim-India
MALIKIPURAM - 533 253
E.G.Dist., AP., India
www.aotle-india.org

[Bro. Isaac E. Kusuma]

Can you tell me: How to send a message in color form or in html format?

[ohevyisrael]

i really don't think Acts 2 and 4 is saying that the believers ignored or shunned away from the unbelievers. It simply says they stayed together, eating, praying sharing, living and fellowshiping together. That by no means implies that they never engaged unbelievers or interacted with the. How else would people have gotten saved. I highly doubt people just looked at them and said, I want to live among them, (as someone mentioned about the amish). They went out into the community performing sign and miracles, helped the needy and shared the message in the temple. They lived seperatly from the unbelievers, but the reached out to them during their daily tasks. Still all this said, Melinda is right about this, Gods people have yet to do this in one accord!!!!!!

[Beau Beamesderfer]

So it appears that I must specify my exact thoughts in regards to the initial question that I was addressing:
"Where is the vision to live in common community out in the wilderness or on a farm to be a light for the world?" My response was given in direct response to the type of community described in the question.

Living in a community on a farm or in the wilderness means that there isn't much around you. A community in the wilderness or on a farm (which are very rarely close to a town from what I've seen) will have very little if any influence on the world and therefore will not be a light unto the world.

The community in Acts was not in the wilderness or on a farm, they were in Jerusalem or one of the surrounding cities as they would make constant trips to the Temple. This being said, they were in a community within a city. As I also pointed out, I wish to live in a community as described in Acts 2 & 4, but not one in the wilderness or on a farm. However, I don't see a real need to have everyone in my neighborhood to be a Torah keeping believer. In fact, my community here is spread out throughout the city.

In the bigger picture there was still a dispersion that needed to take place after there were enough people to be dispersed. The original 120 or so, prior to Peter's teaching in the Temple, would not have been a number large enough to be dispersed to the far reaches of the world where they were told to go. So the community described in Acts 2 & 4, after being added to, was sent out.

Now, remember what you had in this community. This community was established (or significantly grown) at the time of Shavuot with people who had made the pilgrimage from their own homes and families. After learning of Messiah and living amongst the disciples, they went home and began their own communities (plural, not singular as the original question states) as we see Shaul and Barnabas being sent to these communities or "churches" later in Acts.

Our communities are other believers around us and I see no need to remove myself to a farm or into the wilderness to establish that community. I have brothers and sisters here in this town and we gather and meet at the appointed times and any other time that it is possible. And while I disagree with the rabbinic limitation of 2,000 cubits, which is by no means found in Scripture, my community is within the city (which is where the rabbinic halacha was derived from) just as the community described in Acts 2 and 4 was within the city and not in the wilderness.

Hopefully this clears up the idea set forth at the beginning of the discussion. I thank you all for the insight that you have shared and for Melinda asking the question.

Shalom Aleichem.

[Ellie Agee]

Oh My goodness, how differently we see the world!
LOL!,
This is the REASON the communal life is not easy for our society. We all disagree.
Is it because we are puny and hot house flowers?... or is the Spirit of expansion that causes children to leave the parental home, someone to hop a ship to the new world and a pioneer to "go west".
That is not a negative.

I have known refugees from communal living. They were considered selfish for leaving and going on their own. The years in communal living caused many to become lazy and complacent, as things owned were owned in common.
I do see that there are some people that thrive on it as it gives them family where they had none, support where they had none, and work directives.
On a Biblical note, where does it say this would ever happen? It is needed when settling a land or lifestyle, but not required later.
ummm, BABYLON didnt work well either.
blessings on you folks,
ellie

[Lloyd Kinder]

- My understanding is that Jesus is our savior by being our example. God the Father was an example to Jesus, which Jesus faithfully followed. Jesus' followers followed his example rather faithfully as well, it seems. So his followers, under guidance from his holy spirit, were also an example for us, which is why they're mentioned in the Bible.
- I think we are supposed to follow Jesus' followers' example as in Acts 2:44, but I think they were only selling all their possessions, because they knew Jerusalem would be destroyed, so they were preparing to start communities elsewhere. I think normally only ministers are supposed to have no possessions, while the assembly that they minister to are supposed to provide for them by free-will offerings, or tithes.
- This webpage, http://www.freewebs.com/bilib/government.htm , provides good evidence that the assemblies are supposed to make decisions by unanimous rule, based largely on the apostles' example in Acts.
- Anyway, I'm trying to help start such a community in a rural area near St. Louis. I believe the ministers are supposed to keep ministering to all people, not just their immediate ekklesia. So they need to preach to outsiders too and minister to them.
- What are your ideas then?