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Originally Posted by Drake
I haven’t concluded that James was in error in his epistle...just that ..it is lacking content concerning the New Testament economy and therefore its utility in building the Body of Christ is at best limited.
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That is a very narrow view of the New Testament economy. You were the one that used the analogy of the NFL. A handbook to refs on how to officiate and the rules of the game are every bit as much a part of the game as a book from a great coach like Vince Lombardi on strategy, plays, and how to coach a team. Marketing the game is another aspect that cannot be ignored and yet totally different from these first two points. Finally, a book by a famous player on his training regimen is also part of the game.
Likewise I used the analogy of a canary in the coal mine. That canary is a critical component of the mining operation yet does not mine any coal. That is not an obscure analogy, every single building has to have fire alarm, smoke alarm and carbon monoxide alarm.
The New Testament economy clearly talks about false prophets. Jesus does in His ministry. Paul does in his ministry. Peter does in his ministry and James does in his ministry. The big complaint about James in Acts is that he was a false prophet, or involved in a cult, or was negatively associated with "Those of the concision". Surely a book on this is far better than the simple "you will know them by their fruit".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drake
But you think otherwise... that’s fine. Therefore, since visiting orphans and widows is important and indicates a proof point of James’ practical understanding of Gods NT economy then .,. How many orphans widows have you visited in 2018 thus far?
Thx
Drake
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Approximately 40 of my students are homeless, and about 40 come from immigrant families, and a very large number are from single parent families. Thanks for asking. The church I meet with in Queens is very representative of the inner city population and therefore the numbers are quite similar. We have several outreaches. We no longer have a soup kitchen because we were sued and lost about 6 apartments next to the church. But we give out food every Sunday morning. Likewise we do have a number of opportunities to give when a member is about to lose their home or some other emergency.
When I first came into the church in Houston there was a brother there named Mike Collins, he was a mentor to me. I would often go to his house and virtually every night he would be fixing someone's car. Usually widows and poor members of the church. They couldn't pay him money so they would usually bring food and buy the part that he would replace. I would sit in the driveway and hand him tools.