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{{Allthingscommon}}

'''The Poor Princes of the kingdom'''

The princes of Israel were to serve only and be chosen as servants of servants to keep the people free souls under God. This is the essence of a good Church. This has been the nature of the Kingdom and government of God from the beginning. Other forms of government seen throughout the Bible, in opposition to God, give power to men to rule with authority. Both governments require support. 

In the first, the people must choose to support those who fall upon need, finance the ministration of government, and provide the protection of the country locally and nationally by free contributions.

In the latter, the people are required by those in power to provide for the needs of the state by forced contributions that take both substance and choice from their neighbor. 

The former depends on reciprocating charity, service, and [[freewill offerings]]. <Ref name="Freewillo">{{Freewillo}}</Ref>  

The other has reciprocating [[entitlements]] where the people are under the exercising authority of the political [[benefactors]]. It does not matter if that benefactor is a despot or a democracy. In all cases men rule over men, choice is diminished, and God is rejected. The [[kingdom of heaven]] is within and if the choice<Ref name="archy">{{Archy}}</Ref> is not made in the hearts and minds of men then the kingdom is abandoned.

This latter system of men is not instituted by God. It is a violation of God’s way which Christ spoke against.<Ref>[[Matthew 23]]:13 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”</Ref> Such systems often speak of faith in God, have their rituals and gatherings where they claim to pray to God but in fact their prayers and kings are not to Christ or the Father but to the [[Caesar]]s of the [[world]]. Their ordinances and laws make the word of God to none effect, but what of the Church?

God’s congregation in the wilderness and in the first century Church were gathered together in free will fellowships. Since, the congregations are composed of free men and women, they must establish a titular body to represent them without giving it an exercising authority over their liberty. The called out ministers of the Church represent that servant body politic to the [[world]].

Christians would not bind themselves to the [[Nicolaitan]]  altars of power by [[swear not|oath]], application or participation. Those offered entitlements were funded by agents with exercising authority over neighbors or by oppressing the stranger. Christians could not pray at such [[covetous]]<Ref name="jesuscovet ">{{jesuscovet }}</Ref> altars like the [[Corban]] of [[Herod]] nor the [[pharisees]]. Nor could they take the [[free bread]] offered by the Roman [[temples]] because since they also used [[force]] to take from some to give to another. The [[dainties]] offered at their [[tables]] were not only a [[snare]] but since they were based on [[covetous practices]] Paul said they were [[idolatry]].<Ref name="Isidolatry">{{Isidolatry}}</Ref> Peter said they would make you [[merchandise]] and [[curse children]] if they took those [[benefits]] which were the [[wages of unrighteousness]].

To truly belong to Christ being separate and not be of the [[world]] ministers must put their [[faith]] in another king who preached a different kind of way and government with gregarious [[altars]] of [[charity]]. 
 
They formed living altars of faithful men who received the [[freewill offerings]]<Ref name="Freewillo">{{Freewillo}}</Ref>  of the people called [[sacrifice]] to provide a [[daily ministration]] through [[Pure Religion]]. 

They would redistribute those gifts through the [[living network]] of congregations and churches. There was no central store house, but a constant weekly and daily flow of that which made the body whole and healthy. 

The people retained their rights and responsibilities to love one another instead of engaging in the [[covetous practices]] of the [[world]] which made men [[merchandise]] and degenerated the [[masses]]. 

Systems of [[legal charity]] like that of [[Herod]] or [[Nimrod]] are the[[tables]] of [[welfare]] which become [[snare]] as David and Paul said. Without a system of welfare funded by [[Fervent charity]] the people will not long remain free.

Such volunteer system of living altars allowed the people to survive in hard times and could be called sacred purpose ministries. Such trust needs some form of protector or overseer or an authoritarian state will eventually assume that office. 

The ordained ministers of the [[Church]] supplied both the representation and that position of servant overseer. They did not usurp or exercise authority over the people, but stood in appointed authority between the corpus of the people and the interlopers and usurpers of the other governments of the world.

The critical difference between a God inspired government and governments of the other nations is that no authority over the people is vested in that public office. Those who seek that office of service are subject to the job description given by [[Christ]] and by [[Moses]]. They could be in but not of the [[world]]. 

Christ restricted them from owning property in their own name. This is a very controversial subject but it was key to the standing of the ''Church in the wilderness'',<Ref>This status of an ordained minister is covered under the title of “[[Vow of poverty|Vow of Poverty]]”. It is often misunderstood but well documented in the biblical text and the law today. It may require some detailed study to overcome our misconceptions.</Ref>  at the time of Christ and in the free Church today. The autonomy of the Church is not only dependent upon the Church rejecting [[benefits]] of the [[world]], but the ordained ministers must also reject all [[benefits]] of the [[world]] that might en[[snare]] them.<Ref>Members of Religious groups who have social security numbers may apply for exemption with form [[4029]] from the [[Social Security]] tax. But members of order who have taken a [[vow of poverty]] are "automatically excluded".  It can be assumed they waive  any rights to all [[benefits]] under the Social Security Act, and  are conscientiously opposed to accepting [[benefits]] from men who [[force]] the contributions of others with an [[exercise authority|exercising authority]].</Ref>

In those early days of Israel when there was no king the ministers of the government of liberty and charity had no inheritance in the land but holding '''[[all things common|all things in common]]''' they belonged to God.<Ref>[[Deuteronomy 18]]:1 The priests the Levites, and all the tribe of Levi, shall have no part nor inheritance with Israel: they shall eat the offerings of the LORD made by fire, and his inheritance. 2 Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the LORD is their inheritance, as he hath said unto them.
: [[Numbers 3]]:45 “... the Levites shall be mine: I [am] the LORD.”
: Numbers 3:12 "And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine;"</Ref> They were foreign to the [[world]] and to the people.<Ref>[[Numbers 8]]:14 "Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine. 15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering. 16 For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me. 17 For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.”</Ref> 

The [[apostles]] were [[appoint]]ed a kingdom, but told to not be like the princes, rulers, or the kings of the Gentiles.<Ref>[[Matthew 20]]:25 “...princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them..., [[Mark 10]]:42... accounted to rule...” [[Luke 22]]:25 “...kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that [[exercise authority]] upon them are called [[benefactors]].”</Ref> These men were princes of the kingdom, but unlike most every government today they did not [[exercise authority]] one over the other <Ref name="exauth">{{exauth}}</Ref> for they do not go up by ''[[steps]]''<Ref name="serveth">{{serveth}}</Ref> nor do they [[hew]] the [[choice]]s<Ref name="archy">{{Archy}}</Ref> of their fellow servants. 

In the [[early Church]] those ordained disciples of Christ had '''no inheritance in the land, like the [[Levites]] who were the [[church in the wilderness]]''' because Christ ordered that they sell their property or they could not be His disciple, student ministers.<Ref name="properpov">{{properpov}}</Ref>

Those like Barnabas obeyed this command, but Ananias did not. Understanding Barnabas, who was Joses a Levite who owned property in Cyprus<Ref>Individual [[Levites]] owning property was forbidden by Moses but allowed by the Hasmonean dynasty.</Ref> was not allowed to by God according to [[Moses]]. In order to obey Jesus he had to sell it and give the money away. “But” Ananias failed to do so and died.

If the ministers of Christ are a part of the estate of Christ they can have no personal estate of their own. This is essential to the foreign nature of the Church to maintain true autonomy. This unique status of a ordained minister with no personal estate is important to mention, but we will have to deal with the detailed examination and explanation in another place. 

{{Template:Poverty}}

==Related Articles==

* [https://fee.org/resources/rendering-unto-caesar-was-jesus-a-socialist/ Rendering Unto Caesar: Was Jesus A Socialist?]

* [[The Riches of the Ministry]]