Society and community

**Society is the aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community often so that they are not destroyed by other societies** or acts of nature. The question is how a society orders itself. Does it do it from the bottom up by the service of trustworthy leaders in society or top down through rulers who exercise authority through compacts?
Is the communion of society through charity or force?
Jesus was "another king" of a Society and community that made it possible for the people to survive and thrive during the decline and fall of Rome.
Abraham, his society of friends and Melchizedek the righteous king of peace were able to stop and defeat overnight an army from other *societies* that was ravaging local *city states*. The one thing they had in common was their Altars of communion.

In the commerce of a free society there is a lot of work going on behind the scenes that is only shared with ministers and "congregants". To seek or build the Kingdom of God, which is the right to be ruled by God, communion is one of the most important elements of a free world.

Congregations of Record composed of Elders have no real "members" in a free society, except in the most general sense of the word "member".

Why should we call them congregants instead of members?

Member includes the idea of belonging to a group,^[1] A congregant is simply exercising the right of free assembly; there are no legal bonds that control or restrict his or her liberty.

Like the Levites of old, Moses and Jesus created a system of self-government where the ministers were separate and titular. They could not exercise authority one over the other like the Benefactors of the world. While they owned all things in common they did exercise authority one over the other. They did not belong to the body of Levites but individually belonged to God^[2] himself. The same as the Church in the wilderness the early Church was composed of men and women who belonged to God and had to it together as unhewn but lively Stones from which the living Altars of God may be built.

Unfortunately, men and women everywhere have sought the benefits of the world and the Fathers of the earth. People again have become entangled in the elements of bondage offered by the world imagining that way to be one offering security.

They will not be free unless they repent. You will not be forgiven unless you forgive others, and you cannot be free unless you desire to free others. You must be faithful in loving others, if you desire God to love you.

That means you must attend to the true needs of others in righteous ways.

Christ showed The Way to be free souls under God, which requires gathering in His name, His character, according to the righteousness of God.

You will not find Christ trying to save Himself first.

So what is the Kingdom of God He preached, into which thousands of Jews were baptized back at the beginning? Those who were baptized into one system under Christ were cast out of another system under men, like the one Herod established by his baptism and Corban.

Those Jews who said, "What is Jesus to us?" and went back to the cities of bondage with their civil benefits - those Jews were cast out of the kingdom of God. Or as Jesus said, the kingdom was taken from them and given to those who would bear fruit (Matt 21:43).

What we call the early Church was, in reality, God's government. It was composed of both a society and a community.

"Constantly bearing in mind that in entering into society individuals must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest…" --Andrew Jackson, March 4, 1833.

In the Kingdom of God, the people do not enter a society, but they become a part of a community by their communion of love for one another. They become a band of brothers by mutual sacrifice, honor and caring in a system of liberty with no rulers nor kings.

One definition of communion is "the act of receiving the Eucharistic elements."

The elements of the Eucharist were a sharing of daily bread; taking what you have and freely giving it to others who are hungry. Christ talks of this giving and feeding over and over again. This Eucharist involves several spiritual elements which are all a part of Christ's character. Matthew 10:8, "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."

It is the relationship born out of this communion with God and man in pure religion that is part of the keys to the kingdom.

The Church appointed by Christ is actually a society of service to that community. When you seek the kingdom, you enter not by giving up a share of your liberty as Andrew Jackson stated, but by casting your bread upon the waters (Ecclesiastes 11:1) in faith. Another way to say that is, you sacrifice something to provide communion for your fellow man in righteous service.

“Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.” (Luke 11:52)

"When I wrote the Covenants of the gods my father, after reading the first chapter, said I was right, but he added 'They will not like you.' He clearly meant the lawyers who did not like Jesus." --Bro. Gregory

The kingdom of God has ministers who make themselves servants of God by serving the community who seek God as the ruler of their lives. That community must seek to love one another in real ways.

The ministers of Christ's kingdom need to exhibit the character of Christ.

If the Titanic was sinking, do you think you would find Jesus in the life boats or do you think you would find him helping get others into the life boats?

Rome is in decline and falling.

The people who want to exit Babylon first before they make arrangement for others - sometimes even their own families - are probably not minister material.

Christ was rich, but He made Himself poor. He had a life, but He laid it down for others. That is the name of Christ. He is known for having that reputation.^[3]

This is the spirit of His ministers. It is not about saving ourselves, but about saving others. And the people who congregate in that spirit with a similar attitude of sacrifice are hearing Christ.

Everyone on these groups needs to select a congregation of record and become part of that communion of Christ.

Those who hear His voice and come to His ways are His Sheep.

Everyone should be a congregant with an existing congregation of record, or begin to form a congregation of record by gathering with two or more, testifying that you are looking for the ministers of God. Early Christians did this by the thousands, and they were saved from much of the wrath which later came.

It is no different today.

See more Forbidden Definitions

Footnotes

↑ Member: "an individual, thing, or organization belonging to a group."
↑ 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;
Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.

Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
↑ Prov 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

[1] Member: "an individual, thing, or organization belonging to a group."

[2] 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;
Numbers 3:45 Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD.

Numbers 8:14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.

[3] Prov 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

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Society and community

Footnotes

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