CAPITALISM - AN ECONOMIC SYSTEM IN WHICH INVESTMENT IN AND OWNERSHIP OF THE MEANS   OF PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION, AND EXCHANGE OF WEALTH IS MADE AND   MAINTAINED CHIEFLY BY PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS OR CORPORATIONS.
 As an economic system Capitalism works as well if not better than any other that has ever been used. We need to remember, however, that an economic system is just an economic system and not any part of the foundation for Christianity. It seems to me by all accounts of the early church that the system of economics working actively among them was a form of voluntary socialism or communism. Not that they divided everything equally, nor was it forced, but they had all things in common, no one thought of the possessions he had as his own, and they willingly sold their goods to care for the poor among them. I would like to see this attitude of stewardship return to the Lord’s church.

Capitalism is an effective economic system for a country, but the church cannot be effective if it holds too tightly to that doctrine. I have been in congregations where capitalism had taken over the church and the results were disastrous for the body. Here are a few of the problems that developed and the error of the thinking involved.

1) “Don’t sit there that is MY seat” - Have you ever seen this? Are you guilty of it? The Pharisees had a problem kind of like this one; (Mat 23:2) “Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:” (Mat 23:6) “And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,” We don’t want to be like them

2) “Do it how I want or I will take MY money out of the treasury” - We need to remember that all that we have is a gift from God. The money that has been given into our keeping is not ours, nor do we deserve it any more than we deserve the air we breathe or the water we drink. We have no right to take God’s money out of the treasury unless the church is being disobedient to Him with it.

3) “This is MY/OUR church and we decide how things are done” - Is it really? Did any of us die to purchase the church with our blood? Are we baptized into our names our Christ’s name? What name does the church wear?  If it is the bride of Christ it better wear his name. There are no doubt many congregations and entire denominations that don’t belong to Christ, but we better.  Christ is the one who decides what his church is to do and we are here to obey.

4) “ME and MY FAMILY built this church” - Did you really, now?! If you and your family or my family and I built the church with which we worship then it is safe to say it isn’t the same one that Christ promised to build in Matthew 16:18

Now someone will say, “You know what I meant, and it isn’t like you are interpreting it”. I realize that we many times use phrases in our common language that are not meant in the way we say them. We say it is MY church meaning that it is the congregation I worship with. Often when someone speaks of building the church they mean the building. We must realize that many of the things we say leave the wrong impression and sometimes our speech exposes our true feelings. The church is spiritual and not physical, and it belongs to Christ. We cannot nor should we want to own it. We instead should be content and happy to be part of it.

CANNIBALISM - A PERSON WHO EATS HUMAN FLESH
 I got a book while I was in Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago about the deaths that have occurred in that park since it was discovered and established. Some of the deaths were accidents, some intentional, some as a result of negligence on someone’s part, and others as a result of animal attacks. Many of these could be considered gruesome, but the ones that have seemed most disturbing to me were the cases of people who were killed and partially or even completely devoured by grizzly bears.  There are probably many people who would place Jeffrey Dahmer as worse than Hitler because of the fact that he ate parts of his victims. We can think of nothing more horrifying than one person eating another. Despite the appalling nature of this atrocious act it is an all too common occurrence in the church. I am referring to the spiritual parallel not the literal physical act. Backbiting, biting off someone’s head, having a preacher roast, and chewing the fat (gossip) are present all too often among groups of people who are supposed to be living like Christ. Peter warns us that the devil is trying to devour us. (1 Pet 5:8) “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” We expect that from him, but we are often surprised by his companions, our fellow Christians, who are helping him scrape the bones clean.

Are we doing Satan’s job for him? Paul warns us that none of us will win if we attack each other. (Gal 5:14-15)  For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. {15} But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. Cannibalism goes against everything the Bible teaches about the way we should treat one another. If it is horrendous for one person to eat another’s flesh, how much more so for us to devour one another’s souls and spirits. Don’t be a cannibal.

CALVINISM - THE DOCTRINES AND TEACHINGS OF JOHN CALVIN OR HIS FOLLOWERS, EMPHASIZING PREDESTINATION, THE IRRESISTABILITY OF GRACE, AND THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF APOSTASY
 I could go for hours on this one, in fact, I preached for 5 weeks on it. If you would like to have more extensive information on it than what I give here, and many of you might, go to the website www.bible.ca\ It may be a bit slow, be patient. I don’t advocate everything they have there, but what they have on Calvinism is very good.

First, Calvinism teaches that we are born sinful. If so then either Jesus was born sinful, or he was not tempted in all ways like we are, or he was not fully human.

Second, it teaches that God picked certain individuals to be saved and certain ones to be lost. In his picking there is nothing that anyone can do to be moved from one list to the other, in fact even if someone who had been chosen to go to heaven began worshiping the devil God would never change his mind. Why did Jesus preach about Hell and tell people to believe and repent if He knew all along that they couldn’t. Why did Jesus tell the Laodiceans that he was going to spew them out if they couldn’t be lost. Why was Paul concerned about his lifestyle, (1 Cor 9:27) “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” If indeed he could not be lost.

Third, it teaches that Christ did not die for everyone, but for a pre-approved few, the elect. Now we realize of course that Christ’s blood does not cover everyone’s sin. There are millions and billions that die without Christ. But the question is are they outside the umbrella of his redeeming blood because he did not die to save them, or because they would not accept his redemption?

This brings us to the final quandary, is God a liar? When God said that he is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” was he lying, unable to come up with a plan whereby all could be saved, or is He desiring that very thing, but unwilling because of His nature to force his human creation to do what they do not want to do. There are many similar problems that Calvinism brings to the table. Why did God create Adam and Eve and then allow them to sin if this sin resulted in every child from then on being born in sin? What about aborted babies? Are they going to Hell? How can God condemn sin if we don’t have any choice in the matter and still be just. Why should we preach the gospel to others if only God knows who is on His list of people to be saved, and will force them to obey Him with His irresistible grace? If I can’t fall from grace what is the point of living righteously? Paul’s opponents had a point why not sin that grace may abound? Paul knew better, he knew there was a point where one could leave the shadow of grace. We know that we can never work our way into heaven, but don’t fall for the deception that we can’t work our way out of heaven.

The Calvinist says our way of thinking takes away our security as a believer. I say it is just the opposite. I know that nothing out there can affect my relationship with God, and I know that if I properly respond to God’s grace and through faith strive to obey his commands, then even though I am unable to do so perfectly, like Abraham I will be credited with righteousness. Following the logic of his own teaching, the Calvinist may live an entire life teaching his doctrine and converting others to it, he may even do a better job of living a holy and pure life than I do, but if God decided before the foundation of the world to put his name on the Hell list he has no hope. John said that he wrote so that we could know we have salvation. Now since John didn’t write a list of the names of people going to heaven, we must infer that there is another way to know. How? (Rom 8:16) “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” The Spirit bears witness through the word, and our spirit bears witness through our actions and words and thoughts. If the two are in agreement then we are the children of God, if they disagree, be assured that it isn’t God’s spirit that is wrong.