tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643715.post562036931773197294..comments2023-06-09T12:46:12.932-04:00Comments on The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia: Book Review: True Community: The Biblical Practice of KoinoniaArthur Sidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03848508095612688493noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643715.post-1999834977090979002014-02-04T14:55:42.203-05:002014-02-04T14:55:42.203-05:00I love the comments by Genoise. Well said. If you ...I love the comments by Genoise. Well said. If you have heard of Art Katz before, I would encourage any one to read or listen to his message on True Fellowship. It is challenging to say the least. I have the privilege of living in a christian community, where all things were shared in common. Each person was involved in working together daily, sharing their lives in the physical as well as spiritual attributes of daily living. Shared all their meals together etc. Have to say it was and remains the most pointed challenge I have had in my years as a believer who seeks the authenticity of kingdom life. Endtime Eventshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02501794333511796987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643715.post-71893047150933837712013-01-26T03:28:22.122-05:002013-01-26T03:28:22.122-05:00Hutterite method (requirement of an institution), ...Hutterite method (requirement of an institution), no. Building a community based on mutual love, care, compassion towards one another, no strings attached, perhaps... Maybe that's what we're missing as the church, let alone culture. The way we live, the communities we live in, are so spread out, so remote (even in more densely populated areas we are turned inward) good ole' American Independence! We talk about sharing our possessions but it's not practical in most communities due to logistics; and to be quite frank, most people want to be left alone and not get involved in each other's lives (believers included, IC kind or not)! <br /><br />You had an earlier post about wasted space, but the waste goes WAY beyond space. I honestly don't think that those of us who are seeking organic church are desperate enough. I keep reading about those who are searching and searching for that type of fellowship found in Acts, but we too easily forget that part of their community was sharing their possessions, and part of that sharing was born out of necessity. Perhaps it was for a season; seasons change...but they also recycle.<br /><br />From my understanding, there were many believers who decided to stay in Jerusalem for an extended period after hearing the Good News at Pentecost. They wanted to stay in community with their newfound brothers and sisters in Christ and continue to learn. In addition to that, there was a famine. These brothers and sisters sold their property/belongings/land and had everything in common (I don't see how you can share everything in common without living together), not only did they share their belongings, they shared out of their need (the famine, hence the collection Paul gathered from the other churches saying they "owed" (that word is taboo in today's church) it to their brethren in Jerusalem) they were the creators of Stone Soup!<br /><br />Flash forward to 2013. You have believers who are displaced from their old way of doing church wanting to live, learn, and BE the church. You have families suffering from loss of income, mounting medical bills, rising taxes, rising fuel prices, financially in over their heads in houses that are "under water" (worth less than the outstanding mortgage). You have people who are developing chronic illness due to a tainted food supply and lack of physical activity. You have people desperate to get back to simpler, more organic ways of living and worshipping but don't.know.how.<br /><br />The picture is so much bigger that we realize. It actually makes me think of art restoration. Sometimes art collectors bring a new acquisition to an art restorer, in rare instances the art restorer will discover a masterpiece that was under the painting being restored. Through careful removal of the paint, perhaps more than one layer, more and more of the original painting is revealed...bit.by.bit. In the same way we are discovering a Masterpiece bit by bit. As we dialogue about BEING the church, more and more of the painting of a House with Many Mansions ("Thy Kingdom come"???) is being revealed. A Canvas that has been abused, altered, and abridged is now being restored, revived, and revealed. <br /><br />Just a thought...<br /><br />Jenny 1.2https://www.blogger.com/profile/03229408287935653541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6643715.post-85696255474763299992013-01-07T21:11:54.845-05:002013-01-07T21:11:54.845-05:00Sounds like an interesting read. I'll have to ...Sounds like an interesting read. I'll have to take a look at it. Thanks for reviewing it.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11046641822669890457noreply@blogger.com