An Economic System Designed By God

In the last few decades, people have developed an interest in a few economic systems, namely Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism. There is lots of grumbling and discontent due to a perceived sense of economic deprivation. The public discussion blames one system and promotes the other system as a solution for this deprivation. However, there is another economic system which is almost never discussed. That is the economic system which was designed by God for the Children of Israel when God gave them “the land of milk and honey”, a land of abundance. This essay provides an introduction to that system.

There is much complaining about our current economic system in which most of the physical wealth ends up in the hands of a minority of people. The system God designed, if faithfully followed, would put the maximum amount of physical wealth in the maximum number of human hands.

All physical wealth comes from the earth. Thus, discussions about economic systems will always involve land distribution. When God gave the Children of Israel title to the land, He instructed it to be distributed among the 12 tribes of Isreal, by population. The tribes then distributed their land to the families that made up their tribe.

Although we cannot completely replicate this economic system, there are elements of this system that can be replicated in our current culture. The reader can also begin to discern why the “family” in our society has been under such intense demonic attack.

Note: Rural communities in the orient are not arranged as they are in our Western culture. The farming families would all live in little villages within walking distance of the land they farmed. The land they farmed was much smaller than the farms in the West. Remember, farming at this time was all done by manual labor, with the assistance of animals as needed.

The law of Moses was given so that people would have practical knowledge of how to maintain a loving, fair or just walk among the brethren. The law is the instructions and requirements in right living so as to avoid the snare of the devil. Strict adherence to the law kept evil at bay. There is protection and blessings for righteous living and consequences for unrighteous living. The Law provided a legal framework to protect one’s legitimate wealth, labor, possessions, and generational inheritance.

Galatians 3:24

24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.

25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,

In the Greek and Roman culture, this guardian was a tutor, a guardian and guide of boys. This job was assigned to a trustworthy slave who had the duty of supervising the life and morals of boys. Until arriving at manhood, the boys were not allowed to step out of the house without his tutor or guardian.

Romans 7:7

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead.

9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died.

It was through the commandments that believers were able to come to a recognition of righteous conduct and sinful conduct. The law served as a guide to right living. We are not under the commandments contained in ordinances. However, as we will see, the practical issues of life addressed by the law did not just vanish away. We are confronted with many of the same practical issues of right and wrong today.

Genesis 3:17

17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain (labor) you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

The nourishment of mankind comes from the ground. We must work to make a living to obtain our physical needs of food, clothing, shelter and so on. All physical wealth has its origins in the ground.

18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Our labor is not going to be easy. There will be wasted effort when thorns and thistles are brought forth. Mankind no longer had dominion.

This principle, this truth that humans must work to make a living has not come to an end. It was true before the law came into effect, after the law came into effect, and it is true now. This truth is foundational to understanding physical wealth and finances.

Deuteronomy 8 is addressed to a nation of believers, not just individuals.

Deuteronomy 8:1

1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.

To live and multiply requires strength and an abundance of physical resources. To possess the land implies that they are to retain the land – this requires strength and often times military resources.

2 And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

3 And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

4 Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.

5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you.

This discipline is done by repetitive instruction, teaching and practice.

6 So you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.

They were taught and instructed in all the commandments, and in the wonderful works of God who delivered them.

7 For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills,

8 a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey,

9 a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper.

10 And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

In order to “live and multiply”, God supplies the means of economic activity and the economic, social, religious, governmental, and judicial systems for the sustaining and growth of an entire nation. In this land, they would lack nothing. This does not mean that they could go into the land and just pick food off the trees. It means that the land would produce as they worked it. If they needed or wanted copper and iron, they would have to dig for it. God provided the physical resources, and the believers would have to provide the planning and labor.

11 “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,

12 lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,

Here are the results of diligent Godly labor in compliance with the terms which God had set forth – they would consistently eat to the full. This maintains physical strength and health. They would be able to build (good) houses and live in them. Someone else would not take them away from the owner.

13 and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,

All their godly labor would bear fruit to the end that there is more than they can consume. This implies that they could safely retain the fruit of their labor – their physical wealth.

14 then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,

This is what often happens – God blesses the works of man’s hands, and then they forget the Lord their God, who made all the results possible. God made the physical realm and its resources; He gives life and strength so that work can be done; He causes the physical realm to continue to function so that growth and increase can be realized.

Here in Deuteronomy, God is giving the believers, the children of Israel, great physical wealth in the form of productive land, and great wisdom in the form of his Word, declared, taught, and written by the man of God, Moses.

In His Word, God declares how the believers are to be organized, and how they are to conduct themselves. Laws are not worth much unless they are enforced – there must be a justice system.

Deuteronomy 16:18

18 “You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

The justice system was available and easily accessible on the local level, where the people lived.

19 You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of the righteous.

20 Justice, and only justice, you shall follow, that you may live and inherit the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Deuteronomy 17:8

8 “If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the Lord your God will choose.

9 And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision.

The easier, more obvious legal cases would be handled on the local level, in the towns. The difficult cases were to be taken to the Levitical priests and the judge for the whole nation.

10 Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the Lord will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you.

11 According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left.

12 The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the Lord your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.

13 And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again.

Disobedience of a court order carried the death penalty.

Deuteronomy 24:17

17 “You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge,

18 but you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

A corrupt justice system does much to hinder growth – it promotes poverty. If laws cannot be justly enforced with integrity it becomes very difficult to maintain a profitable, growing economic system.

A justice system which is run with integrity promotes great wealth. Business can be conducted without hindrance. The people can obtain and retain the fruit of their labor without fear of molestation by the government and other powerful people.

We have read two times that God warns about perverting justice. The possibility of the judicial system becoming corrupt was a distinct possibility. The judges and officers would have to be diligent to keep themselves free of covetousness.

God charges the believers to remember that they were once in bondage as slaves in Egypt. In Egypt, there was no justice for them. They were oppressed and denied the fruit of their labors. They were to remember that God redeemed them from their slavery.

The root cause of their physical bondage was spiritual. God fought against those demonic spirits which held the believers in bondage and delivered them. An uncorrupted judicial system would enable them to stay free of spiritual and physical oppression.

The economic system at this time was not a monetary system for the most part. It was mainly a barter system. Wealth was measured in land, cattle, slaves, clothing and such. So, when we speak of finance in this context, it is a much different system than what we are engaged in today.

In our current capitalist system, business organizations consisting of people, technology, and finance are the dominant forces of economic activity. In the Biblical times the dominant economic organization was the family. The major financial resources of the family were land and cattle. The major business activity was farming. This is called an agrarian economy.

People consumed the food they produced themselves. They lived from harvest to harvest. It was a real life threatening disaster if a harvest failed, for whatever reason. This kind of life requires diligent planning and diligent labor. It requires that the family be well organized and that each family member is obedient to the head of the family. Each productive person in the family must produce more than they consume if any growth is to be realized. Growth is what God expected of the believers:

Deuteronomy 8:1

1 “The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers.

To have a productive, growing society, there must be a stable economic system of finance in place. The Biblical finance system was based upon the land.

Deuteronomy 15:1

1 “At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release.

2 And this is the manner of the release: every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor. He shall not exact it of his neighbor, his brother, because the Lord’s release has been proclaimed.

Every seven years, all the believers debt was canceled. What a great system!

3 Of a foreigner you may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother your hand shall release.

Debt incurred by a foreigner was not required to be canceled. In fact, interest could be charged to a foreigner as well.

4 But there will be no poor among you; for the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess—

5 if only you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today.

6 For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised you, and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow, and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.

God was instituting a wonderful economic system, based on the land, that would promote growth. It was a system designed to put maximum wealth in the hands of a maximum number of people as possible. Most systems in the world are designed to put vast wealth in the hands of a few powerful individuals, organizations and families. This is not the way it was to be with God’s people.

If the believers would do God’s Will, and implement this system he designed for them, they would have such explosive growth that there would be a surplus of food which could be exported to other nations. The export business would be conducted on the basis of credit, which would earn interest. Over time, the nation of Israel would dominate and rule over many nations.

Leviticus provides further instructions for the 7th year, the year of release.

Leviticus 25:1

1 The Lord spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying,

2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you, the land shall keep a Sabbath to the Lord.

3 For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its fruits,

4 but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the Lord. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.

5 You shall not reap what grows of itself in your harvest, or gather the grapes of your undressed vine. It shall be a year of solemn rest for the land.

6 The Sabbath of the land shall provide food for you, for yourself and for your male and female slaves and for your hired servant and the sojourner who lives with you,

7 and for your cattle and for the wild animals that are in your land: all its yield shall be for food.

The believers were to work hard for six years, and then in the seventh year they were released from any debt. Their work load was decreased for an entire year. No farming. The land had been yielding its strength for six years and needed to rest. The believers could work with the animals, but no other farming was to be done. Some questions should come to mind. If they were working and living from harvest to harvest, how could they live in the seventh and eighth years? Let’s read further – there is more – there is a very special year which God wants observed.

Leviticus 25:8

8 “You shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall give you forty-nine years.

9 Then you shall sound the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month. On the Day of Atonement you shall sound the trumpet throughout all your land.

10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan.

11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines.

12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field.

This economic system was based upon the land. Every 50 years, possession of the land would return to the originalfamily to whom it was given. The extended members of the families would return to their clan. There would be land and labor, unencumbered by debt, available to start over again if needed!

The 49th year was a normal year of release. Then the 50th year was the year of jubilee.

13 “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property.

14 And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another.

15 You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops.

16 If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.

17 You shall not wrong one another, but you shall fear your God, for I am the Lord your God.

The value of the land would change, year by year, based upon the number of years until the next jubilee. Land values would be the highest the year after jubilee, and they would be the cheapest the year before the next jubilee.

18 “Therefore you shall do my statutes and keep my rules and perform them, and then you will dwell in the land securely.

19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and dwell in it securely.

“Securely” means that they will retain the land in safety and retain the fruit of their labor, the increase of the land. Now God answers the question about what they are to eat if they cannot plant or reap in the 7th year.

20 And if you say, ‘What shall we eat in the seventh year, if we may not sow or gather in our crop?’

21 I will command my blessing on you in the sixth year, so that it will produce a crop sufficient for three years.

22 When you sow in the eighth year, you will be eating some of the old crop; you shall eat the old until the ninth year, when its crop arrives.

So, the harvest of the 6th year will be so abundant that it will supply their need until the next harvest. This also implies that they would not lose this abundance to spoilage or vermin.

23 “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.

24 And in all the country you possess, you shall allow a redemption of the land.

If land is sold, the family of the seller must be permitted to redeem the land. They must be allowed to buy it back from the current owner.

What if the owner does not want to allow the land to be redeemed? Then they have to take the dispute to the judicial system. It is critical that the judicial system be free of corruption.

Now that we understand some of the economics of the promised land, we will examine a system of “welfare” which aims to overcome the causes of poverty.

Deuteronomy 15:7

7 “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother, (this is assuming that ‘you’ are not poor, but have the means at hand)

8 but you shall open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.

Understand that the ‘poor brother’ mentioned here is not necessarily an individual but is a head of household. It is a man and all his family. It could mean the fatherless as well. The basic unit of economic activity in this agrarian economy is the family. This poor believer is generally one who lives in your area, your village.

Notice that this scripture does not say to teach your brother to believe God so that God will meet his need. Physical resources are produced and managed by people. One of the purposes for abundant physical resources is that successful believers were to help those believers who were unsuccessful in their work.

What is it that the poor brother needs, so as not to be poor anymore? In this case the poor brother needs to be a successful farmer. What is being lent to him is the means, the tools for this brother to be a successful farmer. This could include training, wisdom, and assistance with planning if needed. Does he need an ox to plow, seed, temporary labor? What is being lent is the means to farm.

What is being given is the increase that is obtained with the things loaned to the poor brother. Help is given in the form of a loan because the poor brother is not going to stay poor – the help will enable the poor believer to be an effective farmer. His physical resources will grow. The believer will be able to return all that was loaned to him.

At this time, the family and the business are one and the same. A loan is perfectly appropriate to assist a business (farming) which generates an economic increase. Realize that the lender and giver is to continue to grow and increase. The lender is losing the use of the resources which are lent to the poor man; this is an additional burden to the lender. So, it is not unreasonable to expect to have the implements and resources returned to the lender when their use is finished.

The heart of this matter is that support should be imparted to the poor brother, with the goal of deliverance from the oppression of chronic poverty.

There is a very real challenge for the wealthy believer to grow in his expertise as a farmer. Ministering to his poor brother may be a stretch for his planning and organizational skills. It may be a big interruption for his planned growth. As such HE may need to learn to function better than he has before. He may need to seek additional practical guidance for himself.

The poor brother is not to remain passive. He may have to humble himself and learn new ways of farming and planning so he can be successful. He may have to overcome some bad habits.

God wants the believers to work together to break the bondage of chronic poverty. There are challenges to be faced by both the giver and the receiver. The giver does not throw money at a problem and then walk away. The giver is vitally involved over time – he has a stake in the successful outcome of his giving. He stays involved until the job is done.

The poor believer is vitally involved in labor and learning, making the best use of the physical resources and practical wisdom which have been made available to him. This requires meekness and humility.

9 Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart (the heart of the giver) and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing, and he cry to the Lord against you, and you be guilty of sin.

10 (in this case) You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.

11 For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’

God takes the responsibility to make good the transaction for the giver. God will bless the works of the giver’s hands.

Leviticus 25:35

35 “If your brother becomes poor and cannot maintain himself with you, you shall support him as though he were a stranger and a sojourner, and he shall live with you.

Your brother, the head of a household, a man and his family is expected to maintain himself. Despite all his efforts he has not been able to maintain himself. You, the giver, the one who is not poor, are to have the poor brother live with you. The poor brother is to become an honored part of your household.

Chronic health problems or lack of progeny could be reasons why the believer could not maintain his household.

36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God, that your brother may live beside you.

37 You shall not lend him your money at interest, nor give him your food for profit.

Nowhere does it say that the poor brother lives with you as a guest. He is part of the givers household and must continue to work as he is able and pull his own weight as much as possible.

The basic purpose is to allow this poor brother and his family to survive. The giver is not to directly profit by supporting his poor brother.

38 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to give you the land of Canaan, and to be your God.

The giver gives and helps his poor brother because God set him free and released him from bondage. God set the standard and the practice by giving first. Nowhere in these scriptures does God use “guilt” as a motivator for the giver. Neither does God use “good emotional feelings” as a motivator.

39 “If your brother becomes poor beside you and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave:

40 he shall be with you as a hired servant and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee.

The poor brother could sell himself to another household as an indentured servant. The master would be responsible to maintain his poor brother as any other hired Hebrew servant. The term of service would last until the next jubilee.

41 Then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own clan and return to the possession of his fathers.

42 For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. The buyer cannot sell the poor brothers contract to anyone else.

43 You shall not rule over him ruthlessly but shall fear your God.

Proverbs 22:7

24 The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

There are a variety of reasons why poverty exists. Many of the reasons are due to the works of the flesh and weakness of the flesh. If a brother became poor because of slothfulness he will be put to forced labor. It is forced because it is labor against the will of the slothful. The point is, deliverance for the poor can mean changes in their preferred way of life. Providing resources for deliverance can mean changes in the life and responsibilities of the giver.

In Biblical times you can see that believer helping believer was a vital part of economic life. It was in the best interest of the nation that each family be productive and growing. As they were able, those who were productive and growing were to minister to those who were not.

Deliverance from poverty could be a great challenge to both the giver and the receiver. The life and practices of the impoverished believer would of necessity be open to the giver so that the cause of the poverty could be discerned and corrected.

The organizational, planning, leadership, and interpersonal skills of the giver could be stretched to the limit. But God is there blessing this work and those involved.

God does not want people oppressed with poverty. He does not want people to oppress each other. He desires believers care for each other by working together and doing what it takes to break the oppression of chronic, physical poverty.

Now that we know the practical background of economics under the law, we can have some insight into the activities and impact of the first century Church. After the day of Pentecost, all that the believers knew was the law. They continued to practice aspects of the law as they grew in the teaching of the apostles. Note that their activities recorded here is NOT socialism or communism, as is so often claimed.

Acts 2:42

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

By this time in the history of the nation of Israel, more of the population had moved into the cities. The nation was moving away from a barter economy; money was in greater use. But the principles of assisting one another were the same. The giver had an interest in seeing that the receiver was released from bondage. They worked together – how could one person know what another person needed without spending time together? Part of having all things common was sharing of the practical expertise, wisdom, skill, experience and business abilities that were resident in the believers. Giving and ministering was not (and is not) a matter of giving money to someone and walking away. The believers were vitally, meaningfully involved with each other, working until the bondage was broken and the need was truly met.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Acts 4:32

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.

33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.

34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold

35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (ESV)

Now here is a slight change as inspired by the operation of holy spirit. The apostles were charged with distributing the physical resources to those who had need. The apostles had shown themselves adept and expert at spiritual discernment and wisdom. This was needed partly as a result of the growth which was taking place and to discern how to accurately meet the needs of the believers. The wisdom of God was now available in great abundance, so why not use it?

The distribution was made every 24 hours, for the needs of that day. The wisdom of God, the physical, practical and spiritual resources of the body of Christ were available in great abundance for the needs of the believers. The giving and receiving was imparted as God directed and guided. The believers were changing and growing as they cared for each other.

Loans are not mentioned in these records of Acts. This was a greater work being done than what was commanded under the law, as there were more than abundant spiritual resources available for the work. Verse 24 records the results - it says that there was not a needy person among them!

The cause of poverty had been broken in the believers! Notice that this record is refers to individuals, not households or business interests. The distribution of resources is being made to individuals, not for their economic or business activities as was done under the law. Therefore, loans are not an appropriate part of this distribution in the assembly.

In the context of living and functioning within the body of Christ, an occasional, personal, economic challenge can be handled with the giving of resources, loving encouragement with spiritual and practical guidance.

Ministering to the physical needs of an individual believer to break the bondage of chronic poverty requires more than a few words of encouragement and a prayer. It requires spiritual wisdom and discernment, practical wisdom, physical resources, the time and love of those ministering to this need. It requires humility and commitment on the part of the giver and receiver. Both require a willingness to grow and change.

This work may require steadfast believing effort over a period of time – it may take more than one believer, one teaching, one meal, one day; this is faithful, persistent work and growth.

As believers functioning in the body of Christ, we no longer walk by the law or by a written standard; we walk by the spirit in the physical realm. With the spiritual and physical resources available in the body of Christ, we can minister, confident of success in all the work we are guided to do.

2026 Keith Radcliffe