In a message dated 5/9/00 2:55:49 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
klausm@... writes:

<<  Then it continues in Acts : and no one
 suffered need. If anyone thinks that was for then , let me say: I do not
 believe that the Holy Spirit changed directions , He is the same yesterday,
 today and into all Eternity. And He also did not say : Give 10 % or 50 or
 99%    , they gave all they possesed and NO one called anything their own.
 And this practical unity then continued into the spiritual unity we are so
 desperately seeking today, but the spiritual and the practical have to go
 together and can not be separated. The separation between practical and
 spiritual is another one of the curses that weighs us down toda >>

Klaus,
Well said. Prior to Vatican 2, church history books referred to the 
declaration of Christianity as the religion of the empire, as the Triumph of 
Christianity. We now know that this began the decline of Christianity. At 
this time the clerical class developed and the Laos or people were relegated 
to lower status. Clerical offices were associated with money and celibacy 
became popular, not so much for spiritual reasons as Paul practiced, but so 
that the possessions of the clerical office would not be passed on to family 
but to the monarchical church. Nevertheless God always made sure that the 
message of Jesus Crucified was available for those who sought it and 
fortunately down through the ages we have many great martyrs and witnesses to 
the faith. Today the effort is to put Christianity back into Christendom. We 
do not need more people so much as more Christians. We probably need less 
people in the churches but more practicing Christians.

Peace

Bill