Jesus repeatedly challenges us to work while it is still day. He compares his kingdom to labor in a vineyard, to the working investment of moneys entrusted to one, to the good use of all one’s talents. If God’s kingdom is to transform the “vale of tears” into a realm of joy, then it must be a kingdom of work. Work alone befits the destiny of man’s spirit.
- Eberhard Arnold
Selected Reading
The Economy of the Early Church
Eberhard Arnold
In an age when Christianity is comfortably entwined with consumer capitalism, the early Christians’ passion for social and economic justice can come as a shock. So why did the first Christians abandon private property? Eberhard Arnold addresses this question in an excerpt from the introduction to The Early Christians (1926).
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Why We Live in Community
Eberhard Arnold
Everyone’s talking about community these days. In this time-honored manifesto, Eberhard Arnold adds his voice to the vital discussion of what real intentional community is all about: love, joy, unity, and the great “adventure of faith” shared with others along the way.
The Danger of Prayer
Eberhard Arnold
What is the true meaning of prayer, and how can it have power to transform our lives? In this devotion, Eberhard Arnold describes the kind of prayer that pleases God, and he challenges us to rediscover the prayer that can change our lives and our world.
Quick Quotes
Prayer must never supplant work in God’s kingdom and in his church. If we ask God earnestly for his will to be done on this earth, for his nature to be shown in our work, for his rule to bring men to unity, justice and love – then our life will be a life of work. Faith without works is dead. Prayer without work is hypocrisy. Un¬less we live according to God’s kingdom, the Lord’s Prayer is a lie. Unless love within the community results in work and deed, our Tree of Life will wither and come under judgment.
- Eberhard Arnold
If we ask God earnestly that His will may become a fact on earth, that His nature may be revealed in work, that His rulership may lead men to unity, righteousness and love, then our life will become work. Faith without works is dead. Prayer without work is hypocrisy. The Lord’s Prayer without the way of God’s kingdom is a lie. The prayer of Jesus wants to bring us to the point where its words are turned into deeds, so that the prayer becomes action and history.
- Eberhard Arnold