Jesus at the Temple pt 1
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[e] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’[f]”
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This seems distinct from the cleansing of the temple courts mentioned in John 2:13-22, which happened towards the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. Yet the purpose was the same: to drive out the merchants, who in cooperation with the priests cheated visitors to Jerusalem by forcing them to purchase approved sacrificial animals and currencies at high prices.
“I do not believe we shall thoroughly purify any church by Acts of Parliament, nor by reformation associations, nor by agitation, nor by any merely human agency. No hand can grasp the scourge that can drive out the buyers and sellers, but that hand which once was fastened to the cross. Let the Lord do it and the work will be done, for it is not of man, nor shall man accomplish it.” (Spurgeon)
What risks and benefits are there in conducting business with church members?
Benefits: Supporting a fellow Christian brother or sister in their business. We know that they will be more honourable and trust worthy…
Negatives: Might lead to sour relationships within the church if the business transaction did not go smoothly or the expected outcome.Might lead to misunderstandings.
I’m with you 2betenacious; it is a privilege to support fellow brothers/sisters in their livelihoods. I believe the greatest benefits are when both the customer and vendor experience a win-win arrangement. The risk to relationships lie in greedy mindsets or pushy tactics (driven by greed or over-enthusiasm, coupled with poor business acumen). Business people in church need to know how to tactfully present their offerings and allow people to come to them if interested, rather than aggressively pushing their ideas on them.
If you can’t already tell, I’m speaking from experience (vendor and customer)!
+2 to the above 2 comments. It would be prudent to remain true and steadfast in our honesty when conducting business with Church members. We cannot afford to let greed into the picture – we cannot let sin enter the relationship with our fellow brothers and sisters.