"THERE'S MORE MONEY GOING OUT, THAN COMING IN"...Except for Stephen Lett

[Kosonen]

13 hours ago, Arauna said:

Especially if you are preaching full time and you have a property lying fallow - it can later be sold for a profit.

Did Jesus or any apostle advise to be economically smart in a such way anywhere? 

I have only found advices like this:

2 Thessalonians 3:12 To such people we give the order and exhortation in the Lord Jesus Christ that they should work quietly and eat food they themselves earn.

13  For your part, brothers, do not give up in doing good.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:9 Surely you remember, brothers, our labor and toil. We were working night and day, so that we would not put an expensive burden on any one of you, when we preached the good news of God to you.

 

1 Thessalonians 4: 11 Make it your aim to live quietly and to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we instructed you, 12  so that you may walk decently in the eyes of people outside and not need anything.

[Arauna]

So you are saying we only use the old testament when it suits us?  No - the principles in the old testament stand till today.  Hard work, providing for your family and buying property is not wrong.  Eccl 31 . .... even women can buy property and work hard to provide things for the family. 

[Kosonen]

13 minutes ago, Arauna said:

buying property is not wrong. 

It depends on the circumstances. We need of course to have a place to live on. So we might need to buy it. I rent my apartment. And I have not money to buy. But I am content with that. But if I had two houses, then I would really have to think about Jesus' advice to sell off.

[JW Insider]

24 minutes ago, Arauna said:

Eccl 31

I'm sure you meant Proverbs 31 but, interestingly, Ecclesiasticus 31 says the following:

1 Watching for riches consumeth the flesh, and the care thereof driveth away sleep.

2 Watching care will not let a man slumber, as a sore disease breaketh sleep,

3 The rich hath great labour in gathering riches together; and when he resteth, he is filled with his delicates.

4 The poor laboureth in his poor estate; and when he leaveth off, he is still needy.

5 He that loveth gold shall not be justified, and he that followeth corruption shall have enough thereof.

6 Gold hath been the ruin of many, and their destruction was present.

7 It is a stumblingblock unto them that sacrifice unto it, and every fool shall be taken therewith.

8 Blessed is the rich that is found without blemish, and hath not gone after gold.

9 Who is he? and we will call him blessed: for wonderful things hath he done among his people.

10 Who hath been tried thereby, and found perfect? then let him glory. Who might offend, and hath not offended? or done evil, and hath not done it?

11 His goods shall be established, and the congregation shall declare his alms.

12 If thou sit at a bountiful table, be not greedy upon it, and say not, There is much meat on it.

13 Remember that a wicked eye is an evil thing: and what is created more wicked than an eye? therefore it weepeth upon every occasion.

14 Stretch not thine hand whithersoever it looketh, and thrust it not with him into the dish.

15 Judge not thy neighbour by thyself: and be discreet in every point.

16 Eat as it becometh a man, those things which are set before thee; and devour note, lest thou be hated.

17 Leave off first for manners' sake; and be not unsatiable, lest thou offend.

18 When thou sittest among many, reach not thine hand out first of all.

19 A very little is sufficient for a man well nurtured, and he fetcheth not his wind short upon his bed.

20 Sound sleep cometh of moderate eating: he riseth early, and his wits are with him: but the pain of watching, and choler, and pangs of the belly, are with an unsatiable man.

21 And if thou hast been forced to eat, arise, go forth, vomit, and thou shalt have rest.

22 My son, hear me, and despise me not, and at the last thou shalt find as I told thee: in all thy works be quick, so shall there no sickness come unto thee.

23 Whoso is liberal of his meat, men shall speak well of him; and the report of his good housekeeping will be believed.

24 But against him that is a niggard of his meat the whole city shall murmur; and the testimonies of his niggardness shall not be doubted of.

25 Shew not thy valiantness in wine; for wine hath destroyed many.

26 The furnace proveth the edge by dipping: so doth wine the hearts of the proud by drunkeness.

27 Wine is as good as life to a man, if it be drunk moderately: what life is then to a man that is without wine? for it was made to make men glad.

28 Wine measurably drunk and in season bringeth gladness of the heart, and cheerfulness of the mind:

29 But wine drunken with excess maketh bitterness of the mind, with brawling and quarrelling.

30 Drunkenness increaseth the rage of a fool till he offend: it diminisheth strength, and maketh wounds.

31 Rebuke not thy neighbour at the wine, and despise him not in his mirth: give him no despiteful words, and press not upon him with urging him to drink.

 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

I like the greeting each member of a society gave each other. in a Science Fiction story I read about a half century ago.

They would, say, meet on the street, wave ...smile, and one would say say "MYOB!"

The other would wave, smile and say "MYOB!".

Toward the end of the story it turned out "MYOB" meant "Mind Your Own Business"

I think I also remember the Bible saying something about not being a "busybody", concerning other peoples' activities.

[Witness]

On 3/19/2020 at 1:11 PM, Srecko Sostar said:

Yes, some people can afford to have "holiday property next to sea or mountain". But, if you or any other JW and GB "preaching" how spiritual "things" are what really matters ...than what is a point to have another house, and invest more money to have it, to keep it??? You need to earn more  money to buy and to hold second house. In the same time some other people can't afford even basic things for life. System is wrong, we can agree. But we making system to live, and we make decision to have holiday property and with that contribute to injustice, generally. 

This is what it's about @Arauna  The same man who flips property out of an insatiable appetite of accumulating earthly treasures, is the same man who tells JWs to dig deep in their pockets to support his other dream - building his "kingdom" projects.  

By the way, it appears that Lett may have also bought property very close to Warwick. 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

1 hour ago, Kosonen said:

But I am content with that. But if I had two houses, then I would really have to think about Jesus' advice to sell off.

I thought as you do, and rented a house for eight years, and the rent was $56,000 for the eight years. Then I realized that instead of recouping those expenses when I moved , and more because of Real Estate appreciation over time, ... all I had was receipts and cancelled checks.

It is much better to be able to move, with $70,000 in your pocket ... worth educating yourself on the many creative ways to buy a house with little or no money down.

 

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

6 minutes ago, Witness said:

By the way, it appears that Lett may have also bought property very close to Warwick. 

He did ... he owns a huge piece of wooded property where the road that serves Warwick HQ Tees into the main State road .... PERFECT for motels, gas stations, or a strip mall.  This can be researched through county courthouse records on line.

[Srecko Sostar]

15 hours ago, Arauna said:

No - the principles in the old testament stand till today. 

Please, explain and show us WHAT Principle in OT supporting slavery, for example. And how that Basic Principle for issue of Slavery, can and may be in use for people today?? Does this Particular Principle (for slavery) in OT is in power nowadays, does it "stand till today" ??

Because Bible Principles are eternal, people say !!??

[Srecko Sostar]

16 hours ago, Arauna said:

Eccl 31 . .... even women can buy property and work hard to provide things for the family. 

"even woman can buy property"

.... this sound very patriarchal . Well, this kind of wording, argumentation how EVEN WOMEN can do this or that is so humiliating, and sound as very special privilege for women. It is sad when society of every sort (in this case Old Israel) and in what ever period of time have to put in law, something that must be NATURAL RIGHT for human been, no matter of sex.

PS

It came to me now, how OWNING something perhaps is NOT NATURAL. No matter is it about owning another human been or piece of land or spring of water or .....

Issue of "Owning" is for further discussion. 

[Arauna]

5 hours ago, Srecko Sostar said:

argumentation how EVEN WOMEN can do this or that

That is exactly the point. Some people believe the bible to be exceedingly patriarchal but yet the bible says a capable woman is one of business who can  buy land (a field) and her trading is profitable.

[Srecko Sostar]

21 minutes ago, Arauna said:

Some people believe the bible to be exceedingly patriarchal

I am curious to understand this. 

from JW page:

 

Did God create a woman so that she would be subordinate to a man?

In short, it is not. ..... - https://www.jw.org/hr/biblioteka/casopisi/wp20120901/kako-bog-gleda-na-zene/

subordinate = having less power or a lower position than someone else in a company or an organization -https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/subordinate

"Let a woman learn in silence* with full submissiveness." - 1. Tim

submissive = showing a willingness to be controlled by other people: - https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/submissive

When JW women or other individual not showing submissive position inside "congregational arrangements" than she/he will be rejected if continue in such behavior. Because hierarchical system giving favor to men on position of power. 

If you not show willingness to obey congregational arrangements than you will be "forced" with various methods to position of subordination. If you still resist, you will be marked, shunned and/or dfd.

Words subordinate and submissive are very close in meaning with same final demand and repercussions.

In this i see contradictory in WT publications when explaining position of women or other individuals in Bible history and JW congregation.