Can we sell spiritual things?

Can we sell spiritual things? this question is debated frequently among us. What is ‘merchandise’? It is the normalization of selling and buying in the society. It is spread all over the world and it covers it like a spider web.

Where does business take place?

Imagine the spherical earth. Perceive it from above with the view of an eagle. How many millions of houses are there on the surface of the earth? In all those houses people live as families. From an infant to an elderly in each house, is connected to some sort of business. But whoever it may be, they may belong to various nations, cultures and races, they do not bring business inside their homes, they only do business outside their homes.

Business is good, isn’t it? Why does nobody take it to home? Isn’t there selling and buying inside one’s family?

Each day something is sold or bought inside a family. However, everyone has a common comprehension that they have ‘something’ better than merchandise.

What is that ‘something’?

When we buy something outside, we give currency to equalize the cost of it. But when we share something inside our family, we use currency called ‘emotions.’ A father buys a doll for his infant, the joy that spreads on the face of the infant as soon he gets the doll from his father, bringing a smile on his father’s face, is the currency the infant pays his father.

The ‘feeling’ that my children ate to their heart’s content is the currency a mother receives.

There is selling and buying inside a family, too. But the currency we share inside a family is ‘emotion’ which is printed by the Reserve Bank called ‘heart.’

Imagine, you are buying a diamond ring in a jewelry store in New York. It costs 10,000 American Dollars. What will happen if you pay 10,000 Iranian Rial instead of 10,000 American dollars? How will they treat you? The same treatment will be given to you if you try to bring business inside your family. Because the currency called ‘emotions’ is worth million times more than paper currency.

Even if the Multi-billionaire Elon Musk does not have the currency called ‘emotions,’ he is just a pauper before his family.

The Kingdom of Heaven also uses the same ‘emotions’ currency. That is why, the epitome of mercy and grace, Christ Jesus hit the merchants with whip when they did business inside the Temple of God. Church is the extension of the family. Church and family are not different. If you try to bring business inside the church (family), the affinitative members of the family will use the whip in fury.

Asking to give for free is not because of poverty, but because of brotherhood.

The currency issued by the Secretariat of a nation is the only currency to be circulated inside the nation.

“Freely you have received; freely give,” (Matt 10:8), this is the Law of the Heavenly nation for selling and buying. Therefore, one must not try to bring business inside a church.

Well, let’s take a look at practicality.

When we introduce printed Bibles, Books, music CDs, or mobile apps to a church, there is an imperative to do so with business outside of the church. If you take a CD, it comes to a consumer from a manufacturer via merchandise. Which means, who has to contribute to the cost of the merchantry happening in between?

Each of us should contribute our shares with a thought that it is manufactured by ‘our family.’ We must not let manufacturer – consumer relationship to come in between.
When the Synagogue and Jerusalem Temple were built, there was no Real Estate business. Everyone considered it to be their family project and shared their contributions to construct them.

It is attributable for us give freely and to contribute the shares for manufacturing the things. It is unfair to compel to give freely and blame others, when you cannot donate anything.

This practicality we desire has not yet occurred in church. Nonetheless, it will happen sooner.. We shall wait until then. If it happens, church will be the best exemplary for the whole world.

In today’s circumstances, the manufacturers are the ones to decide the cost of things. We cannot accuse them to be guilty. We must not forget that each of our contributions should be present while manufacuring a spiritual thing.

If someone does it in order to find profit, undoubtedly it is incorrect.

I reminisce now that the attempt to give everyone a book of mine, which I printed with my own expense, was a failure because of lack of appropriate distributor. In the current situation, if we want our creations to reach the proper ones across the world, it is not a sin to use the weapon called merchandise without the intention of seeking profits. But, let it be temporary.

These circumstances will change sooner. The time will certainly come when all the relations in the church will share everything freely . Let us wait for that day without blaming each other. Let us contribute our shares to welcome that day quicker