a majority of Jesus’ own followers who came from the poor am-ha-aretz (“people of the land”), and it fits in with the fact that in many periods of world history including our own, the gospel has spread fastest among those who have had the fewest possessions to stand in the way of whole-hearted commitment to God. As previous discussion of the kingdom showed (see 3:2), part of the church’s mission is to try to improve the socioeconomic lot of the poorest of this world. But fallen humanity will never
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