6. To the perfect submission also belongs the surrender of our earthly possessions to the rightful owner, God. We ourselves are then only stewards. The decision, what should happen with our earthly possessions is the owner's, God, who says: Mine is silver and gold.(Haggai 2.8) On this point suffer most Christians, even Philadelphia-Christians, because they don't have enough light and knowledge about the issue. But a fundamental difference still exists on this point. A converted and born-again Christian asserted, though, that in money matters all Christians are equally self-seeking, which is certainly not the case and an exaggeration. He judged all Christians by his own standard; and because he knew himself still bound to greed and selfishness, he assumed all others were like him, and he could placate his conscience with this supposed fact. Some people think, if all other Christians are greedy and selfish, then they are not looking too bad, if I they are as well. Just like the world excuses their own sin with the supposed or real sins of Christianity. But as the world is sometimes mistaken about the supposed transgressions of the pious, so are the foolish virgins sometimes mistaken about the supposed stinginess of the wise virgins; for this point is extremely difficult to assess. The ultimate verdict we have to leave to God. A certain gauge, that doesn't always apply, is the giving of the tithe.(Malachi 3.10) But strangely even on this point there are diverging opinions among good Christians. They say, " the tithe was only for the Old Testament, the New Testament doesn't require so much". By nearer examination, however, we find that the Lord takes an even stricter stance against greed than the Old Testament. While in the Old Testament only the tithe was demanded, in the New Testament He demands everything: Sell everything you have and give it to the poor...(Luke 18.22) This was not just a piece of advice, as the Catholic Church teaches, but a divine commandment, on which the salvation of the rich, young ruler depended. Mind you, this commandment was first personally for him. God doesn't demand it literally in this form of everybody, but in essence and spirit it applies to all. We are obliged to surrender our worldly goods to the Lord and may keep them only as stewards, as far as the Lord allows. As He was in His right to demand all from the rich, young ruler, so He is in right to demand all from us as well; and in some cases He actually has done. The least, however, He requires is the tithe; for Jesus did expressly instruct us in Matthew 23.23, not to neglect the giving of the tithe. He never even gave a hint that His disciples, if poor, are allowed to give less. He also didn't rebuke the destitute widow, when she threw all she had into the temple treasury. He never said that she gave too much or that it was not necessary to do so; but He praised her for giving more than everbody else. Crucial, however, is that the first Christians after Pentecost did not consider themselves owners, but just stewards of their possessions; for it is stressed in Acts 4.32: "No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. We must not misunderstand this verse, however, thinking that we are obliged to introduce a community of property and follow the communist example; for the community of property of the first Christians was of a different kind to the communist's. First of all, the first Christians did not have goverment control, but everything was voluntary and born out of a spirit of burning love, that filled them all. There is nothing written in the Bible about all selling their fields or about farming their field together. Mostly, only those sold their fields who could make their living some other way and those who had more fields they needed for their livelyhood. We can find not indication in the New Testament, that farmers who made their living from their fields, sold them in order to indulge in idleness. And even if some had done this, we should, of course not follow their example; for that would have been extremist enthusiasm, that God never required. The first Christians would have been protected from such extremes, if they had shown themselves, because of the mighty workings of the Holy Spirit among them. The abiding lesson however we have to learn from the community of property of the first Christians, is the acceptance of their mutual responsibility for their physical wellbeing and the consciousness of belonging together as members of the one body of Christ. The Church of God constitutes a Holy Family of God, in which one member serves another with their god-given gift, though not pressured in any way, but freely and lovingly, urged by the Holy Spirit.

The goal of the Philadelphia-Church is the return to the first love of the first Church. The biggest hindrance however to regain the first love are the transgressions with money in their various forms, like greed and extravagance;" for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil." Therefore, who wants to belong to the Church of Philadelphia must make a total surrender in regards to their earthly possessions and begin with putting a tenth of their income at God's disposal and even more, if the Holy Spirit urges them to do so. They must keep in mind that they are not owner but just stewards of their earthly possessions.