Bulletins
Helping the Poor
In Galatians 2:9, Paul recounted how Peter, James, and John gave to he and Barnabas the “the right hand of fellowship,” as the three primarily taught Jews, while Paul and Barnabas primarily preached to Gentiles. Paul went on to mention something Peter, James, and John exhorted him and Barnabas to do. Galatians 2:10: They only asked us to remember the poor – which very thing I was also zealous to do.
Early Christians exemplify God’s desire for all to be zealous to help the poor (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35; 11:29-30).
Fulfilling this responsibility can seem challenging when we consider the qualifier of 2 Thessalonians 3:10: For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. Those who are poor and able but unwilling to work should be encouraged to repent.
While laziness shouldn’t be enabled, Scripture shows that laziness is far from the only cause of poverty.
The Bible speaks against those who oppress the poor (cf. James 2:6), inferring that poverty can be caused (or worsened) by oppression. People can be poor because they’ve had things stolen (cf. Heb. 10:34), or because of famine or natural disasters (Acts 11:28).
The poor and needy should receive our compassion. Notice 1 John 3:17: But whoever has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, then closes his heart of compassion against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Those who are “rich in this present world” (1 Tim. 6:17) are exhorted to be rich in good works and to be “ready to distribute, willing to share” (verse 18).
As zealous as we should be to help the poor, we should be careful to do so in accordance with God’s pattern.
God set up a weekly “collection for the saints” (1 Cor. 16:1). He commanded, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (verse 2).
This is God’s pattern for raising funds for all authorized works of the church.
In the immediate context, though, the apostle Paul indicated that this collection would be used to carry aid to needy saints in Jerusalem (verse 3). This shows that local churches have biblical authority to provide relief for needy saints (not only those of their own number, but of other local churches as well).
Benevolence as a collective work of the church is specifically for saints though. It is not an “evangelism tool” to attract the lost, but a work intended to help needy brethren. Moreover, church benevolence does not supersede family’s obligation to provide for its own (1 Tim. 5:4, 8, 16).
While benevolence as a collective work of the church is for needy saints, individual Christians have responsibility to help both brethren and non-Christians as we have the opportunity (cf. Gal. 6:10).
While we must cautiously avoid unscriptural benevolence, we should be zealous to pursue that which is scriptural. Like the apostle, we should be eager to remember the poor.
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