Sunday, July 14, 2019

What is the right involvement of a congregation in service and charity?

The New Testament is full of instruction that we should reach out to those in need. What is a local congregation's role in promoting that?

Consider some of the New Testament's teachings on mercy and generosity:
  • All the acts of mercy that Jesus described in describing the Last Day: Giving food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick, visiting the imprisoned (Matthew 25:31-46)
  • Garage sales and similar events to benefit the poor: "Sell what you have and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21, Mark 10:21, Luke 12:33)
  • Donating excess material goods: "If you have two cloaks, give to him who has none, and who has extra food likewise" (Luke 3:11)
  • Collecting for disaster relief (1 Corinthians 16:1)
  • Helping support the poor (Galatians 2:10)
  • In particular caring for widows and orphans (Acts 6:1-7, James 1:27)
  • Bearing each others' burdens (Galatians 6:2)

Sometimes the acts described seem to come from an individual, sometimes from the family (who are instructed to care for widows in their own family), sometimes from the unified efforts of believers.

I'm curious whether other people are satisfied with the efforts of their churches in providing, organizing, or recognizing opportunities for their people to serve.


2 comments:

  1. That covers it pretty well. Thank God, my church is doing much of this. We could do more. I could do more.

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  2. I'm grateful for the large number of churches who reach out.

    ReplyDelete