Luxury, poverty...

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When we speak of helping the poor in this series, what are we really talking about?

Another tax to help the poor, one that we can value and resent at the same time?

An obligation laid upon us to give up our own joy and be miserable for the sake of the gospel? A return to Communism and the doctrine of “from each according to his ability, TO each according to his need?”

Actually, what we're talking about is FREEDOM. It is my growing conviction that anytime we talk about obeying Jesus we are talking about freedom even when it sounds restrictive; and anytime we listen to the world’s message of permissiveness, it sounds like we’re hearing about freedom but we’re actually listening to a message that leads us to slavery.

When the Scriptures talk to us about following the way of Christ in helping the poor have what they need by giving from what we have received from God, those Scriptures are calling us to a life of FREEDOM - to live with less stuff, less junk, less mess, and to be free from the demands it place on us; to be free from the crushing burden of consumer debt that funds a cluttered lifestyle; freedom from the demands of the marketplace, the dissatisfaction it so skillfully creates in people; the freedom of knowing that you’re following Jesus, living well, living a life worth living.

Today we’re going to talk about the easiest kind of help we can give. We’re due for something easy, because mostly we’ve had some hard lessons in this series. We’ve talked about The Rich Man and Lazarus where (to oversimplify) a guy winds up in hell for being so callous in his heart to the poor. We’ve talked about the sheep and the goats where Jesus on Judgment Day says: “I was poor, hungry, naked and lonely, and you ignored me. Off to hell you go”. Pretty rough. We talked about the concept of justice which appears prominently in the OT and refers to helping the poor get a fair shake and play on a level field, and that begins to sound like politics and it makes people nervous. And then we saw that Jesus, as he lived his life, was almost always helping poor people and almost always chastising people like us.

Well today as we get to the book of Acts (the history book of the early church, the sequel to Luke) and the Epistles, letters the apostles wrote to instruct new churches, we get to take a break if you will and hear about the easiest kind of charity there is, and this easy type of charity is illustrated by this question:

If your friend in Sunday School, the guy you’ve known for 20 years, suddenly lost his job and his health and his financial stability, what would you do? This isn’t someone over in Africa that you’ve never met. It isn’t a guy from the next county who lives nearby but in a foreign culture of generational poverty. It isn’t someone of questionable character who may be looking for a handout for a drink or a fix. It’s your buddy and he needs help. What do you do?

You help him, of course. And throughout Acts and the Epistles, that’s the kind of no-brainer situation that comes up again and again – someone in the church community has a need. What do you do? You help.

This is so much the theme of Acts and the Epistles that my first point today is that Caring takes place best in COMMUNITY. If you work through all the references on poverty, need and giving in Acts and the Epistles, you’ll see that God had a pretty good plan in setting up the church to act as a community of believers where Christians take care of each other in EVERY area. They pray for each other, they confront one another when someone wanders into sin, they help each other when someone’s finances are crumbling and they deliver food to widows and orphans.

One of the best Scriptures that gives us this picture is Acts 4:32-35 - 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.

Three things about this passage: First, they had such unity of mind and heart that they totally shared their stuff. I wonder if you have ever been part of a church or class or study group that got so close that you trusted each other enough and loved each other enough to let THAT happen! We talk about unity in church and we think we’ve achieved it when people stop slapping each other. This is deeper. This is like that John Lennon song…

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

A better illustration: It's the community Shane Claiborne talked about when, after he moved into a poor Philly neighborhood and got to know the people there, he no longer thought of them as a project but as friends, and how could he NOT care about their needs?

How many people around here would YOU totally open your home and possessions to?

Second, it says “With great power…” That seems like it doesn’t fit because it’s sandwiched between two verses about sharing possessions. What does that have to do with the apostles preaching with great power? EVERYTHING, it turns out. What robs us of power in our testimony today, if not selfishness, materialism and our general worldliness? I don’t deny that the apostles’ power was supernatural, fueled by the Holy Spirit. But it was made legitimate and reinforced by the fruit of generosity that was growing among the believers.

Third, there were no needy persons among them. Now you can accomplish that by screening people at the door. Or you can accomplish it like they did, by meeting needs. From time to time people who had extra stuff voluntarily (or a better way to put it, at the Lord’s prompting) sold land or homes and brought the money to the church, to the apostles to be used to meet needs.

Now I think most churches are willing to do this, and they do share with one another when needs arise. The difference between us and the early church in Acts is that there seems to have been rich, poor and in-between among their number. Most churches in America are segregated by race and economic class. You might have a poor church in the inner city or out in the country where people don’t make much money, and a middle-class church in a town or in the suburbs, and even a few wealthy churches in nice areas.

A middle class church doesn’t have that many people in distress. AND we don’t have any good friends that are truly poor. Therefore, sharing things in community isn’t much of an issue, and helping the poor is a project (a worthy one) that exists on the side. Something important is missing when in the church community everyone looks alike and comes from the same background.

Another example of how it was different in that earliest church comes from Acts 6. We already saw that there were folks with extra houses and lands to sell. But now we find that there were people who couldn’t provide for themselves:

1 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. 2 So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. 3 Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them 4 and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word."

5 This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. 6 They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

7 So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:1-7

Distributing this food was important work. It just wasn’t the work God called the apostles to do. The numbers were increasing. The church would be failing to live up to its core value if it didn’t take care of its widows and orphans. “Brothers, choose seven men from among yourselves…” Once this was taken care of, it says: “So the word of God spread…number of disciples increased rapidly.” Again, there is this connection between taking care of poor people and having the message heard. And caring takes place best in community.

A second point… living in community brings responsibility. Communities fall apart when too many members fail to recognize this.

One responsibility spoken of in the Epistles is looking beyond the needs that you can see. I mentioned earlier how easy it is to help the guy you’ve always gone to Sunday school with, but it didn’t take long at all for the early church to grow beyond that. I also mentioned that this would be the easiest lesson in this series, but maybe it isn't so easy after all, because...by the time of 2 Corinthians there is a famine in Jerusalem And Christians there are starving (people “we” don't know) and Christians out in Asia are called upon to help. Here is some of what Paul says to them about their obligation:

8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15 as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." (2 Corinthians 8:8-13)

In the very next chapter, while he is in the middle of this same topic, he says: 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

In sum, Paul says: “I can’t force you to do this, and it wouldn’t be good if I did force you. But if your hearts are right and you are truly following Christ, you won’t be able to sit by while other Christians starve, even if you've never met them. Your community extends out to them. (A good measure of our health. Can we sit by...) And don’t think God won’t see if you give. You can’t out-give God. He will reward you – in his time, in his way – but you can count on it.”

2CO 9:10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

And do you know what? Your giving, your caring for other Christians will have a witnessing impact too. 2CO 9:12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

So living in community obligates us to look beyond our walls and realize that the church extends around the world. Where our sisters and brothers are poor or persecuted, our own family is under attack.

The other obligation living in community brings us is the obligation to shoulder our load as we are able: 2TH 3:6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. 7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. 10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat."

2TH 3:11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.

Now look: You can’t just tell every poor person to get a job. In Haiti we met many poor people who, when offered a job for a day, could and would work harder than any of us. But there aren’t nearly enough jobs around them and so we HAVE to help them. On the Lakota reservation, you can’t solve poverty there by telling people to get to work. Young people need to be taught to work, but also given HOPE that things can be different. They need to be taught where to find opportunities, and in many cases set free from addiction. Even in the early church in Acts 6, Peter didn’t tell the widows to get to work! He found a way to distribute food to those in need.

But when you’re living in community and you really care about your fellow Christians, you certainly don’t want to burden them with laziness. You want to pull your load and work. Of course in every community, there are some who don’t love the brotherhood like they should and they DO want to be carried along, and so Paul has to address them with: “If a man won’t work, he shall not eat”. And that is a legitimate teaching and we shouldn't shy away from applying it out of a mistaken notion of love, not in our missions work, not in our charity, not in our businesses, not in our homes.

One disheartening thing about benevolence ministry is when we see people who don't want to work. A few people who come here for food aren't sick or elderly, they don't have jobs, they aren't part of the community here and so they really don't care where the money comes from. They would take as much as we would give and not feel any obligation to go out and make a new start. We (Joanie) treats these folks with the love of Christ, counsels them about who we are and who our Lord is and why we are here at all trying to help. But if they persist in refusing to work, we have to say “we can't help anymore.”

That sounds easy, doesn't it? Except it isn't easy to sort out those who could help themselves from those who cannot, and even those who COULD often have children who cannot help themselves.

When I get judgmental, I tend to think that 90% of those coming here are totally abusing us, but it isn't that high, and our help is limited to fairly small amounts. In truth, through Benevolence, we show and tell of the love of Christ on your behalf in tangible ways to people who won't otherwise hear it.

In your bulletin...an announcement, a call to help do more...as God leads you, over and above...

One last thing…I said at the beginning that today’s lesson was the easiest; it’s the closest to “common sense”. But that’s only the case if you’re walking with God. If you aren’t, it goes against your grain to help your brothers that you know and especially other Christians you don’t know, and that’s why the third lesson is that…

In this community, values are inverted. For example, the world says that you should be judged by your deeds, not your heart: 1 Corinthians 13:3 says: If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

At the same time, Scripture says that love expressed means that you care about people with your actions. James 2:14-17 - 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

And 1 John 3:16-17 - 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

If you are in God’s Kingdom…or as Jesus said, if the Kingdom is in you…your values about poverty and poor people will be in the process of turning upside down, and you won’t be able to help yourself. You’ll have to care. You’ll have to help.

Morrison Hill Christian Church
P.O. Box 59 - 1008 E. Race St.
Kingston, TN 37763 (865) 376-5205