Loving One Another Financially, Part I: Love Is Financial Giving with the Goal to Wipe Out the Poverty of Christians in Need

Events that have recently arisen in our church have led us to discuss the role of the church in taking care of widows and elders (and others), and what God expects of the church when those who once served it can no longer do so but still need financial support. I suddenly realized that we have never really laid any of that down in writing, even though we have spoken of it here and there, so I thought I would do a miniseries on the church’s obligation toward those who are in need. This first installment will discuss the obligation the church has toward fellow Christians in need, then discuss those who once served it as fathers and mothers, and finally just some comments on the true religion of taking care of widows and orphans in James.

It should go without saying that a parent who does not provide everything for his child that he needs is unloving, and a grown child who does not provide everything his parent needs is unloving, but somehow this is not often applied to the church. When one is in need, we give partial provisions that leave our fellow Christians in as much need as they had before. A $50 food card is a nice gesture, and if everyone gave one, a large family would have enough to eat for the month, but they would still be freezing in the winter cold, dying from heat exposure in the summer blaze, getting sick with no means to bathe or wash clothes, and without the ability to call anyone in case of emergencies. Furthermore, since only one $50 food card is often given, it isn't even taking care of that need.

Instead, this type of giving is meant to make the giver feel good about giving to a needy family, but it does not solve any of the problems of the needy family. Rather, they are just as needy after these small gifts are given as they were before.

In the Book of Acts, we see that the early church understood its obligations much better than the modern one often does. In Acts 4:34-35, the text states the following phenomenon in the early church.

For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need. 

Notice that first clause, "For there was no one needy among them." No one needed anything, and this is the result of the zeal to take care of one another that each Christian had so as to liquidate many of his possessions (I would argue that this is extra property, houses, items of non-necessity) they had in order to work toward getting rid of any need among them. It wasn't some extra change in the pocket, or a gift card, or a donation of some old clothes, as much as those can add up and be a good contribution when put together collectively. It was working together through the leadership of the church to wipe out any need among them. This is what our local churches need to set their minds to do if they want to know what love looks like financially, and this is what one should think of when he reads John's exhortation in 1 John 3:10-18.

By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness—the one who does not love his fellow Christian—is not of God. For this is the gospel message that you have heard from the beginning: that we should love one another, not like Cain who was of the evil one and brutally murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous. Therefore do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have crossed over from death to life because we love our fellow Christians. The one who does not love remains in death. Everyone who hates his fellow Christian is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. But whoever has the world’s possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue but in deed and truth.

Notice that John describes love in this context as financial giving to a Christian among you in need. To ignore the need is to hate and murder one's brother as Cain murdered his brother. In other words, the two seeds of Genesis 3-5, the children of the devil and the children of God, are manifest in their love or hatred toward their brethren, which itself is exposed by the diligent work to get rid of a brother's need versus the lack of action taken to do so by the sacrifice of one's own finances. 

How we treat and deal with the problems of the poor among us is the tell-tale sign of whether we know God or not as our Father and Christ as our Lord and Savior.

It is not that one person in the church should do this, but that a church should pull together, under its leadership, to do it. That is the pattern. A contribution of one's life here and another there, directed to the actual needs that need to be addressed will make the giving of a cup of water into a well. This should be the goal of the church of God. Let not a building go up or maintained, nor a church cruise or camping trip be taken, nor a party be thrown until all the saints are warm and filled. For what we have done to one another when in need we have done to the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 25:31-46).