In what ways can your church community better support those in need? Root command from Romans 12:13 “Share with the saints who are in need. Practice hospitality.” • The instruction is straightforward, literal, and binding on every believer. • Paul links financial generosity and open–door hospitality as twin duties of love. Seeing the Church as Family • Acts 2:44-45 shows early believers “had everything in common,” modeling life as a spiritual household. • 1 Timothy 5:1-2 calls us to treat older men as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters. • When the congregation thinks “family,” needs are noticed quickly and met personally. Practical Ways to Share with the Saints • Establish or strengthen a benevolence fund; earmark a set percentage of the church budget. • Empower deacons or a mercy team to vet requests and deliver aid discreetly. • Stock a food pantry and clothing closet; invite members to give first-fruits, not leftovers. • Organize a “skills bank” (mechanics, plumbers, tutors) so labor help is as available as financial help. • Provide gift cards or fuel vouchers for single parents and the elderly. • Create a job-search network, résumé workshops, and interview coaching. • Offer temporary rent or utility assistance tied to financial counseling. • Mobilize small groups to adopt widows, shut-ins, and the disabled for ongoing care. Expanding Hospitality Beyond the Sanctuary • Open homes for shared meals (Hebrews 13:2). • Host traveling missionaries or church-planting interns. • Invite college students, military personnel, and new believers for Sunday lunch. • Plan “loaves-and-fishes” potlucks where each family brings extra to share with guests. • Use the church building for community GED classes or support groups, meeting practical needs while building gospel bridges. Guarding the Heart Behind the Help • Give willingly, “not reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7). • Combine compassion with discernment; “if anyone is not willing to work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). • Bear one another’s burdens without fostering long-term dependency (Galatians 6:2, 5). • Maintain confidentiality and dignity for recipients; avoid publicizing private struggles. Drawing Strength from Christ’s Example • “Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor” (2 Corinthians 8:9). • His self-emptying sets the pattern and supplies the grace for ours. • As each member abides in Him, the whole body becomes a conduit of His generous, hospitable love to all in need. |
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