Gracious to the Poor

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
12/10/17 - Sunday Morning

Gracious to the Poor

In our culture today we hear a good deal of conversation about the poor, or the homeless. What precisely is our obligation to the poor and specifically, what is the obligation of the local congregation to the poor?

A Stress on Generosity

There are many passages that emphasize the importance of being generous to the poor:

“Happy is he who is gracious to the poor” (Proverbs 14:21).
“He who is gracious to the needy honors Him (God)” (Proverbs 14:31).
“He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord” (Proverbs 19:17).
“They only asked us to remember the poor – the very thing I also was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10).

The Poor Were Workers

There are many passages which talk about the poor, yet at the same time mention the obligations that rest with someone who is living on the lower economic end of the scale:

The ransom price in Exodus 30:15 was half a shekel and this was true whether a person was poor or rich.
The poor were given the option of offering a sacrifice that was not as costly, but they were still expected to offer something (Leviticus 14:21).
The corners of the Israelite fields were to be left unharvested for the poor, but this required that the poor went out and did their own harvesting (Leviticus 23:22).
The Israelites were to promptly pay their hired labors, particularly those who were poor and needy (Deuteronomy 24:14-15).

The Poor were Often Godly People

“Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool” (Proverbs 19:1).
“Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5).
Paul reminded the Corinthians that most of them did not come from the higher social or economic classes (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).
In like manner, the Macedonian churches were filled with extremely poor members (2 Corinthians 8:1-2 “that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty”).
In fact, David before he became king, considered himself a poor man, “Is it trivial in your sight to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed” (1 Samuel 18:23).

All Poverty is Not the Same

In light of the above passages and what I see in the modern world, I believe that we often make the mistake of lumping everyone who is economically strapped into the same category.

In the Bible there are people who Scripture calls the “sluggard”. They end up poor, but it is because of their own laziness (Proverbs 6:10-11).
In a similar manner, we find passages that place some personal responsibility on some people who end up poor: “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand” (Proverbs 10:4).
“Do not love sleep, or you will become poor” (Proverbs 20:13).
“He who loves pleasure will become a poor man” (Proverbs 21:17).
On the other hand, there are people who are poor that Scripture attaches no judgment upon, rather, circumstances simply have not been friendly to them, such as the poor Christians in Macedonia.

Scriptural Limits on Generosity

When the New Testament congregations are recorded helping those in financial need, all the examples of this are consistent. New Testament churches only collected and gave funds to those who were needy Christians.

Acts 2:44-45 “Those who had believed were together and had all things in common”.
Acts 4:32-35 “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and souls; and not one of them claimed that anything belonged to him was his own, but all things were common property to them….and there was not a needy person among them”.
Acts 6:1 “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing…”
Acts 11:29 “And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea”.
Romans 15:26 “For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem”.
1 Corinthians 16:1 “Now concerning the collection for the saints”.

Without a doubt the early church was very generous, members sold property and laid the proceeds of the sales at the feet of the apostles, and yet distribution of such funds were only given to Christians. Never do we find the early church collecting funds for non-Christians, even though many needy non-Christians must have existed. Even when it came to helping Christians, there were a couple of other limitations:

Family should help first, so the church can help those who are truly in need (1 Timothy 5:16).
If a member is unwilling to work, then we are not allowed to help them financially. “For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Unfortunately, in the church at Thessalonica there were a number of members who were loafers (3:11).

The Individual Believer and the Poor

There clearly is a difference in the work or responsibility of the individual Christian and the local congregation he or she attends. For example see passages such as Matthew 18:15-17 or 1 Timothy 5:16. The idea that whatever the individual Christian can do, the local congregation is doing is not an idea rooted in Scripture. The individual Christian can own a business (1 Timothy 5:8) or be involved in politics (Romans 16:23), and yet there are no passages that give the local congregation permission to operate in those realms. So while the local congregation is only found helping Christians with the funds that it collects, the individual Christian is allowed to help non-Christians.

“So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10).

The above passage is clearly speaking of an obligation that rests upon the individual believer, for the entire stress of this section is on the individual:

6:1 “If anyone”. “You who are spiritual”.
6:3 “If anyone thinks”.
6:4 “Each man just examine his own work”.
6:5 “Each one will bear his own load”.
6:7 “Whatever a man sows”

Some Practical Considerations

Giving a stranger money is not always a good idea. Money can easily be abused and used for drugs and alcohol.
If you want to help someone, offer to buy them something to eat or take them to the store and get them some groceries.
Before you give, ask them to tell you their story. Show interest in them.
Their greatest need is the gospel, remember to share that.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net