Read Acts 11:27-30

I am receiving requests for financial assistance more often these days.  Twice in the past month a stranger has approached me at a service station and asked for gasoline money.  I frequently receive emails requesting financial assistance for church members who are really struggling.

Not all the requests for financial aid are legitimate; sometimes people cleverly exploit the system and we need to refuse them rather than enable their addiction.  But more and more requests are from people who are legitimately in need.  How we respond speaks volumes about our faith and our priorities.

No one can accurately predict how long America’s current economic woes will continue.   Hopefully the nation will return to prosperous times soon.  However, there is a possibility we may never again know the incredible prosperity of the past few decades.  We have lived in extraordinary good times.

This prolonged malaise in the economy is the toughest time we’ve faced since the Great Depression of the 1930’s.  It’s now seriously impacting a number of churches and parachurch organizations.  Smaller offerings have resulted in cutbacks in mission giving, a reduction in the number of paid staff members, the delay in the construction of needed new buildings, and the trimming of ministry budgets.

These times call for Christian people to step up and help one another.  That’s what churches and caring families did for each other during the Depression.  In the late 30’s, since my dad had a dependable factory job, two uncles came to live in our house.  There were already two small children and only three bedrooms but somehow my parents found a place for two additional family members to eat and sleep while they looked for work during the day.

That’s similar to what the early church did.  Acts 4:33-35 states, “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 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.”

Years later when the Jerusalem church was hit with both a famine and persecution the believers in Antioch responded to their need and took up an offering on their behalf.  “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”  (Acts 11:29-30)

If tough times continue much longer, Christians with resources will need to provide significant aid to others who are struggling.  Churches with no mortgage payments and some money in the bank will need to help congregations in danger of bankruptcy.  In some cases, your resources are needed now.  Instead of protecting yourself and shaking your head in disgust at others who are less fortunate, now is the time to give generously to brothers and sisters under pressure.   Maybe God has brought you into the kingdom for such a time as this.

For a few years my wife and I kept a little money in a “rainy-day-fund”.  We developed that little nest egg just in case some unexpected difficulty arose.  Not long ago a relative got into some serious financial stress through no fault of his own.  My wife suggested we use our reserve fund to help his family out.  I said, ‘Judy, we’ve saved that up for a rainy day.”  Her response was simply, “Well, it’s raining!”   Enough said.

Some older, established Christians and churches have contingency funds in reserve.  It’s time to look beyond your own four walls and reach out to believers who are struggling. “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?”  (1 John 3:17)