The Church: Helping in Time of Need

“During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through he Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. This happened during the reign of Claudius. 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 11:27-30 (NIV).

Helping those in need is a principle taught by Jesus and promoted and practiced by the church. “The poor you will have always with you,” Jesus taught. Also, He gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan to teach us that we are to reach out with compassion to those who hurt and are in need.

The passage cited for today’s devotional lists several leaders in the early church, all of whom had active roles in leading the believers to look with compassion on people in need and to respond and give to help alleviate the needs. Prophets had the ability to foresee and predict situations needing response. Agabus was one of these. The disciples, who may refer to the “early disciples” and also seems in this verse to refer to the new converts in the Antioch Church, the brothers, fellow believers living in Judea where the famine struck, and the elders who were charged with overseeing the business of the church. And of course Barnabas and Saul were the missionaries to Antioch from Jerusalem. They would have been highly interested in the welfare of the believers at any location where churches and believers lived.

Agabus in his ability to foresee the coming of the famine, was able to lead the Antioch Church to begin a relief fund which later (maybe as long as ten years later during the reign of Claudius Caesar) assisted with the famine that did occur.

The example set by the early church of helping those in need became a principle for the church then and since. Those churches who genuinely reach out in love to share with others are fulfilling the mission assigned by Christ. The recent devastating earthquake in Haiti has caused many churches to reach out in love, to send relief as well as mission teams to serve physical and medical needs of the people. Think of floods, famine, poverty, illness and calamities of many sorts.

If we are not moved by compassion to share what we have with those who suffer, we need to examine our motives and rearrange our priorities. Christian love shares.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, April 21, 2010