Others

On the blog revgalblogpals, there is a weekly Thursday "column" where ministers ask questions about their churches or their ministry, and other members of the community try to help them to find answers.

The question this week had to do with what to do if a family in the church is having trouble making ends meet -- in fact, this family is about to become homeless. What does a church do?

As they answered the question, a reference was made to Acts 2:42-47. We've been talking about this in our church for about a year as part of our visioning process. How do we put this in action in our modern churches?

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

What does it mean for a church to answer God's call in this situation? One of the people writing the blog post said that when someone in her church was faced with a similar situation, another member volunteered to pay the hurting family's mortgage payments for a year. Amazing.

Our church organized a fund last year in honor of one of our members. It is called the Jim Ray Fund for Others. When either members of the church or the community come to the pastors, asking for financial help, then money is already their to provide it.

It seems to me that these are examples of "giving to anyone as he has need." Modernized.

How are we called to be a church? Perhaps one way is that we are called to make the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ more important to us than we would otherwise. Perhaps we are called to respond to God's love for us by sharing God's love with Others.

Image: Today, in the park