Meeting Needs Within the Church Family (Santosh Poonen)

If you are serious about building the Body of Christ, God will give you family that is closer than your own immediate family. The gate into the church must never be anything other than this : have you forsaken all to follow Jesus Christ? When the church begins to help people without truly ascertaining whether there is a genuine need, the result is that people become: idle, house wanderers, gossips and busybodies, given to wanton pleasure; this brings reproach to the name of Christ (I Timothy 5:3,6-7,11-13). This is the danger of the “social gospel”. All human compassion is as far away from the compassion of God as heaven is above the earth (Isaiah 55:9). The secret to seeing the practical needs of people around us met, is to get them gripped with the message of being a disicple of Jesus Christ. The reason Jesus was able to accomplish everything that He was suppposed to do even in the short 33 years, is because He only did what the Father commanded — no less, no more. Jesus is the perfect example that if we walk in step with the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can accomplish within our lifetime, everything that the Father has intended for us to do on earth. As a church it is vital for us to be sure that the work we are doing is that of gold, silver, and precious stones (I Corinthians 2:12-13) — that it is from God, through God, and to God (Romans 11:36). Before someone receives assistance from the church he/she must: have a good testimony in marriage and home, have a reputation in good works, have shown hospitality, have been a servant to the church, have assisted those in distress, have devoted themselves to every good work; this gives the enemy no occasion for reproach (I Timothy 5:9-10,14). Before a church provides assistance to someone we must remember the Scriptural principle that immediate family has the first responsibility: children must provide for needy parents, and parents provide for needy children (I Timothy 5:4,16). When we provide for our immediate family, it’s an indication of our fear of God, and it pleases God (I Timothy 5:4). The “Corban” mentality (Mark 7:6-13) will cause you to neglect the responsibility that you have to your immediate family. Such a person has disowned the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (I Timothy 5:8). When will the Devil want you to read the Bible? When doing so prevents you from doing that other thing that God wants you to do! This is how he comes as an angel of light. If you are a person requiring assistance from the church: fix your hope on God, and continue in entreaties and prayers night and day (I Timothy 5:5). If you truly believe the church is your family, you will: treat church resources as if they are your own; be frugal with church money so that genuine needs can be met; be a steward who is both faithful (not cheating) and wise (not wasting).