Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Biblical Femininity
Saturday, April 6, 2024
Caring for the Poor and Needy
There is a long tradition amongst Christians to give of their incomes to the church. This is biblically mandated by God in the Old Testament as a way of providing for the Levites. The Levites were the tribe of Israel that was in charge of the temple of God and did not own property as the other eleven tribes did. One might be tempted to think that tithing is no longer necessary as we no longer live under Old Testament law. However, Jesus specifically said in Mathew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. For this reason, we still bring our tithes (ten percent of our income) to the church.
However, the Bible talks not only of tithes, but of
offerings. Offerings are monetary gifts given to God through various means that
go above and beyond ten percent of one’s income. It is often through tithes
that Christians take care of the costs of keeping a church open. It is through
offerings that they reach out to those in need in their communities and in their
lives.
Offerings can be given directly to the church and
distributed through a church’s benevolence funds. This is a perfectly
acceptable way to offer of one’s resources to the Lord. However, there are many
people in the world in need of help who may never darken the doors of a church.
That is where believers have the opportunity and responsibility to give of
their resources on their own.
There are many good reasons for a believer to give above and
beyond his required ten percent. Caring for those who can’t adequately care for
themselves is something that has always been important to God. Deuteronomy
15:11 says “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command
you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy.” God
acknowledges the poor in the land and explains his system to care for them. Ephesians
4:28 says “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,
doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.” We are
encouraged to work with our hands so that we have the resources to care for
those I need. In Galatians 6:2 we are
commanded to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the
law of Christ.” It’s not just a suggestion that we carry each other’s burdens.
It’s the law. Hebrews 13:16 admonishes
us “Do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices,
God is pleased.” It pleases God when his children care for each other.
However, we’re not just told to care for the poor and needy
just because it’s important to God, although this would be reason enough.
Hebrews 6:10 tells us that “God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and
the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help
them.” Showing kindness to others is a tangible way of serving God. He draws a
direct parallel between our service to Him and our service to others. Matthew
5:16 says “In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may
see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This verse tells us
that the people we serve will draw this same parallel. They will look at our
good deeds and glorify God as a direct result. Matthew 25:35-40 really brings
this home. “’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I
needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in
prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to
drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes an
clothe you? when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The
king will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” In the following five
verses, we see the other side of this equation for those who did not help with
verses 44 and 45 saying “they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you
hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and
did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do
for the least of these, you did not do for me.’”
There is a third aspect of giving which Randy Alcorn
explains quite effectively in his book The
Treasure Principle. Luke 12:33-34
tells us to “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for
yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail.
Where no thief comes near and no moth destroys for where your treasure is there
your heart will be also.” You can’t take your treasure with you, but you can
send it on ahead. Luke 6:38 says “Give and it will be given unto you. A good
measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into
your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” We are to
give generously of what we have been given and God will reward our faith. Proverbs
19:17 corroborates this point by saying “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to
the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 22:9
continues this point with “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they
share their food with the poor.”
However, in Philippians 2:3-4 we are warned “Do nothing out
of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests
of others.” Our motivation matters. If we are giving out of a desire to be
rewarded, our motivation is wrong. James 1:17 reminds us that “Every good and
perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change like the shifting shadows.” Nothing that we have belongs to
us. It is only in our possession thanks to the generous nature of God. It is
important for us to remember that we are but stewards of God’s resources. Give
credit where credit is due.
James 2:14-17 really ties all this together well. “What good
is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no
deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes
and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well
fed.’ But does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same
way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Our giving
is a direct indication of our faith. We only hold tightly to what we have if we
don’t trust god to give us what we need. We have the massive blessing of being
the executers of God’s estate. We get to be the channels through which God
blesses those around us. We get to give freely from God’s storehouse and watch
Him change lives.
So, the natural response to such a realization is to
consider how the present-day church is doing in regards to the poor and needy.
How are we caring for the widows and orphans? I am sure that there are many
churches that are working very hard in this area. A 2017 article on
Christianitytoday.com titled How Many
Churches Does America Have? More Than Expected cited a 2012 National
Congregations Study that stated that the U.S. had 384,000 congregations. I
doubt very much that all of these churches are taking the Poor and Needy
mandate seriously. My primary evidence for this statement is the United States
Welfare System.
I firmly believe that the safety net system we have in our
country would be completely irrelevant and altogether unnecessary if Christians
in America were fulfilling their responsibility to their fellowman. I specify Christians
here, not the church in general. The church can and should participate in
caring for the less fortunate in her respective communities, but God’s plan for
caring for widows and orphans starts with the family unit. Every family is
responsible to care for their own. First Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and
especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” In circumstances
where there is no family infrastructure to care for someone in need, it is
certainly appropriate for the church to step in. However, the church’s primary
responsibility is to facilitate spiritual growth for believers.
There is also something to be said about the priorities for
giving. I think the Bible indicates that we should care for fellow believers
before we care for strangers. John 13:34-35 says
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one
another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” If we don’t care
for each other, we send a mixed message to the people to whom we are witnessing.
While our existence is certainly more than our physical needs, it is not less
than our physical needs.
So, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from
the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:4) “Do not withhold good from
those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” Proverbs 3:27) “Share
with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13).
And “…Anyone who has two shirts should share with one who has none, and anyone
who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11)
One final thought, often we wonder how much of our resources
we should give to those in need. C.S. Lewis addresses this point in his book Mere Christianity and I don’t think I
can express it any better than he. “I am afraid the only safe rule is to give
more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditures on comforts,
luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the
same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our
charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are far too small.”
Saturday, March 16, 2024
Do Different Interpretations of Genesis One Matter?
We’re going through the book of Genesis in our adult Sunday school class at church. There are a lot of different issues that come up in a verse-by-verse study of Genesis. The first hurdle we have to clear is how to interpret chapter one.
There are a few different interpretations in circulation at
the moment. The first is the Young Earth interpretation. This interpretation
holds that the earth is somewhere between six thousand and ten thousand years
old depending on whether we take the genealogies in Genesis to be open genealogies
or closed genealogies. Open genealogies have gaps between the individuals
listed. Closed genealogies do not. Some genealogies should be taken as open, and
some should be taken as closed. The other identifying characteristic of this
interpretational matrix is that the universe was created in six literal 24-hour
days as is indicated by the text. This view holds that in Genesis 1:1, God created
all the matter in the universe and that he formed and organized it in the following
verses.
The second interpretation is called the Gap Theory. The gap
theory shares the interpretation of the days of creation with the previous view
but does not hold to the idea of a young earth. Gap Theory suggests that there
is a gap in between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 of about 4.7 billion years. The
idea is that Genesis 1:1 tells the story of an initial creation of the entire
universe and Genesis 1:2 begins the account of a second creation. Why is there
a need for a second creation? Good question. According to Gap Theory, the
rebellion of Lucifer takes place in between the first and second verses of the
chapter and all life on earth was destroyed. Genesis 1:2 is when God starts his
creation for the second time to restore the earth to its former glory. This interpretation
attempts to explain why the earth appears to be old.
The third interpretation is Deistic Evolutionary Theory. This
theory was held by none other than Charles Darwin. It suggests that God created
the earth and the primordial goo from which all creatures evolved. Under this
interpretation, the six days of creation are symbolic lengths of time that
represent different stages of evolution. The Day Age view is consistent with
this interpretation. There is an additional theory called Progressive
Creationism. I have not given it its own category because I struggle to
distinguish it from Deistic Evolutionary Theory.
Finally, we come to the Big Bang Theory and secular
evolution. This theory doesn’t take Genesis into account at all, so I will not
be spending any time discussing it except to distinguish it from Deistic
Evolutionary Theory. I will say that the Big Bang Theory, apart from the
evolutionary aspects, is consistent with Genesis in that all matter was created
in an extremely short amount of time. However, the Biblical perspective is that
God spoke everything into existence whereas the secular position is that the big
bang was spontaneous or self-caused.
I hold to the first position. I think it’s the most straight
forward interpretation of the text. Gap Theory requires us to insert something
into the text that has no independent collaboration outside of the theory
itself. Deistic evolution seems to be an attempt to accommodate the scriptural
teaching to the scientific theories of the day. The one thing a Young Earth
Creationist must answer is how to explain the apparent age of the earth. There are
a few responses. First, God is capable of creating the earth with apparent age.
He created Adam fully formed. Creating the world with the appearance of age
does not make him deceptive because he told us in scripture how he created the
universe. Second, much of the earth’s apparent age can be explained by the catastrophic
effects of the great flood. The fossil record in particular can be explained by
this. The arguments about the scope or historicity of the great flood will have
to wait to be addressed in a future article.
So, the question is, does this really matter? There are
otherwise faithful Christians who hold to any of the first three
interpretations of Genesis 1. I listen to teaching from people who hold all
three of the deistic positions. They have a lot of good things to say, and I find
their work to be very valuable. It’s clear from history and personal experience
that God can draw straight lines with crooked stick and we’re all crooked
sticks. I have been asked if I would require a pastoral candidate to hold to a
young earth position. This is a good point. I would say that it depends on the
alternative position. Each one of these interpretations requires a different hermeneutical
standard. (Hermeneutics is simply the interpretation of language and is used
mostly in regards to scripture.) The Young Earth position basically takes the
scriptural account in the most straight forward manner. The Gap theory requires
inserting a very large event into the text. Deistic evolution effects a person's
view of man.
So, I would prefer to sit under the teaching of a Young
Earth creationist. I would not disqualify a Gap Theorist. However, I do think I
would vote against a pastoral candidate who holds to deistic evolution. Here’s
why, the theological ramifications of any evolutionary theory are too great.
Scripture teaches that man is created in God’s image. How do we account for that
if man is simply a more highly evolved animal? There is a clear differentiation
in scripture between animals and humans. That’s why we can eat animals, but
murder of humans is punishable by death (Genesis 9:3-6). Furthermore, the
cultural mandate was given to man not to animals (Genisis 1:28-30). To believe in
evolution is to call into question God’s special creation of man and man’s
special status as God’s image bearers and vice regents on earth.
Another issue with any interpretation that includes
evolution relates to federal headship. The Bible teaches that all mankind is
fallen in Adam. This means that we inherit our sinful nature from Adam. This not
only explains why every person, with one exception, is sinful, it also explains
why salvation can be procured through the death and resurrection of one man (Romans
5:12-21). If Adam represents the group of people who finally evolved from Neanderthals
to homo-sapiens, we are not all fallen in one man. If we are not all fallen in
one man, we cannot be redeemed in one man.
If a man is willing to accept these theological contradictions
to scripture, I don’t want him to be my pastor. I would be willing to partner
with him on other issues. I wouldn’t necessarily question his salvation based
on his interpretation of Genesis alone. However, I would be concerned with how
he interprets other scriptures that do relate directly to salvation issues. To be
fair, I would be concerned that a Gap Theorist might be inclined to insert
things into the text that are not necessary or appropriate. We should recognize
that Young Earth creationists might miss some of the poetic passages in
scripture and interpret them as the wrong genre.
The fact of the matter is, the Holy Scripture is God-breathed
and we’re human beings. We’re going to struggle from time to time, but not all
mistakes are equally dangerous. In my opinion, a Young Earth interpretation of
Genesis will set the reader up for the most consistent understanding of the Bible
as a whole. If you get the foundation straight, the rest of the house is more
likely to look like the blueprints intend.
Thursday, April 25, 2019
The Foundation of a Christian's Identity
People today are defined by their work, now more than anytime in recent history. In his article, "Workism is Making Americans Miserable", Derek Thompson discusses the preoccupation of Americans on work. He spends a sizeable section of his article discussing the role religion has had on this trend in our country.
“The decline of traditional faith in America has coincided with an explosion of new atheisms, some people worship beauty, some worship political identities, and others worship their children. But everyone worships something. And workism is among the most potent of the new religions competing for congregants,” Thompson asserts. And I think he’s right.
I was introduced to this article through a radio interview with the author on NPR’s On Point. During the discussion, Adam Grant, one of the other guests on the program, suggested that the idea of workism has its roots in Christianity, “dating back to Martin Luther and the Protestant ethic, where work was your
duty from God.” (The highlights for this program can be found in an article titled "You Might Love Your Job. But Does Your Job Love You Back?" on wbur’s website or On Point’s Facebook page.) This is the facet of the issue I would like to concentrate on in this piece.
It is fair to say that work ethic is an important part of the Christian identity. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” In fact, this mandate to work goes all the way back to the beginning of humanity. Genesis 2:15 says “The Lord took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Work was always a part of the plan, even before the fall.
Therefore, it’s obvious that work is a good thing. As Christians, our work ethic is a part of our spiritual testimony to the world. In first Corinthians 10:31, we are commanded to do everything, including work, to the glory of God. In Matthew 5:16 we are commanded to “…let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (I understand that the works in this last verse is broader than just our jobs, but it is definitely inclusive of our means of income.)The manner and attitude in which we execute our daily responsibilities at work is an extremely important piece of our testimony.
However, nowhere does it say that our work should become our identity. There is a tendency in this day and age to define everyone we meet by what they do for a
living. This is an extension of, or a precursor to, the intersectionality movement we are experiencing today. This movement asserts that you can know everything we need to know about a person based solely in the social, racial, and economical categories in which an individual falls. (This is not Biblical. I will not be exploring intersectionality in this post except as it applies to our career identities.)
Perhaps the most important thing for a Christian to understand is that our identity is rooted in Christ, not our careers, economic status, or even our family. All of these are important parts of who we are, but should not be our driving identities. The fact of the matter is, career, economic status, and family are
fragile foundations for a structure as important as one's identity. One’s job can be taken away tomorrow. I’m a garbage man. That’s a fairly secure job. However, in a different world, my job might not even exist. If everyone recycled everything they could, reused everything that still had use, repaired instead of replaced, and composted food waste, there would be very little waste and therefore little need for someone to haul it away. The various depressions and recessions in our history have shown us just how fragile our economic status is. All it takes is for the stock market to crash or the housing bubble to burst and the vast majority of Americans can lose everything. Family is hopefully more secure, but nobody can know for certain what our future holds. Whether it’s a future full of familial love and fellowship or a tragedy that leaves you the sole survivor, nobody knows.
When we build our entire identity structure on something that can so easily be crumbled, we run the risk of collapsing completely when tragedy strikes. History is full of examples where individuals took their own lives because of job insecurity or dissatisfaction, economic hardship, or family loss. These situations are devastating in any case. However, when they are the foundation of a person’s identity, they can be deadly.
First John 3:1-2 states “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” John goes on in the first half of chapter three to make the contrast between those who practice righteousness and those who practice sin saying in verse ten “by this it is evident who are children of God and who are children of the devil…” So, through this passage, we see where our true identity lies, in God as his children, and in how we broadcast our identity through works of righteousness.
Horatio Spafford, a successful business man, lost everything in the great Chicago fire of 1871 not long after his son died. In 1873, he planned a vacation for him, his wife, and four daughters, but had to remain behind due to some unexpected developments in his business. He sent his family on vacation and promised to join them as soon as possible. On November 22, 1873, the ship his family took to Europe was struck by an English vessel called the Lochearn and sank in twelve minutes. Horatio’s wife telegraphed him from Wales, her message contained only two words. “Saved alone.”
Within a few short years, Horatio Spafford lost nearly everything. However, as tragic as these life events were, Spafford still penned the words to one of the great hymns of the faith, It Is Well With My Soul. “When peace like a river attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.” Such powerful words, penned at such a heart-wrenching time, are an incredible testament to where this man’s identity was rooted. His foundation was his faith. His rock was his God. So confident was he in the identity he had in Christ that, when sorrows like sea billows rolled, he was able to say “it is well with my soul.
Saturday, April 20, 2019
Barabbas' Tale Part Two
Barabbas' Tale Part One
Thursday, April 18, 2019
Church Wellfare
There is a long tradition amongst Christians to give of their incomes to the church. This is biblicallymandated by God in the Old Testament as a way of providing for the Levites. The Levites were the tribe of Israel that was in charge of the temple of God and did not own property as the other eleven tribes
did. One might be tempted to think that tithing is no longer necessary as we no longer live under old testament law. However, Jesus specifically said in Mathew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. For this reason, we still bring our tithes (ten percent of our income) to the church.
However, the Bible talks not only of tithes, but of offerings. Offerings are monetary gifts given to God through various means that go above and beyond ten percent of one’s income. It is often through tithes
that Christians take care of the costs of keeping a church open. It is through offerings that they reach out to those in need in their communities and in their lives.
Offerings can be given directly to the church and distributed through a church’s benevolence funds. This is a perfectly acceptable way to offer of one’s resources to the Lord. However, there are many people in the world who are in need of help but may never darken the doors of a church. That is where believers have the opportunity and responsibility to give of their resources on their own.
There are many good reasons for a believer to give above and beyond his required ten percent. Caring for those who can’t adequately care for themselves is something that has always been important to God. Deuteronomy 15:11 says “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you
to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy.” God acknowledges the poor in the land and explains his system to care for them. Ephesians 4:28 says “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have
something to share with those in need.” We are encouraged to work with our hands so that we have the resources to care for those in need. In Galatians 6:2 we are commanded to “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” It’s not just a suggestion that we carry each other’s burdens. It’s the law. Hebrews 13:16 admonishes us “Do not forget to do good and share with
others, for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.” It pleases God when his children care for each other.
However, we’re not just told to care for the poor and needy just because it’s important to God, although
this would be reason enough. Hebrews 6:10 tells us that “God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them.” Showing kindness to others is a tangible way of serving God. He draws a direct parallel between our service to
Him and our service to others. Matthew 5:16 says “In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” This verse tells us that the people we serve will draw this same parallel. They will look at our good deeds and glorify God as a direct result. Matthew 25:35-40 really brings this home. “’For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the
righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes an clothe you? when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The king will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” In the following five verses, we see the other side of this equation for those who did not help with verses 44 and 45 saying “they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for the least of these, you did not do for me.’”
There is a third aspect of giving which Randy Alcorn explains quite effectively in his book "The Treasure Principle." Luke 12:33-34 tells us to “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail. Where no thief comes near and no moth destroys for where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” You can’t take your treasure with you, but you can send it on ahead. Luke 6:38 says “Give and it will be given unto you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” We are to give generously of what we have been
given and God will reward our faith. Proverbs 19:17 corroborates this point by saying “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.” Proverbs 22:9
continues this point with “The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.”
However, in Philippians 2:3-4 we are warned “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests, but each of you to the interests of others.” Our motivation matters. If we are giving out of a desire to be rewarded, our
motivation is wrong. James 1:17 reminds us that “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.” Nothing that we have belongs to us. It is only in our possession thanks to the generous nature of God. It is important for us to remember that we are but stewards of God’s resources. Give credit where credit is due. James 2:14-17 really ties all this together well. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone
claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed.’ But does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Our giving is a direct indication of our faith. We only hold tightly to what we have if we don’t trust God to give us what we need. We have the massive blessing of being the executers of God’s estate. We get to be the channels through which God blesses those around us. We
get to give freely from God’s storehouse and watch Him change lives.
So, the natural response to such a realization is to consider how the present-day church is doing in regards to the poor and needy. How are we caring for the widows and orphans? I am sure that there are many churches that are working very hard in this area. A 2017 article on Christianitytoday.com titled
"How Many Churches Does America Have? More Than Expected" cited a 2012 National Congregations study that stated that the U.S. had 384,000 congregations. I doubt very much that all of these churches are taking the Poor and Needy mandate seriously. My primary evidence for this statement is the United
States Welfare System. I firmly believe that the safety net system we have in our country would be completely irrelevant and altogether unnecessary if the Christian church in America was taking care of the poor and needy, the widows and orphans, in their respective communities. God’s plan was for the church to be the community safety net for those who lack the resources to provide for themselves. What better way to live our faith than that? People can’t argue with the love of God when we’re serving them in their time of need.
So, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:4) “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.” (Proverbs 3:27) “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13). And “…Anyone who has two shirts should share with one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11)
One final thought, often we wonder how much of our resources we should give to those in need. C.S.
Lewis addresses this point in his book "Mere Christianity" and I don’t think I can express it any better than
he. “I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditures
on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same
income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper
us, I should say they are far too small."