Q: When along the way in Christianity did we start going away from the idea of taking care of the poor as they did in Acts when it said there was no one in need? And what can we do as a group/church to get back to that?
A: I wrote a blog a while back entitled "Charities are Terrible!" Click HERE to read it before you go on to the answer below.
I think right now we have a great opportunity as the Church to regain our responsibilities of meeting social needs and tackling social justice issues. With a fickle economy, high gas prices, and so much uncertainty in the stock and real estate markets, people are giving less and less of their money away. Charities are having to cut back on paid staff positions and their reach of influence is shrinking due to a lack of funding. This is unfortunate because many people will go unhelped by these charities. This is also fortunate that many people will go unhelped by these charities, because it will allow the Church to step up and meet these needs like it was originally intended. The struggling economy can serve as tool to refocus the church to give more and meet unreached needs.
James 1:27 mentions the importance of looking after orphans and widows, and Jesus's ministry was marked by times he helped people that were in need. REVO's stance is modeled after Jesus's ministry. We want to do more than just provide a meal or a place to stay. We want to invest in the person and help them Move Forward in their life. We want them to know Jesus and begin a relationship with him.
WARNING: Anytime someone asks me what the CHURCH is doing to help meet a need or reach out to a specific group of people, I always have the same response: You tell me what YOU are doing first. So many people think it's a great idea for the church to spend money and give their time, but personally they aren't giving much at all. They throw the responsibility back on the corporate church instead of realizing that THEY ARE the church. When Scripture says that the church ought to take care of needs, it's really referring to the people that make up the church, not some 501(c)(3) with a bank account. In the original text mentioned in the question, the reason the people didn't have a need is because others in the church sold land, gave money, and met these needs personally.
So, what if the church followed YOUR example? What if the church gave, served, and really sacrificed the same percentage of time and money that YOU do personally? Would we be able to look out and make that same statement found in Acts: because of YOUR example and YOU setting the standard for giving, no one has any needs? Are YOU so filled with the grace of God that the overflow of generosity and servanthood in your life motivates others to give more and serve harder?
I'll leave you with a quote from one of Michael Jackson's #1 hits:
I'm Starting With The Man In the Mirror.
I'm Asking Him To Change His Ways
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place Take A Look At Yourself,
And Then Make A Change.
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