"To contribute cheerfully and regularly to ... the relief of the poor"

For those of you reading this post whose church publicizes or uses a church covenant, these words may sound familiar. Many baptist churches throughout history have employed church covenants as a means whereby the membership of a particular local body of believers expresses and recommits to walk together in love by the power of the Holy Spirit. My church (Redeemer Church) has adapted with some slight modifications a version of a covenant which originally appeared in J. Newton Brown's Church Manual (1853). To read it click here (see the very bottom of the document entitled "Our Church Covenant").

We often reaffirm this covenant around the Lord's table as a (further) reminder of the fellowship we share in Christ and the responsibilities we share toward one another as a result of this mutual union with Christ (incidentally this is a major function of the Lord's Supper that is sometimes [perhaps often] overlooked). Thus, the focus of the covenant is horizontal (i.e., on the various responsibilities each member has with respect to the corporate body) but this focus is rooted and grounded in the vertical (i.e., in the relationship with and resultant responsibilities one has before God the Father, through Christ, by the Holy Spirit).

Tonight in our care group we discussed in passing the phrase with which this post is entitled ("To contribute cheerfully and regularly to ... the relief of the poor"). This is something that I struggle to understand and fulfill...something I long to understand and fulfill. It is to this end that I write. Thus, this post has two main purposes. First, I want to share some practical reflections that K and I have had regarding this issue. Second, I would love to hear back from the other person who reads this blog as to what he or she has come to understand about this issue.

Without further ado, here is my short list of reflections: five biblical-philosophical and three practical (with some overlap):

Five biblical-philosophical observations:

1. We give because everything we have has been given to us by God. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:16-17 ESV). “And he said, 'Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD'”(Job 1:21 ESV).
   
2. The focus of our ministry to the poor should be upon the helpless, destitute, and outcasts of our society. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, and the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”(James 1:27 ESV). Orphans and widows are quintessential examples of those upon whom we should target our care giving ministries. The able bodied hobos that line our street corners should not be the first thought in our mind when we think about the poor. Surely we must prayerfully witness and (when led by the Spirit) give to these person in wise and discerning ways (i.e., buy them food, not give them money) but they are not the main focus. How much better to aid the struggling single mother or widow or disabled person. We must be on the lookout for these sort of people. They are in desperate need of our help. Without it they will likely turn to unwholesome means of sustenance which will drag them lower and further perpetuate the cycle of poverty in their children.
   
3. Physical inreach within our churches is a pressing need and necessary expression of our discipleship to Christ. “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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”(John 13:34-35 ESV).
   
4. Physical outreach beyond the fellowship of the church is also a fruit of discipleship. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,* you did it to me’”(Matthew 25:34-40 ESV).
   
5. Giving is as much about attitude as it is about action. “Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”
   (2Corinthians 9:7 ESV). Note the intentionality implied by the phrase "made up his mind." Giving isn't something that finds us it is something in which we must actively engage ourselves.
   

Three practical suggestions:

1. Budget for giving. Set aside percentages of your income, food, time, etc. to give to specific areas of ministry. Remember that giving isn't just about money it's about meeting needs. Since giving is a mandate of Scripture its parameters are broad enough to include all believers rich and poor alike. Whether it's lending a helping hand, sharing canned goods, or writing a check, giving will require intentionality and planning (see #3 below).
   
2. Target your giving. Prayerfully seek to meet the physical needs in your local church, within your local community, and globally by the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
• Locally (within the church). Why not set aside a percentage of our monthly income to give to needy couples/individuals in our own congregations? If one answers, "I don't know who the needy members of the congregation are," my suggestion is twofold. First, in the longterm, you need to become more involved in the body life of your church. If you are involved (i.e., getting to know on a personal level) members of your church within the context of a small group needs will surface. Second, in the short term you can talk to your pastor. If your pastor is shepherding the flock he will know of people within the church's fellowship who could really use some help.
• Locally (outside the church). See the note below "Globally."
  
• Globally. A plethora of organizations are available that can meet the needs of others globally. However, as we must always be about fulfilling the Great Commission we must not indiscriminately give our money to just any organization that meets physical needs around the world. An organization to which I recommend giving is Compassion International. It is an explicitly Christian organization that affirms the core doctrines of the faith and seeks to fulfill the Great Commission (to read their mission statement and statement of faith click here). In addition to their own testimony, Compassion has been consistently endorsed by many notable evangelical voices as a faithful and efficient hunger and educational relief arm to underprivileged, third world children. The International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention will also sponsor hunger and disaster relief funds that missionaries draw from around the world. For more information click here. The main point I am trying to make is that we should give to organizations that truly meet physical needs but that do so with an eye toward faithfully advancing the Gospel.
• Note: While the last point is important, I do not want to reduce relief of the poor outside of the church to a $25 a month check in the mail. We need to be engaging our neighborhoods and communities with the Gospel and meeting practical everyday needs of the poor within those circles too. Admittedly this has always been my weakest area of involvement. I must further qualify this last statement by saying that all of these areas are weak in my life; so take "weakest" to be relative to the weakness of the other two (i.e., inreach and outreach-global).
3. Be joyful, regular, and intentional about your giving. Set goals for giving whatever it is you've set aside to give (i.e., personal time, food, money, etc.). The mandate to give is perpetual and must be a staple of our daily, weekly, monthly activities. If we fail to discipline ourselves in this activity, we won't do it for any sustained length of time.
   

In sum, "contribut[ing] cheerfully and regularly to ... the relief of the poor" is a clear mandate of Scripture. It is part of our Great Commission calling to make disciples and extend the kingdom of God to all nations. As such it isn't something with which we should wrestle in terms of "should I or shouldn't I?" While the specifics will necessarily change with the circumstance in which we find ourselves, giving is one of many disciple activities that should characterize our lifestyles as believers. I covet your prayers as I seek to live out this calling in my own life. Please be assured that you have mine.

In Christ,

Jonathan

P.S.--Please note that this post on "giving to the poor" was written with the assumption that one is already giving his/her tithe to their local church. Supporting this presupposition goes beyond my purposes here. If you have questions about tithing, please let me know and I will be happy to discuss that at a later time.

Acknowledgments: Wes Mills led our discussion on church covenants and many of the things written in this blog were precipitated by the discussion he facilitated. Ben Arbour actually raised the particular focus question for this post and had intriguing thoughts as well. I welcome any additional thoughts or comments you may have about this subject.