Yesterday I wrote on how the New Testament calls believers to help minister to those afflicted by tragedy and disasters such as this week’s tornado. I gave some practical steps for churches to apply the biblical commands to meet each other’s needs in times of distress. Yet it occurred to me later that there might be some people who cringe at those commands, and who feel like the Bible does not command believers to use their resources in that way. This post is my attempt to argue that the New Testament directs Christians to use their money to meet the material needs of other believers.

The desire to help the poor is a biblical mandate. For example, when Zacchaeus repented, he gave half of his wealth to the poor (Luke 19:8). This was not a works-based form of penance, but rather an expression of compassion towards the needy. In fact, Jesus often used giving to the poor as a basic standard of righteousness (Matt 19:21, Luke 14:13), and even specifically blessed them (Luke 6:20). In the sermon on the mount, he told his listeners, “Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you” (Matt 5:42). He repeated this ethic in Luke 3:11: “Whoever has two tunicsis to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”   Continue Reading…

When I heard that a tornado in Oklahoma City killed over 50 people, many of whom were elementary students, I shuddered with sorrow. How can a person hear that children died and entire neighborhoods were wiped out and not be affected?

So I stopped and prayed. I thanked the Lord for my own family’s safety, and I prayed for those first-responders and teachers who were trying to rescue people. I prayed for the churches in the area, and asked that God would give them wisdom in how they respond. I asked that the pastors would have the ability to comfort, the elders would lead, and that God would use this for good by drawing people to himself.

And then I thought, how can I help? What can I do to help those in need, especially the believers who were affected? I read this passage:   Continue Reading…

How does a believer go about identifying his spiritual giftedness? The New Testament gives at least three lists of spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6-8, 1 Cor 12:7-12, Eph 4:11-13; cf 1 Cor 7:7, 1 Peter 4:10), strongly implying at the very least that every Christian has a kind of spiritual gift, and that not every Christian has every gift. So how do you find out what your gift is?

First, remember that every believer has the responsibility to be a faithful member of their local church, and that gifting is discovered, identified, and validated in that context. So if you are not a member of a church, fret about that before you fret about what you are supposed to do in that church.

Second, practice the commands that the New Testament gives all believers. It is through the practice of those commands that you discover the particular area in which you are gifted. We are all called to evangelism, giving, and showing mercy, for example. There are times and situations where service is required, and we are the one at hand to serve. By prayer and obedience to God we serve to love and meet the needs of others regardless of our gift.

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We live in a world filled with uncertainty and tragedy. Every day we hear of some event that devastates people’s lives. Where can these people turn? Where can the husband turn if his wife is found in adultery? Where can the mom turn if her child dies? Where can you turn to if you lose a job? Should people in such tragic circumstances be forced to look for help from professional counselors?

Pastors need to be equipped to give hope to people through the most severe trials. They ought to be equipped to take hurting congregants to the scriptures and point them to a powerful sovereign God who cares about the lost and hurting. The pastor ought to be able revive the common hope we have from believing in a God who cares about troubled and broken people.    Continue Reading…