BIBLICAL BASIS
Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need. -1 Timothy 5:3
This directive introduces us to one of the lengthiest sections in the New Testament having to do with material possessions. Though Paul was addressing a unique cultural situation in the Roman Empire, what he wrote yields some relevant and helpful guidelines for Christians in every culture of the world.
The Problem
When Jews became Christians, they were automatically cut off from the welfare system in Israel. Since there was no official provision in the Roman Empire for these people, caring for needy Christians became the sole responsibility of local churches. As Christianity spread and grew in numbers, more and more people emerged who had special needs.
Predictably, more and more people also began taking advantage of the generous spirit that existed among believers. In actuality, it was a two-sided problem. Not only did older people tend to look to the church to meet their needs, but family members who had older parents and relatives in need also began to look to the church rather than accepting their own responsibility to care for these people.
The Solution
Paul addressed the issue because it was becoming a serious problem in Ephesus. He was concerned for those widows who were not having their needs met. On the other hand, only those who were really in need should receive consistent support.
The apostle made it clear that children and grandchildren of widows had the primary responsibility to take care of them (1 Timothy 5:4). He then spelled out how serious it was for any family member to neglect a relative in need: "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Timothy 5:8).
Next Paul set up some guidelines regarding widows asking to be consistently supported by the church. If no family member was available to take care of them, of course the church should consider supporting them. However, Paul declared that no widow should qualify for financial support unless she met these requirements:
· She was more than sixty.
· She had been faithful to her husband.
· She was well-known for her good deeds, such as bringing up children, showing hospitality, washing the feet of the saints, helping those in trouble, and devoting herself to all kinds of good works (1 Timothy 5:9-10).
Paul wasn't proposing a system that would neglect people with true needs. He was simply addressing the issue that anytime Christians practice principles of generosity, some will try to take advantage of that generosity. In the New Testament world, those tempted to do so included young widows. But it wasn't just the young widows themselves; family members were choosing to burden the church with the responsibility of caring for these young women rather than facing the financial responsibility themselves.
Supracultural Principle 89
Choosing Whom to Help
The selection of people who receive consistent help from the church should be based on specific guidelines
The church should certainly be a caring community of believers. People in need should be helped. However, just as the church in the first-century world needed guidelines, so the twenty-first-century church must use wisdom as well.
Biblical Guidelines for Today
Though the cultural dynamics are different in many societies in today's world, the guidelines outlined by Paul still apply when considering financial support for needy people-particularly on a consistent basis.
First, the church should make sure there are no other available sources of support-including assistance from governmental agencies.
Second, people in need should look first to their own families for help.
The third guideline relates to the qualifications of those who want to receive consistent financial support from the church:
· The person should be a true believer. As we saw in Paul's letter to the Galatians, this in no way means that the church should not help unbelievers (Galatians 6:10). But consistent and long-term support should be reserved for born again Christians.
· The applicant should be an older believer.
· He or she should be a mature believer with a good reputation.
Fortunately, the American church doesn't face these problems as often as churches in other cultures. Our more affluent society and its welfare systems help reduce the need. Yet there are still people who are truly in need.
Some people, however, will try to take advantage of the church particularly when we function according to New Testament principles. Wherever there's a positive, Satan will try to turn it into a negative. But this in no way excuses us for neglecting our God-given responsibility to help those truly in need. This is why we must understand and apply these biblical, supracultural principles.
At Fellowship Bible Church North, we take seriously the injunctions in Scripture to be generous and to help people who need assistance. We have set up a Love Fund for this purpose, supplied monetarily from special Christmas Eve services at the end of the year. We also seek to follow the scriptural guidelines for being accountable with the monies entrusted to us.
Consequently, we have set up the following guidelines:
1. The purpose of the Love Fund is primarily to meet unusual, short-term financial needs within our church body. Examples of these needs could include, but need not be limited to, medical expenses, rent, food, and short-term living expenses.
2. We encourage all who request financial help from the church to consider the following potential sources of funds, in this order, before disbursements from the Love Fund are considered:
a. personal assets
b. family
c. friends
d. commercial credit
e. government assistance
3. Recommendations for disbursements are normally made by small-group leaders or staff pastors who are familiar with all the circumstances pertinent to the situation.
4. Disbursements from the Love Fund normally are approved by two staff pastors and two nonstaff elders, either in person or by telephone.
In addition, we encourage people to give back to the Love Fund if and when they're able, to help someone else in need as they have been.
Extracted from Dr Gene Getz’s Rich in Every Way
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