On Supporting Fellow Believers

Act 2:42-47 NLT - [42] All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper ), and to prayer. [43] A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. [44] And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. [45] They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. [46] They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity -- [47] all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

One of the fundamental and often neglected duties of Christ's followers is the responsibility to support our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to minister to the world and to our communities, indeed, but the Scripture is also clear in this: that we are to support one another. In Acts 2, this picture is portrayed with absolute clarity. The recorder of Acts(likely Luke) explains that "the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had." Not only this, but they "sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need." The Scripture is undisputedly precise on the intentions for God's church: we are to be one body. In order to be one body, we must live as one body. When a member is week, we must minister to the needs of that member.

There are many ways in which God accomplishes His will regarding this issue. The most obvious, as is the case in Acts 2, is monetary aid. The believers loved their brothers and sisters so much that they were willing to give up everything they had so that they might all live together. Clearly the tithes of fellowship--the sense of oneness with Christ--is present in Christ's early church. What does that say about us? I believe ti says we are to desire, above all else, a oneness with each other. The Church is designed primarily to serve the kingdom of God, and this goal is impossible without the daily functioning of His children all working together for a common goal. Let us be aware of the monetary needs around our congregations. Those in need may often be too embarrassed to proclaim their struggles, but if a believer is struggling to feed their family or pay their bills, Acts 2 instructs us that it is the duty of God's Church to step in and aid this person.

The second vital ministry we can perform to serve members of the body in need is that of spiritual needs. This need triumphs every other need, be it monetary, physical, or emotional. In fact, some of the monetary problems, behavioral problems, and ailments source from a real spiritual need. Hearts are hurting even in God's kingdom. Prayer and words of encouragement are not just stereotypical instruments of God's empowering of the spiritually needy within the Church: they are vital resources for the ministry of the broken heart. I am convinced that if we can address these needs, a great deal of other needs will be met as well. Hurt, depression, malice, guilt, and other emotions all are rooted deep within a hurting spirit. Once the root is resolved, the rest will(thought often slowly) begin to heal as well.

Let's remember Acts 2 when we go into worship. There are many needs around God's Church. Let us act as one body, ministering to the needs of one another as Christ calls us.